Maharashtra to buy Ambedkar house in London

Mumbai, January 24: The Maharashtra government has decided to buy the house in London where B.R. Ambedkar lived in the 1920s, and convert it into a memorial–cum–museum, an official said here on Saturday. Maharashtra Education Minister Vinod Tawde, currently in London for a global academic conference, filised the deal and made the announcement. According to an official, the deal for the 2050 sq. feet home, which was up for sale for the past few months, is expected to cost around Rs.40 crore. The residential property, where the architect of the Indian constitution, lived as a student of the London School of Economics in 1921–1922, is situated at 10, King Henry’s Road, NW3, London.

“By April, we plan to complete all the formalities and throw it open as a permanent museum–cum–memorial for the public,” Tawde said in a statement from London.

“When we heard that the home was up for sale through an estate agent, I spoke with Chief Minister Devendra Fadvis, who is in Davos and he immediately gave the green sigl,” Tawde said.

The minister then met representatives of the Federation of Ambedkarites & Buddhist Organisations (FABO) and other Indian officials to filise the deal for the historic home. A meeting was held at India House, the Indian diplomatic mission in the UK, in the presence of Indian High Commissioner Ranjan Mathai, FABO’s (Mrs) Santosh Das and other officials and it was decided to buy the property.

He added that the memorial would inform the people about Ambedkar’s life, works and contribution to the country’s freedom struggle and subsequent public life. (ians)