In the year 1912 he also obtained a degree in political science and economics from Bombay University, and prepared to take employment with the Baroda State Government. By then, his wife 19 years old gave birth to her first son, Yashwant, in the same year. B.R. Ambedkar, along with his family moved and started to work when he dashed back to Mumbai to see his ailing father, who died on 2nd February in the year 1913. In the year 1913 he also moved to the United States of America to pursue his further studies. He had received a Baroda State Scholarship for three years under a scheme established by the Gaekwads of Baroda that was designed to provide opportunities for postgraduate education at Columbia University. Soon on his arrival, he settled in rooms at Livingston Hall with the Naval Bhathena, a Parsi, who, later became a lifelong friend. In the year 1915, he passed his MA exam, majoring in Economics with Sociology, History, Philosophy and Anthropology as other subjects of study; he presented a thesis, Ancient Indian Commerce. In the year 1916 he again offered another thesis in MA, National Dividend of India-A Historic and Analytical Study. On 9th May he also read his paper "Castes in India: Their Mechanism, Genesis and Development" before the seminar organized by Alexander Goldenweiser (an anthropologist). On October 1916 he also studied for the Bar Examination at Gray's Inn and then enrolled at the London School of Economics where he begun his work on a doctoral thesis. In June 1917 he was obliged to go back to India as his term ended. But he was given special permission to return and then submit his thesis within four years. He travelled separately from his collection of books, which were lost when the ship on which they were despatched was torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine. |