India, April 14 -- On the birth anniversary of BR Ambedkar, it is worth recalling that he did not see democracy as self-sustaining. He understood that its sustenance depended on the cultivation of a shared social order. The Constitution carries this vision forward, but its fulfilment remains an ongoing task. India remembers BR Ambedkar as the architect of the Indian Constitution and champion of social justice for the oppressed. He is deservedly celebrated for securing rights, advancing social justice and giving institutional shape to democracy.

Yet, this recognition captures only part of his intellectual vision. At the heart of Ambedkar's thought lay a deeper concern-fraternity. Not as a moral afterthought, but as the condition that sust...