Babu Jagjivan Ram always espoused the cause of establishing a society based on social justice and political and economic equality. He was well-known as a champion of the depressed classes. Throughout his public life, he dedicated his leadership aptitude for the upliftment and advancement of the underprivileged and the marginalised sections passionately. His persistent efforts brought a new hope for justice, equality and dignity to them. For his staunch support and consistent struggle for the cause of the downtrodden, he has been rightly called a ‘Messiah’ of Dalits.
Babu Jagjivan Ram was born in a scheduled caste family in Chandwa village of Bhojpur District in Bihar. With the blight of casteism haven taken deep roots in Indian society for ages, there was rampant inequality of opportunities in social, political, and economic spheres depriving the basic human dignity to a large section of people. Babu Jagjivan Ram had experienced the ill-effects of casteism, such as untouchability, discrimination and marginalisation. After finishing middle school, Babuji joined the high school in Arrah town. Although his reputation as a topper had already preceded him, it was eclipsed by the social prejudices existing at that point of time. The most unusual reception awaited him upon his arrival at the school. To the school verandah which hitherto had accommodated two earthen pitchers, the Hindu and the Muslim pitcher, was added a third one-the untouchable pitcher. At the sight of this, his innocent face quivered in torment and he felt unbearably humiliated. During his formative years, he had witnessed many such sufferings and deprivations perpetrated on the depressed classes under the caste system.
However, he did not yield to the unfair order of his times. Babuji undertook it as a Mission to remedy the social malaise in every possible way. He too had to suffer social ostracism and maltreatment at the hands of the same forces while fighting for the cause. Such experiences hard-edged his determination to fight for justice. He made it his life-long goal to persistently try hard for eliminating the social malady that crippled a major chunk of the population. From his student days, he was intensely involved in organising the youth from the depressed classes and sought to create awareness among the members of his community to fight for their rights and to draw the attention of political leaders. His extraordinary organising and mobilising capabilities saw him elected to the post of Secretary of Bihar State Harijan Sevak Sangh in 1933. In 1934, Jagjivan Ram successfully organised the All India Ravidas Sammelan in Calcutta. During this conference, he met several social workers, with whom he shared his views and suggested that all Harijan leaders should speak from one platform. The depressed Classes Unity Conference was held in Kanpur in 1935. In 1936, Jagjivan Ram was chosen to preside over the lucknow Session of the All India Depressed Classes league, to be followed by many such conferences in West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Bombay and Punjab. He mobilised the backward classes and tried to articulate and air their genuine grievances.