India is set to acquire a prime property in London for an estimated £4 million where Dalit rights activist B.R. Ambedkar, the architect of the Indian Constitution, lived during his student days in the 1920s.
An “under offer” sign outside the 10 King Henry’s Road townhouse on a leafy street in Chalk Farm area of north London indicates that the sale process is nearly complete.
A blue plaque commemorates the fact that Ambedkar lived there in 1921-22 when he was studying at London School of Economics (LSE).
“The work is in progress,” confirmed a senior Indian High Commission diplomat, who has been facilitating the process since the Maharashtra government took the decision to acquire the property.
“This is a historical moment for us because it is not just a house, but has the emotions of all Indians attached to it,” Rajkumar Badole, Maharashtra’s minister of social justice and special assistance, had said during a visit to London in April.
The minister, who led a three-member delegation from his ministry, including state minister Dilip Kamble and principal secretary Ujjwal Uke, had also initiated talks on establishing a Dr Ambedkar Chair at LSE, which would be linked with two new scholarships for Indian students.
The cost of the London property, likely to be borne by the Maharashtra government, is estimated between £3.2 million and £4 million. The building, which already has a memorial plaque dedicated to “Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, Indian Crusader for Social Justice”, will require some essential repair work after which it will be open to the public.
It was proposed that one of the floors would become a transitory residence for Indian students studying in the UK.
