Martin Luther King and ambedkar

The life of Indian leader Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar was exceptional. Born in 1891 - - the 14th child of a subedaar -- he rose from being an impoverished village boy to become a lawyer, politician and  author of India's constitution. Along the way he overcame extreme discrimination and humiliation, acquired degrees in economics and law from Columbia and London universities, and led the struggle of India's untouchables (known as Dalits or the oppressed) for dignity and justice. Shortly before his death in 1956, Ambedkar, disillusioned with Hinduism, converted to Buddhism. He had to fight for everything that we take for granted and he was untiring. He also suffered a lot, but his desire to study, to learn, was undiminished. Furthermore, his intellectual achievements were very impressive. He became, for instance, an authority on the constitutions of the world. That's how he stands out from other national leaders of that period. Ambedkar was also constantly humiliated so he developed a distrust of people. He had to fight not only with the British but also with his own countrymen, with people from his own religion, and with leaders of the Congress Party. On issues relating to people of his own caste, he had to confront Mahatma Gandhi and later, after becoming India's first law minister, he had to confront (former Prime Minister Jawaharlal) Nehru's government on the issue of reforming Hindu law. His social and political struggle is of great relevance today, not just in India, but internationally. This man's life embodied the struggle for human rights, for equality, for social justice. He stands right there in history next to leaders like Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King.

Ambedkar was a great leader and scholar -- he was well-versed in economics, law, anthropology and philosophy. Tell me the name of a leader from any community today who has such scholarly achievements along with popular appeal?