The chairman of the committee that drafted the Indian Constitution was Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, also known as Babasaheb. He prohibited discrimination against untouchables and is frequently referred to as the principal author of the Indian Constitution. Posthumously, he received India’s highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna.
Dr Ambedkar, a lawyer, economist, scholar, politician, social reformer, anthropologist, and writer, served as the Minister of Law and Justice in Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s first ministry. His influence on the Dalit Buddhist movement is well acknowledged. Both Columbia University and the London School of Economics awarded him doctorates.
Ramabai, Babasaheb’s first wife, passed away in 1935 after a protracted illness. He married Sharada Kabir in 1948, following the conclusion of the first draught of the Indian Constitution. Savita Ambedkar later changed her name and became known as Mai.
The academic knew a great deal about India and its people. He experienced a lot of discrimination as a child as a result of India’s pervasive caste system. Later in life, he abandoned Hinduism and converted to Buddhism.
You should add these five books by Babasaheb Ambedkar to your reading list.
India under Ambedkar
Three well-known talks on caste and the Indian Constitution are included in this book. The diversity of the nation and its goals for its citizens is reflected in “The Grammar of Anarchy.”
The film “Annihilation of Caste” demonstrates how deeply ingrained the caste system was in India. Even Hinduism is criticised by him.
He presents his research on the mechanisms and causes of caste problems in Castes In India: Their Mechanism, Genesis, and Development.
Later, in 1955, during a BBC interview, he charged Mahatma Gandhi with supporting the caste system in vernacular media while criticising it in English-language publications.
Also read: 9 Must-Read Dalit Authors to Gain Real Understanding of Indian Caste
who the Shudras were
In the book, Dr Ambedkar searches for the Sudras’ or untouchables’ historical roots. The Rigveda, the Mahabharata, and other ancient Indian texts are used by the author to support his assertion that the Shudras were once Aryans.
Shudras commonly referred to as untouchables were at the bottom of India’s class system, or Varna. Both service and labour jobs were available to them. According to the author, they made up more than 75 per cent of all Hindus in 1946.
Pakistan or India’s division
Dr Ambedkar discusses the minds of Muslims and Hindus practically. Additionally explained are the contributions of the main political parties to the nation’s division. The concept of nationalism, nationhood, and community as understood by the author is provided. The book is regarded as a superb illustration of an objective and fair-minded viewpoint on the issue.
Karl Marx or Buddha
In this brief essay, Dr Bhirmao Ambedkar contrasts two figures who lived more than two centuries apart: Karl Marx and Gautam Buddha.
Buddhist teachings and the Buddha
This book on Buddha’s life and philosophy was Dr Ambedkar’s final composition. For people who practise Navayana Buddhism, the passage is regarded as a sacred writing. Dr Ambedkar passed away in 1956, and The Buddha and His Dhamma were first published in 1957. The novel, which was initially written in English, has been translated into several tongues, including Hindi, Gujarati, Telugu, Tamil, Marathi, Malayalam, Bengali, and Kannada. The twelfth volume of Ambedkar’s collected writings and speeches was reissued in 1979.
It is important to mention that Babasaheb’s library, “Rajgrah,” was the biggest private library in the world and contained more than 50,000 books. In 64 disciplines, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar was an expert.
In addition to Hindi, Pali, Sanskrit, English, French, German, Marathi, Persian, and Gujarati, Dr Ambedkar was fluent in nine more languages. The works written by Dr Ambedkar currently rank among the bestsellers in India.
