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Books

Wholesome AMBEDKAR: A LIFE vote. He felt that the
“government had no right
tribute Shashi Tharoor to separate the Depressed

Aleph Book Company Classes from the Hindu
electorate to which they
Rs.599
NDIA’S UNIQUELY rightfully belonged...
successful freedom Pages 226 Ambedkar on the other
Imovement in last few hand, consistent with his
decades of British Raj long-expressed views,
over the subcontinent was welcomed the principle of
almost entirely due to the impressive bibliography. This book is about separate representation for
generalship and master- Ambedkar, A Life traces the confrontation his community, which had
ful strategic planning of the journey of the man between Gandhi and been oppressed for millen-
Mahatma Gandhi. He took popularly known as the Ambedkar, a profound nia,” writes Tharoor.
on the self-serving sancti- father of the Constitution disagreement on the In protest against the
mony of the British upper of India from his early status of Dalits in free, communal awards, Gandhi
classes who had assumed years as a boy born into independent India went on a fast unto death
the white man’s burden Maharashtra’s Mahar in Poona’s Yerwada jail
of civilizing the natives community, at the bottom where he was incarcerated
in blissful ignorance of of the Hindu varna caste profound disagreement on at the time. But with his
several millennia of Indian hierarchy, to his fortuitous the future of the country health having deteriorated
history, and hoisted them education at Columbia and the status of Dalits in precariously, Ambedkar
on their own petard. University, New York free, independent India. reluctantly accepted the
Nevertheless there were and the London School of Ambedkar was in principle of reserved seats
some flaws in the judge- Economics, his chairman- favour of reserved electoral for the Depressed Classes
ment of the greatest man ship of the Committee to reservation for Dalits on but Dalit representa-
who walked upon earth, in draft the Constitution and a par with the communal tives would be elected
scientist Albert Einstein’s emergence as the undis- reservations for Mus- by all voters, not just
memorable tribute. And puted leader of India’s lims in Islam dominated Depressed Class voters in
some leaders of the Indian Dalit community aka, states/regions, because he reserved constituencies.
freedom movement didn’t ‘untouchables’. believed that upper caste And after independence,
share this sentiment. The It is a poignant story of Hindus would never grant even though 15 percent of
most prominent among an extraordinary indi- ‘untouchables’ equal status seats in the Lok Sabha are
them was Dr. Bhim Rao vidual who suffered the as citizens of independent reserved for Dalits, they
Ambedkar, leader of the unalterable indignities of India. are elected by all voters in
Depressed Classes (Dalit) the pernicious Hindu caste In the 1930s when the those constituencies, en-
emancipation movement system throughout his British government under suring that Dalit militants
and principal author of life, his heroic deeds and prime minister Stanley are not elected. Through-
the liberal and egalitar- inestimable contribution Baldwin proposed separate out his life, Ambedkar
ian Constitution of India, to Indian jurisprudence electorates and seats in deeply regretted signing
which was unanimously and transformation of free the provincial assemblies the Poona Pact (1932) as
enacted into law on Janu- India into a modern state, and Central Legislature for emotional blackmail and
ary 26, 1950. notwithstanding. In the Muslims, Sikhs, Christians a sell-out under extreme
Dr. Ambedkar is the end in the last years of his and Europeans, Ambedkar pressure.
subject matter of this life, as Tharoor recounts, insisted that the Depressed As detailed by the
engrossing biography Ambedkar and a large Classes should also have author, the philosophi-
written by prolific author contingent of his Dalit the right to vote their own cal outlook of these two
and Member of Parliament followers, in a historic con- representatives into these undoubtedly great leaders
Shashi Tharoor, whose version in Nagpur adopted popularly elected assem- who shaped modern India
credentials include 21 non- Buddhism, a casteless blies. was profoundly differ-
fiction and four works of egalitarian creed. This proposition was ent. Gandhi wanted India
fiction. Written in seem- Essentially this forth- adamantly opposed by to become a nation of
ingly effortless Tharoor right book is about the Gandhi and the Congress self-governing and self-
style, it is at the same time confrontation between Party as a conspiracy to sustaining village republics
deeply researched with an Gandhi and Ambedkar, a split the majority Hindu to attain the goal of Ram

386 EDUCATIONWORLD SEPTEMBER 2023