B. R. Ambedkar: The Man Who Gave Hope to India's Dispossessed

By Shashi Tharoor

Book Overview

A household name throughout India, B. R. Ambedkar is one of the country's most important figures, second only to Mahatma Gandhi. He played a major role in drafting the constitution for a newly independent India and led the fight against caste-based discrimination.

Ambedkar was born into a Dalit caste (the so-called 'untouchables'), but his academic brilliance saw him study at Columbia University and London School of Economics. As a politician, he fought to overturn centuries of discrimination and promoted liberal constitutionalism in a traditionally illiberal society. He did more than anyone to articulate a cogent and enduring case for the principles of democracy in a country emerging from imperial rule.

This book is also a reminder of how far the practice of politics has strayed from the high standards Ambedkar set - of intellectual distinction, policy positions animated by serious scholarship, the infusion of moral values and the upholding of democracy for the many, not just the privileged few.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1526173581
• ISBN13: 9781526173584
• Release Date: May 2023
• Publisher: Manchester University Press
• Length: 248 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.3" x 8.6"