B. R. Ambedkar

A household name throughout India, B. R. Ambedkar is one of its most important figures, second only to Mahatma Gandhi. A political leader with a major hand in drafting the constitution for a newly independent India, and a pioneer in the fight against caste-based discrimination. A lifelong campaigner for the rights of Dalits (the "untouchable" caste), he fought against centuries of deeply-held discrimination to institute an affirmative action programme enshrined in the Constitution, promoted liberal constitutionalism in a traditionally illiberal society, and articulated the most 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. -- .