THE UNTOUCHABLES: WHO WERE THEY? AND WHY THEY BECAME UNTOUCHABLES

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History

THE UNTOUCHABLES: WHO WERE THEY? AND WHY THEY BECAME UNTOUCHABLES

By: B. R. Ambedkar

195.00

  • ISBN: 978-93-7646-763-1
  • Pages: 190 pages
  • Published: 05 June, 2026
  • Format: B Format
  • Imprint: Rupa
  • Language: English

The Untouchables, first published in 1948, is a sequel to Who Were the Shudras?: How they came to be the Fourth Varna in the Indo-Aryan Society (1946). It represents an early and path-breaking effort to explore a subject that had long remained neglected.

The book examines not only the central question of the origin of untouchability but also engages with a wide range of related issues, many of which have been little understood or insufficiently addressed. Among the questions it investigates are: Why did the Untouchables live outside the village? How did beef-eating come to be associated with untouchability? Did Hindus always abstain from beef? Why did non-Brahmins abandon beef-eating? What led Brahmins to adopt vegetarianism?

While the answers offered may not claim to be exhaustive, the work opens up new perspectives and invites readers to reconsider familiar assumptions, presenting a fresh and thought-provoking approach to longstanding social and historical questions.

Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar was far more than the principal architect of India’s Constitution. He was a jurist, economist, social reformer, political leader, and one of the most determined voices against untouchability and caste oppression. He argued for the rights of the marginalised, spoke firmly for women’s empowerment, and devoted his life to the making of a just and modern India. 

Ambedkar’s stature exceeded the ordinary measure of political leadership. His vision was rooted in the idea of a nation built not merely through law and governance, but through dignity, social justice, and moral equality. For him, the strength of India depended on whether every citizen could live with liberty, equality, and fraternity, not as abstract ideals, but as lived realities. 

As chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Constituent Assembly, Ambedkar played a decisive role in shaping the Constitution of India. He also served as the country’s first Minister of Law and Justice. In recognition of his immense contribution, he was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour, in 1990. His legacy continues through institutions, memorials, public memory, scholarship, and the enduring struggle for equality that his life helped define.


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