For Ambedkar, ‘a nation was not a people synthesised by a common culture derived from a common language, common religion or common race’. In the opening chapter, Sukhadeo Thorat says that though Ambedkar was not particularly delighted with the way the Independent Indian state worked during his lifetime, he had great hopes from it.

The first revisits Ambedkar’s vision of ‘the Dalit truth’. They underscore the fact that these foundational values and the institutions supposed to protect and promote them are currently under severe stress.īesides the editor’s introduction, the book has 12 essays, broadly covering three sets of issues. The published volumes also reflect the broader vision of Congress politics. However, the book and the series do foreground the Nehruvian and Gandhian vision of building an inclusive India, which, as the editors would claim, is also embedded in the Constitution and has a stamp of the chairperson of its drafting committee, BR Ambedkar. In fact, many provide a strong critique of the Congress and its approach toward the political and developmental concerns of the ex-untouchable communities. The essays do not present a biased position. However, the book is not a party or political document. The book has been edited by K Raju, a former bureaucrat, currently an active Congress member. Ranjith R.S.This is the eighth book of the series, ‘Rethinking India’, being published by the Samruddha Bharat Foundation. The Dalit Truth is a dossier for tomorrow.Ĭontributing authors: Sukhadeo Thorat Raja Sekhar Vundru Kiruba Munusamy Suraj Yengde Bhanwar Meghwanshi Badri Narayan Jignesh Mevani Sudha Pai PA. The informed readers of today will find these pages both enlightening and refreshing. The essays offer deeper insights into social, educational, economic and cultural challenges and opportunities faced by the Dalits, the varied strategies of political parties for their mobilization and the choice to be made by Dalits for realizing equality. The authors featured in the volume come from various fields of social existence and bring narratives of different colours-not just stories of dismay but those of possibilities. The eighth volume in the Rethinking India series, published in collaboration with the Samrudhha Bharat Foundation, probes into the pathway to be followed by the Dalits as articulated by Ambedkar's Constitution. The multitude of Dalit truths and their battles against the lies perpetrated by the caste system are reflected in the pages of this book, pointing towards a future filled with promise and prospects for the coming generations.

The Dalit Truth is a symphony of Dalit voices as they call out to the future.

The Dalit Truth by K. Raju