Engaging Ambedkar on Inclusive Discourse: Countering Exclusion towards Social Reconstruction

B. R. Ambedkar drafted the Indian Constitution reconstructing society largely affected by caste abhorrence, deprivation and suffering by envisioning the Fundamental Rights and indicating the Directive Principles to legislate, protect and promulgate equality in all spheres of life and equal opportunity in all fields of endeavour for all thereby sowing the seeds for an inclusive society. Given that in contemporary times the identity-based conflicts, cultural and religious tensions have initiated much debate on ‘inclusive societies’, Ambedkar was far ahead of his time in already having thought of it. Taking cues from this pioneering contribution of Ambedkar, this paper is a study to analyse Ambedkar's vision and draw lessons from the progress he achieved, if at all, to advance our efforts at developing the inclusive society where social groups excluded for various pretexts, such as SC/ST, tribes, women, religious minorities and other similar groups, find in India their true home where they are building their society and removing the puzzling haplessness, if any, in their birth that tells them they are lesser than what their consciousness instructs. It is an attempt to locate the recent debate/discourse on inclusive society which brings together a wide range of issues concerning questions of social justice, fairness, social integration, social cohesion and social inclusion by engaging, upholding and leveraging the ideas of Ambedkar on inclusive society for our citizens standing at par with a world pondering liberty, equality and fraternity paving the way for a just, progressive society.