Ethnographical Observations on Ambedkar’s Works by Christophe Jaffrelot

In this recent scenario, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar has become the beacon of equality, liberty, and fraternity. A plethora of scholars have been analyzing and writing about the works of Ambedkar. Furthermore, the Dalit movements have turned Ambedkar into a source of motivation for millions of people worldwide. Christophe’s observations on Ambedkar’s works have been different from others due to his deep insights and methodologies. He made the impossible possible, and in the absence of Ambedkar, he provided ethnographical perspectives on Ambedkar’s work. Christophe argued that Ambedkar was the first Hindu leader from the Dalit or lower caste to travel to the West and pursue higher formal education, including a PhD. It is undeniable that Ambedkar has been India’s most intelligent and prominent Dalit leader. For years, Ambedkar battled alone against the entire Hindu upper caste-dominated political establishment to grant the lower castes their own official and legal rights. He (Ambedkar) was selected as the first Central Government law minister of independent India and chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee. He was remarkably successful in reducing Gandhian effects on the Indian independence struggle. However, Gandhi has been the father of the nation, but Ambedkar has also been recognized as the father of Dalits. Christophe Jaffrelot, in his seminal work “Ambedkar and Untouchability: Analyzing and Fighting Caste,” describes very important aspects of Ambedkar’s life: How has he emerged as a prominent leader of Dalits? How has he become the beacon for the anti-caste movement worldwide? How did the son of a Mahar soldier become a successful electoral politician, journalist, jurist, and architect of the Indian Constitution, an opponent of Hinduism, and a true follower of Buddhism?