Ambedkar Jayanti: Notable works by Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar one should read

Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, also called Babasaheb Ambedkar, was one of the most prominent figures of the 20th century. An Indian jurist, economist, politician, Dalit leader, and social reformer-- Dr Ambedkar headed the drafting committee of the Constitution of India. Hence he is also called the father of the Indian Constitution. Dr Ambedkar also served as the Law and Justice Minister in Jawaharlal Nehru's first cabinet. In 1990, India's highest civilian award- the Bharat Ratna was posthumously conferred on Dr Ambedkar for his immense contributions to the nation.

Remembering Dr Ambedkar on his 131st birth anniversary today, here we share some notable books and audiobooks by him that everyone should read or listen to. These works give a glimpse of the life, struggles and hardships, and ideologies of Dr Ambedkar that will inspire people.

Photo: Wikipedia.org

This audiobook features Dr Ambedkar's most famous speech that wasn't delivered, namely 'Annihilation of Cast', along with his paper titled 'Castes in India: Their Mechanism, Genesis and Development'. The audiobook is narrated by Siddhartha Valicharla and it is available on Audible.

Photo: Audible

This audiobook is a collection of B.R. Ambedkar's three prominent speeches about his views on caste and the Indian Constitution. The speeches are: 'Annihilation of Caste', 'The Grammar of Anarchy', and 'Castes in India: Their Mechanism, Genesis and Development on the Indian Constitution and Caste'. Written by Dr Ambedkar himself, these are narrated by Mishal Varma and it is available on Audible.

Photo: Audible

Written by: Dr B.R. Ambedkar and Urgyen Sangharakshita, this audiobook is narrated by Ratnadhya and Sagar Arya. It's noted that on October 14, 1956, Dr Ambedkar gave up Hinduism and converted to Buddhism at a mass meeting in Nagpur. Along with him, his 400,000 followers too converted to Buddhism. In this biography, Urgyen Sangharakshita and Dr Ambedkar write about the latter's gradual shift towards Buddhism and what caused it. It is noted that Urgyen Sangharakshita was a British-born Buddhist monk, who closely knew Dr Ambedkar and also spent years working with the Dalit community in India.

Photo: Audible

Though this book is written by author Rajesh Talwar, it is said to be largely based on Ambedkar’s recollections of his childhood memories. Rajesh Talwar's new book for children titled 'The Boy Who Wrote a Constitution' was released on April 14, 2022. It is "a play that seeks to inform children, and simultaneously have them meaningfully engage with the challenging boyhood and growing-up years of the person who came to write the Constitution of India, Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar," reads the book's blurb.

Photo: Ponytail Books