Ambedkar : A Life


Name : Ambedkar : A life
Author : Shashi Tharoor
Year of Publication : 2022
Genre : Non-fiction, Biography
Rating : ** 1/2( 2 and a half stars out of 5)

Shashi Tharoor pens a short and useful biography of Dr.B.R.Ambedkar for readers with time constraints. The book is structured into two parts : a chronological revisit of Ambedkar's life and an evaluation of his legacy. Despite Tharoor's highly accessible style of writing, the book suffers from lack of fresh research and is satisfied with mere precis writing of previous scholarly works on Ambedkar. The author finds Ambedkar's sweepingly scathing dismissal of Hinduism unbearable. Tharoor could do well to reread Ambedkar's "Annihilation of Caste" again to understand where Ambedkar comes from instead of lamenting as to how a "great religion" has been mercilessly denigrated. That Tharoor finds such criticism unbearable is no surprise, after all one of his books is titled "Why I am a Hindu".

 

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