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Ambedkar’s Preamble

Ambedkar’s Preamble

A Secret History of the Constitution of India

Aakash Singh Rathore
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On 26 January 1950, the Constitution of India was adopted formally and came into effect. Its preamble set out in brief the enlightened values it enshrined and hoped to engender. In a radical shift from mainstream constitutional history, this book establishes Dr B.R. Ambedkar’s irrefutable authorship of the preamble by uncovering the intellectual origins of its six most central concepts-justice, liberty, equality, fraternity, dignity, and nation.
Although Dr Ambedkar is universally regarded as the chief architect of the Constitution, the specifics of his role as chairman of the Drafting Committee are not widely discussed. Totally neglected is his almost single-handed authorship of the Constitution’s Preamble, which is frequently and mistakenly attributed to B.N. Rau rather than to Ambedkar.
This book establishes how and why the Preamble to the Constitution of India is essentially an Ambedkarite preamble. It is clear that its central concepts have their provenance in Ambedkar’s writings and speeches. Through six eponymous chapters, this book unfolds the story of the six constitutional concepts. In doing so, it spotlights fundamental facts about modern Indian history, as well as Ambedkar’s revolutionary political thought, hitherto ignored in conventional accounts.

Imprint: Vintage Books

Published: Jan/2020

ISBN: 9780143457183 (Paperback)

ISBN: 9780670093243 (Hardback)

Length : 256 Pages

MRP : ₹599.00

Ambedkar’s Preamble

A Secret History of the Constitution of India

Aakash Singh Rathore

On 26 January 1950, the Constitution of India was adopted formally and came into effect. Its preamble set out in brief the enlightened values it enshrined and hoped to engender. In a radical shift from mainstream constitutional history, this book establishes Dr B.R. Ambedkar’s irrefutable authorship of the preamble by uncovering the intellectual origins of its six most central concepts-justice, liberty, equality, fraternity, dignity, and nation.
Although Dr Ambedkar is universally regarded as the chief architect of the Constitution, the specifics of his role as chairman of the Drafting Committee are not widely discussed. Totally neglected is his almost single-handed authorship of the Constitution’s Preamble, which is frequently and mistakenly attributed to B.N. Rau rather than to Ambedkar.
This book establishes how and why the Preamble to the Constitution of India is essentially an Ambedkarite preamble. It is clear that its central concepts have their provenance in Ambedkar’s writings and speeches. Through six eponymous chapters, this book unfolds the story of the six constitutional concepts. In doing so, it spotlights fundamental facts about modern Indian history, as well as Ambedkar’s revolutionary political thought, hitherto ignored in conventional accounts.

Buying Options
Paperback / Hardback

Aakash Singh Rathore

Aakash Singh Rathore is a philosopher, author, and public intellectual of international repute. His 10 authored books span ethics, politics, law, literature, biography, and wine, with translations into multiple languages; he has also edited 15 more, including B.R. Ambedkar: The Quest for Justice (5 vols., Oxford) and Hegel’s India (Oxford, shortlisted for Tata Literature Live Non-Fiction Book of the Year, 2017). Notable titles include the bestsellers Becoming Babasaheb (HarperCollins, currently being adapted into a film) and Ambedkar’s Preamble (Penguin).
Rathore has been a professor of philosophy, politics, and law at premier institutions, including Jawaharlal Nehru University, Ashoka University and Jindal Global University (where he taught courses on AI/AE), as well as at UPenn, Rutgers, the University of Toronto, Humboldt University of Berlin, and LUISS University, Rome. Through the Book Series “Rethinking India” (Penguin), “Religion and Democracy” (Oxford), and “Ethics, Human Rights and Global Political Thought” (Routledge), Rathore endeavors to leverage his role as Series Editor to champion diverse voices.
He pens the monthly column “Poorva Paksha” for Deccan Herald and contributes to The Indian Express, Outlook, The Times of India, and more. A top Ironman triathlete with nine finishes (and earlier ranked as India’s #3 Ironman triathlete), Rathore appears on podcasts like The Seen and the Unseen, at litfests worldwide, and engages millions via YouTube and social media (Quora, X, Instagram). More at www.AakashSinghRathore.com.

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