An appraisal of "Annihilation of Caste by Dr.B.R.

Ambedkar"

I am in no place to assess a man so intelligent and selfless as Dr.Ambedkar, or any of his works. So, I
would just like to present my personal opinion of how edifying the book was. This book is an eye-opener
on the ruthlessness of the caste system. Before reading this book, all I had known about the caste
system was that the people belonging to the minority groups had reservations in the education system. I
can now feel the respect that has grown inside me for the system of reservation of seats in educational
institutions. I would like to thank Dr.B.R.Ambedkar for this. I would recommend this book to all the
young citizens of India, on whose hands the future of the country lies.

The book begins with an introduction "The Doctor and the Saint" by the great Indian critic Arundhati
Roy. The introduction is very didactic and provides all the knowledge that one has to have about the
caste system, untouchability, Dr.Ambedkar's humble crusade against the caste system and M.K.
Gandhi's opposition to the crusade. The writing style is very prolific. It is the best orientation that a
reader can ask for before plunging into the "Annihilation of Caste". Arundhati Roy's introduction is
astounding and clearly shows her inevitable dedication for the welfare of the society. She has
comprehensibly unravelled the brutality of untouchability and the pointless significance given to it in
India.

The speech "Annihilation of Caste" was written by Dr.B.R.Ambedkar for a conference held by the Jat-pat
Todak Mandal to which he was invited to preside over. The conference itself was cancelled because
Dr.Ambedkar's speech persuaded the idea that in order to annihilate the caste system, it is necessary to
reform or annihilate the Hindu religion itself. Dr.Ambedkar's opinions on the caste system was not
encouraged by the members of the Jat-pat Todak Mandal and they asked him to leave out certain points
which substantiate his audacious denunciation of Hinduism. But Dr.Ambedkar refused to do so!

Being an untouchable himself, Ambedkar understood the inhumanity of untouchability and all through
his childhood, he fought against the odds and came up in life, well educated, with the only aim of
bringing equality and abolishing the practice of untouchability. In his speech, he explicates how the
caste system plays it's role in oppresing the lives of the people socially, morally and economically.

Living in a country and always dreaming of its futuristic and developed state, instead of focusing on the
most pressing issue and the consequences that this issue can inflict upon the lives of the people, is like
being trapped in a dark room with the key in our hands. Dr.B.R.Ambedkar has given each and every one
of us the key to a developed India that the country has always been dreaming of! The "Annihilation of
Caste" is the first and the crucial step towards a developed India!