BABASAHEB IN WIDE ANGLE

I would be surprised if any other modest-sized book offers as full a chronicle of Babasaheb’s life as this one by Tharoor.

- Rajmohan Gandhi

Every significant episode from childhood humiliations in Maharashtra to his eve-of-death public renouncing of Hinduism and embrace of Buddhism is covered here. Including the Columbia PhD in 1927, the 1932 “Poona Pact” with Gandhi, Ambedkar’s history-shaking 1936 text, Annihilation of Caste, the unexpected invitation in 1947 to lead the drafting of the Constitution, his command of the Constitution’s passage, his abrupt 1951 resignation, and so much more. Given the author’s flair, it is not surprising that this biography is readable. It is also courageous, with one chapter titled ‘Ambedkar’s Four Flaws’. In this brief review, it would be unfair to name the shortcomings that Tharoor dares to identify, and equally improper to comment on Tharoor’s assessments.