Annihilation of Caste

Praise

“Annihilation of Caste has to be read … No Hindu who prizes his faith above life itself can afford to underrate the importance of this indictment.” —M.K. Gandhi

“What Communist Manifesto is to the capitalist world, Annihilation of Caste is to caste India. Arundhati Roy’s introduction is expansive and excellent. S. Anand’s annotations have style and perfection.” —Anand Teltumbde, author of The Persistence of Caste: The Khairlanji Murders & India’s Hidden Apartheid

“For the 1930s, Annihilation of Caste was a case of marvellous writing with conceptual clarity and political understanding – something the world should know about. The annotations illumine the whole book. Roy’s essay has the sharp political thrust one has come to expect from her.” —Uma Chakravarti, author of Everyday Lives, Everyday Histories: Beyond the Kings and Brahmanas of ‘Ancient’ India and Pandita Ramabai: A Life and a Time

“Arundhati Roy’s ‘The Doctor and the Saint’ manages to convey an intimate and deeply felt sensitivity to the history that produced Annihilation of Caste. The annotations do an excellent job of providing supplementary information, corroboration and relevant citations … A robust edition of an under-appreciated classic.” —Satish Deshpande, Professor of Sociology, Delhi University

“S. Anand’s annotations are very thorough and on the whole based on first-rate and current scholarship on South Asia and elsewhere … Arundhati Roy’s essay is punchy, eye-opening and provocative … There is very little left of the saintly stature of the Mahatma once Roy is done with him, while Ambedkar, quite rightly, is left standing as the man in full control of his senses and his very considerable intellect.” —Thomas Blom Hansen, Director, Stanford’s Center for South Asia

“This annotated edition of Annihilation of Caste was long overdue … The copious footnotes give the reader a sense of direction and all the additional information needed for making sense of the text – including the translation of the Sanskrit shlokas Ambedkar used to document his analysis. This edition is truly a remarkable achievement.” —Christophe Jaffrelot, author of Dr Ambedkar and Untouchability: Analysing and Fighting Caste

“Those who have read Annihilation of Caste many times before will still read this work for the sake of the annotations and reference-based clarifications of Ambedkar’s thoughts. This edition will foster a more critical engagement among readers.” —Ayyathurai Gajendran, anthropologist