Ambedkar's Preamble A Secret History of the Constitution of India

On 26 January 1950 the Constitution of India was formally adopted 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 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 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 Jawaharlal Nehru 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. About the Author Aakash Singh Rathore is a philosopher of international repute and the author of seven books including A Philosophy of Autobiography Body & Text. He is also India's number three Ironman triathlete and a social media influencer. Rathore has taught at Jawaharlal Nehru University and University of Delhi as well as at Rutgers University University of Pennsylvania University of Toronto Humboldt University of Berlin and LUISS University in Rome. He is an international fellow at the Centre for Ethics and Global Politics in Rome and a fellow at the Indian Institute of Advanced Study in Shimla. He is the series editor of Rethinking India (fifteen volumes) and is the co-editor of its first volume Vision for a Nation Paths and Perspectives (with Ashis Nandy). Rathore is also the series editor of Ethics Human Rights and Global Political Thought (Routledge) and Religion and Democracy Reconceptualizing Religion Culture and Politics in a Global Context (Oxford University Press). His eighteen books some of which he has edited have been published by leading international publishers. These books range from political philosophy law and religion to literature sports and wine. His website is www.aakashsinghrathore.com.