Books

Those from the lowest rung of the caste structure of Hinduism needed more than mere courage to resist the system. Such people of low origin, specially the Untouchables, had either to resign themselves to their fate (anticipating better deal in their next birth) or could at the most create an awareness and organize superficial social reforms within the structure. Noble souls like Mahatma Gandhi did yeomen service to the cause of the Untouchables, now known as Dalits. But the only known person in the history of India who launched and organized a mass agitation successfully against such an evil system was Dr. Babasaheb B.R. Ambedkar. This book traces the history of how he fought against such a suffocating system, why he had to renounce Hinduism and what made him choose Buddhism for himself and his fellow Dalits. It focuses how right hw was in his choice to effect the changes he had visuslised. This book covers in brief Dr. Ambedkar’s understanding of Buddhism and analyses his magnum opusThe Buddha and His Dhamma. It also evaluates neoBuddhism (Navayana) as a social philosophy and studies the impact off neoBuddhism on the population, socioeconomic structure of the Indian polity and the effect overseas. This book presents the relevance of the theories of three eminent western thinkers of outstanding repute to Dr. Ambedkar and the neoBuddhist movements as a whole. It finally makes a dispassionate critique of Dr. Ambedkar, neoBuddhism and the neoBuddhists. In the course of stydy, the reader will note his dent neoBuddism has made into the caste system prevailing in India ands the reflowering of human values amongst the Dalits and their social ethos. As such, the book is a socialreligious study of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and the dynamics of neoBuddhism in India today.