RELEVANCE OF AMBEDKARISM IN INDIA (Second Edition)

Ambedkarism as an ideology of the oppressed in India, particularly with reference to Bahujan masses, has emerged as a dominant discourse. It was during the centenary year 1991 that academics and activists discussed the contributions of B.R. Ambedkar in detail and realised the potential of a liberation thought. The book being an outcome of a national seminar for the first time twenty-five years ago, established theoretical foundations of building Ambedkarism as a philosophy. There are four sections containing 26 papers. Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer, A.M. Rajasekhariah, Sharad Patil, S.G. Kulkarni, S.K. Sarkar, K.N. Kadam and others; along with K.S. Chalam deliberated at the seminar around the theme of the book. This edition of the book contains new material that recorded the immensity and exuberance of Ambedkarism during the last twenty-five years since the first edition appeared.

K.S. Chalam is a well-known economist, scholar and expert commentator on the political and social economy of India. He was a Member, Union Public Service Commission, New Delhi for six years. Earlier he served as Vice-Chancellor of Dravidian University, Kuppam. He was also Professor of Economics and founder Director, Academic Staff College Andhra University during 1976–2005. He is a prolific writer both in English and Telugu. He has published more than 100 research papers, 25 books in English and eight in Telugu so far.

Dr Chalam was on the Planning Board of Madhya Pradesh Government and served on Committees on Education of Government of Andhra Pradesh, World Bank, UGC and others. He has travelled extensively in seventeen countries, including an official delegation to Australia. He delivered endowment lectures on Dr Ambedkar and gave inaugural and valedictory addresses at several academic and social conferences. He served the National Human Rights Commission as Special Rapporteur for South India and is now Chairman, Institute for Economic and Social Justice, Visakhapatnam.