Babasaheb Dr B.R Ambedkar

EDITORIAL
The members of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Source Material Publication
Committee are pleased to present this 5th volume of Dr. Babasaheb
Ambedkar’s writings to readers on behalf of the Government of
Maharashtra. This volume is significant and unique in several respects.
Firstly, the contents of this volume were hitherto unknown. These are
the unpublished writings of Dr. Ambedkar which were in the custody of
the Administrator General and the custodian of Dr. Ambedkar’s property.
The students of Dr. Ambedkar’s writings and his devoted followers were
anxious to read these writings. Some of the followers of Dr. Ambedkar
had even gone to the court to secure permission for the printing of these
writings although the manuscripts were not in their possession. Thus,
these writings had assumed such significance that it was even feared
that they had been destroyed or lost.
There is a second point which is significant for this volume. This
volume encompasses various aspects of the problem of Untouchables and
Untouchability in India. Although Dr. Ambedkar had dwelt upon the
theory of the origin of Untouchables in his book ‘entitled the Untouchables’,
the essays in the present volume discuss various aspects; of this subject
which is a scourge of the Hindu society. The humanity has witnessed
several types of slavery existed in the world. Dr. Ambedkar discusses and
answers as to how the slavery in other parts of the world is vanished
and why it still exists in India.
Dr. Ambedkar’s analysis of caste system, untouchability and Hindu
social order was intended to bring about a homogenious Hindu society on
the basis of the human values of equality, liberty, justice and universal
brotherhood.
It would not be out of place to note down a few words about the
transfer of these papers to the Committee for publication. During his
life time, Dr. Ambedkar published many books, but also planned many
others. He had also expressed his intention to write his autobiography,
the life of Mahatma Phule and the History of the Indian Army, but left
no record of any research on these subjects.
After his death, in 1956, all the papers including his unpublished
writings were taken into custody by the custodian of the High Court of
Delhi. Later, these papers were transferred to the Administrator General
of the Government of Maharashtra. Since then, the boxes containing the
unpublished manuscripts of Dr. Ambedkar and several other papers were
in the custody of the Administrator General.