Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar is considered the Messiah of the Dalits in India. In 1947, the Constituent Assembly appointed him as the chairman of the Drafting Committee constituted for drafting the Constitution for independent India. He played a key role in building the Constitution. He was born on 14 April 1891 at Mhow (near Indore), a small town of present Madhya Pradesh. He was the fourteenth child of Subedar Ramji and Bhimabai Sakpal. Being from the Maharcaste, he was treated as an ‘untouchable’. His father and his grandfather had served in the British Army. Good schools were arranged by the then government for the education of the children of all military personnel. Therefore, despite being from a low caste, he got a good education. In 1937, Dr Ambedkar introduced a bill to end the ‘Khoti’ practice of Mahars working as official slaves in the Konkan region. When India became independent in 1947, he adorned the post of the Minister of Law. He had made a clarion call—‘Lost rights are never regained by begging... but by relentless struggle’. For his remarkable work, he was posthumously awarded India’s highest civilian award ‘Bharat Ratna’ in the year 1990.

The Boy Who Asked Why follows the life of an extraordinary man, 'Babasaheb' Bhimrao Ambedkar, who energized the struggle against caste prejudice. This straightforward telling, visualized with quirky imagination, brings to children a man whose story will raise their awareness of discrimination - leading them, perhaps, to ask their own whys.

"For years Ambedkar battled alone against the Indian political establishment, including Gandhi, who resisted his attempt to formalize and codify a separate identity for the Dalits. Nonetheless, he became law minister in the first government of independent India and, more important, was elected chairman of the committee which drafted the Indian Constitution. Here he modified Gandhian attempts to influence the Indian polity. He then distanced himself from politics and sought solace in Buddhism, to which he converted in 1956, a few months before his death." "Jaffrelot focuses on Ambedkar's three key roles: as social theorist, as statesman and politician, and as an advocate of conversion to Buddhism as an escape route for India's Dalits. In each case he pioneered new strategies that proved effective in his lifetime and still resonate today."--BOOK JACKET.

Dr. B.R. Ambedkar's autobiography is a powerful memoir chronicling his extraordinary life as one of India's greatest social reformers and visionaries. It takes readers on a transformative journey through his early struggles against caste discrimination, his pursuit of education and his relentless fight for social justice and human rights. The book offers insights into Ambedkar's experiences as a student, lawyer, scholar and as the chief architect of the Indian Constitution. Born into an Untouchable family, Ambedkar faced oppression but overcame obstacles to become a renowned jurist, economist and politician. He spearheaded the Modern Buddhist Movement, campaigned against discrimination against Dalits, women, and labor, and served as Independent India's first law minister. With multiple doctorates from prestigious universities, he contributed significantly to the fields of law, economics and political science. Ambedkar's autobiography is a testament to his unwavering commitment to ensuring the rights and dignity of every citizen. It serves as a guiding light, inspiring readers to perpetuate the quest for compassion, empathy, and equality, while reminding us of the sacrifices that shaped India’s history.