Who Were Shudras? – A Gem of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar – by Nikhil Sablania
While translating the book by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, titled: “Who Were Shudras? And How They Came To Be Fourth Varna in the Indo Aryan Society?”, I was astonished to see the marvel of his research on the subject of the book.
It’s over seven years ago that I took a book by Dr. Ambedkar to get its Hindi translation published. My first surprise was famous Hindi volumes published by central government. That Hindi translation was full of anomalies and mistakes. The text has been changed at many places. This gave me an opportunity to spend more time with the original book. And then came another surprise. The wonder that book is. The intense research that he too to write this book. I’m sure if his research is not alone, but must be rare. Has any author ever did such intense research on people called Shudras? I’m sure if they are any, then they can be counted on the fingers.
So is the rare gem is this book. A gem of the pen of Dr. Ambedkar. Rigveda, Atharveda, Valmiki Ramayana, Mahabharata, Arthashsta, Shathpath Brahmin, Taitriya Brahman, Garuda Purana, Vishnu Purana, and you name any of the ancient text, and you will find its name in this book. There is hardly any Hindu text that he left in his research. There is hardly any relevant story in the ancient Hindu texts that he left. Ancient Hindu texts and stories are not just last, but there are many interesting things in the book.
To my utter surprise, he gave refrences from almost all famous anthropologists up to that time. Professor William Z. Ripley, who was not just and anthropologist but a great economist, founder of railway plan in America , advocated of eight hour working and critic of the American Stock Exchange, has been quoted at various place from his world famous book, The Races of Europe. French physician and anthropologist Paul Topinard, another pioneer of 19th century and founder of criminology, has been quoted at various places. It was his work that influenced another anthropologist Sir Herbert Hope Risley who conducted a project titled the Ethnographic Survey of Bengal in 1885, and later was in charge of census of 1901 in India. Hungarian anthropologist Károly Újfalvy von Mezőkövesd and many other anthropologists have been referred on the subject. So is the list of famous historians.
While translating, I was thinking, that such a book should be a text book in schools and colleges in India. Because it is also a gem on Hindu ancient texts. One can peep into the vast ocean of ancient Hindu texts in a single book. And one can also get to know the anthropologists who have led the foundation of modern society. Can’t we call this book a gem? A true gem of Dr. Ambedkar.
This inspired me so much that I would be publishing a special edition of this book. This new edition would be published in Hindi and English. It’ll have references of the anthropologists and historians mentioned in the book. This would help people to get to know more about these pioneers. For Hindi readers it would a great leap into the history of time vanished from them. They rarely have such a book which not only provide a short introduction to modern anthropologists but also of their own ancient civilization. What else is to say about this gem? I’ve no words but more work to do.
But you got to support in recreating this master work of the history. Your support should be with large heart and great vision. Supporting such a cause is better than achieving any milestone in the life.Through this link https://rzp.io/i/gYtfcbN you can send donation, which I have fixed for ten thousand rupees, and give your enlarged support for translation and publication of this edition. The original text of Dr. Ambedkar would be kept untouched. Extra material would be added at the end of the book. I hope that you would understand the relevance of this work and support it.
And those who think that rather than support could be shabby they can buy books from us can go to this link https://www.nspmart.com/product/araco86/ and order books of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, Rare Books of Forgotten Ambedkarite Writers and Contemporary Writings on Caste Problems. A set of 100 book in English.
For more information call
M. 8527533051,
M. 8851188170,
WA. 8447913116
Email: sablanian@gmail.com
Publishing House: Nikhil Sablania Publications, Delhi.
