This book was first published as an introduction by Arundhati Roy for an annotated edition of Ambedkar’s pamphlet Annihilation of Caste in 2014. It is now republished as a book of its own to reach a wider audience. Though slim at 124 pages Roy packs her arguments well and a reader goes away with a good understanding of the pervasiveness of Caste in India and the difference in approach between Gandhi and Ambedkar to solve the plight of the Untouchables { now called Dalit and slightly erroneously ‘Scheduled Caste’ in India}.
To say that Roy does not agree with Gandhi’s approach is an understatement. She writes ” Democracy hasn’t eradicated caste. It has entrenched and modernised it.”
I highly recommend this book. Roy writes well and succinctly. For a fuller understanding of Gandhi, Ambedkar and Untouchability I recommend Indian critiques of Gandhi edited by Harold Coward.