Indian Revenue Service officer Nethrapal is known for his unabashed support for reservations in a country still strongly divided on caste and religion lines. At a time when the election pitch has reached a feverish point and both tempers and decibels run high on the highly contentious issue of reservations, the 2006-batch IRS officer, who is currently posted in Bengaluru as Additional Commissioner of Income Tax, has brought out a book endorsing reservation by riding on the views and visions of the Father of our Constitution, Dr. B R Ambedkar.
Named The Inspiring Ambedkar, the book delves into the mind of the “maverick” and his relentless battle for strategic positions for SC, ST, and OBCs, like separate settlements for Dalits. It offers a comprehensive coverage of Ambedkar’s contributions beyond drafting the Constitution while embracing his path in the modern world with contemporary applications to face 21st-century challenges.
Speaking to Indian Masterminds, IRS Nethrapal gave more interesting details about the book.
FIRST BOOK
The book is a ‘first’ in many aspects. This is not just the first book from IRS Nethrapal, an IIT-Madras and IIM-Bangalore alumnus, it is also the first time that a book on B.R. Ambedkar carries so much in-depth research and hard pieces of evidence and facts.
There are a total of 31 chapters spread over 302 pages that go deep into Ambedkar’s arguments on merit, inadequate representation, efficiency, separate electorates, and questions of equity.
Mr. Nethrapal said, “The book was soft-released on Ambedkar Jayanti. I regularly post in support of reservations on Twitter, now called X. The impact is amazing, with 1 crore views in the last 6 months alone. Even foreign universities called me up to learn more about this topic. Hence, I decided to write a book on the legend who initiated reservations – Dr. B R Ambedkar and I did it after some hard research and fact-finding.”
SOCIAL JUSTICE
It is a fact that Ambedkar has been appropriated by many. However, Mr. Nethrapal calls it mostly selective appropriation to fuel agenda-based politics. “I am not here to spread any narrative. I present hard facts about him – his arguments on inadequate representation, his views on separate electorates, and why he fought for reservations,” he said.
The book details Ambedkar’s blueprint for changing his battle for strategic positions for the Dalits, Adivasis, and OBCs and the need for the battle to continue in the current era. The author articulates Ambedkar’s vision for today’s social warriors to create the right direction for action.
Mr. Nethrapal told Indian Masterminds, “Ambedkar’s blueprint for change went beyond concern about untouchability. He used to say, What would we do with temple entry alone if our children cannot go and study in schools? His main target was to ensure representation in the upper echelons of the administration.”
BEYOND THE CONSTITUTION
The book offers comprehensive coverage of Ambedkar’s contributions beyond drafting the Constitution. Also, his legendary ‘conflicts’ with Gandhi, Savarkar, Sardar Patel, Nehru, and others are covered with detailed facts and evidence.
“Evidences that are not to be found in any other book on him. I busted the fake narratives about him that he was just a stenographer, not the architect of the Constitution, and that he was neither a freedom fighter nor a nationalist. I have devoted many chapters clarifying that his ‘nationalism’ was different. ‘Swaraj’ for him was also the liberation of the Dalits,” said Mr. Nethrapal.
He added that Ambedkar’s legacy is applicable even today, and many of his visions have not been achieved so far.
He explained that one of Ambedkar’s main concerns was that there was no Dalit in the IAS or IPS, and he felt that the only way that this could be achieved was through reservations, as there cannot be fair competition between unequal candidates – affluent and non-affluent. “My book lays down those visions that we have to work towards to ensure his legacy continues and is known by every SC, ST, and OBC child. Just one sentence is not enough. Ambedkar should be studied comprehensively in all schools, colleges, and universities.”
Book Link to buy: https://www.amazon.in/Inspiring-Ambedkar-Nethrapal/dp/8197290091
