‘Unequal’ offers enlightening glimpses of inequity in India, but the truth is more complex

In 2023, numerous outstanding books appeared on Dr BR Ambedkar’s life and India’s caste-based inequalities. All of them are written by upper-caste authors and scholars, highlighting the urgent need for Dalit-Adivasi voices in the intellectual mainstream. Otherwise we will perpetuate an upper-caste echo chamber where it’s hard to distinguish between oppressors, virtue signallers, those advancing their careers through token activism, and those genuinely seeking redress.

That said, among the three Ambedkar biographies published sed this year, written by Shashi Tharoor, Aakash Singh Rathore, and Ashok Gopal, respectively, Gopal’s A Part Apart: The Life and Thought of BR Ambedkar, elegantly produced by Navayana, stands out for its sincerity, objectivity and erudition. Caste Pride by Manoj Mitta is a significant record of legal battles surrounding caste atrocities against Dalits and the struggle for justice and equality from the British Raj to the present day.

Swati Narayan’s Unequal: Why India Lags Behind Its Neighbours gives the finishing touch to the impressive collection of books on such themes published in 2023. It’s densely researched, peppered with astonishing statistics and bristling observations, weaving a travelogue-style narrative and generosity of spirit for the marginalised in light-footed prose.

Bihar’s corrosive caste prejudice

The book is the fruit of Narayan’s doctoral research and fieldwork. Her overarching thesis is that socio-economic...

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