1915 (Submitted 15 May 1915 for the M.A. degree, Columbia University.)thesisPublished after his deathEnglish
Administration and Finance of the East India Company
This was Ambedkar's M.A. thesis at Columbia University in New York. It explains how the British East India Company was run and how it raised and spent money while it ruled parts of India. It stayed unpublished until the Government of Maharashtra printed it in BAWS Vol. 6 (1989).
Why it matters: It is his first long piece of academic research and shows his early interest in how money and government shape the lives of ordinary Indians.
Physical copies and sources
- Columbia University (New York), New York, USA — BAWS Vol. 6 says the dissertation is in Columbia University's 'ownership and possession'; a copy was obtained from Columbia by Dr. Frank F. Conlon (University of Washington) and given to Vasant Moon in 1979. details
Sources: source 1source 2
1915 (BAWS Vol. 12 prints a facsimile of his handwriting "during his student-days in America in the year 1915-16" from these pages. Frances Pritchett's timeline (citing Keer) says he presented a thesis called "Ancient Indian Commerce" for his 1915 M.A.; BAWS Vol. 6 instead prints "Administration and Finance of the East India Company" as the 1915 M.A. thesis. The sources disagree.)manuscriptPublished after his deathEnglish
Ancient Indian Commerce
Three handwritten essays on India's trade with the Roman world and the Middle East, trade in the Middle Ages and the rise of Islam, and India just before the British Crown took over in 1858. Some pages are missing, and the editors had to supply one title.
Why it matters: They show the young student studying India's place in world history and trade, long before he became a political leader.
Physical copies and sources
- Government of Maharashtra – Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Source Material Publication Committee (Education Department), Mumbai, Maharashtra — The original typescripts/manuscripts came from Dr. Ambedkar's papers (five iron trunks) that Vasant Moon took over for the Government of Maharashtra on 18 September 1981; the BAWS editors said they were stored in an officers' chamber of the Education Department at Mantralaya. Present-day public access is not documented online. details
Sources: source 1source 2source 3
1916 (Offered at Columbia in 1916 (Keer, via Pritchett). Revised and published in London in 1925 as "The Evolution of Provincial Finance in British India"; Columbia formally awarded the Ph.D. on 8 June 1927 according to his transcript (Pritchett). Other sources give other dates.)thesisPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
The National Dividend of India: A Historic and Analytical Study
This was the doctoral research Ambedkar did at Columbia University. He later reworked it into the book "The Evolution of Provincial Finance in British India" (1925), and Columbia then awarded him the Ph.D.
Why it matters: It earned him one of the earliest Ph.D.s in economics held by an Indian from Columbia, and it grew into his book on how money was shared between British India's central and provincial governments.
Physical copies and sources
- Columbia University, Office of the Registrar / University Archives, New York, USA — Pritchett's timeline cites his official transcript 'preserved in the Registrar's Office, Columbia University'. Whether the original 1916 typescript survives is not confirmed online. details
Sources: source 1source 2
1916 (Read on 9 May 1916 at Prof. A. A. Goldenweiser's anthropology seminar, Columbia University; printed in Indian Antiquary, May 1917 (Vol. XLI, as given in BAWS).)paperPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Castes in India: Their Mechanism, Genesis and Development
A student paper that asks how caste began and how it keeps itself going. Ambedkar argues that caste is kept alive mainly by forbidding marriage outside the group (endogamy), and by customs such as child marriage and enforced widowhood that serve that purpose.
Why it matters: It is his first published work and the starting point of a lifetime of thinking about caste.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1source 2source 3
1917 (Lost in 1917 when the steamer carrying his belongings back to India was torpedoed (Keer, via Pritchett).)manuscriptLostEnglish
Original thesis manuscript lost at sea (1917)
When Ambedkar had to return from London to India in 1917, he sent his books and papers by a separate steamer, which was torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine. In a later letter to Prof. Seligman he wrote that he had lost the manuscript of his original thesis and had written a new one.
Why it matters: It shows how much he had to redo to finish his London degrees after returning in 1920.
Physical copies and sources
- Lost, — — Sunk with the ship in 1917; no copy is known. details
Sources: source 1source 2
1918 (Journal of the Indian Economic Society, Vol. I, 1918.)paperPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Small Holdings in India and Their Remedies
An economics paper about Indian farms that were split into tiny plots. Ambedkar argues that making farms bigger is not enough; the real cure is industrialisation, which would take surplus workers off the land.
Why it matters: It shows him as a trained economist who linked rural poverty to the need for industry.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1source 2
1918 (Review of Bertrand Russell's "Principles of Social Reconstruction"; BAWS gives the Journal of the Indian Economic Society, Vol. I, 1918. Pritchett's timeline names the "Journal of Indian Economics (1,1)".)reviewPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Mr. Russell and the Reconstruction of Society
A book review of Bertrand Russell's ideas on how society should be rebuilt after the First World War. Ambedkar discusses Russell's view that people act from impulses and asks how institutions can be changed.
Why it matters: It shows the wide reading of the young scholar and his early interest in social change.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1source 2
1919 (Written statement and oral examination on 27 January 1919 (Reforms Committee (Franchise) Report, Vol. II, 1919).)evidencePublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Evidence before the Southborough Committee on Franchise
Ambedkar told a British committee planning new voting rules that "untouchable" Hindus formed a separate social group from "touchable" Hindus. He asked for separate representation so that they could speak for themselves in the legislatures.
Why it matters: It was his first public political demand for the political rights of the untouchables.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1source 2
1920 (First issue 31 January 1920. Fortnightly, Marathi, Bombay (Parel). The last surviving issue is No. 19 of 23 October 1920; some sources say the paper continued until 1922 or 1923. Pritchett's timeline calls it a weekly; issue dates support fortnightly.)journalPublished in his lifetimeMarathi
Mooknayak (मूकनायक – "Leader of the Voiceless")
Ambedkar's first newspaper, started with Rs. 2,500 from Shahu Maharaj of Kolhapur. Because he was then a college professor, others were named as editor (first P. N. Bhatkar, then D. D. Gholap), but Ambedkar wrote its early editorials before leaving for London in July 1920. Its masthead carried verses of the saint Tukaram.
Why it matters: It was the first paper through which the untouchables of Maharashtra spoke for themselves.
Physical copies and sources
- People's Education Society – Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Research Centre, Rajgruha, Dadar, Mumbai — According to the 1990 Government of Maharashtra volume, the originals of issues 2, 3, 5, 6 and 13–19 were there (photocopies supplied by its director R. G. Suke). Present status not verified. details
- Dr. Ambedkar Research Institute, Nagpur — Received issue 10 in 1977 (1990 volume preface). details
- Shivaji University Library, Kolhapur — The first issue's editorial is known only from a handwritten notebook here (1990 volume preface). Issues 4, 7, 8, 9, 11 and 12 have not been found. details
Sources: source 1source 2source 3source 4source 5source 6
1920 (Speeches 1920–1956, collected from newspapers; first published as BAWS Marathi Vol. 18 (3 parts), 15 October 2002.)statementPublished in his lifetimeMarathi
Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar yanchi Bhashane (His Marathi Speeches, 1920–1956)
Three volumes of his speeches in Marathi, the language in which he spoke to most of his followers, gathered mainly from reports in Mooknayak, Bahishkrit Bharat, Janata and Prabuddha Bharat.
Why it matters: Many of these speeches are not available in English; a Hindi translation is in the Hindi series (Vols. 38–40).
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1source 2
1920 (Includes a letter of 3 August 1920 from London; later letters about his lost and rewritten thesis.)lettersUnpublishedEnglish
Letters to Professor Edwin R. A. Seligman
Letters from Ambedkar to his Columbia teacher, the economist Edwin Seligman, about his studies in London and his debt to Columbia.
Why it matters: They show his close link to his American teachers.
Physical copies and sources
- Columbia University, Rare Book & Manuscript Library – Edwin R. A. Seligman papers, Butler Library, New York, USA — Cited by Frances Pritchett's timeline (letter of 3 August 1920). details
Sources: source 1
1921 (M.Sc. (Economics), London School of Economics. LSE's archivist says that on returning in 1920 he applied to complete his master's with a thesis titled "The Provincial Decentralisation of Imperial Finance in India". Pritchett's timeline dates the M.Sc. thesis to 1922; other sources say 1921.)thesisUnpublishedEnglish
Provincial Decentralization of Imperial Finance in British India (M.Sc. thesis)
Ambedkar's master's thesis at the London School of Economics, about how the British government in India handed some money powers to the provinces. Its subject is close to his 1925 book on provincial finance, but the thesis itself has not been printed as a separate text.
Why it matters: It is part of the academic record that made him one of the best-qualified economists of his time.
Physical copies and sources
- LSE Library Archives / University of London, London, UK — LSE's archivist describes Ambedkar's student file at LSE. Whether a bound copy of the M.Sc. thesis survives is not stated online. details
Sources: source 1source 2
1923 (Doctoral thesis, University of London (LSE): submitted March 1923, resubmitted August 1923, accepted November 1923 (LSE archivist); published by P. S. King & Son, London, 1923. Reissued in 1947 as "History of Indian Currency and Banking, Vol. 1".)thesisPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
The Problem of the Rupee: Its Origin and Its Solution
A study of India's money system under British rule. Ambedkar argues that the rupee should be tied to gold in a way that keeps prices stable, and criticises a system that let the government manage the currency in ways that hurt ordinary Indians.
Why it matters: It won him the D.Sc. from the University of London and is still cited in debates about Indian monetary history.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1source 2source 3
1924 (Founded 1924.)statementPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Bahishkrit Hitakarini Sabha (aims and memorandum of association)
The founding documents of the "Society for the Welfare of the Excluded", set up at a meeting he organised on 9 March 1924.
Why it matters: One of the institutions Ambedkar built to organise his followers.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1
1925 (P. S. King & Son, London, 1925, with a foreword by Prof. Edwin R. A. Seligman of Columbia. Based on his Columbia doctoral research (see "The National Dividend of India"). Pritchett's 1920s page also calls it his "London School of Economics M.A. thesis" — the sources are not consistent.)bookPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
The Evolution of Provincial Finance in British India: A Study in the Provincial Decentralization of Imperial Finance
This book traces how the British government in India shared tax money with the provinces between 1833 and the 1920s. Ambedkar shows that the provinces were kept short of money and dependent on the centre.
Why it matters: It was his Columbia Ph.D. work and an early, detailed study of Indian public finance and federalism.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1source 2
1925 (Written statement in reply to the Commission's questionnaire; oral evidence on 15 December 1925 (printed in the Commission's Report, Vols. II and IV, 1926).)evidencePublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Statement of Evidence and Oral Evidence before the Royal Commission on Indian Currency and Finance
Ambedkar gave written and spoken evidence to a British commission on India's currency. He argued against the "gold exchange standard" and for a system that would keep prices steady.
Why it matters: It shows him using his economics to influence official policy soon after finishing his doctorate.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1source 2
1925 (The Servant of India, 1 April and 16 April 1925.)articlePublished in his lifetimeEnglish
The Present Problem in Indian Currency (I and II)
Two newspaper articles on the debate over whether the rupee should be fixed at 1 shilling 4 pence or 1 shilling 6 pence. Ambedkar explains what each choice would mean for prices and for ordinary people.
Why it matters: They show him explaining hard economics to the public.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1
1925 (The Servant of India, 25 June 1925.)reviewPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Review: Indian Currency and Exchange, by H. L. Chablani
A short and sharp review of a book on Indian currency. Ambedkar finds it thin on information and explanation.
Why it matters: One of his few book reviews, showing his standards as an economist.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1
1926 (The Servant of India, Vol. IX, No. 13, 29 April 1926.)reviewPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Review: Report of the Taxation Enquiry Committee, 1926
Ambedkar reviews an official report on India's tax system and comments on how committees are used to study policy.
Why it matters: It shows his continuing work on public finance and taxation.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1
1926 (Originally published in the "Telugu Samachar" Special Number, November 1926 (BAWS footnote).)articlePublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Caste and Conversion
An article on the Hindu "shuddhi" (reconversion) movement. Ambedkar asks why Hinduism stopped being a missionary religion, and answers that caste makes it impossible to welcome outsiders.
Why it matters: It shows that he was thinking about caste and conversion ten years before he announced he would leave Hinduism.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1
1927 (From his maiden budget speech of 24 February 1927 to the war debates of October 1939.)statementPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Speeches in the Bombay Legislative Council and Assembly (1927–1939)
Forty-seven speeches as a nominated member (from February 1927) and later as an elected member of the Bombay legislature. They cover budgets, education, the Mahar watan system, the Khoti land system, police powers, prohibition, maternity benefits and workers' strikes.
Why it matters: They show him as a working legislator fighting for peasants, workers and the depressed classes through law.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1source 2
1927 (March and December 1927.)statementPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Mahad Satyagraha: Speeches and Documents (1927)
Reports, speeches and documents about the struggle at Mahad (Kolaba district) to use the Chavdar Tank, a public water tank, and the December 1927 conference at which the Manu Smriti was burnt. Ambedkar compared the conference to the French National Assembly of 1789.
Why it matters: Mahad was the first great mass action by the untouchables for civil rights.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1source 2
1927 (159 speeches, 1 January 1927 – 20 November 1956, mostly reconstructed from newspaper reports and biographies.)statementPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Speeches (1927–1956) collected in BAWS Vol. 17, Part 3
A chronological collection of his public speeches, from the Koregaon memorial meeting of 1927 to his last speech in Kathmandu in 1956, including Yeola (1935), the 1936 Mahar conference, the 1942 Nagpur conferences and the 1956 conversion speech.
Why it matters: It is the largest single collection of his speeches in English.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1source 2
1927 (First issue 3 April 1927; fortnightly (Fridays) from issue 2; last issue (joint no. 21–22) dated 15 November 1929 according to the 1990 reprint. Forward Press, citing Vasant Moon, gives 19 November 1929.)journalPublished in his lifetimeMarathi
Bahishkrit Bharat (बहिष्कृत भारत – "Excluded India")
Started during the Mahad Satyagraha, this was the only paper of which Ambedkar was formally the editor and publisher. It was the voice of the Bahishkrit Hitakarini Sabha and carried his editorials on Mahad, temple entry, caste and politics.
Why it matters: Its editorials are among his most powerful Marathi writings.
Physical copies and sources
- University of Mumbai Library, Mumbai — Photocopied there c. 1978–79 for the 1990 edition (1990 volume preface). details
- Dr. Ambedkar Research Institute, Nagpur — Some issues (1990 volume preface). details
Sources: source 1source 2source 3
1928 (Bill No. XII of 1928 (19 March 1928) and Bill No. XXIII of 1937 (17 September 1937).)statementPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Bills to Amend the Bombay Hereditary Offices Act (Mahar Watan)
Bills to free Mahar village servants from the "watan" system, which tied them to unpaid or badly paid hereditary village duties in return for small plots of land.
Why it matters: They tackled one of the economic roots of untouchability in Maharashtra.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1
1928 (Submitted on behalf of the Bahishkrita Hitakarini Sabha to the Indian Statutory Commission, 29 May 1928.)memorandumPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Statement concerning the State of Education of the Depressed Classes in the Bombay Presidency
Using official numbers, this memorandum shows how few children of the depressed classes were in school and college, and asks for scholarships, hostels and special help.
Why it matters: It is a data-based case for educational justice.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1
1928 (Submitted on behalf of the Bahishkrita Hitakarini Sabha to the Indian Statutory Commission, 29 May 1928.)memorandumPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Statement concerning the Safeguards for the Protection of the Interests of the Depressed Classes as a Minority
A memorandum arguing that the depressed classes were a minority needing legal protection, including representation in legislatures and in government jobs.
Why it matters: It set out the case for the safeguards he would fight for at the Round Table Conferences.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1
1928 (Oral evidence, 23 October 1928.)evidencePublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Evidence before the Indian Statutory Commission (Simon Commission)
Ambedkar was questioned by the Simon Commission about the condition and political rights of the depressed classes.
Why it matters: It brought the depressed classes' case directly before the British commission reviewing India's constitution.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1
1928 (Launched 29 June 1928; fortnightly; closed after 19 issues in March 1929 (Ashok Gopal, via The News Minute). Forward Press gives a different start date in one place.)journalPublished in his lifetimeMarathi
Samata (समता – "Equality")
The paper of the Samaj Samata Sangh (Social Equality League), issued under Ambedkar's leadership but edited by Devrao Naik; Ambedkar himself did not write for it. Each editorial carried the "Golden Rule" from the Mahabharata and the Bible.
Why it matters: It was an experiment in getting caste Hindus to write against caste.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1source 2
1929 (Prepared as a member of the Bombay Provincial Committee that worked with the Simon Commission; Pritchett dates it to 1929.)memorandumPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Report on the Constitution of the Government of Bombay Presidency (Views and Recommendations to the Indian Statutory Commission)
Ambedkar wrote his own report for the committee working with the Simon Commission. He recommended adult franchise, reserved seats for the depressed classes, and more powers for elected ministers.
Why it matters: It is an early, detailed plan for a democratic constitution written by an Indian.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1source 2
1930 (First session November 1930 – January 1931; second session September – December 1931.)statementPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Speeches at the Round Table Conferences, London (1930–1931)
Ambedkar represented the depressed classes at the conferences in London on India's future constitution. He spoke in the plenary sessions and in committees on federal structure, provinces, minorities, franchise, defence and services.
Why it matters: For the first time the untouchables had their own voice at the table where India's constitution was being planned.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1source 2
1930 (Memorandum by Dr. Ambedkar and Rao Bahadur R. Srinivasan, appended to the report of the Minorities Sub-Committee, first Round Table Conference (1930–31).)memorandumPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
A Scheme of Political Safeguards for the Protection of the Depressed Classes in the Future Constitution of a Self-Governing India
A list of demands for the depressed classes in a new constitution: equal citizenship, laws against social boycott, fair representation in legislatures and services, and special care in education.
Why it matters: Many of these ideas later appeared in India's Constitution, such as the abolition of untouchability.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1
1930 (1930–1935.)statementPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Kalaram Temple Entry Satyagraha, Nasik, and the Temple Entry Movement (documents)
Reports and statements about the campaign to let untouchables enter the Kalaram temple in Nasik, and about the wider temple-entry movement.
Why it matters: It shows why Ambedkar later said that political power and education mattered more than temple entry.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1
1930 (First issue 24 November 1930 (EPW; Forward Press gives 25 November). Weekly. Renamed Prabuddha Bharat on 4 February 1956.)journalPublished in his lifetimeMarathi
Janata (जनता – "The People")
The longest-running paper of Ambedkar's movement, published under his guidance from 1930 until 1956. Editors included Devrao Naik, Bhaskarrao Kadrekar, Gangadhar Sahastrabuddhe and later B. C. Kamble; Ambedkar did not hold the editor's title.
Why it matters: It recorded his speeches and campaigns for a quarter of a century.
Physical copies and sources
- Government of Maharashtra – Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Source Material Publication Committee, Mumbai — The Committee has been reprinting Janata in volumes; Vols. 7–9 (Feb 1938 – Feb 1941) were released at Mantralaya (reported 2025), after six earlier volumes. Where the original run is held was not found. details
Sources: source 1source 2source 3source 4source 5
1931 (By Dr. Ambedkar and Rao Bahadur R. Srinivasan, Minorities Committee, second Round Table Conference (1931).)memorandumPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Supplementary Memorandum on the Claims of the Depressed Classes for Special Representation
A follow-up memorandum spelling out how many seats the depressed classes should get and asking for separate electorates.
Why it matters: It was the basis of the dispute with Gandhi that led to the Poona Pact of 1932.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1
1931 (Joint memorandum of several minority delegations, second Round Table Conference, 1931.)memorandumPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Claims of Minority Communities – Joint Memorandum (Minorities Pact)
A joint statement by Muslim, depressed-class, Indian Christian, Anglo-Indian and European delegates setting out their common claims for protection.
Why it matters: It shows the alliance of minorities that Ambedkar joined at the conference.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1
1931 (123 typed pages, first page missing; according to his Marathi biographer C. B. Khairmode it was prepared during his stay in London for the Round Table Conferences (1930–32). First published 1993.)manuscriptPublished after his deathEnglish
The Untouchables and the Pax Britannica
Ambedkar argues that British rule did little to improve the lives of the untouchables, and criticises the British for keeping them out of the army after having relied on them in earlier wars.
Why it matters: It is his case that the "British peace" had not freed the untouchables.
Physical copies and sources
- Government of Maharashtra – Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Source Material Publication Committee (Education Department), Mumbai, Maharashtra — The original typescripts/manuscripts came from Dr. Ambedkar's papers (five iron trunks) that Vasant Moon took over for the Government of Maharashtra on 18 September 1981; the BAWS editors said they were stored in an officers' chamber of the Education Department at Mantralaya. Present-day public access is not documented online. details
Sources: source 1
1932 (1 May 1932.)memorandumPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Note Submitted to the Indian Franchise Committee (Lothian Committee)
A note to the British committee deciding who should get the vote under the new constitution, written from the point of view of the depressed classes.
Why it matters: It shows him pressing for wide voting rights for the poor.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1
1933 (June–November 1933, London; he examined witnesses including Winston Churchill (24–25 October 1933) and Sir Samuel Hoare.)evidencePublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Evidence before the Joint Committee on Indian Constitutional Reform (questions to witnesses)
As a member of the British Parliament's Joint Committee on the new Indian constitution, Ambedkar cross-examined many witnesses, including on the Poona Pact.
Why it matters: It shows him questioning powerful British politicians about India's future.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1
1934 (Lectures given to students of the Government Law College, Bombay, in 1934–35 (his own preface). First published 1993.)manuscriptPublished after his deathEnglish
Lectures on the English Constitution
Five lectures on the English constitution: its principles, Parliament, the Crown, the House of Lords, and the powers of the two Houses. In his preface he notes how unusual it was for an Indian to explain the English constitution.
Why it matters: They show the constitutional scholar at work fifteen years before he chaired the Drafting Committee.
Physical copies and sources
- Government of Maharashtra – Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Source Material Publication Committee (Education Department), Mumbai, Maharashtra — The original typescripts/manuscripts came from Dr. Ambedkar's papers (five iron trunks) that Vasant Moon took over for the Government of Maharashtra on 18 September 1981; the BAWS editors said they were stored in an officers' chamber of the Education Department at Mantralaya. Present-day public access is not documented online. details
Sources: source 1
1935 (Handwritten reminiscences; Frances Pritchett suggests from internal evidence that they were written about 1935 or 1936. First published by the People's Education Society as a booklet on 19 March 1990.)autobiographicalPublished after his deathEnglish
Waiting for a Visa
Short true stories from Ambedkar's own life about meeting untouchability: as a boy travelling to Koregaon, as a young officer unable to find a room in Baroda, and other incidents, including some told about other people.
Why it matters: It is the closest thing to an autobiography he left, and is now read in schools and universities, including Columbia.
Physical copies and sources
- People's Education Society, Mumbai, Mumbai, Maharashtra — BAWS says the manuscripts were "traced in the collection of the People's Education Society". details
Sources: source 1source 2
1936 (Written as the presidential address for the 1936 annual conference of the Jat-Pat-Todak Mandal, Lahore, which was never delivered; Ambedkar published it himself in 1936. Second edition 1937 (with Gandhi's articles and Ambedkar's reply); third edition 1944. BAWS reprints the 1944 text.)bookPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Annihilation of Caste
Ambedkar was invited to give a speech against caste in Lahore, but the organisers backed out when they read his text. He printed it himself. In it he argues that caste cannot be ended by small reforms, because it rests on religious beliefs in the Hindu scriptures, and that real change needs liberty, equality and fraternity.
Why it matters: It is his most famous essay and one of the most important attacks on the caste system ever written. It started a public debate with Gandhi.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1source 2source 3source 4
1936 (Government Law College Magazine, Vol. VII, No. 1, January 1936 (written as Principal of the College).)articlePublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Thoughts on the Reform of Legal Education in the Bombay Presidency
Written while he was Principal of the Government Law College, Bombay, this article proposes changes to how lawyers are trained, such as practical training in chambers.
Why it matters: It shows him as an educator shaping the legal profession.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1source 2
1936 (Published in "The Lamp", 25 June 1936 (BAWS, quoting Khairmode).)articlePublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Dr. Ambedkar's Reply to Sir S. Radhakrishnan
A short public reply to the philosopher S. Radhakrishnan in the debate on Hinduism and conversion.
Why it matters: It belongs to the 1936 debate after he announced he would leave Hinduism.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1
1936 (Founded 1936.)statementPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Independent Labour Party (programme)
The aims and programme of the political party he founded in 1936 to fight for landless labourers, poor tenants and workers, as reported in The Times of India.
Why it matters: One of the institutions Ambedkar built to organise his followers.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1
1937 (Introduced in the Bombay Legislative Assembly, 17 September 1937.)statementPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Bill No. XX of 1937 to Abolish the Khoti System
A private bill drafted by Ambedkar to end the "khoti" system in the Konkan, under which landlords collected rent from tenant farmers and could exploit them. He spoke for it the same day.
Why it matters: It was one of the first attempts in India to abolish a landlord system by law.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1
1938 (Private bill, Bombay Legislative Assembly (BAWS gives no exact date).)statementPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
A Bill to Control and Regulate Money-Lending
A draft law to protect poor borrowers from moneylenders by controlling interest and requiring licences and accounts.
Why it matters: It shows his concern for indebted peasants and workers.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1
1938 (Dated Rajgrih, Dadar, 10 February 1938 (Karnatak Publishing House, Bombay, 1938).)prefacePublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Foreword to "Untouchable Workers of Bombay City" by G. R. Pradhan
A foreword to a survey of the living and working conditions of untouchable workers in Bombay.
Why it matters: It shows his support for social research on workers.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1
1938 (Originally published in "Chitra" (Marathi), Diwali special number, 1938 (BAWS note).)articlePublished in his lifetimeMarathi (original); English in BAWS
Is Gandhi a Mahatma?
A sharp article saying that Ambedkar distrusts all "Mahatmas" and arguing that Gandhi's teaching did not help the untouchables.
Why it matters: It shows the depth of his disagreement with Gandhi.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1source 2
1939 (Kale Memorial Lecture, Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, Poona, 29 January 1939; published as "Tracts for the Times No. 3".)pamphletPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Federation versus Freedom
A lecture examining the federal scheme in the Government of India Act, 1935. Ambedkar argues that the plan, which joined British provinces with princely states, would not bring India real freedom or responsible government.
Why it matters: It shows his deep knowledge of constitutions years before he chaired the drafting of India's own.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1source 2
1939 (Linked in BAWS (citing Keer) to the conference of Watandar Mahars and Mangs at Haregaon, Ahmednagar district, in December 1939.)memorandumPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Representation Relating to the Grievances of the Watandar Mahars, Mangs etc.
A petition to the Bombay Government against new taxes on the Mahar watan lands held by village servants.
Why it matters: Part of his long fight against the watan system that tied Mahars to village service.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1
1940 (First published December 1940 as "Thoughts on Pakistan"; second edition February 1945 and third edition 1946 under the title "Pakistan or the Partition of India" (Thacker & Co., Bombay). BAWS reprints the 1946 edition.)bookPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Pakistan or the Partition of India
Written after the Muslim League's 1940 Lahore resolution, this book sets out the Muslim case for Pakistan and the Hindu case against it, and asks what the alternatives are. Ambedkar concludes that if Muslims really wanted it, partition might be better than a forced and unhappy union, and discusses the exchange of populations, citing the example of Turkey, Greece and Bulgaria.
Why it matters: It was one of the most serious studies of the partition question, read by leaders on all sides.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1source 2source 3
1941 (Interview with the editor of "The Jewish Advocate", Bombay, November 1941.)statementPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Dr. Ambedkar and the Jewish People (interview)
An interview in which Ambedkar praised the Jewish settlers in Palestine for the social order they were building.
Why it matters: It is a rare record of his views on another persecuted people.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1
1942 (July 1942 – 1946.)statementPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Speeches as Labour Member of the Viceroy's Executive Council (1942–1946)
Sixty-eight speeches and statements made while Ambedkar was Labour Member (minister for labour) in the British Government of India. Topics include factory laws, maternity benefit for women miners, the ban on women working underground, health insurance, employment exchanges, trade unions, and big river projects such as the Damodar Valley scheme.
Why it matters: They show him building India's labour laws and planning water and power projects years before independence.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1source 2source 3
1942 (Radio talk from the Bombay station of All India Radio, printed in "Indian Information", 1 January 1943.)statementPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Why Indian Labour Is Determined to Win the War
A radio broadcast explaining why Indian workers should support the war against Nazism, and arguing that the war must lead to a new order in which liberty, equality and fraternity become facts of life.
Why it matters: It shows how he linked the world war to social justice at home.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1
1942 (Submitted to the Governor-General (Lord Linlithgow) on 29 October 1942; reprinted from a booklet published by the author.)memorandumPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Grievances of the Scheduled Castes (Memorandum to the Governor-General)
A confidential memorandum listing the political, educational and other grievances of the Scheduled Castes that only the central government could fix, such as too few seats in the central legislature and executive, no share in public services, and no aid for higher education.
Why it matters: It is a detailed official statement of what the Scheduled Castes needed from the central government during the war years.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1source 2
1942 (Press statement of 1942 (BAWS reprints it from the report of the Depressed Classes Conferences of 18–20 July 1942).)statementPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Statement on the Cripps Proposals
Ambedkar's response to the British War Cabinet's proposals for India brought by Sir Stafford Cripps in 1942, which he said ignored the depressed classes.
Why it matters: It shows him defending the untouchables' claims during wartime constitutional talks.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1
1942 (Letters and notes from 1942 to 1946, many taken from the British "Transfer of Power" documents.)lettersPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Correspondence with the Viceroy, the Cabinet Mission and the British Prime Minister (1942–1946)
Letters between Ambedkar and Lord Linlithgow, Lord Wavell, Sir Stafford Cripps, A. V. Alexander, Lord Pethick-Lawrence and Clement Attlee, with British officials' notes about him. They concern the place of the Scheduled Castes in the coming transfer of power.
Why it matters: They show behind-the-scenes negotiations over the rights of the untouchables just before independence.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1source 2
1942 (14 September 1942 – 12 April 1946.)statementPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Answers to Questions in the Central Legislative Assembly as Labour Member (1942–1946)
Ambedkar's replies to members' questions in the Central Legislative Assembly about labour, mines, factories, war work and related subjects.
Why it matters: They show the day-to-day work of his ministry.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1
1942 (Founded at Nagpur, July 1942.)statementPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Constitution of the All India Scheduled Castes Federation
The rules of the national party of the Scheduled Castes founded at the Nagpur conference of 1942.
Why it matters: One of the institutions Ambedkar built to organise his followers.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1
1943 (Address on the 101st birthday of M. G. Ranade, Gokhale Memorial Hall, Poona, 18 January 1943; published 1943.)pamphletPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Ranade, Gandhi and Jinnah
A speech in honour of the social reformer Mahadev Govind Ranade. Ambedkar praises Ranade's commitment to social reform and criticises the blind hero-worship he saw around Gandhi and Jinnah.
Why it matters: It explains what Ambedkar thought makes a great man, and why he valued social reform over political slogans.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1source 2
1943 (Thacker & Co., first edition December 1943.)pamphletPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Mr. Gandhi and the Emancipation of the Untouchables
A short book giving the number of untouchables, their political demands and the Hindu opposition to them, including the debate over joint and separate electorates. Ambedkar says in the preface that it began as a paper for the Institute of Pacific Relations conference of December 1942.
Why it matters: Written while he was a member of the Viceroy's Council, it presented the untouchables' case to an international audience.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1source 2source 3
1943 (Speech at the concluding session of the All India Trade Union Workers' Study Camp, Delhi (8–17 September 1943); published by the Indian Federation of Labour.)pamphletPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Labour and Parliamentary Democracy
A speech to trade union workers about what democracy should mean for labour, and why workers must organise politically and not only in trade unions.
Why it matters: It is one of his clearest statements on democracy and the working class.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1
1945 (Address at the session of the All India Scheduled Castes Federation, Bombay, 6 May 1945; published 1945.)pamphletPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Communal Deadlock and a Way to Solve It
A proposal for sharing seats in the legislature among India's communities. Ambedkar argues that "majority rule" by one community is unjust: a majority community may have more seats than others, but never an absolute majority on its own.
Why it matters: It was his plan to break the political deadlock between communities just before independence.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1source 2
1945 (Thacker & Co., June 1945; second edition 1946 (Chapter IX of the 1946 edition is added as an annexure in BAWS Vol. 9).)bookPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
What Congress and Gandhi Have Done to the Untouchables
A detailed, document-based criticism of the Congress party and of Gandhi's approach to the untouchables from 1917 onwards. Ambedkar argues that their programmes were charity rather than real political power for the untouchables.
Why it matters: It is his fullest case against the Congress and Gandhi and explains why he built a separate political movement.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1source 2source 3source 4
1946 (First edition 1946 (Thacker & Co., Bombay); second edition 1947; third 1970 (as listed in BAWS Vol. 7).)bookPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Who Were the Shudras? How They Came to Be the Fourth Varna in the Indo-Aryan Society
A historical study of the Shudras, the fourth and lowest varna. Ambedkar rejects the theory that they were a conquered non-Aryan race and argues that they were originally a Kshatriya (warrior) community who were pushed down after conflicts with the Brahmins.
Why it matters: It challenged popular racial theories of caste and offered a new history of the backward classes. Ambedkar dedicated it to Mahatma Jotiba Phule, "the greatest Shudra of modern India".
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1source 2source 3
1946 (1946.)statementPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
A Critique of the Proposals of the Cabinet Mission for Indian Constitutional Changes in So Far as They Affect the Scheduled Castes
Ambedkar argues that the British Cabinet Mission's 1946 plan left the Scheduled Castes without proper safeguards in the new constitution.
Why it matters: It records his protest at a turning point just before the Constituent Assembly met.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1
1946 (Printed leaflet, 1946 (BAWS Vol. 10); also printed from The Times of India, 15 October 1946, in BAWS Vol. 17, Part 2.)pamphletPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
The Cabinet Mission and the Untouchables
A leaflet asking how the Cabinet Mission's statement of 10 May 1946 had ignored the untouchables.
Why it matters: It was part of his public campaign for separate political recognition in 1946.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1source 2
1946 (From 17 December 1946 to 26 November 1949.)statementPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Speeches in the Constituent Assembly of India (1946–1949)
All of Ambedkar's speeches in the body that wrote India's Constitution, including his first speech on the Objectives Resolution, his introduction of the Draft Constitution, his replies on each article, and his final speech before adoption.
Why it matters: As chairman of the Drafting Committee he explained and defended almost every part of the Constitution.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1source 2
1946 (1946 (BAWS, citing Keer).)memorandumPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Memorandum Submitted to the Cabinet Mission
The All-India Scheduled Castes Federation's demands to the British Cabinet Mission about how the Scheduled Castes should be protected in a free India.
Why it matters: It is the official statement of the Scheduled Castes' case in 1946.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1
1947 (Memorandum on behalf of the All India Scheduled Castes Federation to the Constituent Assembly; published 1947.)memorandumPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
States and Minorities: What Are Their Rights and How to Secure Them in the Constitution of Free India
Written as a model constitution for a "United States of India", it lists fundamental rights, protections for the Scheduled Castes, and an economic plan. It proposes state ownership of agriculture and key industries ("State Socialism") to prevent great inequality.
Why it matters: It shows the kind of constitution Ambedkar wanted before he became chairman of the Drafting Committee.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1source 2source 3
1947 (Written in 1947, after Travancore and Hyderabad announced they would declare independence on 15 August.)essayPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Paramountcy and the Claim of the Indian States to Be Independent
Ambedkar asks whether princely states like Travancore and Hyderabad could legally declare themselves independent when Britain left India, and argues that they could not and should not.
Why it matters: It was part of the legal debate on bringing the princely states into the Indian Union.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1
1947 (Debated from 17 November 1947 to 25 September 1951.)statementPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
The Hindu Code Bill (draft and speeches)
Ambedkar's draft Hindu Code and his speeches as Law Minister for it. The Bill aimed to give Hindu women rights to property and divorce, to make monogamy the rule, and to bring different Hindu law traditions into one code.
Why it matters: It was his biggest attempt to bring equality into family life. Its failure to pass in 1951 was one of the reasons he gave for resigning from the Cabinet.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1source 2
1947 (From 20 November 1947 to his death; includes the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) speeches of 1952–56.)statementPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Speeches in Parliament as Law Minister and Member of the Opposition (1947–1956)
Ambedkar's speeches in the Provisional Parliament and later the Rajya Sabha on bills, the Constitution's amendments, elections, the Andhra State Bill, untouchability offences, foreign policy and the reorganisation of states.
Why it matters: They show him first as the government's Law Minister and then as a critic from the opposition benches.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1source 2
1947 (18 November 1947 – 28 September 1951.)statementPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Answers to Questions in Parliament as Law Minister (1947–1951)
His replies to MPs' questions on courts, elections, Hindu law reform, Scheduled Caste employees and other subjects.
Why it matters: A record of his day-to-day work as Law Minister.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1
1948 (Statement submitted to the Linguistic Provinces Commission; published 1948.)memorandumPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Maharashtra as a Linguistic Province
A statement to the government commission studying states based on language. Ambedkar supports a Marathi-speaking province and argues, point by point, against the claim that the city of Bombay should be kept out of Maharashtra.
Why it matters: It was an early, reasoned case in the debate that led to the creation of Maharashtra state with Bombay in 1960.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1
1948 (First published October 1948 by Amrit Book Co., New Delhi (BAWS Vol. 7).)bookPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
The Untouchables: Who Were They and Why They Became Untouchables?
A study of how untouchability began. Ambedkar argues that the untouchables were descended from "Broken Men" who lived outside villages, that they stayed Buddhists, and that untouchability was born "some time about 400 A.D.", partly because they continued to eat beef after the Brahmins had given it up.
Why it matters: It is his main theory of the origin of untouchability and was dedicated to the saints Nandnar, Ravidas and Chokhamela.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1source 2source 3source 4source 5
1948 (Covering letter dated 21 February 1948; Draft published in the Gazette of India, 26 February 1948.)statementPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Draft Constitution of India (with covering letter to the President of the Constituent Assembly)
The first full draft of India's Constitution prepared by the Drafting Committee under Ambedkar's chairmanship, with his letter to Dr. Rajendra Prasad explaining the main choices.
Why it matters: It is the text that the Constituent Assembly debated article by article in 1948–49.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1
1948 (Dated 10 March 1948; third edition published 1948 by Thacker & Co., Bombay.)prefacePublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Preface to "The Essence of Buddhism" by P. Lakshmi Narasu (third edition)
Ambedkar's preface to a reprint of Prof. P. Lakshmi Narasu's book on Buddhism, praising Narasu as a social reformer who fought caste.
Why it matters: He chose to republish this book as his interest in Buddhism grew.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1source 2
1948 (November 1948 (BAWS prints it after a letter to him dated 19 November 1948 from the Finance Minister).)memorandumPublished after his deathEnglish
India and the British Commonwealth (note)
A note on whether and how a republican India should stay linked to the British Commonwealth.
Why it matters: It shows his advice on a big foreign-policy choice made in 1949.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1
1950 (Maha Bodhi (journal of the Maha Bodhi Society, Calcutta), Vaishakh Number, Vol. 58, May 1950.)articlePublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Buddha and the Future of His Religion
Ambedkar compares the Buddha with Jesus, Muhammad and Krishna, and argues that the Buddha's teaching, based on reason and morality, is the religion best suited to the modern world. He suggests practical steps to spread Buddhism.
Why it matters: It is a key public statement of his choice of Buddhism, six years before his conversion.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1source 2
1951 (Dated New Delhi, 10 October 1951.)statementPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Statement in Explanation of His Resignation from the Cabinet
Ambedkar's explanation of why he left Nehru's Cabinet: the treatment of the Hindu Code Bill, neglect of the Scheduled Castes, his differences on foreign policy and Kashmir, and the way the Cabinet worked. He was not allowed to read it in the House, so he gave it to the press.
Why it matters: It is his frank account of his time as independent India's first Law Minister.
Physical copies and sources
- Government of Maharashtra (Ambedkar papers), Mumbai, Maharashtra — BAWS reprints it "from a copy issued to the Press by Dr. Ambedkar found in Ambedkar papers received from the Bombay High Court by the Government of Maharashtra". details
Sources: source 1source 2
1951 (Decided at a meeting at his New Delhi residence on 6 October 1951 (BAWS, citing Khairmode).)statementPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Scheduled Castes' Emancipation – Draft Election Manifesto of the All India Scheduled Castes Federation
The manifesto for India's first general election, setting out the Federation's programme for the Scheduled Castes and for the country.
Why it matters: It shows his political programme after leaving the Cabinet.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1
1951 (Maha Bodhi, May–June 1951, Vol. 59, pp. 137–151 (BAWS footnote). It replies to an article in Eve's Weekly (21 January 1950).)articlePublished in his lifetimeEnglish
The Rise and Fall of the Hindu Woman: Who Was Responsible for It?
Ambedkar answers a magazine article that blamed the Buddha for the decline of Indian women. He argues that the Buddha raised women's status, and that the Manu Smriti was responsible for their fall.
Why it matters: It is one of his main writings on women and religion.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1source 2
1953 (The Times of India, 23 April 1953.)articlePublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Need for Checks and Balances
A newspaper article about states formed on the basis of language. Ambedkar warns that in such states one big caste or community could dominate smaller communities, so the constitution must include protections.
Why it matters: It shows that he supported linguistic states but worried about the safety of minorities and the untouchables inside them.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1
1955 (First published 1955.)bookPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Thoughts on Linguistic States
Written while the States Reorganisation Commission was at work, this short book accepts "one state, one language" but warns against very large states. Ambedkar proposes dividing Uttar Pradesh into three states and suggests that India needs a second capital to ease tension between North and South.
Why it matters: Many of the questions he raised about state size and the North–South balance are still debated today.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1source 2source 3
1955 (Reported in Janata, 14 May 1955.)statementPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
The Buddhist Society of India (aims)
The objects of the Bharatiya Bauddha Mahasabha (Buddhist Society of India), which he registered to spread Buddhism and publish Buddhist literature.
Why it matters: One of the institutions Ambedkar built to organise his followers.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1
1956 (Undated typescript printed in BAWS Vol. 3 (1987); a speech on the same theme was given at Kathmandu on 20 November 1956 (BAWS Vol. 17, Part 3).)manuscriptPublished after his deathEnglish
Buddha or Karl Marx
Ambedkar compares the Buddha and Karl Marx. He agrees with Marx that private property causes suffering, but argues that the Buddha's way of changing minds peacefully is better than violence and dictatorship.
Why it matters: It explains why he chose Buddhism, not communism, as the path to a just society.
Physical copies and sources
- Government of Maharashtra – Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Source Material Publication Committee (Education Department), Mumbai, Maharashtra — The original typescripts/manuscripts came from Dr. Ambedkar's papers (five iron trunks) that Vasant Moon took over for the Government of Maharashtra on 18 September 1981; the BAWS editors said they were stored in an officers' chamber of the Education Department at Mantralaya. Present-day public access is not documented online. details
Sources: source 1
1956 (14 September 1956.)lettersPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Letter to Jawaharlal Nehru regarding "The Buddha and His Dhamma"
A letter telling Prime Minister Nehru that the book was finished and in the press, and asking whether the Government of India could buy copies, because the printing cost (about Rs. 20,000) was beyond his means.
Why it matters: It shows how close to finished the book was a few weeks before the conversion of October 1956.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1
1956 (Janata was renamed Prabuddha Bharat from 4 February 1956 (The Wire; Forward Press). Some sources give other dates (1954, or after the October 1956 conversion). Weekly.)journalPublished in his lifetimeMarathi
Prabuddha Bharat (प्रबुद्ध भारत – "Enlightened India")
The renamed Janata, now dedicated to Buddhism as Ambedkar prepared for his conversion. It published a special "Buddha Deeksha" issue on 27 October 1956 about the Nagpur conversion.
Why it matters: It was the voice of the new Buddhist movement in its first months.
Physical copies and sources
- Not known, — — The Wire reports that most prints were lost when Ambedkar Bhavan in Dadar, Mumbai, was demolished in June 2016. The name was revived for a new fortnightly in 2017. details
Sources: source 1source 2
1957 (Completed in 1956; published posthumously in 1957 by the People's Education Society, Bombay (BAWS Vol. 11 supplement preface). The 2014 BAWS reprint names "Siddharth Publication: 1957" as the first edition.)bookPublished after his deathEnglish
The Buddha and His Dhamma
Ambedkar's retelling of the Buddha's life and teaching for ordinary readers, in eight books. He presents the Dhamma as a moral and social path based on reason, equality and compassion, and leaves out ideas he thought were added later.
Why it matters: It became the main scripture of the Ambedkarite Buddhist movement that began with the 1956 conversion.
Physical copies and sources
- People's Education Society, Mumbai, Mumbai, Maharashtra — BAWS Vol. 11 supplement says the People's Education Society published the book in 1957 and later entrusted it to the Government of Maharashtra for the BAWS edition. The location of the original typescript is not stated in BAWS. details
Sources: source 1source 2source 3
(Date not given in BAWS.)prefacePublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Foreword to "Commodity Exchanges" by P. G. Salvi
A short foreword praising a book on commodity exchanges in India and its link to agriculture.
Why it matters: A small example of Ambedkar supporting other Indian economists' work.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1
(Date not given in BAWS.)prefacePublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Foreword to "Social Insurance and India" by M. R. Idgunji
A short foreword to a book on social insurance such as workmen's compensation.
Why it matters: Shows his interest in social security for workers, which he later pursued as Labour Member.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1
(Printed as Appendix III in BAWS Vol. 2; date not stated in the contents.)evidencePublished in his lifetimeEnglish
Written Evidence to the Bombay University Reforms Committee
Ambedkar's answers to a questionnaire about reforming the University of Bombay, including how education could reach backward communities.
Why it matters: It shows his lifelong belief that higher education was key to the rise of the depressed classes.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1
(Undated typescript found among his papers; first published in BAWS Vol. 3 (1987).)manuscriptPublished after his deathEnglish
Philosophy of Hinduism
Ambedkar puts Hinduism "on trial" by asking whether its rules, especially those in the Manu Smriti, are fair to all people. He judges religion by the standards of justice and usefulness to society and concludes that Hinduism, as laid down in its law books, fails them.
Why it matters: It is one of his deepest discussions of religion and morality, and it shaped his later turn to Buddhism.
Physical copies and sources
- Government of Maharashtra – Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Source Material Publication Committee (Education Department), Mumbai, Maharashtra — BAWS editors describe it as "a well-bound copy", a 169-page foolscap typed original, found among Dr. Ambedkar's papers taken over by the Government of Maharashtra in 1981. details
Sources: source 1source 2
(Undated; part of a planned but unfinished book "India and Communism". First published 1987.)manuscriptUnfinishedEnglish
India and the Pre-requisites of Communism (The Hindu Social Order)
Two chapters on the "Hindu Social Order" from a planned book about whether communism could work in India. Ambedkar argues that a society built on caste lacks the basic ideas of liberty, equality and fraternity needed for any real revolution.
Why it matters: It shows him thinking about Marxism and Indian society together.
Physical copies and sources
- Government of Maharashtra – Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Source Material Publication Committee (Education Department), Mumbai, Maharashtra — BAWS editors say only Chapter 4 ("Hindu Social Order") was found, in a well-bound register of 63 foolscap typed pages; the other planned chapters were not found among his papers. details
Sources: source 1source 2
(Undated manuscript; first published 1987.)manuscriptUnfinishedEnglish
Symbols of Hinduism
An unfinished essay on what the main symbols of Hinduism are, linked to a planned book called "Can I be a Hindu?".
Why it matters: It belongs to his long questioning of whether he could remain a Hindu.
Physical copies and sources
- Government of Maharashtra – Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Source Material Publication Committee (Education Department), Mumbai, Maharashtra — The original typescripts/manuscripts came from Dr. Ambedkar's papers (five iron trunks) that Vasant Moon took over for the Government of Maharashtra on 18 September 1981; the BAWS editors said they were stored in an officers' chamber of the Education Department at Mantralaya. Present-day public access is not documented online. details
Sources: source 1source 2
(Unfinished at his death; a letter of June 1956 to S. S. Rege (facsimile in BAWS Vol. 3) shows he was still working on it. Chapters first published 1987.)manuscriptUnfinishedEnglish
Revolution and Counter-Revolution in Ancient India
A planned history of India as a struggle between Buddhism and Brahmanism. Ambedkar describes the Buddha's teaching as a revolution for equality, and the later rise of Brahmanism (with the Manu Smriti and the Bhagavad Gita) as a counter-revolution.
Why it matters: It is his boldest reading of Indian history and links his study of caste to his later conversion to Buddhism.
Physical copies and sources
- Government of Maharashtra – Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Source Material Publication Committee (Education Department), Mumbai, Maharashtra — Typescripts with corrections in his handwriting (some chapters in two versions). BAWS says chapters such as "The Decline and Fall of Buddhism" and "The Triumph of Brahmanism" came from S. S. Rege, former librarian of Siddharth College, Bombay. details
Sources: source 1source 2source 3
(Chapter of the unfinished "Revolution and Counter-Revolution in Ancient India"; first published 1987.)essayUnfinishedEnglish
The Decline and Fall of Buddhism
A chapter explaining why Buddhism disappeared from India, giving weight to the destruction caused by Muslim invaders and to Brahmanical hostility. It is part of the unfinished book "Revolution and Counter-Revolution in Ancient India".
Why it matters: It is one of the most-read chapters of his unfinished history of India.
Physical copies and sources
- Government of Maharashtra – Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Source Material Publication Committee (Education Department), Mumbai, Maharashtra — The original typescripts/manuscripts came from Dr. Ambedkar's papers (five iron trunks) that Vasant Moon took over for the Government of Maharashtra on 18 September 1981; the BAWS editors said they were stored in an officers' chamber of the Education Department at Mantralaya. Present-day public access is not documented online. details
Sources: source 1
(Chapter of the unfinished "Revolution and Counter-Revolution in Ancient India"; first published 1987.)essayUnfinishedEnglish
The Triumph of Brahminism: Regicide or the Birth of Counter-Revolution
A chapter arguing that the killing of the last Maurya king by Pushyamitra Shunga began a Brahmanical counter-revolution against Buddhism. It is part of the unfinished book "Revolution and Counter-Revolution in Ancient India".
Why it matters: It is one of the most-read chapters of his unfinished history of India.
Physical copies and sources
- Government of Maharashtra – Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Source Material Publication Committee (Education Department), Mumbai, Maharashtra — The original typescripts/manuscripts came from Dr. Ambedkar's papers (five iron trunks) that Vasant Moon took over for the Government of Maharashtra on 18 September 1981; the BAWS editors said they were stored in an officers' chamber of the Education Department at Mantralaya. Present-day public access is not documented online. details
Sources: source 1
(Chapter of the unfinished "Revolution and Counter-Revolution in Ancient India"; first published 1987.)essayUnfinishedEnglish
Essays on the Bhagwat Gita: Philosophic Defence of Counter-Revolution – Krishna and His Gita
A chapter arguing that the Bhagavad Gita was written to give a philosophical defence of the four-varna order against the challenge of Buddhism. It is part of the unfinished book "Revolution and Counter-Revolution in Ancient India".
Why it matters: It is one of the most-read chapters of his unfinished history of India.
Physical copies and sources
- Government of Maharashtra – Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Source Material Publication Committee (Education Department), Mumbai, Maharashtra — The original typescripts/manuscripts came from Dr. Ambedkar's papers (five iron trunks) that Vasant Moon took over for the Government of Maharashtra on 18 September 1981; the BAWS editors said they were stored in an officers' chamber of the Education Department at Mantralaya. Present-day public access is not documented online. details
Sources: source 1
(Chapter of the unfinished "Revolution and Counter-Revolution in Ancient India"; first published 1987.)essayUnfinishedEnglish
The Woman and the Counter-Revolution
A chapter arguing that women had more freedom before the Manu Smriti, which took away their rights as part of the Brahmanical counter-revolution. It is part of the unfinished book "Revolution and Counter-Revolution in Ancient India".
Why it matters: It is one of the most-read chapters of his unfinished history of India.
Physical copies and sources
- Government of Maharashtra – Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Source Material Publication Committee (Education Department), Mumbai, Maharashtra — The original typescripts/manuscripts came from Dr. Ambedkar's papers (five iron trunks) that Vasant Moon took over for the Government of Maharashtra on 18 September 1981; the BAWS editors said they were stored in an officers' chamber of the Education Department at Mantralaya. Present-day public access is not documented online. details
Sources: source 1
(Undated scheme (outline) printed in BAWS Vol. 3, "Schemes of Books" (1987).)manuscriptUnfinishedEnglish
What the Brahmins Have Done to the Hindus (planned book)
Only the plan of chapters survives for this book. It was meant to show how Brahmanism shaped Hindu society, religion, politics and women's position. BAWS says this scheme was found in printed form.
Why it matters: It shows books Ambedkar planned but did not live to write.
Physical copies and sources
- Government of Maharashtra – Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Source Material Publication Committee (Education Department), Mumbai, Maharashtra — The original typescripts/manuscripts came from Dr. Ambedkar's papers (five iron trunks) that Vasant Moon took over for the Government of Maharashtra on 18 September 1981; the BAWS editors said they were stored in an officers' chamber of the Education Department at Mantralaya. Present-day public access is not documented online. details
Sources: source 1source 2
(Undated scheme (outline) printed in BAWS Vol. 3, "Schemes of Books" (1987).)manuscriptUnfinishedEnglish
Can I Be a Hindu? (planned book)
Only an outline survives for this planned book, which was to look at the symbols of Hinduism such as caste and the cults of Rama, Krishna, Shiva and Vishnu.
Why it matters: It shows books Ambedkar planned but did not live to write.
Physical copies and sources
- Government of Maharashtra – Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Source Material Publication Committee (Education Department), Mumbai, Maharashtra — The original typescripts/manuscripts came from Dr. Ambedkar's papers (five iron trunks) that Vasant Moon took over for the Government of Maharashtra on 18 September 1981; the BAWS editors said they were stored in an officers' chamber of the Education Department at Mantralaya. Present-day public access is not documented online. details
Sources: source 1source 2
(Undated scheme (outline) printed in BAWS Vol. 3, "Schemes of Books" (1987).)manuscriptUnfinishedEnglish
Essays on the Bhagvat Gita (planned book)
A table of contents for five essays on the Bhagavad Gita: what it teaches, when and why it was written, and how it relates to Buddhism. The essays themselves were not found.
Why it matters: It shows books Ambedkar planned but did not live to write.
Physical copies and sources
- Government of Maharashtra – Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Source Material Publication Committee (Education Department), Mumbai, Maharashtra — The original typescripts/manuscripts came from Dr. Ambedkar's papers (five iron trunks) that Vasant Moon took over for the Government of Maharashtra on 18 September 1981; the BAWS editors said they were stored in an officers' chamber of the Education Department at Mantralaya. Present-day public access is not documented online. details
Sources: source 1source 2
(Undated manuscript with corrections in his handwriting; first published in BAWS Vol. 4 (Government of Maharashtra, 1987). BAWS Vol. 3's introduction counts 26 "Riddles" titles among his papers plus one from S. S. Rege.)manuscriptPublished after his deathEnglish
Riddles in Hinduism: An Exposition to Enlighten the Masses
A set of "riddles" that question Hindu beliefs about the Vedas, the gods, the four varnas, the ages of the world and other teachings. In his own introduction Ambedkar says he wanted to show that Hinduism has changed many times and is not "sanatan" (unchanging), and to make ordinary people think for themselves.
Why it matters: It is one of his sharpest critiques of Brahmanical religion and is still widely read and debated.
Physical copies and sources
- Government of Maharashtra – Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Source Material Publication Committee (Education Department), Mumbai, Maharashtra — BAWS notes, for example, that the Introduction is "a seven-page manuscript, with corrections in Dr. Ambedkar's handwriting". details
Sources: source 1source 2source 3
(Unpublished essays and chapters collected from his papers and first printed by the Government of Maharashtra in 1989.)manuscriptPublished after his deathEnglish
Essays on Untouchables and Untouchability (BAWS Vol. 5 collection)
A collection of 30 chapters on untouchability arranged by the editors into four books: one complete manuscript on India's "ghetto", and essays on social, political and religious questions. Many were found unfinished among his papers.
Why it matters: Together they give the fullest picture of how Ambedkar analysed untouchability.
Physical copies and sources
- Government of Maharashtra – Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Source Material Publication Committee (Education Department), Mumbai, Maharashtra — BAWS Vol. 3's introduction lists which of these essays came from his papers and which came from S. S. Rege, ex-librarian of Siddharth College, Bombay. details
Sources: source 1source 2
(A 208-page manuscript (second copy) found among his papers; first published 1989.)manuscriptPublished after his deathEnglish
Untouchables or the Children of India's Ghetto
A complete short book describing what it means to be an untouchable: their numbers, their exclusion, the violence used against them, and why the law failed to protect them. It compares untouchability with slavery and asks why Hindu society lacked a "public conscience".
Why it matters: It is a full-length study of untouchability that was unknown to readers until 1989.
Physical copies and sources
- Government of Maharashtra – Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Source Material Publication Committee (Education Department), Mumbai, Maharashtra — BAWS describes it as a 208-page MS (second copy) with its own table of contents. details
Sources: source 1
(Undated; found among his papers or received from S. S. Rege; first published in BAWS Vol. 5 (1989).)essayPublished after his deathEnglish
Civilization or Felony
Compares three "sunken" groups in India - primitive tribes, so-called criminal tribes and untouchables - and asks what Hindu civilisation did to them.
Why it matters: Part of Ambedkar's large but unpublished body of writing on untouchability, printed only in 1989.
Physical copies and sources
- Government of Maharashtra – Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Source Material Publication Committee (Education Department), Mumbai, Maharashtra — The original typescripts/manuscripts came from Dr. Ambedkar's papers (five iron trunks) that Vasant Moon took over for the Government of Maharashtra on 18 September 1981; the BAWS editors said they were stored in an officers' chamber of the Education Department at Mantralaya. Present-day public access is not documented online. details
Sources: source 1source 2source 3
(Undated; found among his papers or received from S. S. Rege; first published in BAWS Vol. 5 (1989).)essayPublished after his deathEnglish
The House the Hindus Have Built
Describes Hindu society as a building of many storeys (castes) with no stairs between them, and explains the peculiar features of this social structure.
Why it matters: Part of Ambedkar's large but unpublished body of writing on untouchability, printed only in 1989.
Physical copies and sources
- Government of Maharashtra – Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Source Material Publication Committee (Education Department), Mumbai, Maharashtra — The original typescripts/manuscripts came from Dr. Ambedkar's papers (five iron trunks) that Vasant Moon took over for the Government of Maharashtra on 18 September 1981; the BAWS editors said they were stored in an officers' chamber of the Education Department at Mantralaya. Present-day public access is not documented online. details
Sources: source 1source 2source 3
(Undated; found among his papers or received from S. S. Rege; first published in BAWS Vol. 5 (1989).)essayPublished after his deathEnglish
The Rock on Which It Is Built
Argues that the caste system rests on religious sanction - the belief that the Hindu codes are revealed by God - which is why it is so hard to change.
Why it matters: Part of Ambedkar's large but unpublished body of writing on untouchability, printed only in 1989.
Physical copies and sources
- Government of Maharashtra – Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Source Material Publication Committee (Education Department), Mumbai, Maharashtra — The original typescripts/manuscripts came from Dr. Ambedkar's papers (five iron trunks) that Vasant Moon took over for the Government of Maharashtra on 18 September 1981; the BAWS editors said they were stored in an officers' chamber of the Education Department at Mantralaya. Present-day public access is not documented online. details
Sources: source 1source 2source 3
(Undated; found among his papers or received from S. S. Rege; first published in BAWS Vol. 5 (1989).)essayPublished after his deathEnglish
Touchables versus Untouchables
Shows how all the "touchable" castes, though divided among themselves, stand together as a block against the untouchables.
Why it matters: Part of Ambedkar's large but unpublished body of writing on untouchability, printed only in 1989.
Physical copies and sources
- Government of Maharashtra – Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Source Material Publication Committee (Education Department), Mumbai, Maharashtra — The original typescripts/manuscripts came from Dr. Ambedkar's papers (five iron trunks) that Vasant Moon took over for the Government of Maharashtra on 18 September 1981; the BAWS editors said they were stored in an officers' chamber of the Education Department at Mantralaya. Present-day public access is not documented online. details
Sources: source 1source 2source 3
(Undated; found among his papers or received from S. S. Rege; first published in BAWS Vol. 5 (1989).)essayPublished after his deathEnglish
The Curse of Caste
Illustrates how caste divides and breaks up groups again and again, and why that is its "curse".
Why it matters: Part of Ambedkar's large but unpublished body of writing on untouchability, printed only in 1989.
Physical copies and sources
- Government of Maharashtra – Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Source Material Publication Committee (Education Department), Mumbai, Maharashtra — The original typescripts/manuscripts came from Dr. Ambedkar's papers (five iron trunks) that Vasant Moon took over for the Government of Maharashtra on 18 September 1981; the BAWS editors said they were stored in an officers' chamber of the Education Department at Mantralaya. Present-day public access is not documented online. details
Sources: source 1source 2source 3
(Undated; found among his papers or received from S. S. Rege; first published in BAWS Vol. 5 (1989).)essayPublished after his deathEnglish
From Millions to Fractions
Tells how the number of untouchables was counted in the census, and how some Hindu leaders tried to minimise the numbers when political rights were at stake.
Why it matters: Part of Ambedkar's large but unpublished body of writing on untouchability, printed only in 1989.
Physical copies and sources
- Government of Maharashtra – Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Source Material Publication Committee (Education Department), Mumbai, Maharashtra — The original typescripts/manuscripts came from Dr. Ambedkar's papers (five iron trunks) that Vasant Moon took over for the Government of Maharashtra on 18 September 1981; the BAWS editors said they were stored in an officers' chamber of the Education Department at Mantralaya. Present-day public access is not documented online. details
Sources: source 1source 2source 3
(Undated; found among his papers or received from S. S. Rege; first published in BAWS Vol. 5 (1989).)essayPublished after his deathEnglish
The Revolt of the Untouchables
Describes the move from petitions to open revolt and direct action, such as the struggles at Mahad, to claim equal rights.
Why it matters: Part of Ambedkar's large but unpublished body of writing on untouchability, printed only in 1989.
Physical copies and sources
- Government of Maharashtra – Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Source Material Publication Committee (Education Department), Mumbai, Maharashtra — The original typescripts/manuscripts came from Dr. Ambedkar's papers (five iron trunks) that Vasant Moon took over for the Government of Maharashtra on 18 September 1981; the BAWS editors said they were stored in an officers' chamber of the Education Department at Mantralaya. Present-day public access is not documented online. details
Sources: source 1source 2source 3
(Undated; found among his papers or received from S. S. Rege; first published in BAWS Vol. 5 (1989).)essayPublished after his deathEnglish
Held at Bay
Describes how caste Hindus used social boycott and violence, and how officials took sides, to suppress the revolt of the untouchables.
Why it matters: Part of Ambedkar's large but unpublished body of writing on untouchability, printed only in 1989.
Physical copies and sources
- Government of Maharashtra – Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Source Material Publication Committee (Education Department), Mumbai, Maharashtra — The original typescripts/manuscripts came from Dr. Ambedkar's papers (five iron trunks) that Vasant Moon took over for the Government of Maharashtra on 18 September 1981; the BAWS editors said they were stored in an officers' chamber of the Education Department at Mantralaya. Present-day public access is not documented online. details
Sources: source 1source 2source 3
(Undated; found among his papers or received from S. S. Rege; first published in BAWS Vol. 5 (1989).)essayPublished after his deathEnglish
Their Wishes Are Laws unto Us
Explains how the rules of the Manu Smriti still shaped the behaviour of caste Hindus and even of some magistrates.
Why it matters: Part of Ambedkar's large but unpublished body of writing on untouchability, printed only in 1989.
Physical copies and sources
- Government of Maharashtra – Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Source Material Publication Committee (Education Department), Mumbai, Maharashtra — The original typescripts/manuscripts came from Dr. Ambedkar's papers (five iron trunks) that Vasant Moon took over for the Government of Maharashtra on 18 September 1981; the BAWS editors said they were stored in an officers' chamber of the Education Department at Mantralaya. Present-day public access is not documented online. details
Sources: source 1source 2source 3
(Undated; found among his papers or received from S. S. Rege; first published in BAWS Vol. 5 (1989).)essayPublished after his deathEnglish
Under the Providence of Mr. Gandhi
A critical account of Gandhi's and the Congress's record towards the untouchables after the second Round Table Conference.
Why it matters: Part of Ambedkar's large but unpublished body of writing on untouchability, printed only in 1989.
Physical copies and sources
- Government of Maharashtra – Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Source Material Publication Committee (Education Department), Mumbai, Maharashtra — The original typescripts/manuscripts came from Dr. Ambedkar's papers (five iron trunks) that Vasant Moon took over for the Government of Maharashtra on 18 September 1981; the BAWS editors said they were stored in an officers' chamber of the Education Department at Mantralaya. Present-day public access is not documented online. details
Sources: source 1source 2source 3
(Undated; found among his papers or received from S. S. Rege; first published in BAWS Vol. 5 (1989).)essayPublished after his deathEnglish
Gandhi and His Fast
An account of Gandhi's 1932 fast against separate electorates, the Poona Pact that followed, the Harijan Sevak Sangh and the temple-entry question.
Why it matters: Part of Ambedkar's large but unpublished body of writing on untouchability, printed only in 1989.
Physical copies and sources
- Government of Maharashtra – Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Source Material Publication Committee (Education Department), Mumbai, Maharashtra — The original typescripts/manuscripts came from Dr. Ambedkar's papers (five iron trunks) that Vasant Moon took over for the Government of Maharashtra on 18 September 1981; the BAWS editors said they were stored in an officers' chamber of the Education Department at Mantralaya. Present-day public access is not documented online. details
Sources: source 1source 2source 3
(Undated; found among his papers or received from S. S. Rege; first published in BAWS Vol. 5 (1989).)essayPublished after his deathEnglish
A Warning to the Untouchables
Warns the untouchables not to wait for history or spiritual forces to free them, but to organise and act themselves.
Why it matters: Part of Ambedkar's large but unpublished body of writing on untouchability, printed only in 1989.
Physical copies and sources
- Government of Maharashtra – Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Source Material Publication Committee (Education Department), Mumbai, Maharashtra — The original typescripts/manuscripts came from Dr. Ambedkar's papers (five iron trunks) that Vasant Moon took over for the Government of Maharashtra on 18 September 1981; the BAWS editors said they were stored in an officers' chamber of the Education Department at Mantralaya. Present-day public access is not documented online. details
Sources: source 1source 2source 3
(Undated; found among his papers or received from S. S. Rege; first published in BAWS Vol. 5 (1989).)essayPublished after his deathEnglish
Away from the Hindus
Explains why many untouchables came to believe that leaving Hinduism (conversion) could solve their problem, starting from the Mahar conference of 31 May 1936.
Why it matters: Part of Ambedkar's large but unpublished body of writing on untouchability, printed only in 1989.
Physical copies and sources
- Government of Maharashtra – Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Source Material Publication Committee (Education Department), Mumbai, Maharashtra — The original typescripts/manuscripts came from Dr. Ambedkar's papers (five iron trunks) that Vasant Moon took over for the Government of Maharashtra on 18 September 1981; the BAWS editors said they were stored in an officers' chamber of the Education Department at Mantralaya. Present-day public access is not documented online. details
Sources: source 1source 2source 3
(Undated; found among his papers or received from S. S. Rege; first published in BAWS Vol. 5 (1989).)essayPublished after his deathEnglish
Christianizing the Untouchables
Examines how Christianity spread in India and why it made slow progress among the untouchables.
Why it matters: Part of Ambedkar's large but unpublished body of writing on untouchability, printed only in 1989.
Physical copies and sources
- Government of Maharashtra – Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Source Material Publication Committee (Education Department), Mumbai, Maharashtra — The original typescripts/manuscripts came from Dr. Ambedkar's papers (five iron trunks) that Vasant Moon took over for the Government of Maharashtra on 18 September 1981; the BAWS editors said they were stored in an officers' chamber of the Education Department at Mantralaya. Present-day public access is not documented online. details
Sources: source 1source 2source 3
(Undated; found among his papers or received from S. S. Rege; first published in BAWS Vol. 5 (1989).)essayPublished after his deathEnglish
The Condition of the Convert
Looks at Gandhi's opposition to conversion and at how converts to Christianity were still affected by caste.
Why it matters: Part of Ambedkar's large but unpublished body of writing on untouchability, printed only in 1989.
Physical copies and sources
- Government of Maharashtra – Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Source Material Publication Committee (Education Department), Mumbai, Maharashtra — The original typescripts/manuscripts came from Dr. Ambedkar's papers (five iron trunks) that Vasant Moon took over for the Government of Maharashtra on 18 September 1981; the BAWS editors said they were stored in an officers' chamber of the Education Department at Mantralaya. Present-day public access is not documented online. details
Sources: source 1source 2source 3
(Undated notes; first published 1993.)manuscriptPublished after his deathEnglish
Notes on Acts and Laws
Ambedkar's detailed notes on eight areas of law, from English common law and dominion status to Indian laws on trusts, limitation, criminal procedure, property and evidence.
Why it matters: They show his working method as a lawyer and law teacher.
Physical copies and sources
- Government of Maharashtra – Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Source Material Publication Committee (Education Department), Mumbai, Maharashtra — The original typescripts/manuscripts came from Dr. Ambedkar's papers (five iron trunks) that Vasant Moon took over for the Government of Maharashtra on 18 September 1981; the BAWS editors said they were stored in an officers' chamber of the Education Department at Mantralaya. Present-day public access is not documented online. details
Sources: source 1
(Undated; first published in BAWS Vol. 12 (1993).)manuscriptUnfinishedEnglish
The Constitution of British India (notes)
The introduction to a planned study of the Government of India Act, 1919. The editors note that no other essay on this subject was received.
Why it matters: One of the many fragments found among his papers after his death.
Physical copies and sources
- Government of Maharashtra – Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Source Material Publication Committee (Education Department), Mumbai, Maharashtra — The original typescripts/manuscripts came from Dr. Ambedkar's papers (five iron trunks) that Vasant Moon took over for the Government of Maharashtra on 18 September 1981; the BAWS editors said they were stored in an officers' chamber of the Education Department at Mantralaya. Present-day public access is not documented online. details
Sources: source 1
(Undated; first published in BAWS Vol. 12 (1993).)manuscriptPublished after his deathEnglish
Notes on Parliamentary Procedure
Notes on the rules for questions, resolutions, adjournment motions and money matters in a legislature.
Why it matters: One of the many fragments found among his papers after his death.
Physical copies and sources
- Government of Maharashtra – Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Source Material Publication Committee (Education Department), Mumbai, Maharashtra — The original typescripts/manuscripts came from Dr. Ambedkar's papers (five iron trunks) that Vasant Moon took over for the Government of Maharashtra on 18 September 1981; the BAWS editors said they were stored in an officers' chamber of the Education Department at Mantralaya. Present-day public access is not documented online. details
Sources: source 1
(Undated; first published in BAWS Vol. 12 (1993).)manuscriptUnfinishedEnglish
Notes on History of India
Handwritten notes on ancient Indian history, including the Sakas and the Yueh-chih.
Why it matters: One of the many fragments found among his papers after his death.
Physical copies and sources
- Government of Maharashtra – Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Source Material Publication Committee (Education Department), Mumbai, Maharashtra — The original typescripts/manuscripts came from Dr. Ambedkar's papers (five iron trunks) that Vasant Moon took over for the Government of Maharashtra on 18 September 1981; the BAWS editors said they were stored in an officers' chamber of the Education Department at Mantralaya. Present-day public access is not documented online. details
Sources: source 1
(Undated; first published in BAWS Vol. 12 (1993).)manuscriptUnfinishedEnglish
Manu and the Shudras
A 31-page handwritten, untitled and unfinished manuscript about how the Manu Smriti treated those inside and outside the four varnas.
Why it matters: One of the many fragments found among his papers after his death.
Physical copies and sources
- Government of Maharashtra – Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Source Material Publication Committee (Education Department), Mumbai, Maharashtra — The original typescripts/manuscripts came from Dr. Ambedkar's papers (five iron trunks) that Vasant Moon took over for the Government of Maharashtra on 18 September 1981; the BAWS editors said they were stored in an officers' chamber of the Education Department at Mantralaya. Present-day public access is not documented online. details
Sources: source 1
(Undated; first published in BAWS Vol. 12 (1993).)manuscriptUnfinishedEnglish
Preservation of Social Order
Four handwritten pages (starting at page 56 of a larger, lost text) on how the Hindu social order was preserved.
Why it matters: One of the many fragments found among his papers after his death.
Physical copies and sources
- Government of Maharashtra – Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Source Material Publication Committee (Education Department), Mumbai, Maharashtra — The original typescripts/manuscripts came from Dr. Ambedkar's papers (five iron trunks) that Vasant Moon took over for the Government of Maharashtra on 18 September 1981; the BAWS editors said they were stored in an officers' chamber of the Education Department at Mantralaya. Present-day public access is not documented online. details
Sources: source 1
(Undated; first published in BAWS Vol. 12 (1993).)manuscriptUnfinishedEnglish
With the Hindus
A short handwritten, unfinished note doubting that Hindus would ever truly absorb the untouchables into their society.
Why it matters: One of the many fragments found among his papers after his death.
Physical copies and sources
- Government of Maharashtra – Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Source Material Publication Committee (Education Department), Mumbai, Maharashtra — The original typescripts/manuscripts came from Dr. Ambedkar's papers (five iron trunks) that Vasant Moon took over for the Government of Maharashtra on 18 September 1981; the BAWS editors said they were stored in an officers' chamber of the Education Department at Mantralaya. Present-day public access is not documented online. details
Sources: source 1
(Undated; first published in BAWS Vol. 12 (1993).)manuscriptPublished after his deathEnglish
Frustration
A short essay describing the deep sense of frustration among the untouchables.
Why it matters: One of the many fragments found among his papers after his death.
Physical copies and sources
- Government of Maharashtra – Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Source Material Publication Committee (Education Department), Mumbai, Maharashtra — The original typescripts/manuscripts came from Dr. Ambedkar's papers (five iron trunks) that Vasant Moon took over for the Government of Maharashtra on 18 September 1981; the BAWS editors said they were stored in an officers' chamber of the Education Department at Mantralaya. Present-day public access is not documented online. details
Sources: source 1
(Undated; first published in BAWS Vol. 12 (1993).)manuscriptUnfinishedEnglish
The Problem of Political Suppression
An unfinished essay on the slow growth of political liberty in India from 1892 and what it meant for the untouchables.
Why it matters: One of the many fragments found among his papers after his death.
Physical copies and sources
- Government of Maharashtra – Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Source Material Publication Committee (Education Department), Mumbai, Maharashtra — The original typescripts/manuscripts came from Dr. Ambedkar's papers (five iron trunks) that Vasant Moon took over for the Government of Maharashtra on 18 September 1981; the BAWS editors said they were stored in an officers' chamber of the Education Department at Mantralaya. Present-day public access is not documented online. details
Sources: source 1
(Undated; first published in BAWS Vol. 12 (1993).)manuscriptPublished after his deathEnglish
Which Is Worse? Slavery or Untouchability?
An essay comparing slavery and untouchability. BAWS prints extra paragraphs from a booklet published by Shri Devi Dayal, who worked with Ambedkar in 1943–47.
Why it matters: One of the many fragments found among his papers after his death.
Physical copies and sources
- Government of Maharashtra – Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Source Material Publication Committee (Education Department), Mumbai, Maharashtra — The original typescripts/manuscripts came from Dr. Ambedkar's papers (five iron trunks) that Vasant Moon took over for the Government of Maharashtra on 18 September 1981; the BAWS editors said they were stored in an officers' chamber of the Education Department at Mantralaya. Present-day public access is not documented online. details
Sources: source 1
(Unfinished work of his last years; first published in BAWS Vol. 16 (Government of Maharashtra, 14 April 1998).)manuscriptUnfinishedEnglish
Pali-English Dictionary
A dictionary of Pali, the language of the early Buddhist scriptures, with meanings in English. Ambedkar compiled it while studying Buddhism.
Why it matters: It shows how seriously he studied the original Buddhist texts.
Physical copies and sources
- Government of Maharashtra – Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Source Material Publication Committee (Education Department), Mumbai, Maharashtra — The original typescripts/manuscripts came from Dr. Ambedkar's papers (five iron trunks) that Vasant Moon took over for the Government of Maharashtra on 18 September 1981; the BAWS editors said they were stored in an officers' chamber of the Education Department at Mantralaya. Present-day public access is not documented online. details
Sources: source 1source 2
(Unfinished; BAWS Vol. 16 (1998). The volume's preface says he could not complete the four-language dictionary.)manuscriptUnfinishedEnglish
Pali Dictionary: Pali into English, Marathi, Hindi and Gujarati
A word list giving Pali words with their meanings in English, Marathi, Hindi and Gujarati.
Why it matters: It was meant to help Indians read Buddhist texts in their own languages.
Physical copies and sources
- Government of Maharashtra – Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Source Material Publication Committee (Education Department), Mumbai, Maharashtra — The original typescripts/manuscripts came from Dr. Ambedkar's papers (five iron trunks) that Vasant Moon took over for the Government of Maharashtra on 18 September 1981; the BAWS editors said they were stored in an officers' chamber of the Education Department at Mantralaya. Present-day public access is not documented online. details
Sources: source 1
(First published in BAWS Vol. 16 (1998).)manuscriptPublished after his deathEnglish
Pali Grammar
Ambedkar's notes on the grammar of the Pali language: sounds, nouns, verbs, participles and other parts of speech.
Why it matters: Part of his preparation to read the Buddhist canon in the original.
Physical copies and sources
- Government of Maharashtra – Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Source Material Publication Committee (Education Department), Mumbai, Maharashtra — The original typescripts/manuscripts came from Dr. Ambedkar's papers (five iron trunks) that Vasant Moon took over for the Government of Maharashtra on 18 September 1981; the BAWS editors said they were stored in an officers' chamber of the Education Department at Mantralaya. Present-day public access is not documented online. details
Sources: source 1
(Compilation of Buddhist prayers printed in Devanagari script; BAWS Vol. 16 (1998) prints it as Book IV. BAWS does not give the year of its first separate printing (it is often dated 1956), and the exact mix of Pali and Marathi was not checked.)bookPublished in his lifetimePali / Marathi
Bouddha Pooja Path
A short book of Buddhist prayers and verses (vandana) for use by the new Buddhist community.
Why it matters: It gave the new converts a common form of worship.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1
(Undated outline of a planned book.)manuscriptUnfinishedEnglish
A People at Bay (outline)
The table of contents of a planned book about the untouchables, including chapters on whether they should stay within Hinduism.
Why it matters: Another book he planned but did not write.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1
(Untitled manuscript; title supplied by the editors.)manuscriptUnfinishedEnglish
The Mahars: Who Were They and How They Became the Untouchables?
An unfinished paper on the history of the Mahar community of Maharashtra, to which Ambedkar belonged.
Why it matters: It applies his theory of untouchability to his own community.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1
(Undated, unfinished; written after the Constitution was adopted (1949).)manuscriptUnfinishedEnglish
Constitution and Constitutionalism: The Constitution of India – An Exposition of Its Principles
The beginning of a planned book explaining the principles of India's new Constitution and comparing it with other constitutions.
Why it matters: It is the start of his own commentary on the Constitution he helped write.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1
(Founding date not stated in this section of BAWS.)statementPublished in his lifetimeEnglish
The People's Education Society (constitution and appeal)
Documents on the education society he founded, which started Siddharth College in Bombay, including his reasons for choosing Bombay for the college.
Why it matters: One of the institutions Ambedkar built to organise his followers.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1
(Letters from across his life; the volume is catalogued as "Correspondence" (c. 2006, tentative).)lettersPublished after his deathEnglish / Marathi
Correspondence (BAWS Marathi series, Vol. 21)
A volume of Dr. Ambedkar's letters published by the Government of Maharashtra in its series of his writings.
Why it matters: Letters show his private thinking, friendships and day-to-day work.
Physical copies and sources
Sources: source 1source 2