Cockroaches and Dr. Ambedkar: What Is the Book in Abhijit’s Hands Really About?

Dr. Ambedkar’s autobiography? It seems that the PR stunt by the “Cockroach leader” to prove that he is as widely read as the Chief Minister of Kerala has backfired.

Some people published a few notes under the title Waiting for a Visa in 1990, calling it an autobiography of Dr. Ambedkar. The text is not even 30 pages long. If one considers the complete collected works of Dr. Ambedkar alone, they run to 17 volumes. Can the autobiography of a person like Ambedkar be confined to just 30 pages? Therefore, Ambedkar did not write a full autobiography.

What the Cockroach leader is holding is a storybook published by Diamond Books, not even a copy of Waiting for a Visa. The book in his hand was compiled and written by someone else using autobiographical elements from Ambedkar’s writings. Diamond Books publications are commonly found at bookstalls in railway stations.

The book’s content includes Ambedkar’s admiration for Sanskrit, the unwavering faith in Hindu Puranas and Sanatana Dharma held by his father, Ambedkar’s sense of nationalism, and his criticism of the Congress Party for exploiting his community. A major highlight is his criticism of communism and the Communist Party. It also contains what communists said against the Constitution. The chapter Communism and Buddhism includes substantial critiques.

The book has also been published by Prabhat Prakashan, a prominent publisher known for its support of the Sangh Parivar. That edition is now selling widely. It contains an episode about Ambedkar, who was born under the Mool star, in which a Hindu monk makes a prophecy to his father—that the child to be born would uplift an entire community and become a great man.

The leader probably searched Amazon for “Ambedkar autobiography.” He likely ordered the first book that appeared in the search results. Not to read it, of course, but merely to wave it around for display…

In any case, perhaps this controversy will encourage more people to order the book. Let a few extra rupees fall into the accounts of the Sangh supporters.