
The Untouchables
Who Were They and Why They Became Untouchables
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed

Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $4.89
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Siddhartha Valicharla
About this listen
The Untouchables: who were they and why they became Untouchables
In this book Dr. Ambedkar presents his conclusions that are the result of such historical research as he has been able to make.
It contains the novel thesis that comprises the following propositions and his explanation of the same and evidence as to how he arrived at them:
(1) There is no racial difference between the Hindus and the Untouchables
(2) The distinction between the Hindus and Untouchables in its original form, before the advent of Untouchability, was the distinction between Tribesmen and Broken Men from alien Tribes. It is the Broken Men who subsequently came to be treated as Untouchables
(3) Just as Untouchability has no racial basis so also has it no occupational basis
(4) There are two roots from which Untouchability has sprung:
(a) Contempt and hatred of the Broken Men as of Buddhists by the Brahmins
(b) Continuation of beef-eating by the Broken Men after it had been given up by others.
(5) In searching for the origin of Untouchability care must be taken to distinguish the Untouchables from the Impure. All orthodox Hindu writers have identified the Impure with the Untouchables. This is an error. Untouchables are distinct from the Impure.
(6) While the Impure as a class came into existence at the time of the Dharma Sutras the Untouchables came into being much later than 400 A.D
This book is a a must for those who are from the community, and also for allies in the anti-caste struggle.
To know who we are, and why we became the untouchables is very crucial, if not, the most crucial element needed to break our shackles and emancipate ourselves.
So please listen and share this audiobook with one and all!
Jai Bhim! Namo Buddhaya!
Siddhartha Valicharla
Released: Constitution Day, November 26th 2023
Raja Gruha, Las Vegas,
Nevada, USA
©2023 Dr. B. R. Ambedkar (P)2023 Siddhartha ValicharlaListeners also enjoyed...
-
Buddha or Karl Marx
- By: Dr. B R Ambedkar
- Narrated by: Siddhartha Valicharla
- Length: 1 hr and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Buddha or Karl Marx is a comparative study of the two philosophies Buddhism and Marxism. It concludes by presenting in plain English that Buddhism through changing man's disposition is a superior way to achieve and most importantly maintain a society sans suffering, greed and fostering Maitri (universal love and brotherhood).
By: Dr. B R Ambedkar
-
An Undelivered Speech: Annihilation of Caste
- Annihilation of Caste, and Castes in India: Their Mechanism, Genesis and Development
- By: Dr B.R. Ambedkar
- Narrated by: Siddhartha Valicharla
- Length: 4 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The most famous speech that was never delivered, "Annihilation of Cast", by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, along with his paper Castes in India: Their Mechanism, Genesis and Development, combined to form one cohesive audiobook, the way Babasaheb envisioned it.
-
-
Must-read about caste politics in India
- By Jean Burke-Spraker on 10-04-21
By: Dr B.R. Ambedkar
-
Ambedkar and Buddhism, Annihilation of Caste
- By: Urgyen Sangharakshita, Dr B. R. Ambedkar
- Narrated by: Ratnadhya, Sagar Arya
- Length: 11 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar was one of the most remarkable figures in the 20th century. Born an Untouchable - the lowest element of Indian society deemed to be outside the caste system, and literally 'untouchable' - he rose from abject village poverty to become the architect of the new Constitution of India following its independence from Britain in 1947. A combination of exceptional talent, hard work and determination, vision and luck took him to Harvard and the LSE, and then back to his home country.
-
-
very moving story towards the second half
- By vishal saraswal on 08-18-20
By: Urgyen Sangharakshita, and others
-
The Rebel's Clinic
- The Revolutionary Lives of Frantz Fanon
- By: Adam Shatz
- Narrated by: Terrence Kidd
- Length: 15 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the era of Black Lives Matter, Frantz Fanon's shadow looms larger than ever. He was the intellectual activist of the postcolonial era, and his writings about race, revolution, and the psychology of power continue to shape radical movements across the world. In this searching biography, Adam Shatz tells the story of Fanon's stunning journey, which has all the twists of a Cold War-era thriller.
-
-
Brilliant book, unbearable narration
- By Rachel Mihuta Grimm on 03-18-25
By: Adam Shatz
-
Smoke and Ashes
- Opium's Hidden Histories
- By: Amitav Ghosh
- Narrated by: Ranjit Madgavkar
- Length: 12 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Amitav Ghosh began the research for his monumental cycle of novels the Ibis trilogy ten years ago, he was startled to learn how the lives of the nineteenth-century sailors and soldiers he wrote about were dictated not only by the currents of the Indian Ocean but also by the precious commodity carried in enormous quantities on those currents: opium. Most surprising of all, however, was the discovery that his own identity and family history were swept up in the story. Smoke and Ashes is at once a travelogue, a memoir, and an essay in history, drawing on decades of archival research.
-
-
Interesting Research, Terrible Reading
- By Paula de la Cruz on 03-09-24
By: Amitav Ghosh
-
The Anarchy
- The Relentless Rise of the East India Company
- By: William Dalrymple
- Narrated by: Sid Sagar
- Length: 15 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Anarchy tells the remarkable story of how one of the world’s most magnificent empires disintegrated and came to be replaced by a dangerously unregulated private company, based thousands of miles overseas in one small office, five windows wide, and answerable only to its distant shareholders. In his most ambitious and riveting audiobook to date, William Dalrymple tells the story of the East India Company as it has never been told before, unfolding a timely cautionary tale of the first global corporate power.
-
-
excellent book but awkward narration
- By TexasVC on 02-25-20
-
Buddha or Karl Marx
- By: Dr. B R Ambedkar
- Narrated by: Siddhartha Valicharla
- Length: 1 hr and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Buddha or Karl Marx is a comparative study of the two philosophies Buddhism and Marxism. It concludes by presenting in plain English that Buddhism through changing man's disposition is a superior way to achieve and most importantly maintain a society sans suffering, greed and fostering Maitri (universal love and brotherhood).
By: Dr. B R Ambedkar
-
An Undelivered Speech: Annihilation of Caste
- Annihilation of Caste, and Castes in India: Their Mechanism, Genesis and Development
- By: Dr B.R. Ambedkar
- Narrated by: Siddhartha Valicharla
- Length: 4 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The most famous speech that was never delivered, "Annihilation of Cast", by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, along with his paper Castes in India: Their Mechanism, Genesis and Development, combined to form one cohesive audiobook, the way Babasaheb envisioned it.
-
-
Must-read about caste politics in India
- By Jean Burke-Spraker on 10-04-21
By: Dr B.R. Ambedkar
-
Ambedkar and Buddhism, Annihilation of Caste
- By: Urgyen Sangharakshita, Dr B. R. Ambedkar
- Narrated by: Ratnadhya, Sagar Arya
- Length: 11 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar was one of the most remarkable figures in the 20th century. Born an Untouchable - the lowest element of Indian society deemed to be outside the caste system, and literally 'untouchable' - he rose from abject village poverty to become the architect of the new Constitution of India following its independence from Britain in 1947. A combination of exceptional talent, hard work and determination, vision and luck took him to Harvard and the LSE, and then back to his home country.
-
-
very moving story towards the second half
- By vishal saraswal on 08-18-20
By: Urgyen Sangharakshita, and others
-
The Rebel's Clinic
- The Revolutionary Lives of Frantz Fanon
- By: Adam Shatz
- Narrated by: Terrence Kidd
- Length: 15 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the era of Black Lives Matter, Frantz Fanon's shadow looms larger than ever. He was the intellectual activist of the postcolonial era, and his writings about race, revolution, and the psychology of power continue to shape radical movements across the world. In this searching biography, Adam Shatz tells the story of Fanon's stunning journey, which has all the twists of a Cold War-era thriller.
-
-
Brilliant book, unbearable narration
- By Rachel Mihuta Grimm on 03-18-25
By: Adam Shatz
-
Smoke and Ashes
- Opium's Hidden Histories
- By: Amitav Ghosh
- Narrated by: Ranjit Madgavkar
- Length: 12 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Amitav Ghosh began the research for his monumental cycle of novels the Ibis trilogy ten years ago, he was startled to learn how the lives of the nineteenth-century sailors and soldiers he wrote about were dictated not only by the currents of the Indian Ocean but also by the precious commodity carried in enormous quantities on those currents: opium. Most surprising of all, however, was the discovery that his own identity and family history were swept up in the story. Smoke and Ashes is at once a travelogue, a memoir, and an essay in history, drawing on decades of archival research.
-
-
Interesting Research, Terrible Reading
- By Paula de la Cruz on 03-09-24
By: Amitav Ghosh
-
The Anarchy
- The Relentless Rise of the East India Company
- By: William Dalrymple
- Narrated by: Sid Sagar
- Length: 15 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Anarchy tells the remarkable story of how one of the world’s most magnificent empires disintegrated and came to be replaced by a dangerously unregulated private company, based thousands of miles overseas in one small office, five windows wide, and answerable only to its distant shareholders. In his most ambitious and riveting audiobook to date, William Dalrymple tells the story of the East India Company as it has never been told before, unfolding a timely cautionary tale of the first global corporate power.
-
-
excellent book but awkward narration
- By TexasVC on 02-25-20
What listeners say about The Untouchables
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- speed8
- 02-20-24
Very interesting
As the book clarifies in beginning, it’s a hypothesis. Makes for a very interesting listen. A must listen for anyone who is interested in Indian caste systems and it’s origins.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!