[How this text was edited]

[1:] The text was edited for classroom use by Prof. Frances W. Pritchett, Columbia University. All italics that emphasize English sentences are Dr. Ambedkar's, as are the occasional double exclamation points. Capitalization of English terms represents a systematization of Dr. Ambedkar's preferred usage (for example, "Caste" is a system but in it are "castes"). Editing has consisted of correcting typographical errors, improving punctuation for greater clarity, breaking up extremely long paragraphs, and in a few cases adjusting grammar to correspond to modern American usage. Section titles in square brackets have been supplied by the editor. Two starred notes in Appendix II have been incorporated into the text itself. The original text is available on this site for anyone who wants to check anything in it.