A comprehensive introduction to Dalits in India — from the origins of caste system to the present day. The book traces the multifarious changes that befell them during the colonial period and their development thereafter under the leadership of Babasaheb Ambedkar in the centre of political arena. It looks at the degeneration of the Dalit movement during the post-Ambedkar period, as well as salient contemporary issues including rise of the Bahujan Samaj Party, Dalit capitalism, the occupation of Dalit discourse by NGOs and neoliberalism and its impact.