Who has written the biographical book "Ambedkar: Awakening India's Social Conscience"?

Introduction / Context:
"Ambedkar: Awakening India's Social Conscience" is a biographical work that highlights the life and contribution of Dr B. R. Ambedkar, a key architect of the Indian Constitution and a major social reformer. Questions about this book commonly appear in competitive exams that focus on modern Indian biographies and authors. The aim here is to correctly identify Narendra Jadhav as the author among other famous names connected with Indian history and politics.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The title provided is "Ambedkar: Awakening India's Social Conscience".
• The options include several prominent Indian writers and public intellectuals.
• The question refers to the author who wrote this specific biography, not to Ambedkar himself.
• Only one of the listed authors is associated with this exact title.

Concept / Approach:
This is a books and authors question related to biographies of national leaders. Narendra Jadhav is an economist, writer, and public figure who has written extensively on Ambedkar. The approach is to match this known fact with the given title while recognising that other authors listed may also write about Indian politics but are not responsible for this particular work. Correct resolution comes from paying attention to exam oriented lists of biographies and memorising key pairings.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify that the book is a biography or interpretive study of Dr B. R. Ambedkar. Step 2: Recall that Narendra Jadhav has written multiple works on Ambedkar and Dalit issues, including this title. Step 3: Examine Shashi Tharoor. He writes on Indian history and colonialism but is not associated with this exact book. Step 4: Consider Ramachandra Guha. He is a historian whose well known books include works on Gandhi and modern India, not this Ambedkar volume. Step 5: Arun Shourie has written political and ideological critiques but is not known for this biography of Ambedkar. Step 6: Laxman Gaikwad is a writer linked with other autobiographical and social works, not this specific book. Step 7: Since "Ambedkar: Awakening India's Social Conscience" is repeatedly attributed to Narendra Jadhav in exam materials, we choose him as the correct answer.

Verification / Alternative Check:
This answer can be verified by checking reading lists on Ambedkar, where Narendra Jadhav is consistently mentioned as the author of this book. General knowledge compilations and current affairs book and author sections also list the pair "Ambedkar: Awakening India's Social Conscience – Narendra Jadhav". Since no authoritative source links the title with the other options, this serves as a reliable alternative confirmation.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Shashi Tharoor writes extensively about the British Raj and Indian politics, but his major titles have different names. Ramachandra Guha focuses on broad histories and biographies like those of Gandhi, not this particular Ambedkar study. Arun Shourie is known for polemical political writing rather than this sympathetic Ambedkar biography. Laxman Gaikwad is a noted writer but is not credited with this book in any standard reference.

Common Pitfalls:
Because many Indian writers have written about Ambedkar, students may guess any familiar name from the list without remembering the exact title association. Another pitfall is to think that a more widely known media figure such as Shashi Tharoor must be the author. Avoid such assumptions by maintaining a targeted list of biographies of national leaders and revising them periodically, linking each title directly to its author in memory.

Final Answer:
The book "Ambedkar: Awakening India's Social Conscience" was written by Narendra Jadhav.