Dr. Anand Ranganathan is a very well known personality donning various hats in multiple scenarios. When such an accomplished personality comes out with a book with a hard hitting title, it is not surprising that the same evokes a keen interest amongst the readers in the modern times. With a foreword from J. Sai Deepak and afterword from Dr. Vikram Sampath, this is one fiery masterpiece that would evoke strong emotions on both sides of the spectrum. Irrespective of the allegiances, one can’t fault the author for the extensive and meticulous research that has gone into making this small, yet effective shocking reminder of sorts to a generation.
A self proclaimed Darwinian Atheist, Dr. Anand, a fact that the author reinforces multiple times throughout the book. However, when one sits back and soaks in the turbulent read, one can’t thank Dr. Anand enough for fighting for a cause, a cause which many seem to have forgotten. In one of the sections, the author seeks to correct the generational injustice meted out to ancestors. The more important and pressing issue is that we need to safeguard what’s left for the future generations. Else, the last words of Dr. Vikram Sampath in his afterword will become prophetically true.
Dr. Anand asks a very pertinent and haunting question: What is a Civilisation? How do you define it? A very hard hitting, thought provoking contemplation of sorts. In this book, Dr. Anand explains 8 specific constructs of our democratic setup which unfortunately are counter productive to the majority of the country. The words leading up to this specific question is pure haunting. One needs to understand the gravity and seriousness of the words written by the acclaimed author. The stand out feature is the substantial amount of legal information in the form of various acts passed and judgments from various courts, quoting most of them verbatim to emphasise the impact of these on the general populace. One can’t just fathom the amount of effort that would have gone into compiling this list. Phew !!
Hindus and Secularism is a constant recurring theme through out the book, one which the author makes as the centerstage throughout. Secularism as observed from the lens of few vested entities and institutions built around them serve specific interests, defeating the very purpose for which it was brought out. Whether it’s the temples or the educational institutions, skewed laws passed by various governments and their ratification through the judicial system makes one wonder about lacunae suffered by the general populace. When one reads through each of these 8 topics, tears of blood may flow.
Kashmiri Hindus… need one say any further. If the movie, The Kashmir Files, evoked an emotional burst, this section is bound to accentuate the hurt much more. Political appeasement is a known strategy employed by various parties to cater to their specific vote banks. However, when the appeasement becomes overbearing on the majority of the country, it becomes much more than simple acts of law. The author quotes Dr. B. R. Ambedkar’s words “All religions have same set of issues”. As one reads through the book, the realisation dawns: Some are more equal than others.
Some of the details in the judgments are quite shocking to say the least. The common population which depends on media / social media outlets for their information flow miss out on the nuances and the gravity of the words written into some of the famous cases. Cases like Shah Bano highlight the need for modern legislations for a uniform code, one that truly establishes equality for all citizens of the country irrespective of their religion, caste or creed. I would highly suggest to read Pages 68 - 69, the portion on a famous judgment.
The author doesn’t hide his disappointment with the modern dispensation, one which was expected to correct the historical wrongs. He calls out the specific leaders with their names and highlights issues. While these words are bound to evoke very strong emotions, I found it a little surprising that he missed out the need for tradeoff in a modern political setup. Election results have become much more critical in the modern atmosphere, which requires a certain political posturing and tokenism (perhaps!). Social media is quick to highlight the lacuna or the lack of intent in scenarios and any small misstep would be blown out of proportion thereby impacting the current dispensation. Surprised that this political subtlety was missed out by the author.
Overall, this is an eye-opening, mind blowing book. A MUST READ book for every single citizen of the country.
Congratulations Dr. Anand !!! This is a BLOCKBUSTER !!!
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