Democrats And Dissenters by Ramachandra Guha
…’ I do not think that the present system is a failure,’ said Nehru to Narayan, ‘though it may fail in the future for all I know. If it fails, it will not fail because the system in theory is bad, but because we could not live up to it…’
A decade ago Ramachandra Guha had characterised India as a 50-50 democracy. Where does India stand today? The power tables have turned. Have they turned for the better? While on one hand young urban Indians enjoy freedom,on the other, writers, filmmakers and artists are vulnerable.Ramachandra Guha’s, Gandhi Before India was one of our 2015 recommended books. Democrats And Dissenters is the latest collection of essays by Guha and joins the highly recommended list this year.
It comes at a time where democracies are fragile and continuously being challenged, and some of the so called democratic leaders, show megalomaniac tendencies. With Democrats and Dissenters, Ramachandra Guha comes up with yet another in depth analysis of India and it’s history. He looks at India’s complicated, contentious relations with Pakistan and China and delves into the curious coexistence of democracy and violence in India and in Sri Lanka.
Meticulously, Guha chronicles the birth of democracy in pre-independence India, leading up to where it stands today, …Studying its evolution and (still ongoing) unification, I am convinced that the Republic of India was the most recklessly ambitious political experiment in human history….The congress is the 1950s and 1960s is best regarded as a school of democracy. It taught Indians on how to vote and speak freely….
While giving credit to India’s pluralism, for holding a country as big and as diverse together, he also brings to light the lack of politically productive argument and debate in the current scenario. Guha throws light on the various issues that have impaired India’s progress. The collection also consists of in depth disquitions on well known historians and sociologists such as, Eric Hobsbawm and Andre Beteille.
Guha’s erudition makes the book an intense and pleasurable read. He laments the loss of intellectualism in India and generally the world over. His opinion holds true, especially in today’s situation when the lack of studious and responsible political debate taints the very fabric of democracy, in the countries which had once championed it.
One of my personal favourites in the non fiction genre for 2016!!!
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About artikaaurorabakshi
Artika Aurora Bakshi
Artika Aurora Bakshi is the author of three well-acclaimed children’s books,My Little Sikh Handbook, My Little Sikh Handbook 2: Ardas, My Little Sikh Handbook: Travel Journal, and an anthology of stories, Hold On To Me. Her first story, set in Amritsar, during the pre-Partition period, All She Had Left, was published on Story Mirror.
She co-manages thegoodbookcorner.com, a manuscript help and book review site. Her passion for reading has led her to helping other writers with their manuscripts.
She comes from a family of lawyers and has a master’s degree in International Banking & Finance.
Currently based in Sri Lanka, she teaches Commerce and History on a part-time basis at an international school and enjoys being part of the literary scene in Sri Lanka. A regular at the Galle Literary Festival and other literary events in Sri Lanka, Artika’s articles and book reviews have featured in the Daily Mirror, Daily News, The Ceylon Chronicle, and various blogs, such as, talkingcranes.com, sikhchic.com, sikhnet.com.
She was actively involved with SAARC Women’s Association of Sri Lanka and was President of the Association in 2016.
An avid reader, Artika runs an online book club with a membership base of over 600 members.
Her quotes are featured under soul.nightingale on Instagram and on Soul Nightingale by Artika Aurora Bakshi on Facebook.
Artika is also working on her fourth children’s book in the My Little Sikh Handbook series and a second anthology of stories for adults.
You can reach Artika at bakshiartika@gmail.com .
the good book corner 