India, Bharat and Pakistan: The Constitutional Journey of a Sandwiched Civilisation - Book Review

 Book Review #14

Over the past few weeks, I read a very intense book "India, Bharat and Pakistan: The Constitutional Journey of a Sandwiched Civilisation" by Sai Deepak J. An accomplished lawyer practicing at the Supreme Court of India, he makes sure that the book is laden with proofs and cross-references to provide factual evidence instead of opinions. Starting from the period of decline of the Mughal Dynasty around 1740 all the way up to 1924, the book advances the bigger idea of driving de-colonial thinking in India (as advocated in Part 1). Here are the major takeaways from the book

1) The "Two Nation theory" popularly peddled as an effect of British divide and Rule policy has a much earlier start from the Islamic revivalist movements namely Wahhabi and Dehlawi schools of thought that sought a purer form of the Islamic way of life

2) The Indian National Congress (INC) was originally created in 1885 as a safety-valve for the growing discontent of Indians under British rule. The first three decades of the INC has resolutions for self-governance for India continuing as a British Dominion. The contribution of the Revolutionary faction (vs. the Moderates) led to more decisive forward movement even though they remain largely unrecognized in modern India

3) India contributed significantly to the allies in World War I with troops and hence the British moved forward to recognize the contribution through participation in the Paris Peace Conference of 1919. Meanwhile, the Government of India Act of 1919 served as the first major basis for the Constitution of India

4) For all his greatness, Mahatma Gandhi made several judgement errors especially in the context of the Non-Cooperation movement wherein he wanted an opportunistic Hindu support to the Pan-Islamic Khilafat movement which was against the British/Allies invasion of the Islamic Caliphate in Turkey. This backfired at multiple occasions and even sparked communal outbreaks in many parts of India including Malegaon, Kohat and in Malabar

5) A very strong evidenced argument can be made that the Mopla Outrage of 1921 was sparked more by fanaticism as opposed to the whitewashed idea of a rebellion against landowners or a rebellion against Indians supporting the British.

The above ideas go against the grain of conventional history taught in India, but Sai Deepak shares all these with strong evidence and references and thereby makes a compelling argument why European and Middle Eastern colonial thinking majorly influences India's Constitution and post-independence thinking.

I am thankful that Sai Deepak J does not take a supremacist tone regards the Indic way of thinking while at the same time emphasizing that Indic/Dharmic civilization is a very inclusive model with a place for different cultures/civilizations/religions to co-exist if there exists a robust platform of mutual respect, that eliminates supremacist tendencies of any specific group. #bookreview #civilization

The Prophet - Book Review

 

Book Review #13

Over the past week, I read a short but very complex book. Because, poetry is not my thing, I struggled to absorb the 26 poem summary titled "The Prophet" written by Kahlil Gibran, the celebrated Lebanese-American writer whose superb quotes we often encounter in the context of philosophical situations. The book came out in 1923, got translated in over 100 languages, sold 9 million copies, and has never been out of print.

In the book, the Prophet, Al Mustafa, after living in the city of Orphalese for 12 years is ready to board his ship to return to where he came from and at this point, so many different people ask him to speak about many things ranging from love, marriage, children, giving, eating, work, joy and sorrow, houses, clothes, buying and selling, crime and punishment, laws, freedom, reason and passion, pain, friendship, time, good & evil, prayer, pleasure, beauty, religion, and death. Despite my poetry grasping challenges, a few insights were indeed memorable in my opinion

Marriage: Marriage is an eternal joining of souls in love, but there must be spaces in that togetherness: room for the two souls to breathe. It is like the supporting pillars of a temple. "The oak tree and cypress, cannot grow in each other's shadow"

Children: Parents do not possess their children but are their caretakers. Don't try to make them think and behave as a parent would. They are the sons and daughters of Life and belong to tomorrow. 

Giving: A person truly gives, when they give of the self, not of their possessions. Possessions are temporary things, a useless safeguard against the fear of need. In other words, when one gives up possessiveness, one becomes spiritually free and able to truly give.

Eating & Drinking: To eat and to drink are necessary, but they are violent acts against living things. Therefore, they must be acts of worship and remember every person will also give up their life one day as they are governed by the same natural laws.

Work: Work is a natural part of life and keeps the worker in rhythm with time and the seasons. All work is noble when it is performed with love. Work without love generates an indifferent, inferior end product that is best not done at all.

Freedom: People become enslaved to the idea of freedom. People wish to free themselves from care, want, and grief. But true freedom comes from accepting and rising above them. 

Prayer: You pray in times of stress and need, but you should also pray in times of joy and abundance. As you listen in the stillness of the night, you will hear the words of God speaking through you. He knows what you need and desire before you do.

Religion: Religion is all the person's deeds and all their reflections. Faith cannot be separated from actions nor belief from life pursuits. The activities of daily life are a person's temple and religion, as are the people in their life.

Overall, a good read and possibly a gift if you appreciate poetry

#bookreview #KahlilGibran #life