Indian Culture and India's Future

Firstly, Thank you Amazon for the book and timely delivery!A book, that a neophyte, acquainted and a scholar in Indology could read and benefit! A scholarly work, in the sense that it is well bibliographed and indexed. The language is unmistakable!The book starts with a set questions posed to the author over his significant stay in the country from being a researcher to being a professor at IIT.1. What is so valuable about Indian culture? In particular, does it have any practical value in everyday life?2. We Indians may have achieved something in the spiritual field, but in the material one, don’t we owe everything to the West?3. Isn’t Indian culture irrelevant in our modern scientific age?4. In fact, isn’t it excessive religiosity that has kept us plunged in superstition and illiteracy?5. Won’t Indian culture disappear under the impact of globalization and the spread of Western culture?6. How should Indians – and Hindus more specifically – deal with the new concept of ‘dialogue of civilizations’?The author himself being a Mathématiques supérieures & Mathématiques spéciales graduate, answers these question categorically and comprehensively with a keen eye for details and deep understanding.The book opens with the question “Is Indian Culture Obsolete?” setting the tone, so to say, for the rest of the book.The book is made up of three sections:Part Onea. India’s scientific Mind – Starting with the Harappan world he covers almost the entire gamut of scientific contribution of India in a nutshell ranging from Astronomy, Geometry, the uniqueness of Indian science giving names to numbers from 1,2,3 to numbers as large as 10^421 and how the Indians handled infinity with ease and dexterity, Life Sciences and sciences that deal beyond the mind.b. India’s Gift to the World – Metallurgy, shipping, medicine, architecture, art, literature, scripts, language, philosophy, religion and spirituality. Dealt comprehensively, with words of world thinkers, around the world, on India.c. India in France – France was the first European country to have a copy of Rig Veda as early as 1731 in Grantha script, obtained by a traveler from India and kept at Library of Paris. Extensive quotations from none other than Voltaire. Other legendary thinkers from France on India have been quoted such as Diderot, Sulvian Levi, Louis Renou, Jean Filliozat, Oliver Lacombe, Jeane Varenne, Edgar Quinet, Michelet, Lamertine, the legendary Rodin, Victor Cousin, etc. How the west admired and had been influenced heavily by Kalidasa is something one has to read to know.d. For the Love of Nature – Describes how the very marrow of India since time immemorial cared for nature right from considering Nature as Divine to Folk and Tribal Heritage. The status of the nation currently. Western view of nature and the effects of subduing the earth.Part Twoa. The Colonized Indian Mind – The two lines of strategy that the British employed to colonize the Indian mind, the fraud of Macaulay with his words from the letter to his father, Lord Canning’s cunningness, the rote rhymes that Indians to this day learn at school – humpty dumpty, the sad state of education system, quotes from Ananda Coomaraswamy and Sri Aurobindo on the remedy to such maladies.b. The Age of Confusion – ‘God’, ‘Religion’, ‘Secularism’ and ‘Tolerance’, the convenient keywords used as a narrative, Abrahmic Gods, Religion vs Dharma, The task ahead.c. The Gita and the Problem of Action – The Yoga of Gita, The Gospel of Strength, and Non – Violence, Gandhi and Ahimsa, The Cripps Mission, Misinterpretation of the scriptures by the conspirators who don’t understand the civilization.Part Threea. A Wounded Identity – The distortions in Indian History; the madness of Aryan Invasion Theory, Dravidian Dalit and Tribal Separateness, Saint Thomas’ omnipresence in the world, The Goan Inquisition, The Case of Ayodhya, Denigration of Indian Civilization due to British rule; Concealment of Colonial Barbarity, The Struggle for Freedom, Distortion models of Indian History and the way forward.b. The Conqueror and the Conquered – Conquering creeds, the bloodshed and conversion menace, A Triple Task.c. Dialogue among Civilizations: An Indic Perspective – Multiculturalism, change in the idea of dialogue in the right direction since how it was earlier, The West and India, The Indic Model, The New World Disorder; so to speak.The author has through and through maintained a very rational and clear mind taking no sides and has presented exhaustive ideas with great brevity.The reason I wrote a long review is, there has always been talks on the above lines in India on various aspects mentioned at the beginning of this review. Not many have given such detailed answers with sufficient material for layman too to understand and appreciate and have a neat idea of the past, present and future of India.

My interaction ( article wise) with the author started, when i read Effects of Colonization. The speech ( read as an article) transformed me into search more of the author. The Speech contained Indian History in a high dosage capsule form. Before going to the book review. I recommend all to read that speech.The book as expected turned out to be a punch for all who are confused as to what Indian History or Heritage stands for. Yes there has been onslaught of many ignored Indians ( Especially Politicians) who do not encourage Indian History especially its culture from what it stood for. It is a sorry fact that many of us i.e. Indians never tried to venture out and read books other than what was taught to us in Schools.My request for all who are today out of colleges is to read this book and build a different perspective about Indian Heritage and Culture. We, Indians, are truly ignorant of what India was. The author has rightly attributed it to one of the attackers that is consumerism and westernization.Despite the effort by authors like Michael Danino Ji many of us then forget about spreading the content of this book. The best contribution as an Indian we can do is to spread this book by word of mouth and gifting it to our friends and acquaintance. I think we can also give it to those who without knowing anything about India, despise its past.I thank author for extensively quoting Sri Aurobindo Ji who is not known among many of the young generations. Thanks to our history text books which does not discuss anything in length except a note here and note there. Also, another Indian, Swami Vivekananda has been seen as one who came with the speech Brothers and Sisters and also said that awake arise and stop not till thy goal is reached. Beyond this two, none knows about Swamiji's perception. The author narrated extensively their thoughts and ideas to make us understand what we have forgotten.I can only hope this book is read by as many as possible and have a refresh in their perspectives about Indian History.Happy Reading. Thanks to Michael Danino.

Worth reading to get an overview of contribution by ancient India. This book is authentic, no hyperbole.

I am still reading...

A must read for any educated Indian. The book articulates the positives about the Indic (and not Indian) heritage without falling into the trap of believing in a mythical utopia - and a critical the discussion must move in the direction set by Danino.

Great book! Must read. Will add more comments after i complete reading.