I'm reading two very interesting books at this moment and thought I should pen a thought or two about them.
1. Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond: This book tries to answer a simple yet profoundly difficult question about human history namely the differences in the histories in different continents. Why didn't we have the Red Indians colonising the British or why did the industrial revolution have to start in Europe and not in India? The 'superiority of race' argument is an easy one that has found appeals among many in the west but Diamond probes deeper in judicious detail.
2. American Power and the new Mandarins by Noam Chomsky: Chomsky's first book and his scathing critique of the American war in Vietnam. Notwithstanding the fear of sounding impertinent I humbly state that I felt that some essays lacked crispness. Nonetheless I am happy I read them for now I feel that India seriously needs a Chomsky. There is a responsibility that intellectuals in a welfare state have to execute constantly and it is all the more imperative in the current situation of India. Our politics is filled with preposturous rhetoric and devoid of any kind of sensitivity and I hope we will find means of awakening our masses more refined than RDB and Lage Raho...
Weekend in Pune was nice time. I miss my friends more than I show it. And I hope I shall stick to the routine of physical activity that has recommenced in my life.
1. Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond: This book tries to answer a simple yet profoundly difficult question about human history namely the differences in the histories in different continents. Why didn't we have the Red Indians colonising the British or why did the industrial revolution have to start in Europe and not in India? The 'superiority of race' argument is an easy one that has found appeals among many in the west but Diamond probes deeper in judicious detail.
2. American Power and the new Mandarins by Noam Chomsky: Chomsky's first book and his scathing critique of the American war in Vietnam. Notwithstanding the fear of sounding impertinent I humbly state that I felt that some essays lacked crispness. Nonetheless I am happy I read them for now I feel that India seriously needs a Chomsky. There is a responsibility that intellectuals in a welfare state have to execute constantly and it is all the more imperative in the current situation of India. Our politics is filled with preposturous rhetoric and devoid of any kind of sensitivity and I hope we will find means of awakening our masses more refined than RDB and Lage Raho...
Weekend in Pune was nice time. I miss my friends more than I show it. And I hope I shall stick to the routine of physical activity that has recommenced in my life.
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