The case for India by Will Durant

Very interesting book. The author, Will Durant , by all accounts was the greatest historian . Author of magnum opus, The Story of Civilisation, supposed to be the most comprehensive rendering of world history was written over a period of 50 years by the author.

There is great amount of humility ,which comes out . The author , like a true historian, has the humility and greatness to understand that there have been civilisations that had surpassed the western ones at some time in the past and has great sympathy and admiration for the India civilisation, its spirituality etc.

Understand ,that this book was published ( the author was an American) outside India and was not available for years in India. Strand book, founder, Shanbhag and his daughter Vidya Varkar managed to get it from Infosys them CFO, Mohandas Pai and got a local edition published.

The author makes out a case , how the Britishers for a very selfish reason of getting access to markets and also access to cheap labour abd land and resources, came in first in the form of Join stock Company and later got subsumed as part of British Government.

Systematically the locals were exploited, heavily taxed, goods from England ( finished goods) broughtin to India, raw materials taken out of India , got labour at very low wages.
England exploited the diverisity of India in terms of varying languages, religions and multiple small states ruled by princes. Divide and rule is the theme that runs across in the management of India by British and very successfully adopted.

The author talks glowingly of Gandhi and his Satygaraha and ahimsa. He brings to the fore, issues raised by many of Gandhi’s adversaries of the moral and ethical relevance and significance of Non violence in the face of maraudering British who just do not respond to Non violence. They take it as weakness rather than as a reflection of spiritual strength . In fact the adversaries of Gandhi raise the point that , even Bhagwad Gita , of which Mahatma Gandhi was a great admirer, advocates policy of use of force to achieve a larger and greater cause of good for the people.

The author also brings out the , view held by Gandhi in being completely against Industrialisation , how , per Gandhi this completely eats in to the spiritual make up of people and how Industrilaisation dehumanises people.
The controverises besides, the author is in great admiration and praise of Gandhi’s preachings and practise of coutering violence and prejudice with Non violent Non coperation movement. In the author’s view, this is more Christian than any Christian including the Britishers acould aspire .

Being an Amercian, the author , in the time honoured practise of the great democracy that Amercia is, does reproduce views leading British leaders and Intellectuals (?). Their view . clearly is that, by ruling India, The British have done the locasl a favour. The locals were clearly a undernourished race and had no education and were split on caste, language basis and needed a nation like Brotain to bring orderliness and sense in to their society . They also justify , that if they had not come in, India would have got taken over by French or Spanish or Portuguese.

The author has the last word which obviously in an indictment of the British and appreciation and admiraion for India and emphasis the need for freedom . He mentions in various parts of the book, how deeply prejudiced the British ruleres were . how different set of rules ( not literally but in practice ) applied for English and the Indians.

Representation in Governance was very lopsided in terms of the number of Britishers Vis a Vis Indians.

The book was written in 1930 and considering various aspects including the splintered Provinces etc , the author recommended at that point of time that India should become part of a British Commonwealth of nations with enough autonomy to develop on its own but part of Britain just about enough association to prevent chaos and defense from other countries.

Very well written , I am sure the author’s Story if Civilisation would be great read, but reading 11 Volumes , something written over 50 years would be big challenge.Let me hope that someday, I will get down to reading that also and will have time to write a synopsis or to put it more practically, a precise of the magnum opus.

Three more Novels of RK Narayan, Swami & Friends, Bachelor of Arts and Vendor of sweets

Swami & Friends, one understand was the first novel of RK Narayan. This was taken as a television serial and was a huge favourite of mine and of many others. Very gentle, very perceptive and flows smoothly. Again the setting is simple, in Malgudi and problems very minor but viewed through a small boy's eyes , are quite significant.Friendship with school mates, one on the academic front and one on the sports front, hate for school , hate for maths and the person who teaches the same all mirrored excellently.

I think the novel makes even better reading if one had seen the TV version. For once, I think, the TV serial was as good as the book.

Bachelor of Arts , is literally , a bit later in life, that is college life of Chandran, his falling in love, his friendship with Ramu. Mohan a poet and acquaintence with veerasami, a rebel. Set in pre British period .

It also takes one through the relationships that one builds at college and how one loses touch once one gets caught up in a new environment and setting. Chandran concludes that friendships and love are formed are more a coincidence and people coming together due to circumstances that bring them together rather than any life long lasting bonding.

Good read, both . Just started reading Vendor of sweets. Rememeber distinctly the TV serial of the same featuring Anant Nag as Jagan the main character. Again one of those TV serials that did justice to the novel.

Huge chasm between father and son , mother having passed away when the boy was young. Father steeped in old values , a gandhian . He is a successful businessman in his own way, running a sweetmeat shop and making decent money. Son , not interested in studies goes to US , after initial promise of taking up a writing career. Goes to US with an avowed purpose of learning the art of writing.

Jagan keeps bragging about his son in US and lasts till the son returns to India with a Korean american girl in tow.

Son wants to manufacture machines to write novels/stories. Tries to wangle money out of father and fails. Gets jailed for the offence of possessing alcohol ...

Beautifully woven around Malgudi and excellent descriptions of the millieu then. One can easily relate to them , especially if yiu have had one foot in the earlier generation.

Author's description of Jagan going to see the bride, the eatables given there and the strict code of trying to maintain dignity by just nibling at the eatables, sining by the future bride, the whole process of communication between the bride's side and the groom's side etc are all great

There is mention of how, correspondence in the form of post cards are all inserted ( harpooned ) in to a steel wire( very similar to the ones which used to kept at Hotels to keep the Bills in place at a Udipi restaurant.

Good read, tinge of sadness right through, of any generation to keep pace with the new one and the new one to understand the earlier one. It is almost as if it is inevtibale and the sadness which accompanies the same is inevitable.

Have to get Guide and English Teacher.

Novels of RK Narayan

Read the following novels of RK Narayan.

Mr Sampath

Financial Expert

Painter of signs

The fourth one was Tiger of Malgudi , gave it a skip for now

In Mr Sampath, the narrator is one Srinivas , who shifts to Malgudi with his small family from his village to come out with a local newspaper, Banner. He goes through several challenges.

Gets to meet Mr Sampath who happens to be the local printer.Sampath is one of the typical busybodies who has time for everybody and who is all over the place. Kind of an adventerous gentleman who tries his hand out at film making . Pulls srinivas in as the story writer. Banner has to be given a temporary rest .

As one would expect, Sampath gets sucked a bit in by the glamour etc of film making, hobnobs with the lead lady, verge of deserting his family, loses his way and tries to go in to hiding once he finds that he is unable to keep up his part of the Financial committment. In between you have myriad characters including the landlord of Srinivas. In between the author brings out the travails of Srinivas who is making honest attempts at bringing out the paper. I distinctly remember Cho acting as Mr Sampath in a Tamil movie. Not sure whether this novel was made in to a movie or was it just that this character bore a strong resemblance to the one in Novel

Financial expert ,the main character , Margayya starts off as a person who helps villagers avail of loans etc from the local coopertative Bank, later befriends one Journalist Dr Pal. This Dr Pal , in a strange kind of deal, hands over the manuscript of a book on Sex authored by him , euphemistically renamed Domestic Harmony to make it sound less revolting. Margayya gets a book published , makes huge money ,uses this money to further increase money through moneylending.

There is also Margayya's son, uninterested in studies , rebels against his father , runs away to Madras , assumed to have died, refound by Margayya ...

The story comes full circle when Margayya starts becoming a kind of mini banker , taking deposits at high interest rate, his son gets misdirected after marriage by Dr Pal, Margayya trying to save his son and take him away from Dr Pal, in a fit of anger beats up Dr Pal. The latter spreading a canarad amongst the depositing publich about doubtfulness on Margayya's ability to retunr deposits sets off a run on his mini banking system

Margayya is forced to decalare insolvency but at the end gets back his son and is back to where he started.

The third one is Painter of signs . An educated youth , takes up to painting of signboards, befriends a yound lady by name Daisy who comes to Malgudi as a Government worker , being part of the Family planning program. Fall in love, and finally she gets away to pursue her interest in service etc.

Quite rebellious , love and kind of live in relationship several decades back and that too in a small town.

The books are typical RK Narayan's one, simple, nice description of the surroundings, few characters.

Have started reading a bunch of short stories " Malgudi days.