Author Harsh Mander
Country India
Genre Non Fiction
Publication Date April 2015
Pages 426
This book has often been defined as a book that every thinking Indian should read and I couldn't have found a better way of expressing my absolute reverence for this piece of real work. All of us who are closely associated with India tend to assume that we know a lot about this land which we claim as our own; but Harsh Mander has done a brilliant job of showing us the mirror. Grappling with feelings of shame, anger, disbelief and embarrassment to name a few, I finally made it through the book and am glad to be a wee bit richer in my opinions as a result of this tumultuous journey.
The book is built across a couple of key messages ranging from the state of the Indian poor to the legitimisation of our deep rooted prejudices and finally a call for public compassion. The way we treat our help, the existence of untouchability even in today's day and age, the caste divide, homelessness, the bias against Muslims, the sky rocketing medical costs pushing people into poverty are some of the myriad issues that Harsh has touched and left an indelible impression with.
While one really has to read the book to even gauge what I am trying to imply; some of the below quotes from the book do give a flavour:
"We don't care because we are unequal, and because we don't care, inequality will persist."
"One of the leading contributors to poverty is the rising cost of healthcare. The world bank estimates that one quarter of all Indians fall into poverty as a direct result of hospitalisation."
"To be poor in India is a crime. To be poor and also gravely ill is a crime deserving only the death penalty."
Personally, for me what had been hugely reassuring is Harsh's assertion that most of the things that he is demanding are not utopian but a basic human right. While we can debate endless about the market economy and how that should be allowed to take its due course, as Harsh says there is a floor of human dignity below which no individual should be allowed to fall. And no case for market led growth can justify that. Interestingly, Harsh goes to the extent of comparing poverty related deaths in the country to mass genocide by the state.
On a personal note, while I do consider myself a reasonably empathetic individual, sometimes the extent of issues that abound India numb us and make us immune to what we can really do to make a difference. As I look back at this book, my personal take away is that if we consciously start changing the social environment around us, India still has a lot of hope and promise!
