No point delivering liberal homilies to a hierarchical society. But Guha has discarded the questions of power.
I don’t call myself a “fan” of Ramachandra Guha because reputable dictionaries trace the origin of the word to “fanatic”. Based both on reading his work and some personal interaction, I know that Ram despises fanaticism. The same dictionaries though, also describe a fan as an “admirer or enthusiast”. In such elaborations, I find my own estimation of Ram. I have found no better book to introduce post-Independence India to my undergraduate students than his India After Gandhi. When it comes to books on cricket, A Corner of a Foreign Field rates among my favourites. As I write about Kumaon’s history, I often refer back to Guha’s Unquiet Woods. I make sure I read as much of his writing on current affairs that I can. Even though, in recent times, I have disagreed with Guha, I remain an admirer, but not “fan” offering “uncritical devotion”.
“Inside every thinking Indian, there is a Gandhian and a Marxist struggling for supremacy.” So began a collection of ess ays representing the unique range of interests and expertise, as well as the thoroughly engaging prose characteristic of the scholar and public intellectual that is Guha. He has negotiated a remarkable and distinctive path between these contending positions in academics and in public debates. That alone is no small achievement. It is a sign of the different polarisations of our own moment that Guha gets lumped together with Leftists and labelled part of the “break India into pieces brigade” by rightwing internet trolls. It also displays the ignorance of such intolerant criticism because Guha is as far away as possible from taking such as position. Indeed, a criticism one could make is that his commitment to the national state and its institutions, and modernity more generally, sometimes under mine his commitment to imagining a more just, equitable India.
This story is from the April 09, 2018 edition of Outlook.
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This story is from the April 09, 2018 edition of Outlook.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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