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A review by abookishalcove
A Nation of Idiots by Daksh Tyagi
5.0
'Woke.'Originally this word meant being conscious of racial discrimination in society. With time its meaning evolved and it now includes a broader scope of other forms of prevalent oppression, injustice and social problems. Let's say this book was written by a woke Indian. But what actually makes a person woke?
Two words-"Question Everything". It was something the author's father told him as a kid and I was told by my 6th grade History subject teacher. The power these two words hold is immense. It transforms someone's perception towards everything around him and makes his thinking more rational.
In the first chapter the author questions our collective conscience. He shows how the disaster of demonetisation could have been used for a greater good but a lack of conscience didnot make it happen. A collective conscience is something we badly need to unite against social oppression and upliftment of the downtrodden.
He questions our mindless clinging to absurd traditional norms.
He tells us how traditions and customs get created over time and why they should be done with if they become inhibiting rather than contributing to the growth of oneself or the society at large.
He tells examples of certain events from his life illustrating how being literate is completely different from being educated. In a way he emphasizes on the need of proper education that teaches not just facts and concepts but also how they are relevant in real life. A proper education inculcates a habit of critical thinking too.
My favourite part of the book was where the author made a low-key snide remark towards a currently public listed company while showing the true nature of Indian politics since time immemorial. It was hilarious to read it written like that. He also shows how propaganda is created to influence our emotions and opinions inorder to gain votes, a fact that we should be aware of because it always ends up sidelining our major causes of concern. He talks on many other topics like chauvinism, fanaticism, feminism and LGBTQ, which is not possible for me to cover in a short review.
About three decades ago Nobel Laureate VS Naipaul had finished writing his 'India trilogy'. He was a British of Indian origin who had travelled to India on three pivotal occassions in modern history to observe our nation and to understand what made India as it is. He conducted an extensive psychoanalysis and made sociological observations. This book is a work on similar lines.
Written in simple language, filled with humour, it is unputdownable and a perfectly comprehensive book that all Indians need to read RIGHT NOW to understand what goes into shaping our society and its norms, which also indirectly affects how you think, how you live and drives this country's future towards a particular direction. Underlying the obscuring humor of author is the angst of every concerned citizen. This book is a set of introspective realisations that we Indians need to realise high time.
Two words-"Question Everything". It was something the author's father told him as a kid and I was told by my 6th grade History subject teacher. The power these two words hold is immense. It transforms someone's perception towards everything around him and makes his thinking more rational.
In the first chapter the author questions our collective conscience. He shows how the disaster of demonetisation could have been used for a greater good but a lack of conscience didnot make it happen. A collective conscience is something we badly need to unite against social oppression and upliftment of the downtrodden.
He questions our mindless clinging to absurd traditional norms.
He tells us how traditions and customs get created over time and why they should be done with if they become inhibiting rather than contributing to the growth of oneself or the society at large.
He tells examples of certain events from his life illustrating how being literate is completely different from being educated. In a way he emphasizes on the need of proper education that teaches not just facts and concepts but also how they are relevant in real life. A proper education inculcates a habit of critical thinking too.
My favourite part of the book was where the author made a low-key snide remark towards a currently public listed company while showing the true nature of Indian politics since time immemorial. It was hilarious to read it written like that. He also shows how propaganda is created to influence our emotions and opinions inorder to gain votes, a fact that we should be aware of because it always ends up sidelining our major causes of concern. He talks on many other topics like chauvinism, fanaticism, feminism and LGBTQ, which is not possible for me to cover in a short review.
About three decades ago Nobel Laureate VS Naipaul had finished writing his 'India trilogy'. He was a British of Indian origin who had travelled to India on three pivotal occassions in modern history to observe our nation and to understand what made India as it is. He conducted an extensive psychoanalysis and made sociological observations. This book is a work on similar lines.
Written in simple language, filled with humour, it is unputdownable and a perfectly comprehensive book that all Indians need to read RIGHT NOW to understand what goes into shaping our society and its norms, which also indirectly affects how you think, how you live and drives this country's future towards a particular direction. Underlying the obscuring humor of author is the angst of every concerned citizen. This book is a set of introspective realisations that we Indians need to realise high time.