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What is Enlightenment ? Kant vs Foucault What does it truly mean to be “Enlightened”? Is Enlightenment about reason, freedom, and individual autonomy—or is it a subtle form of control shaped by powe...

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Reflections after Retirement in the ‘Age of Entertainment’
A Book Review by Kopal Vats, asst prof department of english , mohan lal sukhadia university,udaipur

As we live in the age of a flood of content on social media nowadays, it is becoming increasingly difficult to pause and reflect. As a teacher, I am getting accustomed to the reality of the declining attention span of the young generation and simultaneously to the tremendous decline in the tranquil value systems of yesteryears. I am reminded of having read somewhere that the ‘modern body is underworked while the modern mind is overfed’. We live in the Age of Entertainment where the mark of a good life is an infinite loop of amusement and distraction. More money means more entertainment. In the times when an exorbitantly expensive phone becomes outdated in six months, there is barely any time for people to recollect the wisdom of the old days. Nonetheless, the book Age of Entertainment by Prof. Naresh Dadhich comes as a collection of insightful reminiscences carefully garnered over his experience of close to forty years in the academic world. The book is published by Notion Press and is a lucid read of around 150 pages; nearly three hours of uninterrupted reading.

The book contains forty two essays covering a wide range of topics from love to the tenets of Quakerism in America. It is a beautiful collection of pearls of wisdom that the writer has gleaned from various sources, experiences and hard-earned learning that life has to offer. The book opens with a simplistic series of musings about topics as warm as experiences of a teacher, pleasures of reading, benefits of writing, beauty of a leisure day and gradually moves on to introduce to the novice reader, the foundations of liberalism, political thought, Gandhian Philosophy, evolution of humans, even to the point of simplifying Kierkegaard and Jiddu Krishnamurthy for young readers.

The book is a compendium of simplified knowledge about a variety of wide and key subjects in the most lucid yet thought provoking language. The book works on two levels; firstly it deals with the personal experiences of the writer about very relatable issues like boredom, infatuation with astrology, loneliness of parents of NRIs, the longings of a retired teacher, need for love and acceptance of life, nostalgia for the time spent with some noted teachers and colleagues who turned into an inspiration for the author, silent observations during morning walks etc. Secondly, the book offers detailed but simplified views on complex philosophies and personalities of key figures that revolutionized the world forever with their beliefs such as Mahatma Gandhi whom the writer upholds as a paragon of harmony between thought and action, Martin Luther King Jr, Yuval Noah Harari, Hannah Arendt, Khushwant Singh, Shashi Tharoor, Osho and many more. In essays dedicated to serious concepts, readers will find voluble discussions upon Nationalism, Quakerism, Democracy, Elective Despotism, Indian freedom struggle, Psephology, Elections in India to go as far as an essay titled ‘History of Indian Food’; a delightful read.

It is natural for any reader to find some parts of a book more interesting than the rest and I too have my favorites among these essays. The essay about Hannah Arendt and her relevance in the modern world ridden with power struggles, is a wonderful piece purely because it presents an orderly summary of her ideas and writings very useful to any interested reader. As a reader, I have come across the name Hannah Arendt in many articles and scholarly mentions in recent times but purely out of indifference did not feel the need to read her works with dedication. The essay, therefore, serves as a guide to her writings and philosophy in the most cogent way. The idea about evil being a consequence of absence of imagination is thought-provoking. Similarly, the essay about the Cicero brothers, Marcus and Quintus, reads like a wise roman tale and yet again, reiterates the wealth of wisdom that is found in classical thought, profound and relevant for a modern reader as well. Another gem in the book is the essay dedicated to Khushwant Singh who was well known for his cheeky demeanor in the circles of post-independence Indian writers and press. The writer very aptly calls Khushwant Singh the Osho of Literature; a comparison well deserved and irrefutable.

An interesting aspect about the collection is that the writer introduces the readers to a plethora of insightful books in nearly all of the essays that serves more like an important book-catalog for interested readers. There are mentions of great books like How to Win an Election: An Ancient Guide for Modern Readers by Cicero, The Verdict: Decoding India’s Elections Prannoy Roy, The Sultan of Swing, biography of Sir David Butler, Feasts and Fasts: A History of Food in India by Colleen Taylor Sen, Either/ Or by Kierkegaard, A History of England by Lord Macaulay etc. Clearly, each of these books can lead the reader to a new path towards more focussed learning.

Despite the erudite passages on academic or political topics, the book’s highlight however, is the author’s personal musings and revelations about life as a retired professor who is making mindful efforts towards leading a more meaningful life post-retirement, the final quarter or the twilight years. There are chucklesome mentions of love for tea and Surya namkeen, affections of a grandfather, keeping pace with technology, cozy conversations with friends on landline, candid conversations with cab drivers in the Netherlands, frisking sessions at Israel airport and the most surprising of them all; the Vice Chancellor waiting in a queue for food at an American university.

The book’s language is plain yet scholarly reflecting the finesse of an experienced teacher who like Francis Bacon opined, ‘has chewed and digested’ vast repositories of knowledge over a life dedicated to teaching, learning and research. Each essay is well structured; however, the chapters can be rearranged in theme-based clusters for more effective reading. Also, there is scope in the book for more relatable themes as well, such as ideas on relevance of teachers after AI and academic integrity in the age of privatization along with some honest views on impact of rigorous demands of academic institutions especially in the context of women scholars and teachers. Overall, the book is an interesting read with ample takeaways for serious learners. A highly recommendable book for especially young readers, who are far from aware of the teachings of stalwarts like Cicero, Kierkegaard, Osho, Krishnamurthy, Arendt etc. Others should read it for its warmth and clarity in the delusional age of entertainment.

आज यह पुस्तक किंडल पर अपलोड हो गयी है ।इसमें 45 टॉपिक हैं जिसमें 13 विचारक ( हन्ना आरेन्न, ग्रामशी सहित), 20 सिद्धान्त ( विमर्शीय,सहभागी एवं प्रतिनिधात्मक प्रजातंत्र समेत) एवं 12 अवधारणाएँ ( प्राधान्य, अस्मिता की राजनीति समेत) है।इसमें नवीनतम सूचनाएँ एवं व्याख्याओं का समावेश है ।यह प्रतियोगी परीक्षाओं में राजनीति विज्ञान विषय लेकर बैठने वालों के लिए उपयोगी है ।इसका उपयोग युवा शिक्षक, शोधार्थी एवं राजनीतिक सिद्धान्त/ चिन्तन में रुचि रखने वाले बुद्धिजीवी या सामान्य जन भी कर सकते है । किंडल पर होने से यह आपके मोबाइल में हमेशा मौजूद रहेगी।
मेरे विद्यार्थियों को समर्पित

पुस्तक लिखने एवं पुस्तक प्रकाशित होने की प्रसन्नता अलग-अलग होती है ।लिख लेने की प्रसन्नता लेखक की अपने विचारों को कागज ( आजकल आईपैड/ लैपटॉप) पर उतारने की होती है और ऐसा सफलतापूर्वक कर लेने पर एक राहत का आभास होता है।प्रकाशित होने की प्रसन्नता अपने विचारों को सार्वजनिक कर देने और इस आशा में होता है कि कोई तो कभी तो उसे पढ़ेगा और प्रसन्न/ नाराज होगा। लेकिन उस पुस्तक को लिखने का आनंद कुछ अधिक और अलग होता है जिसको आप वर्षों से थोड़ा थोड़ा लिख रहे हो नोट्स एकत्रित कर रहे हो कई बार उस विषय पर लैक्चर देकर रियाज कर रहे हो और वह पूरी हो जाये।पुस्तक की भी एक नियति होती है कि वह कब और कहाँ पर ( इस बार अमेरिका में) पूरी होगी। ऐसी ही एक पुस्तक का पहला प्रारुप आज पूरा हो गया है ।पुस्तक राजनीति विज्ञान से संबंधित है। हिन्दी में है और विद्यार्थियों एव युवा प्राध्यापकों के लिए उपयोगी एवं रुचिकर होगी ।
यह छाया चित्र पुस्तक के अन्तिम पृष्ठ को लिखने के पश्चात पुनः निरीक्षण का है।

After the demise of Soviet Union, rightists declared that Marxism was dead. Well actually an experiment to implement Marxism in practice outlived its utility. The theory Marxism is not dead atleast till society remains divided into wealthy and poor. But Marxism is not monolithic as a theory.After Marx, his writings with the addition of Engles became Marxism and the. In post Marx era many interesting and sometimes contradictory interpretations of Marxism surfaced.
In this short introduction to Marxist Theory three variants are discussed : Critical Theory, Analytical Marxism and Structural Marxism.
The book is available on Kindle ,priced at $2.99

Multiculturalism as a political theory emerged in 1990s reflecting new emerging political realities in the world.With the decline of communism in early 90s,Eastern Europe witnessed rise of ethnic nationalism as an alternative to liberalism.The movement for ethnic autonomy spread in Western Europe also and resulted in demand for secession in some countries e.g. Quebec of Canada,Flanders in Belgium, Catalonia in Spain and Scotland in Britain.To form a policy to deal with this new reality and to find out whether this new policy is viable within liberal framework or not was the question political thinkers started probing.Multiculturalism thus emerged as a political theory to deal with this question.It stands for ethnic or cultural pluralism wherein different ethnic groups collaborate with each other without loosing their identity.It advocates equal respect for various cultures with maintaining cultural diversity. Some define multiculturalism as “salad bowl” and “ Cultural mosaic” contrasting it with “melting pot”
The book is a short introduction to this important theory and is available on Kindle.

After the French Revolution, freedom, along with equality and fraternity, became part of political vocabulary. Freedom is not an unchecked virtue to do whatever one wants. It is to be limited, if it interferes with the freedom of others. It is to be defined by taking into account other values like equality, justice, security, and stability. A normative theory is required to explain constraints on freedom and to analyze the relationship between freedom of the individual and the State.
Freedom is the core value of the modern world, in the medieval period, superstition, obedience, allegiance to community, hierarchical system, and societal identity reign supreme. In contrast, the modern period is known for rationality, independence, individualism, and freedom. Many political thinkers from John Locke in the seventeenth century to Philip Pettit in the twenty-first century, are known for their contribution to the theory of freedom.
The book is a succinct introduction to Freedom (its political meaning). It is available on kindle and priced $2.99 for downloading. Valuable for the students, research scholars and young teachers of political science and a must for those appearing in IAS and other competitive examination.

Deliberative Democracy is the most popular form of democracy in 21st century. It reemphasis the fact that decisions in public policy in democracy be deliberated upon by its stakeholders and the task is not to be left for representatives and legal procedures.
The book clarifies the meaning, forms, conditions for its success and its limitation in succinct manner in less than 10,000 words. Available on kindle.

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, former member States of the Soviet Union got freedom and then got entangled in ethnic strifes. With the decline of Marxism and the establishment of liberalism as the only ideology, people switched to new group identities that can help them asserting their self-interest, and they chose identity as a new weapon for mounting pressure on the State.”Identity Politics” is one of the major theoretical concerns of twenty first century politics.
My new short introduction to this new political concept is now available in Kindle.