Romila Thapar et al (2016) The Public Intellectual in India. Aleph, 170 pages
This
book deals with the question-what type of society do we wish to construct? A
meaningful discussion on organising institutions that adhere to the values that
we cherish can happen only in a liberal space. ‘Being a liberal is an attitude
of mind’, Romila Thapar writes, that allows space for expression of ideas
filtered through ethics and reasoned thinking. A public intellectual is a
person who creates and guards this liberal space by bringing in varying
perspectives on issues of public interest. In this role, she is an autonomous
thinker pursuing the epistemic logic of seeking truth. Secondly, she is also
the crusader of the ethical logic that stands for social justice. The problem
is that both these interests can conflict with each other. How to resolve this ‘internal’
conflict forms one part of the book.
The
second part of the book is about the external space and time in which the
public intellectual resides. In this dynamic space, public intellectuals
belonging to different schools of thought debate issues that are relevant to
our society. From these ideational discourses, forces that shape institutions
of the state as well as society are formed. Furthermore, the public intellectual
also makes a large and varied corpus of knowledge interrelated and accessible to
a wider audience. She is in this sense both interpreter as well as producer of
knowledge for others.
An
educated public in today’s times is likely to be a discerning public that can
effectively participate in democratic processes concerning power and its
distribution in society. This process that relates knowledge to society makes
an ordinary individual think analytically, creatively, autonomously and
logically.
A wide
range of questions about questioning is raised in this book. What are the battles
to fight and what are the battles to let go? What is the role of silence in
understanding things around us and in expressing our thoughts? What are the
rules of thinking and framing questions? These are some of the provocative and
illuminating thoughts presented in the essays of the book with a vibrant tone
and contemporary context.
A
detour of historical tradition of the public intellectual also gives some
useful insights to our own construction of the ideal. At a time when the
liberal space is narrowing due to various vested interests both of states and
of corporations, the question of autonomy and justice remains open to
construction. One of my favourite parts in the book is the contemplation on the
absence of the right liberal in contemporary India.
What
makes the book enriching is its own identity as a battlefield of debates among
five public intellectuals of India today. This is an important work of our
times that questions our fundamental assumptions about the way knowledge forms
and transforms society.
