The book under consideration is authored by Makarand R. Paranjape, a Professor of English in JNU. Having worked in JNU for over two decades, the author shares an intimate relationship with JNU, and therefore comes across as a credible voice on the issue. The issue that the book deals with is the rise of an anti-nationalist fervour in the students protests that took under its sweep not just the university where they were staged, but the entire nation. The power of the protests was such that they brought university to a standstill. While some saw, and continue seeing, the protests as right to dissent, Paranjape offers an alternate perspective and considers these protests an abuse of the fundament right to free voice, facilitated and fueled by the Left Liberal.
9 February 2016: Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) erupted with ‘anti-national’ slogans. Arrests of student leaders, the shutdown of the university, a lecture series on ‘What the Nation Needs to Know’, a student’s disappearance, another’s suicide and a number of even more disruptive protests ensued.
JNU: Nationalism and India’s Uncivil War, by a long-standing JNU professor, is a ringside account of what happened. Delicately and incisively crafted, it is an empathetic insider’s account of JNU’s problems from an expert in the field of higher education. Through this book, the author makes an impassioned plea to transform rather than destroy JNU, as also reform higher education. But more than that, this book is also a history of our times, of India’s ongoing transformation, the story of the changing selfapprehension of a nation.
Examining the multiple meanings of nationalism in our time, Paranjape delves deeply into what it means to be an Indian today. He gives his perception and understanding of the new India that is fast emerging as India enters its 75th year of Independence.
When this book came out, I was rather excited to read it. My excitement was owing to two reasons. One, I consider myself to be Left-leaning Liberal, and Paranjape offers an opposing Right-leaning stance. Second, Paranjape is a professor of English, and I am a student in the same field. So I was very keen for encountering the opposing view and seeing how that view is built. Basically, apart from opposing ideas, I was also expecting a lesson in argument-building. And having read the book, I can say, that I got both. In fact, I got even more.
The first two chapters of the book detail Paranjape’s personal journey of how he got to JNU. His personal journey does serve a context for the ideas that he profess. But I thought a major part of it could be dispensed with, or had the author addressed the issue head on, I would have liked it better. Neither the title nor the blurb gives the impression that the book is also part-memoir. So I had not expected these two chapters, or the paragraphs on his personal life that are present throughout the book. These two chapters read as a cautionary note that the author issues before actually dealing with the issue at hand.
While the popular opinion portrays Paranjape as a staunch right-wing member, in this book Paranjape situates himself in the “in-between”. As a proponent of what he terms as “intermedial hermeneutics”, he believes in negotiating between multiple ideological standpoints, while being aware of the shortcomings of each standpoint. This is how he would like the readers, and the public, at large, to view his arguments. However, as much as Paranjape would like to put forth his arguments as attempts at negotiations, the vigour of his writing indicates something different. He launches quite a strident attack on the opposing parties. But then the attacks on Paranjape, were equally strident as well.
The thrust of his arguments is the exploitation (via mobilisation) of students’ sentiments by different parties for their own political gains. What perturbs the author the most is that this is achieved at the expense of students’ studies. The result of this is not just the rampant intellectual wars driven by different ideologies, but also the gradual deterioration of higher education and the entire nation. Paranjape exposes the hollowness of these apparently “heavy” arguments and claims of the dissenting parties by showing how most of them are not based on any facts and lack a proper understanding of the ideas that they seem to profess. The sole aim is to sensationalise the matter at hand, and take a dig at the opposing forces.
However, taking digs at the other party is also what Paranjape seems to be doing most of the time, as his responses and counter-arguments are often disdainful. Nevertheless, it was interesting to see how arguments and counter-arguments are built. Towards the end, Paranjape comes up with some remedies for the problem that he has diagnosed. The prescriptive nature of the last chapters, peppered with instances from his personal life, impeded me from embracing them fully. I agree with some parts and disagree with others. But this was an enjoyable and quite engaging read for the sole reason that opinion being expressed was an opposing one. Recommended!
My Rating: *** (3/5)
What do you think about this book? What do you think of Paranjape’s ideas and approach? Do share your views in the comments. Thanks.
*I was kindly sent a copy by the publisher, in exchange for an honest review. Views expressed are entirely personal and unbiased.*
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