What prompted you to garnish the title of your book with Kantian philosophy. Do you believe your book can help make people reflect on the criticism you offer?
The essays in this book are an outcome of my anguish at the way the Republic is drifting away from its founding values. To me, the very timber of “New India” is crooked and nothing straight can ever be made from it. Kant spoke about the crooked timber of humanity, and I found his formulation interesting and applicable to the “New India”. Therefore, I borrowed Kant’s phrase for my title.
I haven’t said anything in the book that’s not already available in the public domain. What I did here is: I have brought many strands together, gave them a context and showed how they all fit into a pattern of slow, gradual, but a sure drift. The drift, to my mind, is very dangerous. I have no delusion that my book can bring about a massive change. My primary intention to write these words and submit to the general public is quite modest: to generate a spirited debate and discussion. I think my effort has met with a modicum of success. It’s heartening to see that the younger generation is alive to the issues raised in my work.
With the Ram Temple inauguration, do you feel that India is now, in your words, an “Orwellian Hindutva autocracy”?
The Ram Temple inauguration fits into the pattern that I describe in my book as “eventification”. It shows that the present dispensation is desperate to foreground “othering” in the run-up to the general elections. It sees that the real issues of unemployment, poverty, price rise, mounting national debt, increasing inequality, cronyism, emaciation of our democratic institutions, and Chinese occupation of large tracts of our territory, could turn the people against it. The “eventification” of the Ram Temple inauguration is mainly to divert the people’s attention away from their livelihood issues. The government, if it were confident that it had delivered on the economic and livelihoods front, would not have to prioritise temple.
The Rabbit-Duck illusion (a famous ambiguous image in which a rabbit or a duck can be seen depending on the viewer’s perspective) you share in an essay was a good way to present the shift in perception when it comes to “New India”. It is a refreshing writerly tactic and I wonder if you have any writing advice for critics and analysts.
I think two things have to work in combination to hit at authoritarian structures.
One, of course, is writing. Fiction, critical essays, poetry, and reportage [help] critique the establishment and draw people’s attention to the harsh reality. They should also speak truth to power. The simpler their form, the more accessible they become to the general public. One cannot overemphasise the deployment of interesting metaphors, idioms, and turns of phrase.
The second one is humour. The importance of humour is often overlooked. Cartoons, satirical writings, and writings that mock autocrats, and make fun of their ugly pomposity and pathological self-importance are potent weapons that serve the cause of democracy. Authoritarian regimes try to crack down on these. We see evidence of that in our country. Humourists are hounded, not just political activists.
How do you engage with people who have differing viewpoints?
In the present times, the regime itself is the biggest champion of the “New India” narrative. Its reach is deep. Debates on television often sound like the regime’s soliloquies. What is required now is to platform the critique. As long as it is still possible to write and speak freely, that is the main task. My book is a response to the regime’s “Mann ki Baat”.
How do you think people’s attention should be directed to the concerns facing the country.
I think one needs to systematically study the process by which we arrived at this situation. It is a slow and gradual process. It happened under our very nose, in plain sight. With very few honourable exceptions, no major political formation can escape responsibility for this sorry state. I’m too small to offer ready-made solutions. I’m also not fond of getting up on a soapbox and preaching. The people of India can and will work out solutions.
What do you anticipate this book will do?
My expectations are modest. My work is only a small intervention in an important national conversation. My intention is to generate discussion and debate. I will be happy if a few people alter their opinions or even re-examine their views after reading my book.
Saurabh Sharma is a Delhi-based writer and freelance journalist. They can be found on Instagram/X: @writerly_life.
