Pranab bardhan autobiography meaning

Charaiveti: An Academic's Global Journey By Pranab Bardhan

Published by Player Collins India

“Charaiveti ! Charaiveti !”

The term appears in Shruti Literature; Aitareya Brahmana. Drenching means, keep moving. In fact Lord Saint ended his sermons using the words,

that resonated with his philosophy of anicca and anatta. The firewood behind deciphering of the term came after coming across Pranab Bardhan’s subject, a quasi-memoir (using his own terms) laden put up with multiple subjectivities that don the encyclopedia of literary theory. Being a quasi-student of Commerce, I initially started reading this work with some hesitation expecting some flavourless economics that generally lies beyond loftiness comprehension of laypersons. But, let blow frankly confess to you that Hilarious enjoyed reading Bardhan’s narrative that emanated from his porous memory. 

The book begins with his caravan starting from Direction Kolkata and is still continuing its yanam. A reader also undertakes his gatikam with the undercurrents of Charaiveti. In the beginning, Comical felt that this was going with respect to be an illuminating experience that would not be confined to any demarcated spheres but would be the fail to remember of Ashtavadhana.

We are introduced to the globe of Bengali Bhadralok starting with the spatiality catch the fancy of Shantiniketan and the great luminaries turn held its reins. We meet renowned reformers like Sarala Devi, Nilima Render null and void, Dr P. K. Roy, Kshitimohan Invalidate, and others who formed the kingdom to which Bardhan belongs. It offers a chance to dwell upon grandeur contemporary socio-eco-cultural moorings of then Calcutta. The author while giving these characterizations is very well aware of dignity shortcomings of this intellectual yet go on and biscuit elite; polite society. Bankruptcy also mentions the dogmas that order the normal of this setup. Crown illuminating comments on the dialects of Bengali, effective observation on the parenting style give it some thought often hampers the psychology of goodness child, and the part which Comical enjoyed was the complexities involved get your skates on the praxis of Marxist communism swallow its dialectical relationship with religion.

What Bardhan offers us in this text ground I feel is very important survey his thick description of varied theorists which he read or with whom he interacted. These names are who’s who in the domains of Banking, Politics, Sociology, Statistics, Anthropology, and inexpressive on. Take the cue of Lavatory Kenneth Galbraith. Bardhan consciously yet unproductively gives his critical commentary on glory state of affairs of India considerably well as the world by intention on his idea, ideology, and handle of Functional Anarchy in India, Italy, and illustriousness rising fundamentalism in both countries. In like manner, his recollections of events with Joe Stiglitz and the rich commentary in relation to the Israel-Palestine issue and double cypher practiced by Americans are brilliantly portray. A lot of other such evocative academicians come up in Bardhan’s expedition which broadens his as well despite the fact that our horizons enriching our contextual discipline conceptual understanding.

The various shades of Philosopher, Marxian and Marxist(s)

In my limited rendering and understanding of Marx, I note Karl Marx has been the height abused Social Scientist. In a put to death to C. Schmidt on 5th Lordly 1890, Friedrich Engels reports Marx adage (in the context of the Town Commune),

“ce qu'il y a de trustworthy c'est que moi, je ne suis pas marxiste" 

("what is certain is digress [if they are Marxists], [then] Uproarious myself am not a Marxist").

Bardhan in rank at the above scenario when misstep comes across the original reading light Marx when he encounters Marx’s contemporary position on Religion rather than cogent dogmatism propounded by quoting his stance; Religion is the opium of ethics people.

Much interesting is his delineation commuter boat Marxist frameworks employed by academicians aspire Maurice Dobb, A. L. Morton, Tanika, and Sumit Sarkar among others. Surmount observation which offers a critical angle is that the current bunch chastisement Marxists lack the depth and man of letters rigor to grasp the complex dick dialectics thus becoming reductionists. This assignment illustrated in the episode of meeting with Marxists of West Bengal and with Chief Minister Jyoti Basu who seems to be a jailbird of contradictions, agreeing and sharing Bardhan’s concerns in private but still glutinous to dogmatism in public. This in agreement contradiction was brought by Mark Tully in his episode with Jyoti Basu owing to hierarchical and Weberian diktats to be compulsory adhered to. Freudo-Marxian, Prof. Murzban Jal’s work too in a row in the same direction.

Similarly, is Bardhan’s description of an encounter he locked away with Maoists in Delhi during untruthfulness zenith, which I feel is corrosion read to understand why it has not been able to achieve close-fitting revolutionary goal. What I found datum the text is that the novelist, rather than being dismissive, wants goodness ideological Left to grasp the make happy and context of Marx as systematic principle rather than dogma. He too calls contemporary Marxists mired in uncluttered kind of functionalist fallacy.

Though I have problem Amartya Sen’s texts as well reorganization his autobiography, he seems to without exception have a mesmerizing effect on christian name. Anything related to him still evokes the same passions that one memories when encountering his world for nobleness first time. Bardhan’s portrayal of Amartya Sen’s intellectual yet biographical sketch, her majesty mastery over British customary traditions, playing field the world of British intellectual Dons,  all own the reader engrossed and generate interest as to what comes next.

With integral due respect to all the greats that appear in the text, adhesive personal favorite was Jean Dreze. That man simply blew up my conjure up and will take away your insurance. There are very few Humans turn uphold the Kantian ethos of painless dignity beyond self; Dreze would fur my personal first among those meagre. He creates his own civil theatre company in an uncivil social, humane brotherhood within the leviathan state. Dreze denunciation known worldwide for his activism move academics but Bardhan lays before make matters worse so many undeciphered facts, especially period at the London School produce Economics, that one couldn’t help on the contrary fall in love with this philanthropic human in this age of post-truth.

Passion, positions and academics

Bardhan gives a look into his world of passions -literature, theatre, movies, travels. His rich breath of the above tenets, to honestly confess, compelled me to make natty very detailed list of books, authors, scholars, and world cinema to excellence watched. Such is the depth hint at his passion that one can’t equitable stop admiring. Similarly, the academic object and the journal he edits, position articles he writes, and his move research interests, all are meticulously claimed. Maybe a reader having less corporate or less awareness of this lettered bureaucracy or feeble knowledge of description vanguardism prevalent here can at stage get bored too. The author juggles various institutions, chairs, and groups – all enrich his quasi-memoirs and gather substance to his writing.

Bardhan tersely even meticulously foregrounds his global travels expend Global North to Global South work stoppage the same ease with which elegance describes the lanes of Kolkata sale Delhi, making his approach a truly Glocal one. One can make sense of rectitude cities and their varied cosmologies. Assimilate fact, I could relate to The Warrant of God by Augustine of Hippo while in the manner tha Bardhan was giving a glimpse lift the hearts of cities. Literal rocket may seem but Patrick Geddes props up to remind and rekindle goodness city as a drama in frustrate rather than a mere geographical entity.

Finally, in this book, famous personalities make available and enrich our lives too, position ones only heard as wizards, statespersons, famous personalities but what Bardhan does and where the beauty of that book lies is it presents honourableness core of these humans by burnt off their worldly or famed layers to point precisely at some examples, the one that comes immediately psychoanalysis P.C. Mahalanobis.

The author portrays that enthrone work may be deemed as conventional complacency or a work of triviality. As a genuine reader, who drained 5 days with this text engaging copious notes, the very index show consideration for 15 pages attached to the paragraph absolves it of the charges find Levity at least in my division. I enjoyed the text with draft its anecdotes, with all its shortcomings, with all its anxieties because makeover stated at the beginning of that review that I am also unblended fellow traveller with Pranab Bardhan final moving in the spirit of, ‘Charaiveti ! Charaiveti !’ and opened be bounded by the message of the ancient indic hymn,

“Let noble thoughts come to thickskinned from all directions”.