Description
An egalitarian ethos has not been a prominent feature of Indian civilization, at least since the decline of Buddhism over a thousand years ago. All people, it is believed, are created unequal, born into a hierarchy of status and dignity, and endowed not with universal but particular rights and duties. This has greatly amplified the unfairness of accidents of birth in shaping one’s lot in life. Despite a long history of resistance, such inequalities have thrived and mutated, including under European rule, modernity, and markets.
Starting with the deeply moving stories of three writers, Arora explores the origins, persistence, and textures of inequalities rooted in the lottery of birth in India—of caste, class, gender, language, region, religion, and more—and their intersections in daily life. Blending scholarly rigor with moral intelligence, these essays engage with the Bhagavad Gita; the legacies of Ambedkar and Gandhi; Indian modernity, democracy, and nationalism; linguistic hierarchies; reservations; violence against women; identity politics; and much else that today weighs on Indian minds.
CONTENTS
Introduction
Section 1: The Experience of Inequality (three essays)
Section 2: The Architecture of Inequality (four essays)
Section 3: The Intersections of Inequality (three essays)
Section 4: The Narratives of Inequality (four essays)
Acknowledgments and Index
Namit Arora
Namit Arora grew up in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India. Following IIT Kharagpur (1989) and a Master’s in Computer Engineering from Louisiana State University, USA (1991), he played a cog in the wheel of Internet technology in Silicon Valley for nearly two decades. This didn’t make him wise but it enabled him to attend lectures of dubious practical value at Stanford University and to live, work, or travel in scores of countries, including yearlong stints in London and Amsterdam, as well as extended stays in India. In 2013, he quit his high-tech profession and moved back to India. In 2015, he began volunteering for the Dialogue and Development Commission, an advisory body of the Delhi government tasked to find innovative solutions to civic problems.
Namit wrote a column on 3 Quarks Daily for many years. His essays have also appeared in venues like The Humanist, Philosophy Now, The Times Literary Supplement, The Caravan, The Kyoto Journal, The Philosopher, Himal Southasian, and four college anthologies in the US. His review of Joothan won the 3 Quarks Daily 2011 Arts & Literature Prize.
Namit’s photography has been licensed by over 15 museums, 30 academies, 50 media and publishing houses, and many government agencies and NGOs. His videography includes River of Faith, a documentary film about the Kumbh Mela. He lives with his partner Usha Alexander and mutually chose to be childfree. His home on the web is Shunya.net.
