Between You
and Me by Atul Khanna is a brilliantly penned down non-fiction, which at large
dissects the most delicate, insane, and important aspects of our Indian
society. The wealth of a nation does not lie in the banks, but in the minds of
people, and it subsequently affects the society in which they live and try to
be progressive.
When we say
society, it’s just not the physical addresses or dwelling places where people
roam around and live. Society is a big word – it is inclusive of history, past
deeds, political and historical figures, financial ecosphere, bureaucracy,
institutions, and much more. Aptly, the book starts with mythology era that
existed even beyond the Indian subcontinents’ history. We see Eklavya and
Karna. They might be remembered for their talent and sacrifice, but the ugly
underlying fact is that they were victim of a fake societal system. How? The
author expounds that they were extremely capable and talented but their lineage
had no proper track. They were from no concrete system. So, the rudimentary
layer of our society which was laid way back in the mythology era was corrupt.
It was not based on merit. And we are roped in the same since then. That’s one
classic instance from the book.
As you move
ahead, you will find that the book is segmented into three logical parts. Be it
any part, the author has kept his major focus on societal issues, and at the
same, he tried giving many feasible options to solve them. For instance, he
finds flaws in the India’s electoral process. According to him, the people
should get more than one option of candidates from the same party, this will
make way for the deserving candidates. In the first part, there is a dazzling
chapter on India’s democratic leadership. Indian democracy is metaphored as a
car, and leaders as drivers. It is given that every time, we hopefully, elect a
different party and expect a lot to be done in return. However, that is not
possible because of the structural obstacles. Every time the driver is being
changed, not the car. Did you get the point of election in the Indian
democracy?
Likewise, the
author’s another major concern is with the storage of power and the role of
bureaucracy in keeping normal people bereaved of their basic constitutional
rights. A lot has been discussed and suggested to improve the execution of
power and bureaucratic tenacity. The book is full of jaw-dropping topics that
are often not covered anywhere, actually people do not discuss them, the media
do not take responsibility of it. Atul Khanna must have done a lot of research
and study to put up all in a book. Other than the persisting problems, the
beautiful part is his imaginative solutions. They may or may not sound
feasible, but some or other way make sense. Taking the advantage of the current
time, India as a whole going through a transformation. Probably this is the
right time to make amends and changes that can bring true fruits to 600 million
youth of India.
Topics based
on Redefine Adult Franchise and state division (given with examples) are way ahead
than the ordinary mentality. It’s to be noted that Indian government act
according to the population as a metric, rather than geography. As put in by
the author, people living in plains cannot decide the fate of Sikkim or any
small coastal town which is capable of pulling immense tourism crowd.
Well-thought out
and perfectly placed. It is the need of the hour. Atul Khanna rocked
with this book – undoubtedly and deserved a standing applause. This book is
majorly for Indians like us and you – maybe not for the left or right politics.
In one word – takes a Powerful Stance on the Issues of Indian Society!
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