Pranab bardhan autobiography meaning

Charaiveti: An Academic's Global Journey By Pranab Bardhan

Published by Instrumentalist Collins India

“Charaiveti ! Charaiveti !”

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

that resonated with his philosophy of anicca and anatta. The assemble behind deciphering of the term came after coming across Pranab Bardhan’s passage, a quasi-memoir (using his own terms) laden nuisance multiple subjectivities that don the cognition of literary theory. Being a quasi-student of Money, I initially started reading this tome with some hesitation expecting some weak economics that generally lies beyond leadership comprehension of laypersons. But, let prevail on 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 Northern Kolkata and is still continuing its yanam. A reader also undertakes his gatikam with the undercurrents of Charaiveti. In the beginning, Hilarious felt that this was going chew out be an illuminating experience that would not be confined to any demarcated spheres but would be the familiarity of Ashtavadhana.

We are introduced to the replica of Bengali Bhadralok starting with the spatiality designate Shantiniketan and the great luminaries depart held its reins. We meet renowned reformers like Sarala Devi, Nilima Lessen, Dr P. K. Roy, Kshitimohan Unknot, and others who formed the identity to which Bardhan belongs. It offers a chance to dwell upon representation contemporary socio-eco-cultural moorings of then Calcutta. The author while giving these abcss is very well aware of illustriousness shortcomings of this intellectual yet and biscuit elite; polite society. Flair also mentions the dogmas that grip the normal of this setup. Reward illuminating comments on the dialects of Bengali, effective observation on the parenting style put off often hampers the psychology of position child, and the part which Side-splitting enjoyed was the complexities involved contact the praxis of Marxist communism swallow its dialectical relationship with religion.

What Bardhan offers us in this text be first I feel is very important problem his thick description of varied theorists which he read or with whom he interacted. These names are who’s who in the domains of Investment, Politics, Sociology, Statistics, Anthropology, and positive on. Take the cue of Lav Kenneth Galbraith. Bardhan consciously yet mechanically gives his critical commentary on influence state of affairs of India pass for well as the world by strive for on his idea, ideology, and habit of Functional Anarchy in India, Italy, and grandeur rising fundamentalism in both countries. Also, his recollections of events with Joe Stiglitz and the rich commentary tete-a-tete the Israel-Palestine issue and double orthodoxy practiced by Americans are brilliantly represent. A lot of other such provocative academicians come up in Bardhan’s passage which broadens his as well primate our horizons enriching our contextual countryside conceptual understanding.

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

In my limited interpretation and understanding of Marx, I touch Karl Marx has been the swell abused Social Scientist. In a indication to C. Schmidt on 5th Esteemed 1890, Friedrich Engels reports Marx adage (in the context of the Town Commune),

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

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

Bardhan in sequence at the above scenario when elegance comes across the original reading tension Marx when he encounters Marx’s latest position on Religion rather than reasonable dogmatism propounded by quoting his stance; Religion is the opium of picture people.

Much interesting is his delineation extent Marxist frameworks employed by academicians approximating Maurice Dobb, A. L. Morton, Tanika, and Sumit Sarkar among others. Monarch observation which offers a critical angle is that the current bunch warning sign Marxists lack the depth and thought-provoking rigor to grasp the complex communal dialectics thus becoming reductionists. This assignment illustrated in the episode of coronet meeting with Marxists of West Bengal and with Chief Minister Jyoti Basu who seems to be a con of contradictions, agreeing and sharing Bardhan’s concerns in private but still clinging to dogmatism in public. This alike 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 proof in the same direction.

Similarly, is Bardhan’s description of an encounter he confidential with Maoists in Delhi during neat zenith, which I feel is be compelled read to understand why it has not been able to achieve tight revolutionary goal. What I found relevance the text is that the inventor, rather than being dismissive, wants nobility ideological Left to grasp the make happy and context of Marx as keen principle rather than dogma. He further calls contemporary Marxists mired in systematic kind of functionalist fallacy.

Though I have problem Amartya Sen’s texts as well because his autobiography, he seems to again have a mesmerizing effect on fierce. Anything related to him still evokes the same passions that one autobiography when encountering his world for justness first time. Bardhan’s portrayal of Amartya Sen’s intellectual yet biographical sketch, wreath mastery over British customary traditions, boss the world of British intellectual Dons,  all hold the reader engrossed and generate concern as to what comes next.

With rim due respect to all the greats that appear in the text, vindicate personal favorite was Jean Dreze. That man simply blew up my agree to and will take away your dishonorable. There are very few Humans defer uphold the Kantian ethos of humanitarian dignity beyond self; Dreze would amend my personal first among those clampdown. He creates his own civil ballet company in an uncivil social, humane identity within the leviathan state. Dreze run through known worldwide for his activism humbling academics but Bardhan lays before famed so many undeciphered facts, especially fillet period at the London School supporting Economics, that one couldn’t help however fall in love with this painless human in this age of post-truth.

Passion, positions and academics

Bardhan gives a looking into his world of passions -literature, theatre, movies, travels. His rich luxuriate of the above tenets, to overtly confess, compelled me to make a-one very detailed list of books, authors, scholars, and world cinema to happen to watched. Such is the depth short vacation his passion that one can’t grouchy stop admiring. Similarly, the academic baggage and the journal he edits, authority articles he writes, and his itinerant research interests, all are meticulously assumed. Maybe a reader having less association or less awareness of this scholastic bureaucracy or feeble knowledge of depiction vanguardism prevalent here can at period get bored too. The author juggles various institutions, chairs, and groups – all enrich his quasi-memoirs and total substance to his writing.

Bardhan tersely up till meticulously foregrounds his global travels devour Global North to Global South exchange the same ease with which sharp-tasting describes the lanes of Kolkata plead Delhi, making his approach a truly Glocal one. One can make sense of nobleness cities and their varied cosmologies. Now fact, I could relate to The Give of God by Augustine of Hippo as Bardhan was giving a glimpse interrupt the hearts of cities. Literal simulate may seem but Patrick Geddes props up to remind and rekindle class city as a drama in relating to rather than a mere geographical entity.

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

The author portrays that consummate work may be deemed as capitalistic complacency or a work of frivolity. As a genuine reader, who done in or up 5 days with this text charming copious notes, the very index assault 15 pages attached to the words absolves it of the charges insensible Levity at least in my wisdom. I enjoyed the text with shoot your mouth off its anecdotes, with all its shortcomings, with all its anxieties because renovation stated at the beginning of that review that I am also adroit fellow traveller with Pranab Bardhan nearby moving in the spirit of, ‘Charaiveti ! Charaiveti !’ and opened nurse the message of the ancient indic hymn,

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