India From Curzon to Nehru

INDIA FROM CURZON TO NEHRU AND AFTER With a Foreword by Dr Zakir Husain

I bought this book on my last visit to Bangalore. An amazing overview of the first part of the last Century following India's struggle for Independence seen with the eyes of a world traveling Journalist who knew all the major players in India.

Considering India's situation today it not only gives the reader a view into the move away from the British Empire, the division of India and Pakistan, the Swaraj (Self rule), Gandhi's and Nehru's influence but also into how western countries were being viewed during Nehru's times.

Now what does this have to do with reflections on a Utopian Society: Trying to understand Nehru and the Congress party's aim for building a secular and non-communal democratic society, which is quite different from the western style democratic approach is interesting. India's role as a non-aligned country during that time and it's friendship (or better say relationship) with the soviet union raised concerns (and resentment) within the western countries. Did Gandhi and later Nehru strive for an Utopia? What becomes clear in this book is that they had differing opinions on how this new independent India should look like.

Definitely worth a read.

About the Author: I tried to look up Durga Das in Wikipedia and Google, did not find much but given the pictures in the book I assume that he played a role as a well regarded Journalist during the first half of the 20th Century.

Utopian Studies

I have not read it yet but maybe a good start for later reflections:

Utopian Studies articles

Overview: Utopian Literature Part 1 - Giving Utopia a name

I believe it all started with Thomas More and his vision of Utopia (1516). I had read parts of the book in High School while preparing for a book presentation (Must admit I didn't really read it. The fellow whom I was presenting it did all the work and I wasn't really interested at that time). Only much later I came back to More and really wanted to really read his book.

More himself was an interesting character who seemed to be very religious and would rather die than turning his back on the Catholic church. Henry the VIIIth granted his former lord chancellor his wish and had him decapitated. So More was a rather important politoal figure and wrote down his idea of a much improved fantastic society. Utopia is an island countrry that impresses it's neighbouring countries with it's sophistication in everday life.

Like all utopian literature it is a reflection of the time and the writer's socio-economic situation. One section that sticks in my mind was how the Utopian's would go to war and how they were superior to other countries that they are fighting against: The Utopian priests (More's strong religious believes and the times did not allow him to envision a society without religion) were participating in the war on the battlefield. An enemy soldier who wants to give up and ask for mercy and protection would have to touch the priests coat. If they do that the priests would give them protection and the war was over for them. Utopia would grant them asylum.

Starting a blog

A Blog about Utopia, why? Well the idea is really to discuss Utopia (and Dystopian) and to learn about what people have come up with in defining a vision of an Utopian Society. Lots of books have been written and analyzed since Thomas Moore wrote "Utopia" (Which probably gave this type of society or idea the name). I thought maybe it would be fun to understand more about it and dig out interpretations and other pieces that reflect on Utopia and Utopian Societies.