The Quotable Darwin cites actual quotations from his autobiography, his lively letters, and his extensive writings and reflections by his contemporaries, and leads us through the course of his early life, the voyage, his views on subjects like slavery, indigenous peoples, marriage and his personal life, and the course of development of his theory;
The latter, obviously, reeks of violent prejudice. However, while insisting solely or even primarily on the former identity acknowledges her courage and perseverance, it often forecloses the possibility of engaging with the rich, complex, even conflicting uncertainties that Thapar continues to engage with, with clarity, confidence and care. As she asks, almost plaintively: ‘Who would understand that I dreaded being stereotyped (p. 97)?’
As I worked my way through the volume, I could not help wondering whether Thapar’s deep engagement with Sanskrit texts, ranging from the Vedas and Upanishads to the epics, charitas,
The essay has long been celebrated as a quiet instrument of thought—plain in style yet deep in reach, brief in length yet lasting in effect. It is neither a polemic nor a treatise, but a way of thinking aloud with discipline. Francis Bacon called his essays ‘dispersed meditations’, showing how a short piece could hold a lifetime of reflection. George Orwell demonstrated how plain language could carry moral urgency. Virginia Woolf turned everyday observation into meditation, as in Street Haunting, where a walk through London became a reflection on identity. Nirad C Chaudhuri blended memory with sharp commentary,
I found myself revisiting the happy days of my childhood and the cherished memories of my youth’ (p. 158). Time collapses, ‘I momentarily forgot the sorrow, suffering, and hardships endured along the journey’ (p. 163). Sen’s receptivity to the divine surfaces despite his scepticism: ‘This beautiful, harmonious sound did not arise from any earthly musical instrument, rather, it seemed to flow into the ears of the pilgrims like a divine congratulatory hymn’ (p. 182). Why ‘congratulatory’? For reaching the final destination or attaining the peace that his bruised soul craved? Perhaps it brought a readiness to return to worldly pursuits.
Iman writes in some detail about his professional or sociable associations with a few of the progressives. As regards the political or ideological stance of the writers, he remains mostly neutral though at times somewhat critical, and sometimes, ostensibly, he tilts in favour of the rubrics of the Lahore-based Halqa-e Arbab-e Zauq (circle of the men of taste) literary movement, his poetic art, language and his poetic subjects crisscrossing both. As regards the Partition which he was witness to,
The judicious use of footnotes, something not in fashion currently, to explain cultural practices like antarpat, a benediction from Sanskrit, or a line from Sant Ramdas adds value to the smooth and flowing narration. A brief introduction to the context of the writer (especially when s/he is a lesser-known writer in the English-speaking scenario) and the place of this text in the Marathi ecosystem could have added some gravitas to the text and helped readers to build a more adequate picture about the context of production. It is curious to see the narrator, a retired engineer who has had no whiff of literature or art by his own admission, using words like uxorious or non compos mentis.