Preaching to the Converted

John Kenneth Galbraith once said, ‘Under capitalism, man exploits man; under communism, it’s just the opposite’. The capitalism versus communism debate is as old as politics itself. In India, it much precedes independence from British rule. It is, thus, difficult to understand the conceptually colonial precincts that modern Indian communism’s arguments find anchor with. As an intellectual tool, the historical contribution of communist literature can only be understated. For generations, communist writing has provoked thought, defined spirit and indeed, stirred revolution. The work under review, however, fails to do either. Prakash Karat’s collection of previously published essays promised to be an interesting read.