Kolkata: Only in Kolkata can a book launch become a rallying cry to bring down the government. “We are in a state of crisis,” roared the former vice chancellor of Bankura University, Deb Narayan Bandyopadhyay, to the students, researchers, lawyers, politicians and writers who had gathered at the Kolkata Press Club on 2 May. They were there to discuss political economist Parakala Prabhakar’s book The Crooked Timber of New India: Essays on a Republic in Crisis.
A dramatic pause was followed by a minute of solemn silence, after which Bandyopadhyay picked up momentum.
“We are living in a post-truth India enmeshed with post-truth slogans such as Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikaas… and that’s why this book is important,” he said. The audience in the packed hall cheered and clapped. On the podium, Rajya Sabha MP of Trinamool Congress (TMC) Jawhar Sircar, West Bengal’s Education Minister Bratya Basu, and political strategist and professor Om Prakash Mishra nodded in agreement.
The Crooked Timber was published in 2023, but it did not have a Kolkata launch. With election season at its peak, the organisers decided the time was ripe for a discussion on Prabhakar’s book. Through 22 essays, he tracks key developments since 2014—the rise of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) victory, the Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 and other events. A ‘New India’ has emerged over the last decade.
“In New India, it is very difficult to be critical of the government. Government wants you to buy whatever data that they put out, whatever argument or narrative they present,” said Prabhakar.
Warning signs
With members of the TMC invited as speakers, it didn’t take long for the book launch to become an attack on the central government for rising unemployment, and inequality in India.
“Mamata Banerjee is fighting solo,” said Basu. When it was his turn to speak, Sircar recounted his tenure as former CEO of Prasar Bharati under the Modi government. Appointed by the UPA government in 2012, he resigned in 2016, two years into the NDA government’s tenure.
Sircar claimed that in those two years, he got to know the internal workings of the government.
“I had the privilege of understanding how bad the driver is. There were relentless campaigns to capture the public mind,” said Sircar, as murmurs of “Shame to Modi government” spread among the audience.
Even getting his book published was not easy, said Prabhakar. When he approached publishing houses in 2023, there was no response. Refusing to accept the silence, he prodded the publications for an answer.
“After my repeated emails, I got an answer asking if I could wait. When I asked how long, they responded saying I would have to wait till June 2024,” said Prabhakar. His book was finally published by Speaking Tiger last year.
He urged the audience to “vote wisely”.
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Walking fearless
As the floor opened for question and answers, Prabhakar said he had insisted on an audience interaction, because “conversations” are important.
The questions ranged from his motivation behind writing the book to the use of religion in politics. One audience member had a question but ultimately decided against asking it. “I wanted to know what he thought about Nirmala Sitharaman (Union Finance Minister and Prabhakar’s wife)?” he later told ThePrint.
Another member asked Prabhakar if he was afraid for his life and the supporters of the government, given that he had taken a stand against it.
“My friends ask me not to go out for a walk alone. My phone number is available in the public domain, I have received many abusive messages. Many people have also politely asked me to stop raising my voice against the government. But I am not scared,” he said.
The audience wanted to know more. But an announcement that tea and snacks were being served in the courtyard brought an end to the interaction. Within minutes, the hall emptied out as audience members discussed India’s future over hot pakoras.
(Edited by Ratan Priya)
What a sarcastic way of writing an article