The Difficulty of Being Good
Book Review appeared in The Week, The Republica on April 23, 2010
The Difficulty of Being Good
By Gurcharan Das
Penguin Books
434 Pages
Rs. 1,118
By Sarad Pradhan
Mahabharata, over the hundreds of years, has been interpreted and understood by different scholars in different ways. Compulsive discourse of Lord Krishna on dharma and action, his justification on holy war, the polyandry of Dhrupadi, indecisiveness and inaction of Bhisma over the insult of Dhrupadi after Yudhishthira loosing his wife in dice, treachery of warriors of both sides have made Mahabharata a compelling saga that never ceases to amuse the readers with its magical art of storytelling. But the message that it used to communicate earlier is now totally different albeit it is being told in same way, due to contextual change in human behavior. That is what Gurcharan Das, an erudite writer and social thinker presents Mahabharata in modern context. In his earlier books- Unbound India and Elephant Paradigm, Gurcharan Das appears to have expounded the frog leaped economic progress that India made after the end of license Raj that crippled its economy for years. His both books tell us about how economic liberation opened the flood gate of social transformation in the lives of millions of India who were the victims of Hindu Growth Rate that always staggered between 2 to 5%. To understand his latest book- The Difficulty of Being Good, we need to understand his humble beginning and meteoric rise as CEO of Proctor and Gamble India. A graduate of Harvard, Gurcharan Das, whose father belonged to a god fearing Middle class family, took early retirement to become a full time writer and studied philosophy and Sanskrit in different universities in the USA. Married to a Nepali woman, Gurcharan Das, in this book, deviates from the theme of his earlier books. The main theme of his latest book is his quest for Dharma and relevance of Mahabharata in the modern society and is a product of his sabbatical sojourn to the USA.
"The Mahabharata is about our incomplete lives, about good people acting badly, about how difficult it is to be good in this world," writes Mr. Das in the prelude of the book. Drawing references from different books written over last two centuries in different languages, he compares the characters of Mahabharata with Anil Ambani and the likes to exemplify envy of Duryadhana. Sibling rivalry as it is known today in the corporate world is the core of discontent of Kauravas fuelled by Dhritarashtra's paternal love for his son-Duryadhana. Unlike other commentaries that have written on Mahabharata, his is a more subtle and balanced which tries to justify the action of Duryadhana, virtue of Karna and quandary of Dhrupadi. In meantime, he praises the uprightness of Vikarna, the younger brother of Duryadhana who defended Drupadi against all odds at the time when even Bhisma, the grandfather of Kaurav and Pandhav resigns to his fate saying that he cannot resolve Draupadi's dilemma.
Gurcharan Das, as his wont, is good in drawing example from Greek epic Iliad which was written almost same period as Mahabharata by Homer to dramatize his writing. Just like Arjuna, the protagonist of Iliad, Achilles also fought against the injustice. "The Iliad is bloodthirsty, driven by anger and violence. The Mahabharata is just as gory, but it questions the violence," writes Gurcharan Das. In Mahabharata, he says, main characters question the morality of killing on ethical ground but in the Ilihad, they get on with it without remorse.
Art of dharma , what he refers to his book, is the moral law that sustains society, the individual and the world. And, Mahabharata is entangled with Dharma that perplexes everyone including Bhisma; it's a dilemma that also makes Dhrupadi confused when her husband loses her to Kaurav. But the envy that Duryadhana nourishes against the success of Pandavas leads to war, questioning the relevance of Dharmayudha. In The Difficulty of Being Good, he examines the Mahabharata from historical prospective after reading most of the books, commentaries and treatises written on it. Though he is repetitive, refereeing same thing here and there, it's injustice to undermine his treasure of knowledge of both Eastern and Western philosophies. He delves into the genesis of Dharma, its complexity and its relevance in the modern society. Of all vices, he points out envy as most evil and dangerous.
Modern interpretation of Mahabharata by Gurcharan Das enlightens cyber-generation whose upbringing has uprooted the moral values that epic like Mahabharata so subtly disseminates. The way politicians are grooming their children as their political heir has not been changed ever since. Dhritarashtra and his unruly ambition is found everywhere in South Asian countries including Nepal. The Difficulty of Being Good is a good example of writing book based on old theme with new innovative ideas and experience. Missing point in this book is that he ignores the interpretation or commentaries on Mahabharata by Indian scholars and spiritual Gurus with western outlook like Sri Aurobindo, Swami Vivekananda while writing this book. Perhaps incorporation of thoughts and ideas of such renowned persons would have made this book more balanced and subtle that he tries to make it so.
The Difficulty of Being Good
By Gurcharan Das
Penguin Books
434 Pages
Rs. 1,118
By Sarad Pradhan
Mahabharata, over the hundreds of years, has been interpreted and understood by different scholars in different ways. Compulsive discourse of Lord Krishna on dharma and action, his justification on holy war, the polyandry of Dhrupadi, indecisiveness and inaction of Bhisma over the insult of Dhrupadi after Yudhishthira loosing his wife in dice, treachery of warriors of both sides have made Mahabharata a compelling saga that never ceases to amuse the readers with its magical art of storytelling. But the message that it used to communicate earlier is now totally different albeit it is being told in same way, due to contextual change in human behavior. That is what Gurcharan Das, an erudite writer and social thinker presents Mahabharata in modern context. In his earlier books- Unbound India and Elephant Paradigm, Gurcharan Das appears to have expounded the frog leaped economic progress that India made after the end of license Raj that crippled its economy for years. His both books tell us about how economic liberation opened the flood gate of social transformation in the lives of millions of India who were the victims of Hindu Growth Rate that always staggered between 2 to 5%. To understand his latest book- The Difficulty of Being Good, we need to understand his humble beginning and meteoric rise as CEO of Proctor and Gamble India. A graduate of Harvard, Gurcharan Das, whose father belonged to a god fearing Middle class family, took early retirement to become a full time writer and studied philosophy and Sanskrit in different universities in the USA. Married to a Nepali woman, Gurcharan Das, in this book, deviates from the theme of his earlier books. The main theme of his latest book is his quest for Dharma and relevance of Mahabharata in the modern society and is a product of his sabbatical sojourn to the USA.
"The Mahabharata is about our incomplete lives, about good people acting badly, about how difficult it is to be good in this world," writes Mr. Das in the prelude of the book. Drawing references from different books written over last two centuries in different languages, he compares the characters of Mahabharata with Anil Ambani and the likes to exemplify envy of Duryadhana. Sibling rivalry as it is known today in the corporate world is the core of discontent of Kauravas fuelled by Dhritarashtra's paternal love for his son-Duryadhana. Unlike other commentaries that have written on Mahabharata, his is a more subtle and balanced which tries to justify the action of Duryadhana, virtue of Karna and quandary of Dhrupadi. In meantime, he praises the uprightness of Vikarna, the younger brother of Duryadhana who defended Drupadi against all odds at the time when even Bhisma, the grandfather of Kaurav and Pandhav resigns to his fate saying that he cannot resolve Draupadi's dilemma.
Gurcharan Das, as his wont, is good in drawing example from Greek epic Iliad which was written almost same period as Mahabharata by Homer to dramatize his writing. Just like Arjuna, the protagonist of Iliad, Achilles also fought against the injustice. "The Iliad is bloodthirsty, driven by anger and violence. The Mahabharata is just as gory, but it questions the violence," writes Gurcharan Das. In Mahabharata, he says, main characters question the morality of killing on ethical ground but in the Ilihad, they get on with it without remorse.
Art of dharma , what he refers to his book, is the moral law that sustains society, the individual and the world. And, Mahabharata is entangled with Dharma that perplexes everyone including Bhisma; it's a dilemma that also makes Dhrupadi confused when her husband loses her to Kaurav. But the envy that Duryadhana nourishes against the success of Pandavas leads to war, questioning the relevance of Dharmayudha. In The Difficulty of Being Good, he examines the Mahabharata from historical prospective after reading most of the books, commentaries and treatises written on it. Though he is repetitive, refereeing same thing here and there, it's injustice to undermine his treasure of knowledge of both Eastern and Western philosophies. He delves into the genesis of Dharma, its complexity and its relevance in the modern society. Of all vices, he points out envy as most evil and dangerous.
Modern interpretation of Mahabharata by Gurcharan Das enlightens cyber-generation whose upbringing has uprooted the moral values that epic like Mahabharata so subtly disseminates. The way politicians are grooming their children as their political heir has not been changed ever since. Dhritarashtra and his unruly ambition is found everywhere in South Asian countries including Nepal. The Difficulty of Being Good is a good example of writing book based on old theme with new innovative ideas and experience. Missing point in this book is that he ignores the interpretation or commentaries on Mahabharata by Indian scholars and spiritual Gurus with western outlook like Sri Aurobindo, Swami Vivekananda while writing this book. Perhaps incorporation of thoughts and ideas of such renowned persons would have made this book more balanced and subtle that he tries to make it so.
posted by Sarad @ 5:51 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home