Why I Am a Liberal: A Manifesto for Indians Who Believe in Individual Freedom

by Sagarika Ghose

The stamping out of difference, the quelling of diversity and the burial of argument is, in fact, most un-Indian. Anyone who seeks to end that dialogue process is ignoring Indianness and patriotism. The liberal Indian argues for the rights of the marginalized in the tradition of Gandhi for trust, mutual understanding and bridge-building. Real patriotism lies in old-fashioned ideas of accommodation, friendship and generosity; not in force, muscle flexing and dominance. Why I Am a Liberal is Sagarika Ghose's impassioned meditation on why India needs to be liberal.

Genres: Nonfiction

397 pages, Hardcover

First published November 23, 2018

Reviews

[Sravan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sagarika Ghose had a difficult job at hand; to convince her readers that the big government, whether left or right, needs to be opposed. While the mission she took on her shoulders is admirable, especially with a country which loves the nanny state, the way she tried to deliver the message is rather poor. The book tries to be something for everyone, ending up as nothing for anyone. While the term liberal is appropriated by the left in India, it originally stood for socially left-economically right ideology. Sagarika Ghose, in that sense, is the true liberal but in most of the book, she doesn't do justice to this true liberal identity. By trying to piggyback the liberal-left against the Hindu nationalists, the book missed the opportunity to make convincing arguments against the liberal left's economic beliefs. What we are left with is a not-so-new attack on hindu nationalists with half hearted attacks against the economic left. While she tried to revive the liberal-libertarian thoughts of Rajaji, Masani and Sharad Joshi, this book, in no means, deserved to be called a manifesto, as she has titled the book. Sadly, India will have to wait for a better manifesto for those who believe in a minimum government.

[John Doe · Rating 1 out of 5]

Extremely badly written book with many logical flaws. It is clear that the author has no understanding of liberal philosophy and as a result this book is riddled with flaws. The author contradicts her stance a million times in the book, sometimes it becomes unbearable to read such a self-contradictory text.

One example is that she calls Nehru a liberal, and her definition of a liberal is someone who promotes freedom of speech, free market economy, does not believe in big State, does not believe in the utilisation of State to further personal ideology. But in the book she mentions how Nehru imposed restriction of free speech in the first year after the constitution by brining in the first amendment, then about how he was a socialist, and he monopolised a lot of things in the hands of the State and created a big State, and how he brought Hindu Code Bill to bring change in the Hindu society.

This was just one example of the inconsistencies in the book.

There are furthermore in most places there are no citations where it is necessary, and most of it sounds like she is just manifesting her personal prejudice in form of "facts" and "ideas". There is also a clean line of ideologically hypocritic arguments in this book.


Please do not waste time reading this book and instead opt to do something productive. I can't fathom any reason for the publishers to publish such a sub-mediocre book except for the fact of using the celebratory status of the author to get earn monies.

[Sambasivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a polemic essay. Lots of repetition of ideas. Still an ok read.

[Nithin Devang · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just a immature book with biased view on current affairs.

[Abinash · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ghose had very little new to say to me. The Introduction to the book was ominous - a repetition of the same thoughts over and over again. The book is philosophically vapid. Reading this book will not make you wiser. In fact, even if you are of the left-leaning, you might wonder is that all the liberals have to say?
Don't buy this book. If you really want to read it, wait till you get a digital copy from somewhere. I wasted my money by buying it on the day it was published. If you are a liberal, do yourself a favor and don't read this manifesto. You would end up doubting yourself - do I really belong to a company of intellectually empty wannabe-writers who repeat the same point over hundreds of pages?

[Hemen Kalita · Rating 2 out of 5]

She is all in for taxing the rich, minority and other rights, social equality and the like. How come this person be writing a manifesto for liberal India??These views don't go hand in hand with liberal philosophy that she thinks she adheres to. While freedom may ensure equality and prosperity but Tax, Right and forced equality can never result in individual freedom. 


So, she is not a liberal in the classical term. She is far to the left. One thing is for certain that she happens to hold all the opposite views that of the ruling govt., as well as that of the Majority of Indians, who adheres to chauvinist, misogynist, nonsecular and puritanical ideologies. These illiberal views , as she believes, are patronized and exploited by over intruding big states. As a cure she is mainly rooting for Gandhi's "Gram Swaraj" type of decentralized institutions. She considers Gandhi as the greatest liberal- which I definitely don't agree with. "Gram swaraj" was a socialist concept whose ultimate aim was social equality and not individual freedom. 


I think she is wrong in figuring out both the cause as well as the remedy of our illiberal mindsets. The only thing that I surely enjoyed about this book is the impressive build quality of the hardcover edition. May be that's why I didn't leave it in the middle.

[Mahesh · Rating 3 out of 5]

1) Thought provoking.
2) Tells you the better liberal view of the history and politics.
3) It seems that the book was written because the liberals seems to have lost their track and the author wants to remind them who they are? And what they stand for or supposed to stand for?!
4) Its a book which will give you an idea about liberal thinking and liberal intellectual in Indian History.

Btw, it is highly recommended.

[Avijit Sett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good and difficult read. Sometimes there are many repetitions.

[Shakthi Kumar · Rating 1 out of 5]

Immature and lack of sensitivity. Vague ideas and very biased writing.

[Abu Ajk · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't know what she tries to prove in this book. Speaking of freedom and all the book ends up justifying anti India speeches and all

Please don't buy this book. Just lost my money

[Satinderpal Singh · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a nice book.