JNU: Nationalism and India's Uncivil War

by Makarand R. Paranjape

9 February 2016: Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) erupted with ‘anti-national’ slogans. Arrests of student leaders, the shutdown of the university, a lecture series on ‘What the Nation Needs to Know’, a student’s disappearance, another’s suicide and a number of even more disruptive protests ensued. JNU: Nationalism and India’s Uncivil War, by a long-standing JNU professor, is a ringside account of what happened. Delicately and incisively crafted, it is an empathetic insider’s account of JNU’s problems from an expert in the field of higher education. Through this book, the author makes an impassioned plea to transform rather than destroy JNU, as also reform higher education. But more than that, this book is also a history of our times, of India’s ongoing transformation, the story of the changing selfapprehension of a nation. Examining the multiple meanings of nationalism in our time, Paranjape delves deeply into what it means to be an Indian today. He gives his perception and understanding of the new India that is fast emerging as India enters its 75th year of Independence.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction

292 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 18, 2020

About the author

Makarand R. Paranjape is Professor and Chairperson, Centre for English Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He was educated at St. Stephen's College, University of Delhi, and at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he earned a Masters and PhD in English. He is the author/editor of over forty books and has published over 150 book chapters, refereed papers, and academic articles. His latest publications include "The Death and Afterlife of Mahatma Gandhi," "Making India: Colonialism, National Culture, and the Afterlife of Indian English Authority," and "Body Offering," a novel. [Amazon author page]

Also see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makaran...

Reviews

[Ashish Iyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

JNU - Nationalism and India's Uncivil War by Prof. Makarand Paranjape that looks JNU and its troubling present squarely in the face. Book being rooted in his own experience. He talks about the core issues in JNU. It gives inner perspective of the university. Paranjape makes an impassioned plea to transform rather than destroy JNU, as also reform higher education. Do read this book.

Earlier this book was supposed to be published by Bloomsbury in 2020 then I don't know what exactly happened there. Bloomsbury is the same publisher who cancelled Delhi Riot 2020 by Monika Arora.

[Pavireads · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is an autobiographical account of a liberal teacher's trip through JNU's dark and contaminated seas.This book is more on the teacher's own experiences and pain after deciding to stay and combat the ecosystem.

This book is neither about the facts that occurred at JNU between 2016 and 2021, nor is it about any concealed specifics that could only be revealed by an insider. The experience shared by the author brought tears in few places. Highly recommended to everyone to know about JNU by insider's perspective.

[Harsh Agrawal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read my review here due to character limitations
https://www.keetabikeeda.in/post/book...

[Abhilash Ruhela · Rating 5 out of 5]

13th Book of 2022

I don’t generally read books which are written on very heavy topics or are too historical or contains stuff that might make more than 50% of the book not comprehendible to me. Hence, I never pick up such pieces in either of the genres- fiction or non-fiction. Luckily, there are few topics which are of such character that you wish to know about them – either because of curiosity or to understand what exactly happened which made it so famous or relevant. One such topic for me has been about JNU – the college, what happens in its premise and what is the reason that makes the environment there so political and leftist rather than academic. I had no idea about the institution until 2016 until we know how a boy named Kanhaiya Kumar launched an agitation which became the talking point country wide; well, in international media too. I just completed reading the book named “JNU: Nationalism and India's Uncivil War” written by one of the oldest and prominent professors from the same university, Makarand R. Paranjape.

I am ashamed of myself that I didn’t hear his name or got to know about his stance against the Leftist crowd and particularly, Kanhaiya Kumar. It is only through this book that I went online and checked a lot of content which involved the author. This 270-odd pages book published by Rupa Publication is a combination of two aspects – Paranjape's memoir as an insider and personal journey at JNU and his stance and opinion on the activities that takes place in the JNU premises which gives it enough negative limelight. The book starts from his own journey – how he joined JNU and what made him leave IIT and move to this place which is always full of controversies and is completely different from what IIT offers. Then, author takes the story forward and explains how he got involved in the JNU row.

There is an extensive chapter where author shares a lot of open letters and how he responded to them vs how his responses were accepted. It is fun and exploratory to understand the viewpoints and opinions of both the sides – left and right and try gauging ourselves which side we want to stand with. It makes you question a lot of things – if favouring state and system completely is good or going extremely against them and bringing things on standstill a right choice. Author tries to give us a deep account of how typical JNU crowd thinks, what they need, what they do to get what they need and what is their agenda behind this. Everything that author mentions are highly debatable and controversial. You will definitely find complete support to this piece of work or a complete disregard- there's not going to be a normal reaction though author keeps insisting that he falls somewhere in between the left and right wing of our nation.

In a chapter, author gives a nice brief of the lives of Tagore and Gandhi – as their professional work and personal opinions at times stood completely with nation or it questioned the moral of the state. I really enjoyed reading this as I never knew much about Tagore’s various aspects of work and his opinions about our country. Few things really opened my eyes towards the history of our nation and how we have always been handling the extreme opinions and standing tough with all these voices roaring around us. Author speaks of how JNU has also produced great alumni's like Nirmala Sitharaman, S. Jaishankar, Abhijit Banerjee etc. and raises an expectation as well as question if JNU will produce such likeminded productive and nation-builders in the future considering its current opinionated and politically-influenced crowd.

Author doesn’t shy away from narrating how JNU students run away from studies and want to protest on meagre issues even when it is something like rise in fees by some hundred-odd rupees or mandatory 75% attendance rule etc. He tells how students want the institution to be closed or lecture not happening for more than half of the year hence they find some issue to revolt against and ensure the whole attention is towards the same than studies. Lastly, author discusses how JNU can be further saved from such toxic and extremist culture and what needs to be done to make it an institute that can bring change and reform to our country in a positive manner and gets mention for great things happening than the reasons why it is currently mentioned regularly. Author’s hope and genuine care towards the institution is evident in every sentence that he’s written. The research work and documentation of all the JNU events since 2016 displays the hard work author has put to give this book a proper shape.

Overall, if you have always questioned about JNU, leftists, anti-nationals, tukde-tukde gang and what the whole 2016 azadi slogans were all about, you should definitely pick this book up which has an equally sensational cover page. For a beginner, the language is tough as there are instances where you’ll have to refer to dictionary 7 times in just one sentence. Haha! So, pick it only if you have been reading journalism content since a long time and have good vocabulary prowess. I loved deep-diving into this complicated and controversial subject through Makarand Paranjape’s lenses. I give this book 4.5 stars out of 5. I have learnt a lot about the other side which I was looking forward to know since long.

Thanks!

WRITING BUDDHA

[Rohan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Which Indian citizen doesn't recall the fiasco that erupted in Jawaharlal Nehru University (popularly abbreviated as JNU) in the year 2016 that shocked and then galvanized the nation . Clashes between rival student groups , intervention of enforcers of law and order (police ) and the sedition charges being slapped on the central face of this sordid saga : Kanhaiya Kumar . All this accompanied by high decibel TV debates and the din of social media outrage.

The words 'Freedom Of Expression ' /FOE became a staple on the lips /tongues of all and sundry who thought that being 'anti establishment ', 'anti state ' and ' anti nation ' was an acceptable(or even admirable ) position to hold . Others who (rightfully) disagreed were outraged and had no qualms in calling for these 'protestors ' to be held accountable .
After all , why was their treason being tolerated despite there then being a more vigilant government at the center ?

Endless debates and discussion ensued over this display of 'dissent ' against the state .Media houses spun stories that made it seem as if the government were viciously clamping down on innocent students . This despite Video /Audio samples surfacing on Social Media that revealed to the public snippets of what actually unfolded .
JNU , once perceived to a centre academic excellence now came to known as a den of anti national 'free loaders ' . They were labelled the 'tukde tukde gang ' and that epithet aptly sums up the intentions , character and disgraceful actions of the so called ' protestors '

However what is the nitty gritty of what actually ensued ? Is it true that the students who commemorated the hanging of the terrorist Afzal Guru did so under the false pretexts of a poetry reading ? Was this just one of many such pointless 'protests' that have become part and parcel of JNU ? Was the administration really 'heavy handed ' in their attempts to contain the ensuing chaos and establish order ?
And finally do protesting students have the democratic ' right ' to call for the destruction of the very state that funds their education ?


This book answers all these questions and more. It is an insider account by JNU's longest standing professor ,Makarand Paranjape that neatly captures all that took place on February 9th , 2016. It provides the context , the history and events leading upto the (now ) infamous fallout and what ensued subsequently. Written in his trademark scholarly style that couples erudition with wit & incisive insights with concrete facts , it makes for an addictive read.The good Professor also provides a pragmatic set of solutions to the problems that ail this once renowned institute . While I'm still sceptical that JNU can ever be fixed I must admit that he makes a compelling case for how the university can still be salvaged rather than de funded .

Definitely get this book .

[Rakhi · Rating 4 out of 5]

 It took me a month to finish this book. This is probably the longest. While a busy schedule can be one of the reasons, I have had even more of a reading pace in much more busy schedules. The reason why JNU by Makarand R Paranjape took me so long is that I read it and imbibed the idea, and came back again, to develop another ideology.

While the eponymous institute and the controversial Tukde slogans are the base of the book, the author has topped it up with his historical aspects of the ideology of nationalism especially a different perspective of nationalism by Tagore and Gandhiji.

The author has shown commendable courage to stand up against the leftist hegemony, especially at a time when someone showing right-wing ideology in JNU was unofficially ostracised. The author stood up against the Tukde gang and exposed the hypocrisy of their humanitarian cry for a terrorist. As expected the author became a target.

While in several instances the author's right-wing  comes out, the fact that he backed up his arguments with solid information which are facts in themselves can not be ignored. 

After reading his essay on Tagore's nationalism that I have reviewed before, I went back and read it again. I was surprised to see that there have been evident instances to believe that Tagore did not believe in the concept of nation. But somehow I missed the point till I read JNU.

FOR THE FULL REVIEW, READ MY BLOG www.outsetbooks.com

[Ashwini Sharma · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Politics is easy. Academics and the art is difficult”

Makarand Paranjape, a professor par excellence; someone who has spent nearly 20 years at JNU’s campus, now views the institution as a symbol of intellectual decay - one that is hard to believe to have produced stalwarts like S. Jaishankar (India’s current Minister for External Affairs - noted for a sophisticated assertiveness unknown to India’s diplomatic outlook), Nirmala Sitharaman (India’s first women defence minister and current finance minister), Abhijit Banerjee (Nobel Laureate, Economics, 2019), and a host of other former and currently serving administrative and bureaucratic officials.

Paranjape notes the decline from its earlier heights to today’s situation - where performative dissent that relies on numerical strength and street veto has engulfed the intellectual imagination of JNUites. It’s no wonder then that today’s JNUites have a hard time recognizing their own alumna like Abhijit Banerjee when he visits them on campus. Among other various narratives, this book sets about to demonstrate how JNU’s institutional exceptionalism has now turned into exceptional degeneracy.

What may appeal to some as JNU being sort of enigmatic and multi-disciplinary and multi-dimensional universe of cross-pollinating intellectual milieu is unravelled by Paranjape as an institution that is heavy on symbolism and performative discourse while experiencing a systemic decline in academic excellence even as it has been reduced to a facade of scholarship. Even though there is an attractive charm to the idea of working for social change, Paranjape found nothing of that sort of inclination on campus because students indulge more in posturing than in academic engagement. Instead of intellectual engagement and academic debates,, substantial campus energy is directed towards browbeating opponents, massaging opinion and creating consensus.

JNU has been reduced to a caricature with its students resorting to the language of protest even for something as small as increasing campus fees by a few hundred rupees, or for agitating against mandatory attendance, resulting in half of the academic year getting wiped out in holidays and demonstrations.

I can’t help avoid forming a view that the street thuggery by those who pass off as intellectual vanguards of the political awakening of India becomes a curtain to hide the abject poverty of actual discourse at the campus.

Paranjape finds that the leftist ideology has transformed classical liberalism into social liberalism which is interventionist and regulatory in pursuing the goals of justice and equality; however, selectivity in picking up issues while ignoring the fallacies and crimes of the leftist and Islamist ideologies - is at best, a question mark on JNUites competence and ethics, and at worst, hypocrisy and intellectual dishonesty.

The extremity of leftist views that obstinately refuses to recognize alternative viewpoints is singularly blamed as one of the factors behind existing fault lines in the nation today. One prime example is that of how the truth of Ayodhya was hidden while projecting a false and negative archaeology that kept the issue simmering for decades and prevented resolution of the problem.

Paranjape is careful to point out that the solution is not substitution of leftist extremity with that of the right wing - even as he posits ‘intermedial hermeneutics’ as the way forward - i.e., finding the language of a middle ground between multiple ideologies and thoughts without fanatic espousal of any thing in particular. Paranjape’s doctrine stresses on the importance of compassion for the other’s viewpoint while being detached from reductive ideological positions of one’s own viewpoint. Simply put, it calls for placing oneself simultaneously inside and outside what one critiques.

Paranjape attacks the left-liberal combine (LELIs) as being unable to confront their inadequacy and incompetence to understand and implement the core tenets of liberalism and for parading unexamined and unverified foregone conclusions especially against hindus. He explains the toxic reaction of the LELIs towards Hindus partially as a consequence of taking away of the privileges bestowed on them by the patronage of previous crypto-christian governments of India.

While nationalism has expressed itself in horrendous ways in Germany (Nazis and Jew Holocaust), European economic imperialism, extermination of native aborigines in Americas and Australia, hindu nationalism (or right wing if you prefer) is rather a response to European nationalism (or right wing) that wrecked havoc in the Indian subcontinent ultimately leading to India’s vivisection and carving out of Pakistan (and later, Bangladesh) and multiple famines of genocidal proportions.

Therefore, Hindus must not shy away from asserting their nationalism as there’s a false equivalence between the nationalisms of the past which expressed in grossly inhumane ways. India must strive to be great again only to find its footing back after removing the yoke of the European right wing left behind. However, Paranjape cites Aurobindo who finds that India’s civilizational mission has been lying dormant since independence even as today’s millennials lack the sense of special purpose and promise that fuelled the Indian freedom movement. Needless to say that JNU has hardly been of any help in this direction.

Amidst the hubris and the rubble of intellectualism, Paranjape continues to fight the good fight to improve the academic sphere at the campus and parts of the book are devoted to ideas that could help reposition JNU to the poise of excellence that it once commanded.

[Appu · Rating 4 out of 5]

JNU is India’s premier liberal art University. Long seen as the bastion of the intellectual left in India, JNU’s alumni occupy top tiers of the academia, bureaucracy, and politics in the country. In recent years , JNU has seen fierce confrontations between students of the Left and the resurgent right. Sometime in 2016, a student gathering in sympathy with the Kashmir movement, saw anti-national slogans, calling for the dismemberment of India, being raised. The ensuing clamp down by the government and student protests attracted national attention. University remained closed for long stretches. As a protest activity, the JNU Teachers Association dominated by the left, conducted a series of open lectures about nationalism . These public lectures, thanks to social media, reached an audience beyond the confines of the University. The author of this book, Makarand Paranjpe, a professor of English at JNU, was also invited to deliver a public lecture. His lecture went against the dominant narrative of nationalism popularised by the Left. This lecture made him a darling of the intellectual right in India. This book was provoked by the events surrounding the lecture. But the book goes much beyond to analyse the steady decline of JNU and the pitiable state of higher education in India.

Paranjape makes a few accurate the observations about the state of affairs in JNU:
JNU student and teacher politics is dominated by the left. Anything the Left does not like is branded fascist. Islamic fundamentalism is tolerated while any expression of patriotism is dubbed fascist.
Academic standards has been falling steadily. University is not seen primarily as a place to learn, teach and research rather it has become platform for causes long since discarded and discredited.
There is an antipathy towards excellence. It is deemed bourgeoisie. The buildings and hostels are ill maintained. The bare brick walls, a hall mark of JNU, are disfigured with graffiti and posters for lost causes. The campus is run over by stray dogs. In the name of social justice all kinds of mediocrity is tolerated.
Students spend long years in the University without acquiring any useful skills. Instead JNU produces ill read, ill trained malcontents who are complete misfits outside JNU.
Diversity, inclusion and social justice are the watchwords of JNU. But should these come at the cost of academic excellence? Can’t these co-exist with academic rigour, order and beauty?

The Right has been calling for the take over of JNU or its closing down. Paranjape has little sympathy for this. His plea is for making JNU a truly liberal space where vigorous academic activity takes precedence over ideology driven politics.

[Aman Desai · Rating 5 out of 5]

An honest account of an JNU insider, a brief memoir of his time there, dire need for intermediary and remedial voices in the country, declining state of eduction, identity politics, and more.
A wonderful book indeed!

[Bhawna Sharma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Colleges are supposed to be a place for learning and preparing for future employment opportunities. I find it puzzling that there aren't stricter regulations in JNU.
It seems like the so-called students there have the power to dictate how the administration should function and cause chaos if the democratically elected government is not to their liking.

The fees in JNU range from Rs.23 to 34 per month, and even a small increase would lead to a lot of uproar.
While a 75% attendance requirement is standard in most colleges, certain individuals in JNU need time to engage in protests and raising anti-India slogans and hence they protested against it too.
Once they enter JNU, they never want to leave. Of course, where else can you find such services for such a low cost?They seem to want to use the state provided facilities against the state itself, displaying hypocrisy in every way. They engage in caste politics, even when it's not relevant,raise anti India slogans and demean our soldiers.Why are we tolerating such individuals? They will eventually join politics or teach the same poisonous ideologies they have learned.Freedom of speech is one thing and raising slogans to divide India is another thing. It is unacceptable.Some teachers claim that Kashmir was never a part of India, and if students continue to promote this ideology, it will only create more chaos and division.
Its high time to regulate the activities at JNU,the author also seems to suggest the same.

The author shares his personal experiences at JNU and provides suggestions on how to reform the institution. Do read this book to know more about JNU from someone who has lived there for over two decades.

[Suraj Kumar · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book under consideration is authored by Makarand R. Paranjape, a Professor of English in JNU. Having worked in JNU for over two decades, the author shares an intimate relationship with JNU, and therefore comes across as a credible voice on the issue. The issue that the book deals with is the rise of an anti-nationalist fervour in the students protests that took under its sweep not just the university where they were staged, but the entire nation. The power of the protests was such that they brought university to a standstill. While some saw, and continue seeing, the protests as right to dissent, Paranjape offers an alternate perspective and considers these protests an abuse of the fundament right to free voice, facilitated and fueled by the Left Liberal.

The first two chapters of the book detail Paranjape’s personal journey of how he got to JNU. His personal journey does serve a context for the ideas that he profess. But I thought a major part of it could be dispensed with, or had the author addressed the issue head on, I would have liked it better. Neither the title nor the blurb gives the impression that the book is also part-memoir. So I had not expected these two chapters, or the paragraphs on his personal life that are present throughout the book. These two chapters read as a cautionary note that the author issues before actually dealing with the issue at hand.

While the popular opinion portrays Paranjape as a staunch right-wing member, in this book Paranjape situates himself in the “in-between”. As a proponent of what he terms as “intermedial hermeneutics”, he believes in negotiating between multiple ideological standpoints, while being aware of the shortcomings of each standpoint. This is how he would like the readers, and the public, at large, to view his arguments. However, as much as Paranjape would like to put forth his arguments as attempts at negotiations, the vigour of his writing indicates something different. He launches quite a strident attack on the opposing parties. But then the attacks on Paranjape, were equally strident as well.

The thrust of his arguments is the exploitation (via mobilisation) of students’ sentiments by different parties for their own political gains. What perturbs the author the most is that this is achieved at the expense of students’ studies. The result of this is not just the rampant intellectual wars driven by different ideologies, but also the gradual deterioration of higher education and the entire nation. Paranjape exposes the hollowness of these apparently “heavy” arguments and claims of the dissenting parties by showing how most of them are not based on any facts and lack a proper understanding of the ideas that they seem to profess. The sole aim is to sensationalise the matter at hand, and take a dig at the opposing forces.

However, taking digs at the other party is also what Paranjape seems to be doing most of the time, as his responses and counter-arguments are often disdainful. Nevertheless, it was interesting to see how arguments and counter-arguments are built. Towards the end, Paranjape comes up with some remedies for the problem that he has diagnosed. The prescriptive nature of the last chapters, peppered with instances from his personal life, impeded me from embracing them fully. I agree with some parts and disagree with others. But this was an enjoyable and quite engaging read for the sole reason that opinion being expressed was an opposing one. Recommended!

My Rating: *** (3/5)

[Chittajit Mitra · Rating 3 out of 5]

JNU: Nationalism & India’s Uncivil War starts as an autobiography where the author talks about himself and his journey to Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). It is a slow but steady introduction to this book and builds up the story to “the” event. While I don’t mind personal stories, on the contrary I believe it gives a sense of intimacy for the readers, people who might pick this book up reading just the blurb might not like it. As it sends out the message that the main talking point of this book is supposed to be the unfortunate night of 2016 where some ‘anti-national’ slogans were raised and many other events that followed including the disappearance of Najeeb a student of JNU, a case which the Delhi Police still hasn’t been able to solve, it is equally important to mention that recently Fatima the mother of the missing student was ‘auctioned’ online on Bulli Bai app.

The book then goes into the several issues at hand, where he once said that the only kind of intolerance that should exist is the ‘intolerance of intolerance’ and then goes on to the different events organized on the university campus by different left student organizations for which permission was taken on false premise. Then we are introduced to all the events that followed. The book then goes on to describe how the ‘leftists’ are basically destroying the institution by protesting too much and how it has led to its degradation, even though it still stands tall at the number one rank in the Union government’s ranking of universities and literally yesterday, the first rank holder of UPSC also happens to be an alumnus from JNU and prepared for the exam at Jamia Milia Islamia (another institute that has been on the target of the far right). While in several places the author has tried to strike a balance in his writing between the two ideological sides but unfortunately, the tone and tenor with which it has been written is surely for his preferable audience.

Prof. Paranjape is a brilliant writer, there can be no doubt about that but sadly what this book lacks is contextual reality. In the end though he has made some suggestions for the institution itself some of which are necessary to be honest, but unfortunately gets shadowed upon by the unilateral narrative. The meaning of democracy itself diminishes the moment we separate it from dissent and protests, which are supposed to be its backbone, just yesterday a protest was organized in the university against the lethargic attitude of the university administration towards sexual harassment cases. And this isn’t just limited to JNU but can be found in almost all universities, but for some that’s not a problem but the moment you protest against it then it is considered a nuisance. I really hoped this book to be a bit better, but nonetheless I would surely recommend it as a one-time read.

[Debabrata Mishra · Rating 4 out of 5]

👉𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊:-
📚ⓉⒾⓉⓁⒺ:- JNU Nationalism & India's Uncivil War
🖋️ⒶⓊⓉⒽⓄⓇ:- Makarand R. Paranjape
🗞️ⓅⓊⒷⓁⒾⓈⒽⒺⓇ:- Rupa Publication
🔤ⓁⒶⓃⒼⓊⒶⒼⒺ:- English
📖ⒻⓄⓇⓂⒶⓉ:- Hardcover
👉𝐒𝐘𝐍𝐎𝐏𝐒𝐈𝐒:-
Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), it's name is enough to signify it's value in educational World.
.
This is considered as one of the most profound universities in India where you can express yourself without any sort of barrier.
.
This book discussed about the time period of 2016-21 when there is a new element called "Anti-nationalism" started growing in the campus within the students. There is new concepts like anti government, anti modism. This difference in idolism is not new for JNU but the deep impact of its is going to create a void within the JNU students.
.
The book is divided into 9 chapters.
-> JNU : The Clash of Narratives
-> Odd Man Out : Why I joined JNU
-> JNU Row : How I got Involved
-> Tagore , Gandhi,JNU : What's 'left' of the Nation
-> Five Contrarian Epistles
-> JNU & the state of strife
-> JNU Ki Aazadi : Ek-Do Saal Baad
-> A Nation United, A university Divided
-> How Not To Destroy JNU
.
To know JNU from at most depth grab the book & give it a try.
👉𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐒 :-
🙂 Cover of the book is quite nice & raw. The the title perfectly suited with the storyline along with the Red bold lettered JNU.
🙂 Writting style of the book is classy. It's an exclusive collection of thoughts & experience of a person who is there envolved with the anti nationalism fight in every bit to proof his point to get back the peace within the campus.
🙂 Language used in the book is nice easily understandable & nicely signifies what author want to portray in the book.
🙂 The dramatic situations it's built up behind the scenes & undiscovered part of those incidents are beautifully described in the book.
🙂 Pace of the book is good. It's gripping it's engaging & never make you feel bored while reading it as it is full of events.
🙂 Overall it's a book that takes you to straight into the JNU campus where you can experience the situation of the campus within sitting in your drawing room.

𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑:-🌟🌟🌟🌟

[Karthik Govil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Makarand R Paranjape is a novelist and one of the older faculties of English at JNU in India. In this book he details the happenings at JNU 2016 onwards, where student protests had disrupted classes and JNU had been at the forefront of the news for a while.

The book between chapters is very autobiographical, showing the events from a ringside seat. As someone who is very alien to JNU as a whole as an idea, I found reading about it very illuminating.

The autobiographical elements help in giving the book context on top of context, and the inner grapple of the professor with his love for the institute with his disappointment at it's current state. The book can also be read as a character study of how a neutral man due to political polarization gets pushed into today's right wing fringes, something he continuously resists from happening, as very evident in his praising for Gandhi and Nehru in the book, without losing his own intellectual independence. He's coldly embraced the right for now, it seems.

While the author does claim to like keeping his intellectual independence, I feel like a few subsections of the last chapter, namely "Winning the narrative battle but losing the war", felt like he was throwing in bait for the right-wing intellectuals to catch onto it, but it felt disingenuous at best (and he did admit hindus rose up from divisive politics, implying the rest of the subcontinent still has a long way to go. Maybe to us genZ'sus who hit puberty in 2014 it doesn't seem like much, but maybe this unity was something the last generations really struggled to find or attain in the first place. I'm not sure on my opinion on this).

Regardless, this last-minute bait seems disingenuous at best, especially considering the sheer amount of passionate intellectual exercises Paranjape makes us go through. The message of the book is simple: return to academics or lose the what the university stands for.

And the front to back passion for this really shined through.

7/10.

For more reviews follow @normiesaftersesh on Instagram.

[Richa Badola, Author · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a detailed narration of the fateful events that happened in 2013, in the hallowed grounds of the famous and maligned in equal measure Indian university JNU, named after the first prime minister of India Shri Jawahar Lal Nehru. Since the writer is a professor there and a witness to, or rather a protagonist in the theatre that played out during the unravelling of the ‘tukde, tukde..’ episode, we get to see an interesting inside view of it all. The author does not just roll out the unsavoury, but also examines the reasons/conditions for the university to be the seeding ground of not just dissent but vehement and vociferous leftist outcries- whether warranted or not. His vast erudition brings out various nuances of philosophy, ideology and literature; personalities of Tagore, Gandhi and about the institute JNU in simple language and in their historical contexts, making the read engrossing as well as informative.
Besides narrating the ‘ankhon dekha haal’ during the various student protests in the university, the author helps the reader understand the environment of patronage and propaganda that sustained a system that is now ailing it. How the true history of communism is never taught and how the natural idealism and rebelliousness of the youth is harnessed against the government. He proposes remedial measures within the democratic framework of the university as well as the nation’s that will help the institution protect the right of dissent of the students while not letting the academics or the university be held to ransom.
It is not a popular genre book but something that should invite interest from the parents and young students both to help them understand the changed milieu of the modern educational institutions. The reference in the book of the fourth class employees in JNU ruing that the parents send their children with much difficulty just for the children to get involved in college politics, is a telling observation.

[Niharika Jadhav · Rating 3 out of 5]

First, I sincerely thank team @IndicaOrg and @IndicaBooks for their wonderful initiative of 1000-Reviewers-Club-2022, which I am a part of and based on which I got my hands on this book.


JNU - Nationalism and India's Uncivil War

The author of the book is Makarand R. Paranjape, a Professor of English in JNU. Having worked in JNU for over two decades, the author could put forth his opinions strongly as he was involved in the happenings at the university. The issue as per the author is the rise of an anti-nationalist mindset in the students protests. The protest which impacted the entire University strongly. Paranjape offers an perspective, which is fueled strongly by the right wing ideologies.

According to him, the protests are largely facilitated and fueled by the Left Liberal, which consists of the majority of the JNU professors. The book proceeds ahead with arguments and counter arguments on the issue in hands. And how the involvement of students has given this an amusing turn.

The book is definitely something for politically inclined people with prior understanding of various ideologies. A heavy read for someone trying to understand it all for the very first time.

[Alliya Naaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

JNU nationalism and India's Uncivil war — Makarand R. Paranjape.
I think the author has done his best to bring out the facts with sure subtlety.
A book on conflict resolution with JNU.
The book has a prologue and an epilogue in its larger contact which tries to find answers to questions like –repute, character, integrity, or downgraded, failed institution of higher learning with negative publicity.
The book also pleads for the restoration of civil disagreement in place of bitter opposition, and dialogue rather than irreconcilable conflict.
The author, a longstanding JNU professor, gives a ringside account of what happened.
Delicately and incisively crafted piece of writing, it is an empathetic insider's account of JNU's problems from an expert in the field of higher education.

[ShiVam MisHra · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book delves into the activities which happen more often in the university. Though the first two chapters talk about author's personal life but the later part of this book covers the history and trends which have been a part of this university. In short a must read for people who want to know about JNU as an institution and what makes it different from other universities.