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Bhārat: India 2.0
Bhārat: India 2.0 is a brilliant vision for the nation by one of India's most prominent scientists. Through a meticulous analysis of the proceedings of the Constituent Assembly, Prof. Desiraju demonstrates the limitations of the Westminster model of governance for a country that has nurtured the longest extant human civilization. Specifically, the Indian Constitution of 1950, with its subsequent amendments, has many fault lines related to federalism, secularism and caste-based reservations that will lead to problems in the future. Going beyond conventional analyses, Desiraju argues for changes that acknowledge the civilizational aspects of a deeply religious country and proposes a unique solution to this problem. — Padma Shri Subhash Kak (Scientist, Indologist, Vedic Scholar)
- GenresPolitics
416 pages, Paperback
Published September 5, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 26, 2023
One should keep in mind that the author is not an expert in the field, (albeit he is the second most cited India researcher whose primary expertise lies in Chemistry) but just someone who read a lot of during Corona. Read enough to write a book on constitutional history and civilizational issues of India. At many places he was dissected the problem analytically and it makes a nice read, but at other he falls below average and uses statements as self truths (ex- Smaller states must be better managed.)
July 4, 2023
Being the son of the great C Rajagopalachari, it was only natural for Chemistry Professor Gautam Desiraju sir to break bad and enter the political space.
While the map that this book comes with, for a proposed 70-80 states in India (after all, the USA has 50 and with a much smaller population) made huge splashes on the internet, what I did not expect was the book to be such a fun read from cover to cover.
The book tackles the constitution in a dispassionate way, aiming to highlight its successes but also point out its flaws.
To do this task, instead of going about it point by point in a boring manner, he goes through a history of Indic civilization, sanatani philosophy, modern history of all the debates during the British, legal philosophies of Gandhi, Nehru, Ambedkar, Savarkar and Vivekananda (highlighting only the positives of all to reinforce them into a single piece) as well as others like MN Roy, European movements which led to nation states, the round table conferences, the speeches ar independence, the court systems of other countries, our own system, separation of different bodies, etc etc. The list can go on.
The beauty of this book was how so many topics were tackled in just under 340 pages covering so many angles. Not once did the book demonize any single group, entity or person; the author seeks to bring everyone together to have a discussion on administration in one of the largest civilizations, nations and democracies in the world. This book is a handbook on that awareness of what is lacking in our system today, and a general but cursory view on how to make it better.
The combination of so many aspects and philosophies made the read really enjoyable.
This book is a 10/10.
For more reviews, follow @normiesaftersesh on Instagram!
While the map that this book comes with, for a proposed 70-80 states in India (after all, the USA has 50 and with a much smaller population) made huge splashes on the internet, what I did not expect was the book to be such a fun read from cover to cover.
The book tackles the constitution in a dispassionate way, aiming to highlight its successes but also point out its flaws.
To do this task, instead of going about it point by point in a boring manner, he goes through a history of Indic civilization, sanatani philosophy, modern history of all the debates during the British, legal philosophies of Gandhi, Nehru, Ambedkar, Savarkar and Vivekananda (highlighting only the positives of all to reinforce them into a single piece) as well as others like MN Roy, European movements which led to nation states, the round table conferences, the speeches ar independence, the court systems of other countries, our own system, separation of different bodies, etc etc. The list can go on.
The beauty of this book was how so many topics were tackled in just under 340 pages covering so many angles. Not once did the book demonize any single group, entity or person; the author seeks to bring everyone together to have a discussion on administration in one of the largest civilizations, nations and democracies in the world. This book is a handbook on that awareness of what is lacking in our system today, and a general but cursory view on how to make it better.
The combination of so many aspects and philosophies made the read really enjoyable.
This book is a 10/10.
For more reviews, follow @normiesaftersesh on Instagram!
January 4, 2026
Long time since I needed to check other books while reading a book.
Then came the overload of information of Bhartiya Ithihaas hidden from us Gen X (Born between 1965 to 1980) and onus of trying to correct ourselves (Our contemporaries), our parents and our children with facts, which are still under stated and find relevance in definitions in the correct context from the correct books.
For this I took a leave of reading for an year, 2025.
I could not finish this book because as time went the ideas needed reform, people needed to reform (which never happens to Bhartiya until a tight slap is provided by time or power).
Now about the book.
Chapter 1: Prologue - I would read this chapter with thoroughness of an Intellectual because it brings tears to your eyes and you get very emotional on the lack of bhartiyta our fore founders had for our nation. The lack of understanding of Santana dharma etc. etc.
Founding of the book could not have been better when explained with context how India / Bharat was in 1947 and how they tried to put the world order into the older and wiser spiritual Bharat.
Chapter 2: The Republic on 26th January 1950 and Thereafter - Secular (western concept) and Socialism (then 1947 concept) and how it influenced the Indian state authority to make a hop scotch solution and the eccentricities that followed ruining our mental psychology.
The carrying of laws of colonial rule masters who subjugated the populace for their benefit redesigning the social, educational and moral systems of ancient Bharat.
Chapter 3: INTERMEZZO: The Civilisational State - How the constitution and the men/women (read everyone in power, everyone in bureaucracy and anyone influencing the outlook of Bharat abroad - likeness of secular, liberal, Bollywood etc.) who was in charge from 1950 to 2014 tried to cover the diversity with broad strokes undermining the dharma that ascertained us not to fall apart as time makes happen.
Also covers, 2014 where the author thinks that Bhartiya Manthan has started. (I do not)
Chapter 4: "INDIA 2.0: Bhārat, Dharma and Federalism: A New Model - I was stuck here for 2 years because it made me look up too many books in 2024 to move forward from here. It was a more mind numbing chapter though understated for that time, for me as it lost relevance in last 2 years because to be precise so many things have happened since then.
Though it explains the one probable solutions that can take place broken into four parts
1. multiple states as for the ease of administration
2. Dharmic paditi to be a part of rules and constitution - pleading that current constitution is soulless and hence provides more support to miniscule minded people and problems
3. End of the hop scotch jigsaw of all countries rules into copy paste constitution of India and making a new one for Bharat 2.0 (Welcome red book wavers)
4. Explaining how Dharma can stabilize a Nation by recovering from the amnesia that they are actually a civilizational nation
Chapter 5: Epilogue - The one thing I am a proponent of was the theme for the call of conscious citizenry.. swabhavik and sadhbhavik bhartiya against behaving like subjects of a rules created by a book by brainwashed colonist administrators.
This concludes its reviews, though I know for a fact that the author has written other books on this subject (he is a structural chemist and a scientist not to mention the grandson of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan our second president of India)
1. Delimitation and States Reorganization: For a Better Democracy in Bharat
2. India: Science, Politics, Geostrategy and
3. India's Supply Chains in a World at War
I do not have the energy to put into a developing Bharat story, I will read this when I am in that mode.
Then came the overload of information of Bhartiya Ithihaas hidden from us Gen X (Born between 1965 to 1980) and onus of trying to correct ourselves (Our contemporaries), our parents and our children with facts, which are still under stated and find relevance in definitions in the correct context from the correct books.
For this I took a leave of reading for an year, 2025.
I could not finish this book because as time went the ideas needed reform, people needed to reform (which never happens to Bhartiya until a tight slap is provided by time or power).
Now about the book.
Chapter 1: Prologue - I would read this chapter with thoroughness of an Intellectual because it brings tears to your eyes and you get very emotional on the lack of bhartiyta our fore founders had for our nation. The lack of understanding of Santana dharma etc. etc.
Founding of the book could not have been better when explained with context how India / Bharat was in 1947 and how they tried to put the world order into the older and wiser spiritual Bharat.
Chapter 2: The Republic on 26th January 1950 and Thereafter - Secular (western concept) and Socialism (then 1947 concept) and how it influenced the Indian state authority to make a hop scotch solution and the eccentricities that followed ruining our mental psychology.
The carrying of laws of colonial rule masters who subjugated the populace for their benefit redesigning the social, educational and moral systems of ancient Bharat.
Chapter 3: INTERMEZZO: The Civilisational State - How the constitution and the men/women (read everyone in power, everyone in bureaucracy and anyone influencing the outlook of Bharat abroad - likeness of secular, liberal, Bollywood etc.) who was in charge from 1950 to 2014 tried to cover the diversity with broad strokes undermining the dharma that ascertained us not to fall apart as time makes happen.
Also covers, 2014 where the author thinks that Bhartiya Manthan has started. (I do not)
Chapter 4: "INDIA 2.0: Bhārat, Dharma and Federalism: A New Model - I was stuck here for 2 years because it made me look up too many books in 2024 to move forward from here. It was a more mind numbing chapter though understated for that time, for me as it lost relevance in last 2 years because to be precise so many things have happened since then.
Though it explains the one probable solutions that can take place broken into four parts
1. multiple states as for the ease of administration
2. Dharmic paditi to be a part of rules and constitution - pleading that current constitution is soulless and hence provides more support to miniscule minded people and problems
3. End of the hop scotch jigsaw of all countries rules into copy paste constitution of India and making a new one for Bharat 2.0 (Welcome red book wavers)
4. Explaining how Dharma can stabilize a Nation by recovering from the amnesia that they are actually a civilizational nation
Chapter 5: Epilogue - The one thing I am a proponent of was the theme for the call of conscious citizenry.. swabhavik and sadhbhavik bhartiya against behaving like subjects of a rules created by a book by brainwashed colonist administrators.
This concludes its reviews, though I know for a fact that the author has written other books on this subject (he is a structural chemist and a scientist not to mention the grandson of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan our second president of India)
1. Delimitation and States Reorganization: For a Better Democracy in Bharat
2. India: Science, Politics, Geostrategy and
3. India's Supply Chains in a World at War
I do not have the energy to put into a developing Bharat story, I will read this when I am in that mode.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews