‘Why are you afraid of unorthodox opinions?’ Agarkar would ask people. His question is pertinent even today because people tend to respond to nonconformist ideas not with argument but by suppressing them. ‘We are much too scared of popular censure,’ he added. ‘If Socrates, Copernicus or Galileo weren’t as courageous as they were, Europe’s ignorance would have never vanished. Merely acquiring knowledge is of no use if you’re not brave enough to practise unconventional, new ways.’
