Description

Bringing illuminating insights from cultures as diverse as Soviet Russia, South Korea, Middle East, Afghanistan, Libya, Uganda, Holland and the United States, Vishal Mangalwadi overturns the popular ideas about the cause of backwardness of the people of India and their country. Colonialism, capitalism, and now corruption are seen as the roots. But since backwardness predates colonialism, the author’s forceful analysis says that it is the culture of India that legitimizes, via myths and religious philosophy, the social degradation of the majority of the India people by the traditional elites. The book may appear biting in its criticism of some of the Indian ways, but Dr. Mangalwadi’s message to India is love: “Instead of treating them as untouchables, we need the philosophy and power to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.”

“This book establishes that Dalit-Bahujan backwardness is rooted in Hindu caste backwardness. The West’s advancement, including science and technology, capitalism and democracy, came out of the Bible’s worldview and ethic. The earliest Indian to understand this was Mahatma Jotirao Phule. But his agenda was never carried to the logical end.” – Professor Kancha Ilaiah, author of “Why I Am Not a Hindu”