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The Dilemma of an Indian Liberal is a memoir by Indian economist Gurucharan Das in which he reflects on his personal and intellectual journey toward liberalism, while also exploring the paradoxes, ironies, and moral dilemmas that surround this ideology in the Indian context.
Das introduces the book by defining who a âÂÂliberalâ is and tracing the provenance of liberal ideas in India, he states that liberalism spread amongst wealthy Indians with the arrival of the British Raj. According to Das, by the third decade of the 21st century liberal democracy was âÂÂin the retreatâ around the world. He observes what he deems to be an irony present in India which is that India despite being lauded as a âÂÂvigorousâ democracy, constantly produces an anaemic economy, which is a consequence of a socialist-command economy, called Licence Raj. àIn 1991, India achieved economic freedom which is described as âÂÂthe liberal dreamâÂÂ. However, Das notes this accomplishment was followed by a weakening democracy in India.
In the succeeding chapters, Das narrates the history of the evolution of liberalism from the 18th century European Age of Enlightenment to the Industrial Revolution, to the Great Depression culminating in the modern-day contemporary liberalism. He contends that the sentiment that liberalism originated at the global west is a myth. He defends his contention by citing the Rig Veda c.1500 BCE.
In Chapter 4, Das maps the events that led to the liberalisation of India which included the transfer of power from the British Raj to Indian people which enabled the framing of the Indian Constitution, the formation and demise of a liberal Indian party named Swatantra Party culminating in the 1991 liberal economic reforms of India.
Das continues to narrate his ideological journey from socialism to liberalism, libertarianism and back to classical liberalism. àHe describes the political climate of the newly independent socialist India, the role of Nehru in his prime ministerhood, Das's encounter with racism in the US, brings him his epiphany of racism that exists in his home, India. àHe also recounts how his employment with Richardson Hindustan Limited in Bombay, selling Vicks VapoRub, landed him in legal trouble. àIn the chapter titled âÂÂA Victim of the Licence RajâÂÂ, Das describes his experiences being àtaken to court as Vicks's sales goes âÂÂthrough the roofâ at the onset of the flu epidemic in 1968. àAs the sales exceeded the authorized, licenced production limit, Das's company's actions were construed to be a crime with a potential jail sentence.
Das admits that it was at this point of his life he abandoned Socialism and embraced Laissez Fair Libertarianism, believing in a small state.
In the final chapters, Das lays out the shortcomings of liberalism, according to him, while liberalism focuses on the intrinsic worth of an individual but does not sufficiently value the âÂÂbonds of communityâÂÂ. Ultimately, Das concludes that despite liberalism's inadequacy in certain aspects of a society, he will not abandon his faith in liberalism, and contends that it will once again prevail.
According to The Hindu, the narrative of the book consists of "wit and disarming candour" which "sucks one into the life of a man in search of Moksha." The New Indian Express states that the book explores the political journey of the author in a manner that is simple but also intellectually refined.