New light

One of the accepted notions of physics is the speed of light which is considered to be absolute speed. Nothing travels faster than the speed of light. Einstein, the grand old man of theoretical physics, argued that light travels at one speed and one speed only. This idea of the speed of light is one of the great constants of modern physics which is considered to be beyond question. In this book, theoretical physicist, João Magueijo, speculates on the speed of light and argues that there is something called the varying speed of light. He speculates that light travelled faster in the early universe than it does today. Though written in the form of an educated speculation, the book addresses some of the most difficult problems of cosmology via the varying speed of light. The book is lucidly written and can be read with profit by anybody with a modicum of interest in physics.

B.R. Ambedkar is the father of the Dalit movement. He fought against British rule but distanced himself from Gandhian nationalism. His aim was a bigger realm of liberation. He wanted to free India from caste oppression and thus free the millions of untouchables from social stigma and discrimination. He visualized an India that would be genuinely based on the principles of equality, liberty and fraternity. He made Dalits conscious of their rights but his socio-economic goals have not yet been attained even after 56 years of independence. Ambedkar’s encounters with Gandhi are well-known. The former argued in favour of varnashrama dharma and thought that untouchability could be removed through the internal reform of Hinduism. Ambedkar refused to accept this and believed that Dalits could not live within Hindu society with any degree of dignity. He personally became a Buddhist. Ambedkar, compared to Gandhi or Nehru, remains a neglected figure. It is good to have a short accessible study of his life and times from the pen of the best historian of the Dalit movement.

J.B. Kripalani in his youth was a firebrand socialist and the stormy petrel of the Congress. He became a critic of the Congress when he left the party after differences with Jawaharlal Nehru. It can be said that his last service to the nation was his opposition to the Emergency and the efforts he made to unite the opposition parties to defeat Indira Gandhi. It seems strange that this autobiography, unknown for so many years, should surface some two decades after Kripalani’s death. He finished writing the book just before his death. It is difficult to understand how and why the manuscript was allowed to gather dust. This is a participant’s account of an important phase of Indian politics. But there are no great revelations here and that is a real pity. The tone is sombre and the timeline strictly chronological. The recollections kind of peter out with the Emergency. There is very little humour in the book. Put next to the two great autobiographies of Gandhi and Nehru, it is clear that Kripalani was a very limited person with a very limited vision. It is easy to see why he remained forever a second rung leader obsessed with organizational matters. Kripalani has nothing to tell the contemporary world. In that sense the publication of the 1982 manuscript is ill-timed.