Title of the Book: Human in Economy
Author: Sivadas R. Warrier
Genre: Non-fiction
Publisher: Tureeyam Media
Book Stores: Amazon, Flipkart, Google Books, Bookscape
This write-up has taken a long time in getting written. Often, it’s like
that. You write something in your mind several times, then rewrite, revise, and
refine it. But you never get around to putting your pen to paper or, rather,
your fingers to the keyboard, to see your thoughts manifest in a scribble.
However, when the subject remains as fresh as ever, and the experience refuses
to lose its flavour, the urge to write gets the better of you. Thoughts re-form
and words get re-phrased.
Human in Economy. The title is intriguing. The content is simple and
straight-forward. The author is as unpretentious as can be in his writing.
Both, the author and his book, don’t claim to be anything they aren’t. They
don’t project themselves to be more or less than what they are. Simply put, the
author is as unpretentious as he is unapologetic. The narrative or the
story-telling approach keeps the reader connected to the book, as the thread of
interest remains unbroken.
The narrative is set in two towns, Coimbatore and Thrissur, which lie on
either side of the Sahyadri – the
Western Ghats. The book recounts biographical sketches, and events and
anecdotes from the lives of two karanavars
– male heads – of two families who lived in the said cities. It talks about their
impact on the different societies they lived in – their role in the
sustainability and growth of their families and the communities that surrounded
them. Two different people in two different settings – what is common in them
is their selflessness, their perseverance, and their distinct social
consciousness.
The author writes about what he has seen, heard, experienced and
understood. He writes about times in the past that had solutions to potential
economic challenges interwoven into the fabric of life. The solutions, the
reader realises, were so taken for granted that later, the people lost sight of
the problems, and the solutions gradually became a tradition, a custom, a
practice.
As the author traces the growth of the economy, especially in the Indian
context, he throws light on how, in the pursuit of modern science, man let go
of his ancient wisdom. He writes:
The sacred was removed from science.
And science came to be known as secular knowledge. The intention should have
been the removal of the religious influence on science, however, they removed
the mysticism as well. It was like throwing the water out along with the baby.
Today, we have increasing number of questions on what a good economy
looks like and how to get there, but the answers are elusive. And there lies
the relevance of this book – where many of these questions and answers meet.
According to the author, economics is human behaviour. Deriving from the
knowledge imparted by the seers and masters of all times, the author writes:
The culture and civilization of a
region are inseparable from its economics. Economics, as a human science, has
also to be lived – as true human behaviour. People learn what they are taught
and behave as per what they imbibe.
"Human in Economy" is, obviously, about economics. But the account is
autobiographical and weaves into its narrative slices of history of a
particular region, its geography, the social structure of a section of its
people, and glimpses of the culture and lifestyle they followed. The narrative is
strewn with insights into Indian spirituality and philosophy, and excerpts from
the ancient scriptures. For someone (and that’s me) who believes in the unity –
the oneness – of knowledge, this book is a simple reaffirmation of how the various
disciplines – the branches of knowledge – are interconnected and
interdependent. The more you delve into knowledge, the more you see the lines
that divide it into different specialities getting thinner and finer, until,
perhaps, they fade.
The author does not dwell on past glories. Rather, he’s trying to pave a
way into the future. Economics, as he perceives it, is not about being frugal
at the cost of enjoyment, nor is it about being indulgent at the cost of
well-being. It is not sustainability at the cost of growth. It is not at all
about philanthropy at the cost of profit. It is none of that, nor vice versa.
It is about creating wealth and preserving it in the society. It is about
creating wealth for yourself, while you also help others create wealth. This
apparently should be, the reader understands, an individual’s constant,
conscious endeavour as well as their subconscious, habitual behaviour in
an economy.
Warrier navigates from the past to
the future, from the scriptures to science, and from tradition to technology
without ever losing focus on the purpose of his book. His narrative never deviates
from the essential theme of the book. This in itself is a feat.
That the book is the first volume
of the tetralogy, The Indic Roots, gives the reader much to look forward to.
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