I have recently gone through a book called Snakes in the Ganga and the way I would describe it in a single word is “unputdownable”. Authors Rajiv Malhotra and Vijaya Viswanathan have gone into the most intricate of details about new threats to India even as it tries to shake off the humiliation of its colonization and present itself as a new economic, political and cultural force with a rich tradition of liberalism.

There are so many aspects to the story that it is impossible to describe in a few words. But then, that is the way most of Malhotra’s works are, you just keep unraveling more layers as you read on. Since I am quite familiar with some of his work and remember how his book Breaking India became such a big hit more than a decade ago, I can anticipate this one will have a similar readership.

I only hope that this time, we will take things more seriously, beyond mere showmanship to concrete actions. Because after all, this book discusses Breaking India 2.0 which is far more serious in its insidiousness, influence, funding, and resources, and its impact on the Indian civilization as a whole.

As an after-effect of Malhotra’s earlier books, Breaking India and Being Different, the thoughtful amongst us have been questioning the extent of our own colonized conditioning. And we have been challenging this mindset when we encounter it in our fellow Indians. But colonization has taken on a different hue in the modern day, with open adulation of everything American. We would like to copy the way they dress, eat, entertain, work, and what have you.

This also means that we are opening up to American ideas, good or bad, which makes it easy for their social movements to get mirrored in India, even when they do not apply. The fact that these theories get spun in leading Ivy League universities like Harvard makes them all the more acceptable to many of us. And when there’s this huge, dedicated machinery consisting of people, networks, projects, and institutions that are dedicated to transferring these ideas to us, there’s no escape from the situation.

The book Breaking India was ahead of its time by over a decade.  India did not prepare itself well, even though it was fairly warned.  This time we hope the Snakes in the Ganga is taken seriously and the Ganga is cleaned up before it is too late for India.