Sometimes we pick up a book but due to paucity of time, reading it takes a back seat.The book lies on our bookshelf for a long time. A time comes when the book reaches out to us saying - please read me . Such a book was " Icons" which I had picked up on 14th April, last year but started reading it from the New year. An Interesting Saga spanning several decades, the book unfolds the charisma, exceptional destinies, talents and achievements of twenty great personalities who have and continue to set extraordinary examples for India .
The essays on Justice P.N Bhagwati, Amartya Sena and Mrs.Sonia Gandhi give a new insight into their lives and their positive contribution to India's though process. The essays on Prannoy Roy, Maqbool Fida Hussain and Salman Rushdie make for mediocre reading.
One essay made a profound influence on my life. Would strongly recommend this book to friends - even if one essay adds value to the thought process, its worth owning the book.
A line by Amartya Sen on seeing communalism first hand "the experience was devastating for me, and suddenly made me aware of the dangers of narrowly defined identities and also of the divisiveness that can lie buried in communitarian politics. It also alerted me to the remarkable fact that economic unfreedom, in the form of extreme poverty, can make a person a helpless prey in the violation of other kinds of freedom" exposed me to the depth of his thought process.
My earlier perception of Sen being overrated, changed with this one qoute - and I realise he can never be over-rated and am eager to read more of his works and life.
( Posted by me in perceptions my earlier blog - now reposting )
