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BV: One man, one book and one pen can change the world!?
Dear Readers,
I watched Balika Vadhu since it's inception few years back. From day one it was said that the show is aimed at changing the attitude of the Indian men towards their women. I was wondering how successful the motto has been in past 4-5 years.
Has widow/divorce remarriage been more frequent?
Has kid-marriages abolished from the remote villages of India?
Has the Indian woman valued the seriousness of education and financial independence?
Well, how could I comment.
Do stories like BV could really change the attitude of human beings to the evils of the society? How could I comment?
However I would like to jot down names of few books (apart from Bhagavad Gita, the Bible, the Qur'an etc.) which in past have been able to do so to a great extent.
1. Anandamath - Originally written in Bengali by Bankim Chandra Chatterji and published in 1882. Set in the background of the Sannyasi Rebellion in the late 18th century, it is considered one of the most important novels in the history of Bengali and Indian literature. Its importance is heightened by the fact that it became synonymous with the struggle for Indian independence from the British Empire.
The national song of India, Vande Mataram was first published in this novel.
2. Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriett Beecher Stowe - Written by a middle aged, white woman in 1851, Uncle Tom's Cabin has been credited for changing the views of slavery in the north and continues to serve as a reminder of the effects of slavery and other inhumane acts.
3. Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank - This landmark book details the days of a Jewish family in hiding during the Nazi takeover in the Netherlands. The innocence of this young girl so full of hopes and dreams is in sharp contrast to the reality of her ending at the hands of the Nazis. This book has become a symbol and reminder against racial persecution.
4. Kama Sutra (circa 2nd century AD)
This ancient Indian book concerns love more than sex. It could be argued that Richard Burton's 1883 translation started to change Western attitudes to sex.
5. The Meaning of Relativity by Albert Einstein - Published as one book, this is actually four lectures Einstein gave a Princeton in 1921. This work demonstrates the genius behind the thinking that made Einstein famous.
6. Lady Chatterley's Lover by DH Lawrence - Lawrence's book about an aristocratic woman who commits adultery with a working-class man was banned in the UK due to the sexual details and language used. This book brought the idea of censorship to light and helped overthrow it.
7. Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler (Vol-1 1925 & vol-2 1926) - This infamous book is essentially an autobiography that also outlines the National Socialist political ideology. Hitler changed the world, not his book, but Mein Kampf was a tool of the Nazi political machine.
8. Guerilla Warfare by Che Guevara - A Marxist revolutionary famous for helping the plight of the oppressed, Guevara wrote this book as an instruction manual of revolt for those trapped in a totalitarian regime. It has become a guidebook for thousands around the world, not only those living in an oppressive state.
9. The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith - Smith's book, published in 1776, advocates a free-market economy. This book is largely viewed as the beginnings of modern economics.
10. The Interpretation of Dreams by Sigmund Freud (1899/1900) - Die Traumdeutung revealed Freud's theory on dream analysis and introduces the ego. A flawed but influential book in understanding the human unconscious
Reference
1. Books That Changed the World - http://www.abebooks.com/docs/Community/Featured/books-changed-world.shtml
2. 50 Books That Changed the World - http://oedb.org/ilibrarian/50_books_that_changed_the_world/
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