Book Review- Rahul Bhatia's The Identity Project

Sat, 02 Nov 2024 14:38:52 +0000

I came of age in an India that was already traipsing through rapid social and institutional transformation. I was 19 when the Bharatiya Janata Party came into power for the second time with a sweeping majority in 2019. Shielded by my privilege, life continued albeit not without hiccups. I was 20, when the anti CAA protests gripped the country and I learnt to recognize Hum Dekhenge as a rallying cry. I was 21, when North East Delhi was gripped with a communal riot; students at my alma mater gathered in droves to organize and send relief materials to ease out the pain of those injured. My political consciousness moved and shifted as I studied and witnessed the politics of my country. Friends, family, family friends were suddenly awakened from a political stupor(or so I had thought for a long time). Drawing room discussions quickly devolved into shouting matches and accusatory fingers pointed towards complacent people for their inability to witness the current regime as anything but revolutionary. I was 22, when I first tweeted something about the regime and instead of measured consideration received a barrage of hate in my dms and replies. I was 23 when my well meaning Professor indicated that my application for a scholarship to study the current regime might not receive due consideration because of its political nature.