Confidential Examination | Clever Remarks, Injurious Insults, and Lives Shrouded in Barriers
Manu Joseph's new book, "Why the Poor Don't Kill Us: The Psychology of Indians," published by Aleph, offers a critical analysis of the affluent, particularly the anglicised elite living in gated complexes.
The book delves into India's gated spaces, using inequality as a backdrop and cleverness as a compass. It explores deep insights, poignant observations, and sharp vignettes of hypocrisy and quiet despair, expanding Joseph's theory of India.
Joseph's writing style is granular, full of sly turns of phrase, making familiar truths feel newly urgent. The book contains moments of deep insight, flashes of feeling, and poignant observations on the psychological conditioning of poverty, the quiet dignity of domestic workers, and elite guilt.
However, the book is not without its criticisms. Some argue that Joseph's binary blurs caste, regional fault lines, and nuance. There is partial truth in what he writes, but it is not the entire story. The book at times slips into moralizing, which feels oddly out of place in a work so committed to irony.
The book is priced at Rs 599 and is not targeted at the poor or the middle class, as they are too busy surviving or aspiring respectively. Instead, it is aimed at the deepseek, who may continue with their lifestyle after reading the book, but may also experience momentary guilt due to its critical analysis of their lifestyle.
Joseph, a resident of a colony in Gurugram (erstwhile Gurgaon) with broad, tree-lined pathways, parks with flower beds, and little green mounds, suggests that a true pop culture is emerging that is unifying all the classes, except those who are westernized.
The book, set in an "archipelago of private islands," takes readers through India's gated spaces, offering a place for wit, wounds, and the weight of cleverness. It is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand the psychological dynamics of India's affluent society.
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