The Library of the Uncommons

Tejas Harad finished reading Bhura by Sharad Baviskar

Bhura (Hardcover, Marathi language, Lokvangmay Griha)

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This is an autobiography of a French philosophy professor whose career trajectory was not a given. He almost drops out in the fourth standard, fails tenth standard but then goes on to finish his undergraduate studies with the help of subsidized education and parents fully supporting him with their meager resources. From that moment on, it's a story of consistent upward trajectory as the author studies abroad, finishes PhD and finally lands a professor's job at India's (arguably) most prestigious university.

The author hails from similar socioeconomic background as me and hence the book felt quite relatable. He also stresses the point that a person's success has much to do with systemic factors along with individual efforts. He also cautions against using a successful working class person as a token figure to demonize other working class people.

It was good to read Ahirani as it was sprinkled throughout the book. …

This is an autobiography of a French philosophy professor whose career trajectory was not a given. He almost drops out in the fourth standard, fails tenth standard but then goes on to finish his undergraduate studies with the help of subsidized education and parents fully supporting him with their meager resources. From that moment on, it's a story of consistent upward trajectory as the author studies abroad, finishes PhD and finally lands a professor's job at India's (arguably) most prestigious university.

The author hails from similar socioeconomic background as me and hence the book felt quite relatable. He also stresses the point that a person's success has much to do with systemic factors along with individual efforts. He also cautions against using a successful working class person as a token figure to demonize other working class people.

It was good to read Ahirani as it was sprinkled throughout the book. I wish the French phrases and sentences were used more sparingly though as Marathi readers cannot be expected to understand those but I suppose that was to drive home the author's relationship with the French language.

All in all it's a great biography if you are interested in Maharashtrian rural life and higher education in general.

Tejas Harad rated At the Existentialist Café: 5 stars

At the Existentialist Café (Hardcover, 2016, Knopf Canada)

At the Existentialist Café by Sarah Bakewell

Named one of the Ten Best Books of 2016 by the New York Times, a spirited account of a major …

Tejas Harad rated The Sentinels of Culture: 4 stars

The Sentinels of Culture (2005, Oxford University Press)

The Sentinels of Culture by Tithi Bhattacharya

This book is about the intellegentsia in nineteenth-century Bengal. It analyzes why—from the second half of the nineteenth century—the Hindu …

Tejas Harad finished reading At the Existentialist Café by Sarah Bakewell

Named one of the Ten Best Books of 2016 by the New York Times, a …

This book is a great read. It offers a magisterial view of existentialism and phenomenology and the key figures in that tradition such Husserl, Heidegger, Sartre, Merleau-Ponty, Camus and Simone de Beauvoir. It takes turns between offering a quick rundown of key philosophical concepts and biographical details about the book's heroes. While shining light on their great philosophical insights, the author also takes them to task for their all-too-human flaws. It's also amusing to read about the quarrels between the philosophers, their broken friendships, affairs and bourgeois life in Paris.