By Express News Service BENGALURU: A nation that is transition admits plurality points of views,” believes Pavan K Varma, whose book Chanakya’s View: Understanding India in Transition, was released on Monday. He was addressing a gathering at Atta Galatta, Koramangala, which was organised by the Prabha Khaitan foundation. But, Varma pointed out that the need of the hour is room for civilised debate which he felt is receding in our cities today. “That’s the quintessential essence of a democracy. But space for civilised discourses is diminishing in modern India,” he said, adding that as a nation we have come to follow “woolly-headed politics.” When incidents like lynching take place, he explained, “It devalues me as a Hindu and demeans me as a citizen. people need to raise their voices about this.” An admirer of Chanakaya, he has great respect for the strategist in terms of his clarity of views. “We have so much to learn from Chanakya, including diplomacy. He had great determination and achieved his goals,” said the former diplomat and writer, who was, till recently, a Rajya Sabha MP. He was earlier advisor to the Bihar chief minister and is the current national general secretary and spokesman of Janata Dal (United). In the book, the author of Adi Shankaracharya: Hinduism’s Greatest Thinker, analyses the challenges India faces today. In the frank critique, he points to the behavioural change as the need of the hour: Indians need to respect institutions, shun intolerance, accommodate dissent, follow strategic diplomacy and increase their moral quotient. The book is a roadmap to making the country a foremost republic. “The book is meant to ignite and promote conversation and start a dialogue,” said Varma about his book which is called after his epynomous column in dailies. Varma firmly believes that India, a young nation with an ancient civilisation, will sustain owing to its great civilisational heritage and the strength of its people. He is convinced that these years of transition will ultimately lead to a maturation worthy of the world’s largest democracy. “Let those who oppose things, do so with knowledge. They just speak for a vast majority of India,” he said.

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