Hindu Civilization and the Twenty-First Century (An Old and Rare Book)

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About the Author Born in 1918 Shri V. Ramanathan studied Sanskrit at home and Science at the Presidency College, Madras. He then worked as an Executive on the Indian Railways in various capacities and at various centres of the country till he retired as General Manager. During retirement he has been contributing articles to journals on political cum administrative matters as well as studying and writing about Hindu culture in general. Other books of his are Bhagavadgita for Executives, Bhagavadgita for the Young and The Children's Ramayana.

Foreword This work is an exercise in scholarship as well as an act of faith. The author, Mr. V. Ramanathan, is a retired civil servant whose social concerns have not ceased with his retirement, but have in fact become bolder and larger. He regrets the fact that Indians generally, and Hindus particularly, are curiously indifferent to their historical and cultural heritage. In Mr. Ramanathan's opinion no one can be fully aware of the potentialities of his or her present situation unless he or she is rooted in and responsible to the past. There are many reasons for the distanciation and indeed alienation of our youth from their common and rich heritage. One of these reasons is the lack of books in all-India languages that are comprehensive, scholarly and readable. Keenly aware of this, and rather than sit back to enjoy a well earned retirement, Mr. Ramanathan set himself the task of producing such a book. This has involved dedication of a rare kind involving long hours of disciplined reading and writing. It is obvious that he has succeeded remarkably well in achieving the goal he set himself.

Acknowledgements Of the several persons whose help and influence I acknowledge in the writing of this book, the most significant is my wife. Her influence was of a subtle kind. In my younger days I was an agnostic familiar to some extent with the ethical aspects of Hindu culture through the study of the two epics, but discarding the rites and rituals and popular observances as superstitions and useless baggage. She, on the other hand, was steeped in the traditional practices, rituals, poojas, festivals, pilgrimages and vratas. The immense faith and high morale which such observances induced stood her in good stead during several crises like serious illness while my rationalism did not. It was this therapeutic value of religion which made me study in some depth the various aspects of Hindu religious culture in which I was born and bred and then share with others the useful knowledge which I had gathered while writing this book.