New Delhi: A new book titled, ‘Post-Truth India –The Brand-New Republic’, by Syed Ali Mujtaba was released at a glittering function in the Constitution Club of India on October 8.
The book launch ceremony was graced by prominent personalities like former Rajya Sabha MP, Mohammad Adeeb, former Planning Commission member Dr. Sayyeda Hamid, senior journalist Vinod Sharma, and veteran journalist, and social activist John Dayal among others.
Authored by Dr. Syed Ali Mujtaba, a well-known author, and journalist, the book is a treatise on the contemporary situation in the country. Inspired by legendary Indian journalist and author Frank Morris’ work ‘Witness to an Era’, this book can be called a witness to contemporary India, whose value will be appreciated by those who read it living in a different era.
Speaking on the occasion, Adeeb said the author through the book, raised the concerns of a citizen living at a time when the country’s economy is in a mess, poverty, and unemployment is at an all-time high and the social fabric of the nation is in tatters.
Adeeb described the book as a testimony of the freedom of writing without fear. He lauded the author for the courage he displayed in speaking up about the truth at a time when it is considered a sin.
Addressing the gathering, well know journalist, Vinod Sharma, congratulated the author on bringing many aspects of contemporary life out of the closet. He expressed reservation over the title “The Brand New Republic” and said in the Post-Truth era that we are living, Republic is an illusion. He stressed the need for a campaign to fight hatred with truth.
In her turn, Syeda Hameed called the book ‘candid and bold. She said she found the book very direct and clear. “What fascinated the most about the book is that it talks about communal harmony and the re-establishment of real India,” she said.
The author, Dr. Mujtaba recounted his predicament when publisher after publisher rejected his manuscript, and said, at one point in time; he had lost hope of the book seeing the light of day. After encountering 10 rejections, when eventually one publisher mustered enough nerve to publish the book, he took a sigh of relief.
He said through the book, he raised the concerns of a citizen living in this great country. I have used four positions to write the book, the author said, one as a concerned citizen, second as a journalist, third as an academic and professor, and last his own identity as an Indian Muslim.
There was a consensus among the speakers that the work will serve generations as a reference book to relate to and learn from the contemporary realities faced by Indians living in this era.
The book release function began with the felicitation to the author by different media organizations where his writings appear regularly. Website ‘The India Observer’ published from New York; ‘Siasat Daily’ from Hyderabad, ‘Good Morning Kashmir’ from Srinagar, ‘Muslim Mirror’ from New Delhi felicitated the author.
The book launch ceremony was a well-attended event. Even the rains could not dampen the spirits of the Nobel souls, who braved the downpour to make the event a grand success.
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