I have repeatedly said that the next 15-20 years in Indian history will be a turbulent, stormy period that will culminate in creating a new political and social order, under which India rapidly modernizes and industrializes, the great evils of poverty, unemployment, child malnutrition, lack of proper healthcare, and good education, etc., which plague our country today, are largely abolished, and our people get decent lives. This period will witness a mighty united people’s struggle, which will be protracted and arduous, with many twists and turns, and in which tremendous sacrifices will have to be made.

In this stormy period, great literature will be required to attack feudal forces like casteism and communalism and inspire people to perform heroic deeds, sometimes even at the cost of their lives.

For instance, the writings of Voltaire and Rousseau, which attacked feudalism and religious bigotry, inspired the people of France and led to the overthrow of the monarchy and the great French Revolution of 1789, which destroyed feudalism in France. Similarly, the writings of Thomas Paine (e.g., ‘Commonsense’) inspired the patriots in the American War of Independence (1775-81). The writings of Maxim Gorky (see........

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