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Icons of Social Change
What endows value to a non-fiction or a biography is its capacity to teach. The real-life story of a socially conscience soul is rich in lessons for us. Bringing together ten compelling stories of anxious social activists, the book acts as a tremendous resource for aspiring social activists. The stories pave the way to fight with injustice and penury, underlining "the courage and conscience that cannot stay still in the face of another person’s sufferings". The book is a magnificent act both in terms of content and style. In a trenchant manner, the book acquaints us with the ignored parts of our milieu and grim aspects of life highlighting "the problems of poverty and deprivation, of the social economic, political and physical handicaps". In a simple yet forceful manner, each story digs up a problem and reveals the heroic efforts made by the icons to overcome it. A careful reading of the stories points out that as compared to men, women are worse victims of deprivation and social injustice. The poet and environmental activist Sugatha Kumari’s story awakens us to the unfortunate plight of mentally ill and destitute women "with matted hair, and sores and scabs covering their naked bodies... suffered sexual abuse at the hands of the police from a nearby police camp. In the same vein, Bindeshwar Pathak’s story acknowledges the suffering and pain the gnawing practice of open defecation brings to women. "Women bear the brunt of problems caused by lack of toilets and water. They often have to bathe and dress behind flimsy partitions or leave well before sunrise, or after the sunset to defecate in the open." Hence, Icons of Social Change is a collection of biographical narratives with big lessons. Scharada Bail has really done a good job in recounting the stories of the valued icons of India.
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Icons
of Social Change is a suitable
tribute to the ten agents of social change who took upon themselves the
uphill task of improving the lot of destitute. With firm resolution and
spirited efforts, these icons brought relief to the victims of poverty
and misfortune. Even the vested interest lobby failed to deter these
jealous fighters for justice. They not only recognised the rights of the
poor and underprivileged class, but also vested in them the hope for
better future. Scharada Bail compliments Mahasweta Devi, Babe Amte,
Chandi Parsad Bhatt, J .N. Kaul, Ela Bhatt, Bindeshwar Pathak, Aruna
Roy, Sugatha Kumari, Rajendra Singh and Sandeep Pandey on their
untrammeled vigour and vitality born of high ideals.