A reflection on India's shifting soul_By Dr Ravi Shankar

In an era of steadily declining reading habits, "Chaurahon Par Chaurahe: Ek Patrakar Ki Vichar Yatra" (Crossroads after Crossroads – A Journalist's Journey of Thoughts) feels like a fresh bloom in June—subtle, fragrant, and full of meaning. The book's most distinctive strength lies in its writing style —plain, lucid, and profoundly relatable language. Pranava Priyadarshee's prose flows like a gentle breeze, reminiscent of the effortless simplicity that defined Munshi Premchand's legendary style. This quality transforms the book into a rare gem—emotionally engaging, making it an invaluable read for budding journalists and anyone seeking complex ideas expressed in deceptively simple ways. It's an unputdownable read; once you start, you find yourself swept along the current of thoughts.

From the outset, the author clarifies that this is neither an autobiography nor a memoir in the conventional sense. Instead, the book aims to trace the evolution of the author's thoughts—how they were shaped, challenged, and reformed over time.

Priyadarshee is transparent about the subjectivity of his narrative, acknowledging the roles of bias, emotion, and even memory lapses. He candidly admits the presence of personal biases and even memory lapses, reminding readers not to treat the narratives and events as objective truths but as interpretive reflections shaped by human experience. As stated in the preface, his goal is modest yet profound: "If this book can shed even a little light on the process of thought formation and transformation, I will consider it a success."

Therefore, the book should be evaluated on two key grounds that the author himself subtly proposes:

1. How clearly it presents the author’s own ideological journey.

2. How well it, perhaps incidentally, reflects upon the broader intellectual, political, and social dynamics of its time.

On the first count, Priyadarshee is remarkably consistent. He doesn't sermonize or seek sympathy—he simply lays out the terrain he has crossed: the inner conflicts, external shocks, and deeply personal events that nudged him from one belief system to another. A pivotal turning point is his ideological drift from the right-wing mindset toward socialist and leftist thought—a transition catalyzed not just by intellectual encounters but by life experiences:

• A romantic heartbreak.

• The collapse of faith in BJP’s democratic credentials following the Babri Masjid demolition.

• His firsthand experience of Mumbai’s communal riots, which transformed the city from a haven of liberalism into a stage of communal brutality.

These experiences did what classroom debates could not: they fractured his certainties. These overlapping personal, emotional, and political ruptures created the space for leftist arguments—earlier ineffective—to take root and flourish. And into those cracks, new arguments—once dismissed—found fertile ground. Once on the leftward path, his intellectual journey continued more through reading and reason than emotional upheaval until he eventually began questioning the rigidity of Marxism itself.

Two later developments are particularly notable:

• His move from belief to atheism.

• His eventual disenchantment with Marxism culminated in stepping outside its ideological bounds altogether.

Even while recounting these shifts, Priyadarshee never falls into absolutism. He does not claim ideological purity or moral superiority. What he offers instead is the rare honesty of someone willing to share not just his conclusions but the vulnerabilities and contradictions that shaped them. However, this openness also comes with limits. The book does not deeply interrogate the psychological or sociological factors behind his transformations. It may frustrate academic readers hoping for a more analytical lens, but that’s not the book’s intent. It’s a narrative of lived experience, not a treatise.

Even without giving away too much for future readers, it’s worth noting that in these chapters, Priyadarshee illustrates how changes in belief are rarely governed by logic and facts alone. He references the other, more personal forces at play—though without deeply analyzing them, perhaps intentionally so. This absence could be seen as a missed opportunity, especially for readers from psychology or sociology backgrounds, who might find value in exploring such inner conflicts more rigorously. The book is in Hindi, which could limit its visibility among academic circles that usually overlook such original contributions in the language.

If anything, the book’s greatest strength lies in its emotional clarity. The author never positions himself as a hero. He stumbles, hesitates, gets hurt—but continues searching. He engages opposing ideologies without demonizing them. The result is a portrayal of a thinking individual—flawed, self-aware, and constantly evolving. For readers, this makes the book deeply relatable. It’s a quiet growth story that ‘feels like one’s own’, even if it remains just out of reach. Because while simplicity and sincerity are easy to appreciate, they are far harder to practice.

The narrative also weaves through key episodes in Indian politics, especially the tension between right-wing and left-wing worldviews. However, the critique of the Left toward the book’s end feels slightly rushed. Drawn during the tumultuous COVID-19 pandemic, the conclusions seem to lack the exact patient reflection that defines the rest of the text. The reader is left wanting a deeper engagement with those final assertions—more argument, more context, more care. A more measured, reflective closing would have enriched the book’s otherwise thorough and honest narrative arc.

Finally, the book's journalistic perspective adds unique value. As suggested by its subtitle—"A Journalist's Journey of Thoughts," the author's professional lens is never far from view. A whole chapter is devoted to his training in journalism, but references to media ethics, reportage, the role of journalism in shaping public life, and the moral dilemmas of the profession appear throughout the book. This makes it particularly relevant for journalists, media students, and thinkers reflecting on the place of the free press in today's India.

In sum, "Crossroads after Crossroads" is a deeply human, intellectually honest, and emotionally textured account of a personal thought journey and a profoundly human reflection on how beliefs are formed and reformed over time, set against the backdrop of a nation in ideological flux. It invites us not to adopt the author's views but to reflect on our own. In doing so, it offers more than commentary—it offers companionship to those navigating their own crossroads.

For those concerned with the soul of Indian democracy, the future of independent journalism, and the evolving consciousness of a society caught between tradition and transformation, this book is not just relevant but essential.

(The author is a New Delhi-based senior journalist)

EoM.