Improfane

   The Genesis of Disguised Tyranny I recently watched a TED Talk given by a young man about the Indian Education System. He spoke informally, in a casual and friendly tone, even made some hilarious jokes between statements, but the audience’s response wasn’t all that significant. I knew the answer for this, the answer for why the room was awkwardly silent throughout the course of his speech, and the answer was obvious--The audience was in favor of the system.  Picture this: A peaceful scenery, disciples of the village Guru offering presents to him. The Guru teaching and inculcating values, religion, science, and math to his students. Blissful, isn’t it? Enter Thomas Babington Macaulay, a British historian, who scoffed at the prevalent system of education in India and suggested his very own version, known popularly as Macaulayism.  Enough history, let’s snap into the 21st century: The education system incorporated into India by Macaulay is now a multi-billion-do...

  This World Book Day, Improfane India explores the 7 most controversial books of all time. They say that a pen is mightier than a sword, this statement is supported by some books that have created quite some waves in the world. 7. Lolita This novel by Russian-American novelist Vladimir Nabakov was written in 1955, It sent some ripples down the world for its highly controversial subject-Pedophilia. The story revolves around a middle-aged literature professor who was sexually obsessed with a 12-year old girl who went by the name Dolores Haze. ‘Lolita’ was the pseudonym used by him to refer to Dolores. He later goes on to become her step-father and becomes sexually involved with her.  This controversial book was also adapted into a film by Stanley Kubrick in 1962. Lolita was also later regarded as an erotic novel by some critics. 6. The Anarchist Cookbook It’d be a surprise if this book wasn’t controversial. Published in 1971 and written by William Powell, this book contained ex...