Blending Vedic wisdom with contemporary sensibility

Dr. Jernail S. Anand, with more than 200 books to his credit, including 20 epics, is a polymath and a vital architect of 21st-century ethical literature who challenges the moral complacency of our era. His latest work of non-fiction, ‘Literature and Philosophy’, edited by Rupa Rao, is a philosophical discourse in which he engages with twelve eminent poets from around the world. The book serves as a valuable reference point for future scholars and stands as a seminal exposition of Anand’s philosophy, presenting his artistic vision of literature, life, education, knowledge, and God.

Most books on philosophy are monologues. By placing himself in dialogue with 12 scholars from different cultures, Anand makes the book polyphonic, allowing it to emerge both as an intellectual inquiry and an act of moral resistance. According to Dr. Maja Herman Sekulic, it will “reverberate long after we close its covers in the tradition of the best dialogues, starting with Plato.”

“A poet is always in a heated argument with himself and with the cosmos,” says Anand. As such, this collection of interviews serves as a seismograph of his poetic sensibility and philosophical vision. M. Rajaram describes the work as “a map of an interior journey—and a clarion call to readers to begin one of their own.”

Roman philosopher Mauro Montacchiesi observes that the interviews reveal Anand as “a philosopher who combines Vedic wisdom with contemporary sensibility.” A forward-looking cosmogen, Anand believes philosophy is not a matter of passive faith. He advocates intellectual athleticism and criticises ethical neutrality. He emerges as an original thinker who argues that civilisation is in disarray and that the promised “brave new world” has failed to materialise because a vast body of scholarship remains confined to library shelves. Knowledge, though abundant, often stays within academic institutions instead of reaching ordinary people.

Anand even suspects the empire of knowledge to be the Devil’s agent because, he argues, God intended humanity to remain innocent. However, he clarifies that innocence is not the same as ignorance. Every living being possesses an essential intelligence that enables its survival. Only humans felt the need to create artificial intelligence. Were they mentally deficient? Through this unsparing critique of human civilisation, Dr. Anand seeks to awaken the conscience of the contemporary world. His most enduring message is that science and technology are like the ‘Jinn’ from Aladdin’s lamp—everything depends on the command we give. Humanity remains the final arbiter. That is why Anand insists that knowledge must be tempered with wisdom and rejects the pursuit of artificial wisdom or mere smartness. Milena Renzi aptly remarks that “this intense and necessary work reminds us that civilisation is measured not only by what it knows, but by what it chooses to preserve.”

Dr. Anand’s voice throughout these conversations is both gentle and unyielding. He challenges complacency, questions ethical neutrality, and urges readers to confront the fractures of modern civilisation with courage and clarity. The scholars who engage with him bring their own brilliance, creating a multilogue that is rich, layered, and profoundly relevant to our times. One is inclined to agree with Rupa Rao that Anand stands among the most compelling poet-philosophers of modern times—a fiery prophet of a chaotic present, carrying forward the proud legacy of sage-poets and philosophers such as Sri Aurobindo and Rabindranath Tagore.