AUM BEEP BEEP
"Aum Beep Beep" is a heartfelt cry of rage from within the citadel of caste privilege. This highly irreverent, controversial and hilarious book, written in the form of an impassioned letter from a father to a son, charts the journey of a believer from belief to disillusionment to outrage as he begins to read and understand the cloak of violence that shrouds the much lauded scriptures of Hinduism. This rational critique and indictment of the caste system provides a refreshing antidote to those pervasive accolades and reveals the shocking truth about the origins of Hinduism.
The book is a guide to the beliefs of Hinduism and tells the reader in simple language what is written in the scriptures of the faith, who wrote those scriptures and the intentions of the writers. The story is dotted with stories of the author's own religious experiences and the book is written in a way which is sure to keep the reader entertained throughout with its humorous narrative.
Young Hindus, especially in the Diaspora, only know the watered down religion taught to them by their parents or the cults or sects that their parents belong to. The author feels that it is important to inform Hindus where that knowledge comes from. As such this book, written in plain and simple language, is also a sort of beginner’s guide to Hinduism because it provides a refreshing overview of the religion.
This book is unique, for while both radical Islam and fundamentalist Christianity have received many adverse commentaries, Hinduism has largely been seen to be "tolerant" and "peaceful". This book is a refreshing antidote to those pervasive accolades and elucidates the tropes that justify immoral and unethical stands. It is a clarion call to the son to divest himself of age-old belief and privilege and walk out into the sun of freedom, where "belonging" is not a matter of tradition, community or nationality.
The author is a practising solicitor in north London. He writes from deep personal experience of having grown up in an upper-caste milieu, where caste privilege was seen to be the fount of moral superiority. He dismantles the scriptural writings in ways that are both poignant and shocking, and utilises his legal skills to forensically dissect the scriptural texts.
Having survived a heart attack in his mid forties, he committed himself to reading the scriptures, and this is a tale of a search that has ended in intellectual and spiritual liberation. He enjoys reading, football, cycling and playing with his Labrador puppy.
