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Hail the great dollar sign
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Ayn Rand continues to delight booklovers
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NOSTALGIA Barun Mitra, Ashok Desai and Sushma Berlia displaying "Ayn Rand at 100" Photo: SHIV KUMAR PPUSPAKAR
Ayn Rand is still alive. Her philosophies on objective reality and laissez faire capitalism continue to be influential. The birth centenary of this American novelist and philosopher has been celebrated around the world, over the last year.
"Ayn Rand at 100", brought out by Liberty Institute in association with Friedrich Naumann Foundation, has been published by Pragun Publication. The book was released at India Habitat Centre in New Delhi by Sushma Berlia, President, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry the other day. The book launch was well attended by Rand's fans and readers.
The speakers, all influenced by her, vividly recounted their introduction and alliance with Rand. Barun Mitra, Director of Liberty Institute, a think tank, said, "But for Rand I wouldn't have been introduced to the world of ideas." Having read her at 23, he continues to be thankful to her for, "the extreme practicality of her ideas, for making the whole world look sensible." To follow this practicality, entrepreneurs and professionals were chosen to release the book in Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai. Ashok Desai, former economic advisor to the Government of India, admitted, "I was a liberal my whole life and I didn't know it," it was only a chance comment, "You must have learnt your liberalism from Ayn Rand," that prompted him to pick her up. Since then he has continued to be fascinated by her personal life and writings.
By the book of Rand
Berlia reminisced that she read "Atlas Shrugged" within three days, while pursuing Economics at Lady Sriram College here. To her the book marked a turning point, "It was the transformation and crystallisation of a thought process, which I had not been able to articulate. It was the crossing of a threshold from a girl to a woman." She also confirmed that she had succeeded in effortlessly absorbing the Randian world vision into her spiritual beliefs. She further explained, "When I entered the world of business it was a conscious thought. The world of business meant the creation of wealth and employment and I could not see a better contribution."
Once the floor was opened up, Rand's readers discussed "rational self interest", "the anathema of sacrifice" and the problems of depending on others for ones happiness.
A six-foot-high floral dollar sign was erected on Rand's coffin when she died in 1982, as of now it seems, the "colophon of the philosophy", as she called it, continues to influence.
NANDINI NAIR
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