Why communist politics of classless society finds few takers in India

Siddhartha, a middle-class youth of the 1970s, was struggling to get a job amid rampant unemployment.

In one of the many job interviews he faced, he was asked what the most significant and outstanding world event of the past decade was. After a brief pause, Siddhartha replied, “The war in Vietnam.”

“More significant than man landing on the moon?” asked one of the interviewers, expressing surprise over the response of the interviewee.

“I think so,” Siddhartha replied, explaining that while the moon landing too was a remarkable achievement, it was not unpredictable as everyone knew it had to come about sometime. Whereas the extraordinary power of resistance of the ordinary people -- not technology but plain human courage -- was truly breathtaking.