This is the translation of the Introductory Chapter to the Book 'Bharathiya Samskruthi' where the author Dr S. Srikanta Sastri makes an impassionate plea before offering the reader rest of the chapters. Translations of this and subsequent chapters by the translator - Prof S. Naganath will be serialised in this page in the coming months.  

                         *******This is Copyright Potected*******  

                                                   A Plea

       At the dawn of the 20th Century, an impression was created, that Western civilization dominated by science and jurisprudence would eventually spread across the globe, ushering in a new era of hope and enlightenment. The widespread industrialization was seen as a solution to global poverty, illiteracy, bondage (slavery) and hard labour. It was firmly believed that industrialization and science & technology would usher in an era of peace, prosperity and liberty. Because of modern machines and gadgets, it was presumed that every man would enjoy more leisure and wealth, leading to a realization of his true potential. But the two World Wars demonstrated to the world the human failure on moral, economic and political fronts leading to an overall disillusionment of mankind. The savants blamed the destruction of civilization on misuse of scientific knowledge, on imperialism and on religious intolerance. Some people blamed it on capitalism, flawed education system, excessive nationalism and on a society divided on religious lines. There is a universal consensus that the western civilization is on the decline and its fall is inevitable. The enlightened intellectuals opine that this grave situation calls for a new world order and it must be founded on sound principles of ideology and philosophy, otherwise the destruction of mankind is inevitable and unavoidable.