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Synopsis Much harm has been done to the life of the mind in modern India, and to human relation, by pusillanimous considerations, as most of us would have constantly noticed, even highly respected people assume attitudes like “I quite agree with what you say, but how can I say it openly A small, compact society like the British, where people in professions known each other so well, have been able to live together in a civilized way without concealing their disagreements, thanks to the acknowledged modes of critical behaviour “ an open society expects it. Our traditional sahrdayata can be a great guiding code of conduct and if today it is not in vogue, we need to make it common currency rather than drive, differences underground for hush-hush talk, a sign of sick minds. It is good to invoke Gandhi's salutary stand: Indians must learn to say No And this has its roots in centuries of our magnificent intellectual tradition, be it religion, philosophy or poetics, hallowed by the concept of˜neti, neti not this, not this, which implicity encouraged exploration of alternate possibilities, thus enriching the life of the mind.