Calibrating Western Philosophy for India: Rousseau, Derrida, Deleuze, Guattari, Bergson, and Vaddera Chandidas by A. Raghuramaraju, published in 2019 by Routledge India, is a groundbreaking work in comparative philosophy that proposes a novel methodology for engaging with Western philosophical ideas in the Indian context. Raghuramaraju, a professor at the Indian Institute of Technology Tirupati, challenges the colonial practice of uncritically importing Western philosophical frameworks, which he argues often prove incongruent, irrelevant, or unproductive when applied directly to India’s diverse and complex social, cultural, and historical realities. Instead, he advocates a process of “bending and reassembling” the ideas of Western philosophers—Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Jacques Derrida, Gilles Deleuze, Félix Guattari, and Henri Bergson—to make them resonate with Indian thought and society. The book also introduces the philosophy of Vaddera Chandidas, a neglected modern Indian thinker, whose concepts of non-being and negation are presented as an innovative extension of Western ideas, offering a distinctly Indian contribution to global philosophy.

Raghuramaraju begins by critiquing the colonial methodology that assumes Western philosophy’s universal applicability, often ignoring local contexts. He argues that this approach fails to address India’s unique philosophical traditions and contemporary challenges, such as its blend of pre-modern and modern elements. For instance, he reinterprets Rousseau’s ideas of freedom and the social contract, bending them to address India’s communal and hierarchical social structures, contrasting them with Gandhi’s notions of non-violence and self-rule. Similarly, Derrida’s deconstruction is reassembled to engage with Indian linguistic and cultural diversity, moving beyond its Western logocentric critique to explore non-Western discourses like those in the Upanishads. Deleuze and Guattari’s concepts of rhizomatic structures and minor literature are recalibrated to reflect India’s pluralistic social fabric, with Raghuramaraju highlighting their relevance to marginalized voices in Indian society. Bergson’s notions of duration and intuition are adapted to align with Indian metaphysical traditions, such as Advaita Vedanta, to explore temporality and consciousness in a non-Western framework.

A significant portion of the book is dedicated to Vaddera Chandidas, whose 1975 work Desire and Liberation: The Fundamentals of Cosmicontology (republished in 2018 with Raghuramaraju’s introduction) offers a radical rethinking of existence through the politics of non-being and negation. Raghuramaraju positions Chandidas as a bridge between Western and Indian philosophy, arguing that his ideas extend beyond Bergson’s and Deleuze’s frameworks by grounding them in Indian metaphysical concerns, such as those found in the Vedas and Upanishads. For example, Chandidas’s exploration of non-being resonates with Indian philosophical traditions that prioritize transcendence and liberation, offering a critique of Western ontology’s focus on permanence and presence. This comparative approach not only enriches the dialogue between philosophical traditions but also challenges the Eurocentrism of global philosophical discourse.

The book is structured to guide readers through this recalibration process, with chapters addressing each Western philosopher’s ideas, their limitations in the Indian context, and their reassembly alongside Chandidas’s contributions. Raghuramaraju draws on a wide range of references, from classical Indian texts like the Chāndogya Upanishad to modern Indian thinkers like Gandhi and Bhattacharyya, to illustrate how Western philosophy can be made relevant through creative adaptation. His methodology, inspired by Deleuze’s notion of “assemblage” and Whitehead’s idea of philosophical coupling, emphasizes dialogue and transformation over rigid application, advocating for a cross-cultural philosophy that respects local frameworks.

Calibrating Western Philosophy for India is a significant intervention in philosophical methodology, appealing to scholars of Indian philosophy, Western philosophy, comparative studies, postcolonial studies, and political philosophy. It has been praised for its innovative approach and rigorous scholarship, earning a 5.0/5 rating from limited Amazon reviews. However, its dense academic style may challenge general readers. Available in hardcover, paperback, and eBook formats, the book underscores Raghuramaraju’s broader project of fostering dialogue between Indian and Western thought, as seen in his other works like Debates in Indian Philosophy (2006) and Philosophy and India (2013). By centering Chandidas and reinterpreting Western thinkers, Raghuramaraju offers a compelling vision for a decolonized, context-sensitive philosophy that bridges global and local perspectives