India, June 8 -- The 1851 novel by one of the best English novelists of all time, Charles Dickens, levelling a poignant critique of industrialisation and utilitarianism in England, attempted to present the dehumanising effects of straight-jacketed education, a directionless economy, and unbridled moral policing of his time. Is our time, the so-called 'acche din,' nowhere in sight, in any way different from what Dickens describes in his novel? For those who are used to only a series of 'bure din', there is bad news; the silver lining in the darkest clouds appears to be just a mirage, playing hide-and-seek with not only our consciences, but also our very lives.

Look at any area in the lives of the aam aadmi - be it educational, career ori...