Dev Nath Pathak’s book titled In Defence of the Ordinary: Everyday Awakenings (published by Bloomsbury in 2021) presents a compelling exploration of the importance of ordinary aesthetics of life. Written in an engaging style, Pathak effectively expounds upon the ‘ordinariness in the context of life and lived experience in the mode of ordinary ruminations’ (p.13). The core premise of the book centres on how rationalization, bureaucratization, competition, power dynamics, and individual exceptionalism have dominated the ordinary aesthetics of life. The book does not present a complex theoretical reflection on the nature of ordinariness; rather, it is a sincere attempt by the author, trying to reconstruct the normal ways of seeing and understanding ordinariness. Thematically, divided into five broad sections, each chapter ‘indulges in a reasoned defence of ordinariness at various moments in life’ (p.4) and invites the readers ‘to disturb set norms, value orientation and predominant practices’ (p. xviii).

The author begins by discussing how culture has dominantly shaped ordinariness. The discussion further elaborates upon the topic by utilizing an example of a school child grappling with the notion that his/her inability to perform difficult tasks with the same degree of proficiency as their peers renders them inferior and ordinary feelings. The purpose of the author, for instance, is to illuminate the importance of embracing one’s individuality or ordinary capabilities, rather than arduously conforming to societal expectations. Fascinatingly, these instances of ordinariness are not restricted solely to the confines of school settings; but they can also extend their presence into the “realms of art, fiction, popular narratives, personal encounters and experiences” (p.5). The author examines how individuals may inadvertently identify themselves within these diverse realms that “unwittingly present the defence of ordinariness” (p.5). The most thought-provoking examination of the discourse is presented in Chapters (3-4), where the author attempts to highlight two opposing dilemmas; which shows that appreciating the beauty of ordinary emotions can bring joy in life, yet simultaneously, such joy of ordinary emotions may be hindered due to the emphasize on extraordinary pursuits, to adjust with the societal or cultural norms.

The author also uses an example of a parent-child relationship to emphasize how small things in parenthood can bring joy to life, such as pretending to be ‘a monkey because the baby liked monkey business. Recall the song of which you knew only the first line and yet you sang by adding your own words of woe and wisdom. Those songs made the baby experience the comfort and compassion in your parenting’ (p.33). Yet, regrettably, these ordinary pleasures are often overlooked in favour of more service-oriented approaches to parenting, which the author believes has eroded the ordinary beauty of the child-parent relationship. The author critically argues that ‘the failure to live in the ordinariness of relationships is owed to the capacity to purchase and consume services’ (p. 32). Very interestingly, the author explores how popular narratives can also influence and control ordinary emotions. Utilizing the popular narrative ‘Boys Don’t Cry’, as an example, the author emphasizes how boys are taught to hide their ordinary emotions, such as crying, and instead prioritize extraordinary pursuits like strength and masculinity. The author’s point is that everyone has a natural inclination to express ordinary emotions, but societal and cultural expectations often prevent people from doing so. These expectations can cause individuals to ignore their true selves to conform to certain norms, leading to the disregard of their ordinary emotions. In Chapter 10, the author highlights how the importance of ordinary aspects in educational settings has often been ignored. The author questions ‘Would the business of extraordinary educational vision give way to this ordinariness of education’ (p. 109). Utilizing this business education model as an example, the author highlights the importance of embracing ordinary aspects within a teacher-student relationship, such as emotional and intellectual bonding. Rather than solely focusing on putting pressure on teachers for extraordinary achievements of students like top grades or desiring to get 99% scores in exams, the author tries to argue that paying attention to the ordinary aspects of a teacher-student relationship can lead to a deeper and more meaningful learning experience.

Chapter 13, 14, and 15, of the book delves deeper into the discourse of language and religion, exploring how the ordinary aesthetics of both have been overlooked due to rigid religiosity and politics of language. The author critically examines how the ordinary charm of animals, too, has been ignored within this discourse. Chapter 13, specifically discusses how the charm of divinity and ideal worship has been eroded by the rigidity of bureaucratic arrangements within religious settings. Chapter 14, discusses Gandhi’s pragmatic approach to safeguarding the ordinariness of cows. The chapter elucidates how the everyday ordinary contributions of cows have been disregarded by reducing them to a mere symbol of worship within religious frameworks. Similarly, in chapter 21, the author insightfully discusses how ‘the ordinary charm of languages connecting ‘one with another’ was replaced by a power relation of language characterized by relation of ‘one with other’ (p.202).

Utilizing a series of examples, the author tries to articulate the ‘ordinary struggles against the regimes of oppression’ (p. xxi). These examples are carefully examined and critically reflected upon, making the book an interesting read. In my opinion, appreciating ordinary aspects of life is of utmost importance. Despite our inclination to situate ourselves within this extraordinary discourse, the ordinary pleasures of life ought not to be disregarded. However, appreciating these ordinary pleasures does not constitute mediocrity; rather, it enables us to understand the true essence of living, a reality that has been curtailed by both time and circumstances. The book takes an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the subject matter, but it is not overly academic. Hence, from an academic standpoint, readers might find the book a bit unsatisfactory. For both the ‘ordinary’ and ‘everyday’ are categories that have been central in sociology.  However, the organization of the book might attract social science scholars, offering readers to identify with their own sense of ordinary struggles within the context of daily life experiences.

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Himanshu Nath has completed his MA in Sociology from Tezpur University, Assam. At present, he is actively involved in a range of independent research and writing projects.