2018年经济学人 《梦想者》书评:印度青年的美梦与噩梦(2)

 

Ms Poonam travels to small towns, largely in Hindi-speaking parts of north and central India, and repeatedly finds the same mix of aspiration¹ and anger.

普那姆女士走访小城镇，主要是在印度北部及中心的印地语区地带，屡次发现如出一辙的雄心和怒气。

At a motivational class in New Delhi, 32-year-old Shahnawaz Chaudhary, who wants to become president, explains to a paying audience that the British destroyed India.

在新德里的一堂励志课上，想成为总统的32岁的沙赫纳瓦兹·乔杜里，向一位付费观众解释说是英国摧毁了印度。

Vikas Thakur, a 29-year-old social-media warrior² for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and an aspiring³ MP, boasts about "flattening⁴ his enemies" when he was at college.

29岁的维卡斯·塔库尔是执政党印度人民党的社交媒体战士，也是一名有抱负的宪兵，吹嘘自己在大学的时候就“消灭了敌人”。

Arjun Kumar, 19, carries around an iron rod on Valentine's Day in the hope of finding Hindu Muslim couples to intimidate⁵.

19岁的阿尔琼·库马尔，在情人节随身携带一根铁棒，以此恐吓印度教穆斯林情侣们。

Sachin Ahuja, 26, leads a gang of cow protectors on midnight raids, looking for Muslims transporting cattle on northern highways.

26岁的萨钦·阿胡贾，带领一群奶牛保护者搞午夜突袭，寻找在北部高速公路上运输牛的穆斯林。

Pawan Poojary, 19, merrily duped Americans through phone-scams, partly for the sheer joy of deceiving people who "considered themselves superior to the rest of the world".

19岁的帕万·普贾里，乐不可支地通过电话诈骗美国人，部分原因竟是：欺骗那些“认为自己的国家比世界其他地方都优越”的人能带来纯粹的喜悦。

(Eventually his conscience drove him to tip off the American authorities.)

（良心最终驱使普贾里向美国当局承认了自己的所作所为。）

That these young Indians are "dreamers" is incontrovertible;

无可争议，这些年轻的印度人是“梦想家”；

the idea that they are "changing the world"—as Ms Poonam’s subtitle⁶ asserts—is more questionable⁷.

但说他们正在“改变世界”（正如普那姆书的副标题所言）可信度相对低些。

But her book offers valuable insights into the politics of identity and resentment⁸ that have gripped much of the world.

但是此书在身份政治方面，以及笼罩了世界大部分地区的怨恨情绪方面，还是提供了有价值的深刻见解。

It demonstrates, for instance, that the perfect past of nostalgia⁹ need not lie within living memory.

例如，此书表明，怀念完美历史无需依存活着的人的记忆。

Nor is that fantasy restricted to the middle-aged¹⁰.

幻想也不仅限于中年人。

Many devotees of Mr Modi want to bring back the glories of pre-colonial, pre-Islamic Hindu kingdoms from centuries before they were born.

很多莫迪的追随者想恢复他们出生以前的世纪印度教王国在殖民化和伊斯兰化之前的辉煌成就。

Greatness is a point forever receding¹¹ in the distance, and yet somehow within reach.

荣耀时刻永远消散于远处，然不知何故又触手可及。

1 aspiration   

n.志向，志趣抱负；渴望；(语)送气音；吸出

参考例句：

• Man's aspiration should be as lofty as the stars.人的志气应当象天上的星星那么高。
• Young Addison had a strong aspiration to be an inventor.年幼的爱迪生渴望成为一名发明家。

2 warrior   

n.勇士，武士，斗士

参考例句：

• The young man is a bold warrior.这个年轻人是个很英勇的武士。
• A true warrior values glory and honor above life.一个真正的勇士珍视荣誉胜过生命。

3 aspiring   

adj.有志气的；有抱负的；高耸的v.渴望；追求

参考例句：

• Aspiring musicians need hours of practice every day. 想当音乐家就要每天练许多小时。
• He came from an aspiring working-class background. 他出身于有抱负的工人阶级家庭。 来自辞典例句

4 flattening   

n. 修平 动词flatten的现在分词

参考例句：

• Flattening of the right atrial border is also seen in constrictive pericarditis. 右心房缘变平亦见于缩窄性心包炎。
• He busied his fingers with flattening the leaves of the book. 他手指忙着抚平书页。

5 intimidate   

vt.恐吓，威胁

参考例句：

• You think you can intimidate people into doing what you want?你以为你可以威胁别人做任何事？
• The first strike capacity is intended mainly to intimidate adversary.第一次攻击的武力主要是用来吓阻敌方的。

6 subtitle   

n.副题（书本中的），说明对白的字幕

参考例句：

• His new book has a subtitle.他的新书有一个副标题。
• Ah!I don't know why they don't subtitle these movies.唉！我不知道这些电影为什么不打字幕。

7 questionable   

adj.可疑的，有问题的

参考例句：

• There are still a few questionable points in the case.这个案件还有几个疑点。
• Your argument is based on a set of questionable assumptions.你的论证建立在一套有问题的假设上。

8 resentment   

n.怨愤，忿恨

参考例句：

• All her feelings of resentment just came pouring out.她一股脑儿倾吐出所有的怨恨。
• She cherished a deep resentment under the rose towards her employer.她暗中对她的雇主怀恨在心。

9 nostalgia   

n.怀乡病，留恋过去，怀旧

参考例句：

• He might be influenced by nostalgia for his happy youth.也许是对年轻时幸福时光的怀恋影响了他。
• I was filled with nostalgia by hearing my favourite old song.我听到这首喜爱的旧歌，心中充满了怀旧之情。

10 middle-aged   

adj.中年的

参考例句：

• I noticed two middle-aged passengers.我注意到两个中年乘客。
• The new skin balm was welcome by middle-aged women.这种新护肤香膏受到了中年妇女的欢迎。

11 receding   

v.逐渐远离( recede的现在分词 )；向后倾斜；自原处后退或避开别人的注视；尤指问题

参考例句：

• Desperately he struck out after the receding lights of the yacht. 游艇的灯光渐去渐远，他拼命划水追赶。 来自辞典例句
• Sounds produced by vehicles receding from us seem lower-pitched than usual. 渐渐远离我们的运载工具发出的声似乎比平常的音调低。 来自辞典例句