Being Indian: Inside the Real India
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Trade In this Item for up to £0.25
Trade in Being Indian: Inside the Real India for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £0.25, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Plus, get an extra £5 when you trade in books worth £10 or more until June 30, 2012. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Find more products eligible for trade-in.
|
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
"* 'Pavan Varma is one of India's most admired and widely-read writers of non-fiction, and in Being Indian he has excelled himself. The book is a brilliant exercise in mythocide. Varma shows how India's self-image has been distorted by simplistic myth-making, and sets out to find instead what it really means to be Indian at the beginning of a new century which is likely to see India grow into a major world power.' William Dairymple * 'A well-researched and urgent inquiry that is informed as much by allusions to Hindu mythological texts as it is by a knowledge of current affairs and popular culture.' New Statesman * 'A stimulating and readable polemic' Sunday Times * 'Elegantly written... Being Indian is one of the most subtle recent attempts to analyze the continent-sized mosaic of India' The Economist"
Book Description
A compelling journey through the paradoxes, myths and realities of India, by 'one of the country's most perceptive writers.' (Guardian)
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
32 of 32 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a great book for people who want to try and capture some of the Indian psyche, and understand where India is going in the next century. I guess, to understand that, you need to know the context. That's what Pavan Varma tries, successfully, to do. He touches on the desire to create a better life and the focus on wealth being huge motivating factors for most Indians. The issues of language, politics, religion and family are also discussed at length. The mix of modernity and tradition is one that most Indians sit at ease with. Indians can embrace new technologies, but yet, cling to marrying within their caste and, in some cases, having a dowry. Social India is highly conservative still.
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I won't shy away from the fact that this is not an easy read but it is worth investing time in it. I recently moved to India and have spent the last 5 months experiencing and being puzzled and frustrated by the mass of contradictions that there are within the country. Reading this book has been a revelation - its not answered all the questions, but many things, in particular the persuit of power, have suddenly explained the actions of so many around me. Can't recommend it enough.
25 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is the first book which ( I have read or found easy enough to read)attempts to examine /explain the cultural and philosophical underpinnings of Modern India and its recent economic success. Especially insightful is the explanation for the success and surival of democracy - the fact that it was seen by the masses as a way to get a step onto the POWER ladder ( power being one of the prime aims /drivers of the Indian polity/culture, according to the book ) i.e a means to an end. It is aptly summed up by the author when he writes " India has a democractic process, but we dont have a democractic temperament". All in all , a great read with several great insights!!
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Not an easy read!
This book is very difficult to read. Has some good facts and interesting in parts but the language used is very complex.
Published 7 months ago by abhishek.d77
An interesting and engaging read
I bought this book based on previous reviews and wasn't disappointed. I've travelled to India many times and the more time I spend there I realise just how complex and paradoxical... Read more
Published 15 months ago by CatDee
What an insight!
Wow! I bought this book for my husband and ended up reading it after him - he's Indian and he really rates it. It gave me a real insight into Indians and the Indian psyche. Read more
Published 16 months ago by B. A. Patel
Cultural bridges
When I read this book I had already been to India three times and I am sure I enjoyed the book more as a result. Read more
Published on 10 May 2010 by Bm Willcox
Good account of and Indian's view of the world and the reason for that...
Very good account of what it is that Indian's seek (power and wealth) and why (to rise above the rut and be recognised by all) yet Indians have an underpinning ground up value... Read more
Published on 15 April 2010 by Vikram Bhalla
An absorbing book
A very incisive, interesting and compelling book on modern India, its inhabitants and their generalised characteristics, helping to dispel or reorient some of the mysticisms that... Read more
Published on 1 April 2008 by D.N.Wijewardane
A useful introduction
This is an easily readable book (not too long or academic) that attempts to give insight into what first appears to be a baffling and complex country. Read more
Published on 11 Sep 2007 by Robert Stephenson
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
