In the 21st century every sixth human being will be Indian. India is very close to becoming the second largest consumer market in the world, with a buying middle class numbering over half a billion. The Indian economy is already the fourth largest in terms of purchasing power parity. It is in the top ten in overall GNP. Yet at least 200 million Indians remain desperately poor. Illiteracy rates are high. Communal violence is widespread; corruption endemic. Brides are still tortured and burnt for dowries; female infanticide is common. The caste system has lost little of its power and none of its brutality How are we to make sense of these apparently contradictory pictures of India today? And how can we overcome the many misconceptions about India that are fed by western stereotypes and Indians' own myths about themselves. Pavan Varma turns a sharply observant gaze on his fellow countrymen to examine what really makes Indians tick. How, for example, does the indifference of most middle-class Indians to the suffering of the poor square with their enthusiasm for parliamentary democracy? How can a people who so supported Mahatma Gandhi's strategy of non-violence during the struggle for independence burn young brides for their dowries and beat domestic servants to near-death? Why do Indians have a reputation for being spiritual and 'other-wordly' when their traditions so exalt the pursuit of material well-being as a principal goal of life? Drawing on sources as diverse as ancient Sanskrit treatises and Bollywood lyrics, Pavan Varma creates a vivid and compelling portrait of India and its people. Being Indian is an essential book for anyone who wishes to understand Indians, and for Indians who wish to understand themselves.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Pavan Varma is one of India's most admired and widely-read writers of non-fiction, and in Being Indian he has excelled himself . . . Brilliant . . . 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 (William Dalrymple )
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 ) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
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 ) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
Book Description
A compelling journey through the paradoxes, myths and realities of India, by 'one of the country's most perceptive writers.' (Guardian)
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
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33 of 33 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
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.
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
By julie
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.
26 of 27 people found the following review helpful
By A. Gupta
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!!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Valuable Insight
India is a vast and complicated subject and we would make a big mistake in thinking that Indians are people "just like us". Read more
Published 19 days ago by Wusstogo
5.0 out of 5 stars
A pleasure to read
Excellent and insightful book. Charmingly and well written by someone who knows his subject. Yes. Yes. Yes. Why Why Why?
Published 1 month ago by Michael Orton-Jones
1.0 out of 5 stars
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 19 months ago by abhishek.d77
5.0 out of 5 stars
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 on 2 Mar 2011 by CatDee
5.0 out of 5 stars
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 on 12 Jan 2011 by B. A. Patel
4.0 out of 5 stars
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
3.0 out of 5 stars
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
5.0 out of 5 stars
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
4.0 out of 5 stars
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
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