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***THE SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLER*** In the eighteenth
century, India's share of the world economy was as large as
Europe's. By 1947, after two centuries of British rule, it had
decreased six-fold. Beyond conquest and deception, the Empire blew
rebels from cannon, massacred unarmed protesters, entrenched
institutionalised racism, and caused millions to die from
starvation. British imperialism justified itself as enlightened
despotism for the benefit of the governed, but Shashi Tharoor takes
on and demolishes this position, demonstrating how every supposed
imperial 'gift' from the railways to the rule of law was designed
in Britain's interests alone. He goes on to show how Britain's
Industrial Revolution was founded on India s deindustrialisation,
and the destruction of its textile industry. In this bold and
incisive reassessment of colonialism, Tharoor exposes to
devastating effect the inglorious reality of Britain's stained
Indian legacy.
There are over a billion Indians alive today. But are some more
Indian than others? To answer this question, one that is central to
the identity of all who belong to modern India, Shashi Tharoor
explores hotly contested ideas of nationalism, patriotism,
citizenship and belonging. A contest has emerged between two
opposing ideas of India: ethno-religious nationalism, versus civic
nationalism. The struggle for India's soul has heightened, deepened
and broadened, threatening to hollow out and destroy the remarkable
concepts of pluralism, secularism and inclusive nationhood that
were bestowed upon the nation at Independence. The Constitution is
under siege; institutions are being undermined; mythical pasts
propagated; universities assailed; minorities demonised, and worse.
Every passing month sees new attacks on the ideals that India has
long been admired for, as authoritarian leaders and their
supporters push the country towards a state of illiberalism and
intolerance. If they succeed, millions will be stripped of their
identity, and bogus theories of Indianness will take root in the
soil of the subcontinent. However, all is not yet lost. This
erudite and lucid book shows what needs to be done to win the
battle of belonging - to strengthen everything that is unique and
valuable about India. 'A passionate defence of civic nationalism,
it is many books rolled into one, full of erudition interspersed
with anecdote. You find the raconteur and the public intellectual
vying with each other for attention...but in the final analysis the
book hangs together and the message is clear.' - The Hindu
'Arguably Shashi Tharoor's most ambitious work yet... a book that
showcases the power of his erudition and perspicacity.' - The Wire
'A passionate plea for an ideal of India, an India taken for
granted by generations and now seemingly endangered by overt and
covert ideas and ideologies that seek to segment it on imagined
criteria of "us" and "them".' -- Mohammad Hamid Ansari, former
Vice-President of India 'A must-read for the sheer brilliance of
Tharoor as a writer and for the personal anecdotes and stories he
has up his sleeve.' -- The Daily Guardian, India
Dissects how competing, increasingly strident visions of India will
shape its destiny for decades to come. Over a billion Indians are
alive today. But are some more Indian than others? To answer this
question, central to the identity of all who belong to modern
India, Shashi Tharoor explores hotly contested notions of
nationalism, patriotism, citizenship and belonging. Two opposing
ideas of India have emerged: ethno-religious nationalism, versus
civic nationalism. This struggle for India's soul now threatens to
hollow out and destroy the remarkable concepts bestowed upon the
nation at Independence: pluralism, secularism, inclusive
nationhood. The Constitution is under siege; institutions are being
undermined; mythical pasts propagated; universities assailed;
minorities demonised, and worse. Tharoor shows how these new
attacks threaten the ideals India has long been admired for, as
authoritarian leaders and their supporters push the country towards
illiberalism and intolerance. If they succeed, millions will be
stripped of their identity, and bogus theories of Indianness will
take root in the soil of the subcontinent. However, all is not yet
lost. This erudite, lucid book, taking a long view of India's
existential crisis, shows what needs to be done to save everything
that is unique and valuable about India.
Hinduism is one of the world's oldest and greatest religious
traditions. In captivating prose, Shashi Tharoor untangles its
origins, its key philosophical concepts and texts. He explores
everyday Hindu beliefs and practices, from worship to pilgrimage to
caste, and touchingly reflects on his personal beliefs and
relationship with the religion. Not one to shy from controversy,
Tharoor is unsparing in his criticism of 'Hindutva', an extremist,
nationalist Hinduism endorsed by India's current government. He
argues urgently and persuasively that it is precisely because of
Hinduism's rich diversity that India has survived and thrived as a
plural, secular nation. If narrow fundamentalism wins out, Indian
democracy itself is in peril.
The Sunday Times Top 10 bestseller on India's experience of British
colonialism, by the internationally-acclaimed author and diplomat
Shashi Tharoor 'Tharoor's impassioned polemic slices straight to
the heart of the darkness that drives all empires ... laying bare
the grim, and high, cost of the British Empire for its former
subjects. An essential read' Financial Times In the eighteenth
century, India's share of the world economy was as large as
Europe's. By 1947, after two centuries of British rule, it had
decreased six-fold. The Empire blew rebels from cannon, massacred
unarmed protesters, entrenched institutionalised racism, and caused
millions to die from starvation. British imperialism justified
itself as enlightened despotism for the benefit of the governed,
but Shashi Tharoor takes demolishes this position, demonstrating
how every supposed imperial 'gift' - from the railways to the rule
of law - was designed in Britain's interests alone. He goes on to
show how Britain's Industrial Revolution was founded on India's
deindustrialisation, and the destruction of its textile industry.
In this bold and incisive reassessment of colonialism, Tharoor
exposes to devastating effect the inglorious reality of Britain's
stained Indian legacy.
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The Green Warrior (Paperback)
Voices of Future Generations; Illustrated by Eman Salem; Foreword by Shashi Tharoor
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R372
Discovery Miles 3 720
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Ships in 10 - 15 working days
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Hinduism is one of the world's oldest and greatest religious
traditions. In captivating prose, Shashi Tharoor untangles its
origins, its key philosophical concepts and texts. He explores
everyday Hindu beliefs and practices, from worship to pilgrimage to
caste, and touchingly reflects on his personal beliefs and
relationship with the religion. Not one to shy from controversy,
Tharoor is unsparing in his criticism of 'Hindutva', an extremist,
nationalist Hinduism endorsed by India's current government. He
argues urgently and persuasively that it is precisely because of
Hinduism's rich diversity that India has survived and thrived as a
plural, secular nation. If narrow fundamentalism wins out, Indian
democracy itself is in peril.
A Monsoon Feast comprises seven short stories by renowned writers
from Kerala (India) and Singapore that provide deep insights on the
various concerns and ways of life of both communities. The
collection includes stories by well-known author Shashi Tharoor,
Commonwealth Writers' Prize-winning author of 12 books, including
The Great Indian Novel, and inaugural Singapore Literature Prize
winner and popular author Suchen Christine Lim. A unique literary
collaboration, A Monsoon Feast intimately connects the reader to
the heart of two similar and yet different cultures. Across the
seas, the winds blow between two lands, whispering back and forth
what is seen, heard, tasted, smelt, felt in each place: the green
trees, the tropical heat, the lush rain, the peoples of enterprise
and culture, the aromas of different flavours and more. A Monsoon
Feast is the point at which these winds intermingle, their
conversation celebrating the best of what Singapore and Kerala have
to offer.
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