These six books span 3,000 years of a wonderfully bewildering country
India celebrates the 75th anniversary of its independence from the British. Yet while the Indian republic may be young, Indian civilisation is thousands of years old. And it is among the most diverse in the world. India’s 1.4bn people speak nearly two dozen official languages , worship every major religion and many smaller ones, and eat a huge variety of local cuisines .
is one of Hinduism’s two great epics. At its heart, it is the story of a familial struggle over the throne. The Kauravas are the 100 sons of the blind king Dhritarashtra. Their cousins, the Pandavas, are a set of five brothers. The story concludes with the battle of Kurukshetra, with one family emerging victorious.
It is not uncommon to encounter, among a certain class of English gentleman, the notion that, on balance, India did not do so badly from British rule. Not only were Indians spared the horrors of French or Spanish—or, worse, Belgian—colonisation. But the British built the railways, the postal system and the administrative infrastructure of the country. They left behind the gifts of parliamentary democracy and the English language.
Bharatiya Janata Party is leading India, it is crucial to first appreciate the legacy that it is rejecting. If you read only one book from this list, make it Mr Guha’s.Penguin Random House; 288 pages; £9.99 and $15.99Penguin Random House; 416 pages; £9.99 and $17 Mumbai is in many ways unlike the rest of India: it is far richer, less caste-bound and a lot more easy-going. Yet it is also all of India in a single place. As the country’s commercial capital, it has long attracted migrants from all over the country. Most of India’s communities, languages and cuisines are represented here, if not all of its pathologies.
Belgique Dernières Nouvelles, Belgique Actualités
Similar News:Vous pouvez également lire des articles d'actualité similaires à celui-ci que nous avons collectés auprès d'autres sources d'information.
India schedules first crewed space mission for Q4, 2024Two test missions fly first, before Gaganyaan makes India just the fourth nation to put people into orbit
Lire la suite »
India Begins to Randomly Test International Visitors for COVID-19India has begun randomly testing international passengers arriving at its airports for COVID-19, the country’s health minister said Thursday, citing an increase in cases in neighboring China.
Lire la suite »
India’s Oil And Gas Demand Could Disappoint In 2023 | OilPrice.comIndia is a key driver of global oil and gas demand, but a change in trade flows due to monetary policy could hurt its demand in 2023
Lire la suite »
Climax Books’ 2022 Christmas Gift GuideAhead of Christmas, Isabella Burley talks us through some of the most covetable items from her online shop Climax Books – from a Heaven by Marc Jacobs T-shirt to a monograph of Somaya Critchlow’s darkly tender paintings
Lire la suite »
The big non-fiction books for the next 12 monthsMust-read books that cover everything from food and self-healing to love, sex and activism – here are the biggest non-fiction works coming your way in 2023.
Lire la suite »