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moderndaytomsawyer's review against another edition
5.0
Chapters on Rabindranath Tagore and Satyajit Ray were the takeaways from this book. Tagore opposition to nationalism and difference of opinion with Gandhi; Lokayata & Caravaka sects in Hinduism; Akbar tolerant view of different religions and many more instances illustrates the argumentative tradition of Indian civilization.
marcymurli's review against another edition
2.0
I read this because it was recommended to me by so many people I respect. But I must say, I'm left rather unimpressed. The volume of essays is not at all cohesive. And most of the information conveyed is not particularly revelatory. I also take issue with Sen's tendency to pander to the British, downplaying even their role in engineering famines in Bengal. Deeply disappointing read.
sidharthvardhan's review against another edition
4.0
a must read if you want to have an opinion on indian politics
moonlight_sonata333's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
alok_pandey's review against another edition
3.0
This is a very engaging collection of essays and lectures that Prof. Sen delivered on various occasions.
Assimilating a wide range of subjects including history, philosophy, religion and politics, I consistently experienced a certain level of coherence in Sen's thoughts. He unambiguously advocates for promotion and propagation of a liberal thought-process that focusses more on celebrating what we are and what we have, than lamenting on what we could've been or didn't.
You can feel the presence of Gandhi, Tagore, Ashok and Akbar, whom Sen conspicuously admires and looks up to, almost throughout all the essays - I wouldn't hesitate from calling them the primary protagonists of this book.
He has argued(what else can one expect in a book with a title like that, right!!) eloquently against the rising trend of intolerance and deliberate attempts of revisionism of Indian history. One particular political outfit seems to draw his ire particularly. His recent dismissal/stepping-down and his subsequent criticism of the incumbent government(being led by the same people) surely makes you think if that was a payback!!
Except for the chapter on Indian calendars, I sailed smoothly through the manuscript. It's not that I didn't try, but I couldn't. Probably I am not a 'calendar-person' after-all. sigh
Assimilating a wide range of subjects including history, philosophy, religion and politics, I consistently experienced a certain level of coherence in Sen's thoughts. He unambiguously advocates for promotion and propagation of a liberal thought-process that focusses more on celebrating what we are and what we have, than lamenting on what we could've been or didn't.
You can feel the presence of Gandhi, Tagore, Ashok and Akbar, whom Sen conspicuously admires and looks up to, almost throughout all the essays - I wouldn't hesitate from calling them the primary protagonists of this book.
He has argued(what else can one expect in a book with a title like that, right!!) eloquently against the rising trend of intolerance and deliberate attempts of revisionism of Indian history. One particular political outfit seems to draw his ire particularly. His recent dismissal/stepping-down and his subsequent criticism of the incumbent government(being led by the same people) surely makes you think if that was a payback!!
Except for the chapter on Indian calendars, I sailed smoothly through the manuscript. It's not that I didn't try, but I couldn't. Probably I am not a 'calendar-person' after-all. sigh
sbhatnag's review against another edition
5.0
Amartya Sen may not be the greatest public speaker, but he clearly demonstrates his incredible breadth and depth of knowledge about India, its history, discourse, pluralism, perception, and economics in these series of essays. I was pleasantly surprised that although he was discussing some highly complex topics and debates, his language and writing style made them digestable (although I did have to read a bit slower for it all to sink in). A must read for anyone who wants a greater understanding and appreciation of the Subcontinent. (I would also highly recommend it as a must read for all the Indian and/or Hindu nationalists out there.... may set straight a bit of their revisionist history. ;))