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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. ;))
kira28's review against another edition
The book is a couple of decades old so a lot of the information in it is old. This is a book that would've benefitted me maybr a decade or more ago when i had half formed ideas about a lot of the things and might have needed books like this to get a better understanding but now it just feels like an echo chamber where i'm just going "yes", "exactly" while reading. I do not think i am learning anything new or different from what i already know or believe. I atleast want my non fiction reads to awaken a desire in me to read more books to get more knowledge. This is not a criticism of the book. This is an important book and it is a book that should be read by people eho might actually benefit from these ideas that they might not have come across before. And who knows, I might pick it up again when i am in a better mood.
viveknshah's review against another edition
3.0
This is not for light reading! My first mistake hence took me a while to get into the right mode to digest this verbose curation of Sen's thoughts on things Indian. Some resonate in today's Indian debate on secularism, tolerance, nationalism ... topics he touches in his journey. This is for those who have a heavy academic interest into the notion of India and want different perspectives as they go through their research. Sen puts down a lot of points in a very logical viewpoint with supporting facts before he colors his opinion on it, some I may agree, some I remain indifferent, some I disagree.
My plus was the breadth he tried reaching via this book to define India across the non mainstream metrics we usually get bombarded with.
My plus was the breadth he tried reaching via this book to define India across the non mainstream metrics we usually get bombarded with.
ashnar's review against another edition
5.0
This is a thought-provoking perspective on Indian history that refutes both Western Orientalist and Hindu Nationalist readings of the Subcontinent. The essays are especially relevant now amid the ascendancy of Hindu Nationalist ideology in India and give Indians a historical and cultural platform from which to defend secularism and diversity.
rohinipk's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
5.0