Items related to Being Indian: Inside the Real India

Being Indian: Inside the Real India - Hardcover

 
9780434013913: Being Indian: Inside the Real India
View all copies of this ISBN edition:
 
 
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.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

Review:
"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)
From the Publisher:
A compelling journey through the paradoxes, myths and realities of India, by 'one of the country's most perceptive writers.' (Guardian)

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

  • PublisherWilliam Heinemann Ltd
  • Publication date2005
  • ISBN 10 0434013919
  • ISBN 13 9780434013913
  • BindingHardcover
  • Edition number1
  • Number of pages240
  • Rating

Shipping: £ 22.19
From U.S.A. to United Kingdom

Destination, rates & speeds

Add to Basket

Other Popular Editions of the Same Title

9780099486824: Being Indian Inside the Real India by Varma, Pavan K. ( Author ) ON Apr-06-2006, Paperback

Featured Edition

ISBN 10:  ISBN 13:  9780099486824
Publisher: Cornerstone, 2006
Softcover

  • 9780143033424: Being Indian

    Pengui..., 2005
    Softcover

  • 9780670057801: Being Indian: Why the Twenty-First Century Will Be India's

    Viking, 2004
    Unknown Binding

Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace

Stock Image

Varma, Pavan K.
Published by William Heinemann Ltd (2005)
ISBN 10: 0434013919 ISBN 13: 9780434013913
New Hardcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
GoldenWavesOfBooks
(Fayetteville, TX, U.S.A.)

Book Description Hardcover. Condition: new. New. Fast Shipping and good customer service. Seller Inventory # Holz_New_0434013919

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
£ 45.68
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: £ 22.19
From U.S.A. to United Kingdom
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Varma, Pavan K.
Published by William Heinemann Ltd (2005)
ISBN 10: 0434013919 ISBN 13: 9780434013913
New Hardcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
GoldBooks
(Austin, TX, U.S.A.)

Book Description Hardcover. Condition: new. New Copy. Customer Service Guaranteed. Seller Inventory # think0434013919

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
£ 48.12
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: £ 24.57
From U.S.A. to United Kingdom
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Varma, Pavan K.
Published by Gardners Books (2005)
ISBN 10: 0434013919 ISBN 13: 9780434013913
New Hardcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
Front Cover Books
(Denver, CO, U.S.A.)

Book Description Condition: new. Seller Inventory # FrontCover0434013919

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
£ 49.47
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: £ 24.17
From U.S.A. to United Kingdom
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Varma, Pavan K.
Published by William Heinemann Ltd (2005)
ISBN 10: 0434013919 ISBN 13: 9780434013913
New Hardcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
Wizard Books
(Long Beach, CA, U.S.A.)

Book Description Hardcover. Condition: new. New. Seller Inventory # Wizard0434013919

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
£ 55.94
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: £ 24.17
From U.S.A. to United Kingdom
Destination, rates & speeds