I started this blog in 2003. Idea was & is to post my thoughts on the books that I read. At least they will serve as log for myself. Hopefully someone might even find these useful, but one shouldn't be too optimistic.
Anyway, since 2003 have been regular posting about books that I read. Punctually one post every two years :) Okay, last time I missed, so this is first review in 4 years, I will make up by posting twice this year.
Got this book from my friend Twan. He and others of our colleagues from Cognizant and Ordina are using this book as part of orientation program and to know India more.
Caution All such books, which try to condense a vast subject in few hundred pages, pose grave risk of overgeneralizing.
I think the problem in such cases is not with a book, which is only trying to make subject matter easier to understand. Something like ignoring small anthills and ponds when making high-level map of a territory . Its for the reader to take the information as a guideline and keep away from stereotyping. Specially, when a book is about people (some particular race, country, religion, organization, occupation), one has to be doubly careful. I don't think all canadian wear those beaver hats :) Anyway, I should get to the book.
High level info
- Author: Nicci Grihault- travel writer and journalist
- Publication: Bravo Ltd, 'Culture Smart!' is their trademark
- General aim of the book: Explain India to a foreign visitor. She sets the scope of the book at the very beginning- its a companion to conventional travel guide and will not tell reader what time a train departs. Soon I learnt that she knows quite enough about India to suppose that ANYONE will be able to tell when a train would depart.
- Other details at Amazon
- My overall view on the book- Good book with nice insights and other useful information in so few pages. Despite Wikipedia there are certain aspects of life of a country which only an experienced traveler and journalist can tell. Don't take the book as analysis of India or even a tourist guide. Its just explaination (very good at that) of various aspects of India that a foreign (more accruately Western) traveller is expected to come across.
First thing one notices in all such international publications is how the map of India has been depicted. This books shows complete Kashmir as part of India. Truth prevails!! :)
Mostly the book is very very to the point and still manages to give enough information. Starts with a short introduction to various facts like population, area, climate etc. followed by history. Starting Indus Valley Civilization, she describes our history in favourable and positive light.
Perhaps there was some word limit on history section. So she concludes that Clive's battles were result of instigation from Indian rulers and not Company's imperial trade practices and its officers' greedy activities! Anyway, the 'Blackhole of Calcutta' and 'The Mutiny' are two things which have shaped West's view of India for last two centuries, one can't find fault with this book for not digging more deeply into this.
Not putting too much energy into details of Indian political flash points, she simply (and rightly I think) advises a foreign reader to avoid travelling to India during election times and talking about Kashmir.
The main thing she describes as basis of India psche is belief in Karma. And with that the faith that what goes around, comes around. So there is no hurry for an Indian, as compared to 'Carpe diem' mentality of a Westerner. Plus the usual things you know- collectivist culture, respect for traditions and elders, not for time. (No wonder The Guardian is best selling paper in India, while Time is running in loss).
Then there is concept of Izzat- saving face, that determines how an Indian will behave in certain condition. It means that saying No for an Indian is difficult from his own dignity perspective and also for him its a rather rude way to treat another person. So when an Indian says 'we will see' or 'I will try', more often than not its a way of saying 'No'- 'Politeness, praise and respect are important and , eager not to cause offense, people generally 'edit' their thoughts' . I think this is the single biggest learning that an Indian and a non- Indian can have to improve their relationship. Indian should learn to say No, while a foreigner should try to assure and try to get accurate response from Indians.
Earlier, when they had to show India, they would put Taj Mahal on front page and a snake charmer on the back. Then there was wish to get into the details and then almost all the books started talking about 'Indian head wiggling' (so much that this specific habit has become a 'behavioural cliche' among foreign diplomats in India). This book gives a fine balance between the two extremes- the
usual 'Indian cribs' that you would find in usual books (lack of respect for time, corruption, red tape, slowness, crowd, dirt and heat) are also there, and in fact there without much mincing on words without worrying if this is going to bias a first time visitor to India But somehow the tone and the content is mature enough to indicate this is not all that is there.Thankfully I have got opportunity to see the world outside of India and to observe Indians out of India. And I have come to observed differences between Indian and Western society but with understanding that these are not innate differences. These are just simple behavioural problems that perhaps most of us have, but they are not exclusive to us and that along with these we some other good qualities that non-Indians dont have.
Amazingly she gets into basic details of the Hindu religion, telling about its real name 'Sanatan Dharma' which even a lot of Hindus don't know. She describes how Bramhanism is different from (or rather is a aspect of it) Hinduism and that Bramhan must not be confused with Bramhin or Brahma. She informs that the walk around mandirs is done in clockwise direction.
She then tells about the 5 pillars of Islam (Shahad, Salat, Zakat, Sawm and Hajj), 4 stages of personal development in Sikhism (Manmukh, Sikh, Khalsa, Gurumukh), 4 objectives of Hindu life (Dharm, Arth, Kaam, Moksha) etc.
When she describes the festive year in India, at first I just read them as a normal occurance in our daily life. And then later in the book she talks about various life-cycle rituals. I knew that these are just a selection and actually there are so many more smaller or local festivals which are not mentioend. I don't know how ever we get time to do anything else!
While talking about crowded life, she makes very good observations- there is no 'needing my space' problem for Indians (now getting changed for new generation) and there is no word for 'privacy' in Indian languages.
There are so many more rather detailed observations of India life such as taking left hand as inauspicious and dirty hand or Tuesday as HanumanJi's day or Najar- evil eye, wife doesn't take husband's name etc.
She talks of India tendency to first establishing relation and then getting on to business. As part of this relationship building, Indians would volunteer information and enquire about rather private matters like religion, occupation, salary, marrital status etc. Indeed true. One thing she could have added was that for Indians there is not much of difference between various 'religions' in West- to us they are all Christians.
While she is appreciative of all good things that she could observe, while describing the negatives she doesn't mince words. Its for sure that million colors in India dresses and so many sounds in day-to-day India life would shock a first time visitor. When you talk to them, the most they come to expressing their disapproval is- 'interesting'. Nicci's verdict is very short and clear- 'cacophony of senses'. Later she explains- Its as much a mistake to confuse asceticism with aestheticism as it is to confuse estheticis with morality.
At the start, she describes things like tolerance for Caste based discrimination and other bad aspects of Indian life with bit diffidence; as if slowly leading the reader into Indian streets careful not to bias him too much against its social life. Towards the middle she describes such things with strongest language and by the end gets into sarcastic fun- regarding eating paan, 'the correct protocol for is to spit out the juice to add to the other orange stains spattering the street'.
Inacuracies There are certain parts of the book don't seem correct (not sure if this is prblem of book's accuracy or my lack of knowledge/ understanding/ bias towards my country). So don't read this section as confident statement of inaccuracies in the book, but as points which I didn't agree with.
Some famous Indians: 6 of them made to the list. Among Gandhi, Budhdha, Nehru and Tagore, one finds Jiddu Krishnamurthi (I myself had to Google his name) and B.K.S. Iyengar!! There is more to India than Mysticism and Yoga I guess.
Further down, there is mention of 'pragmatism' of Indian 'honesty is not a major value'. Feels bad, but looking at the level of corruption, adulterated stuff in market and normal tendency to fleece unknowing customer (e.g. by autowalas) there is not much to defend.
Among the airlines, there are no private airlines in India. double-checked, trust me the book was not published in 80s still Vayudoot is mentioned as major airline of India.
Apart from Cricket, Tennis is 'extremely popular' in India! If that's not enough, Polo is traditional game of Delhi!! I think
One thing that I hated in the book
When not 'hated' but strongly disagreed with. Its true that we would laugh if someone slips on a banana skin (till now I had assumed this was universal, only after reading the book I got to know this is Indian way). But I won't agree that Indian humor is lacking in subtlety and we enjoy slapstick humor. Appreciation of sardonic or 'dark' humor, she says is not much in India- I feel is same with the rest of the world. One related thing, which is also universal- intolerance towards puns. That's one discrimination we all pun-lovers (punster is the word) are fighting against.
All in all A nice book. Does warn a potential visitor to India about the contrasts and contradictions that he is about to witness and then tries to explain them as much as possible. While she takes strong stance against things like Caste based discrimination, for other matters she takes narative and explanatory tone rather than judgemental view. I think will definitely help a Westerner understad us better, even for an Indian its good book to understand how we appear from their eyes. For either type of readers, would be good to guard against stereotype, of course.
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