What does it mean to be ‘Indian’

-        S N Balagangadhara & Sarika Rao

-        Review by Madhavi Kunte

This book deals with what it means to be an Indian in a true sense. According to the author, what we see and experience today is far removed from the actual concept of a true Indian. This disparity or shift in focus and understanding is the result of the two colonisations (Islamic and British), that India as a country and a culture had to undergo. Hence, there has been a paradigm shift in ideologies due to the two colonisations and the gap between the real and perceived notions of being an Indian is vast.

The author believes that there is a disconnect with experience and lack of self-realisation on the part of Indians as a culture. It is interesting to note when the author argues that Indians living in India too lack understanding of their own culture. Hence, they try to look at it from the point of view of westerners who have tried to study Indian culture and hence, the true meaning gets lost in vague translations.

The author tries to derive from his experiences and presents his thoughts and inferences based on his extensive research on the topic. Throughout the course of the book, he continues his monologue focusing on the religious practices followed by Indians and tries to build his case on hypothetical case scenarios. The reader looks at the religion through the author’s point of view which most of the times comes across as a subjective analysis of the cultural practices.

Looking at the title, I felt that it was about how the western world perceives an Indian and what it should understand more about the culture. But it turns out, that the author strongly believes that something is lacking with the new age Indians and tries to highlight their shortcomings. Though a bit repetitive, he raises a lot of thought-provoking questions and accepts that he himself doesn’t have the satisfactory answers.

My expectations were a little different when I picked up this title but it might resonate well with another reader, so pick it up only if you are ready to do some soul-searching and introspection because this book upsets and unsettles an “Indian” on many counts.


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