Why I Am a Hindu
(Redirected from Why I Am A Hindu)
| |
| Author | Shashi Tharoor |
|---|---|
| Country | India |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Hinduism |
| Genre | Nonfiction |
| Publisher | Aleph Book Company |
Publication date | 19 January 2018 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover) |
| Pages | 320 |
| ISBN | 978-9386021106 |
| Preceded by | Inglorious Empire |
| Followed by | The Paradoxical Prime Minister |
Why I Am a Hindu is a 2018 book by Indian politician Shashi Tharoor.[1] In the book, Tharoor writes about the history of Hinduism and its core tenets,[2] as well as socio-cultural developments in India that relate to the religion, while elucidating his own religious convictions.
Tharoor intended the book to be a repudiation of Hindu nationalism, and its rise in Indian society, which relied upon an interpretation of the religion which was markedly different from the one with which he had grown up, and was familiar with. In seeking to address this concern, he wanted to position the debate as one within the Hindu faith, and therefore wrote about his own personal identification with the religion.[3]
The book is segmented into three parts. In the first part, Tharoor offers a brief history of Hinduism, and the development of his own personal faith. In the second part, he traces the rise of modern Hindu nationalism in the form of the Hindutva movement. The third part Tharoor explores the deplorable aspects of Hindutva politics trying to reclaim Hinduism for the liberals.[4][5]
Tharoor’s 2019 book The Hindu Way - An Introduction To Hinduism is a follow-up to the Why I Am a Hindu.[6]
Reception[edit]
Kancha Ilaiah writing for The Caravan, wrote a critical book review in which he questioned the theories put forth by Tharoor for praising Hinduism while being unaware of his own caste.[7] MK Raghavendra of Firstpost wrote that “books such as Shashi Tharoor’s 'Why I am a Hindu' simply take sides in the Left vs Right unproductive struggle, without adding much of intellectual value to the socio-political issues confronting India today.”[4]
Raheel Shakeel reviewed the book for Newsline, calling it “timely” which “comes at a time when India is at a crossroads”. He further wrote that “the book simplifies the many strands of Hindu thought for a general audience, and outlines the threat posed to it by the enemy within.”[8] Urmi Chanda-Vaz of Scroll called the book “a timely reminder of why Hinduism must retain its pluralism”. She further wrote that “Why I Am A Hindu is as balanced a book on religion as one can hope to write in these tumultuous times.” However she criticised the last section of the book titled “Taking Back Hinduism” to have been written in a hurry.[9]
References[edit]
- ^ Chanda-Vaz, Urmi (18 February 2018). "Shashi Tharoor's 'Why I Am A Hindu' is a timely reminder of why Hinduism must retain its pluralism". Scroll.in. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
- ^ Tharoor, Shashi (18 January 2019). "How Hinduism Has Persisted for 4,000 Years". Wall Street Journal.
- ^ Daniyal, Shoaib (11 February 2018). "I want to resist the hijacking of Hinduism by Hindutva: The Shashi Tharoor interview". Scroll.in. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
- ^ a b "Why I Am A Hindu: Shashi Tharoor's sentiments are those of a liberal trying to reclaim the religion from the fringe". Firstpost. 19 February 2018. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
- ^ Chandhoke, Neera (17 February 2018). "Why I Am A Hindu review: The power of politics as religion". The Hindu. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
- ^ "Hindutva is an assault on Hinduism: Shashi Tharoor". The Economic Times. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
- ^ Shepherd, Kancha Ilaiah. "Why is Shashi Tharoor a Hindu?". The Caravan. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
- ^ "Book Review: Why I Am a Hindu". Newsline. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
- ^ Chanda-Vaz, Urmi. "Shashi Tharoor's 'Why I Am A Hindu' is a timely reminder of why Hinduism must retain its pluralism". Scroll.in. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
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AG
5.0 out of 5 stars Timely and excellent book.Reviewed in the United States on 8 January 2022
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His picture of Hinduism's tolerance of other beliefs and religions is partially accurate.
By and large, Hindus do not kill heretics as some other religions historically did, and some still do. However, social ostracization is common for those who do not toe in line.
I am a Hindu but do not believe in idolatry or the caste system.
I believe in a decentralized God whose presence can be felt within oneself, in nature, and every living being (Advaita).
However, I have no quarrel with those who follow other paths for salvation, so long as they do not create a climate of hatred and enmity.
I fully agree with Sashi Tharoor's criticism of the Hindutva movement, followed by the present Government in power. I want to go further by saying that no Government should have the ability to direct the beliefs of individual citizens so long those beliefs do not cause harm to other citizens or the society in general.
No law should be enacted that discriminates against one citizen from another.
There should be no mixing of politics with theology, and all citizens should have equal protection under its laws.
I would like this book to be translated and published in many Indian languages so that it may be more widely read in India.
4 people found this helpfulReport
Colby Venn
5.0 out of 5 stars ExcellentReviewed in Canada on 10 March 2022
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I really loved this book, all the references, the seriousness, and the laughs it gave as well. What a great insight to Hinduism. Thank you so much.
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Rohit Verma
5.0 out of 5 stars People say it is written for political propaganda. I say it is written for political awareness.Reviewed in India on 10 July 2020
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An amazing book which gives you a deeper insight into Hinduism. You will get to know why it is called "Sanatan Dharma" or eternal faith (Dharma don't mean faith or religion. It means many thing but people generally use this word to describe faith). Also you will learn many different aspects of religion, society and politics. I will highly recommend this book of you're interested in Hinduism. But you can know these stuffs only if you are rational, unbiased and liberal person. I don't think you can appreciate this book much without being any of these and hence I won't recommend to you if you're not these.
I have seen few so-called intellectual beings who hate Shashi Tharoor just because he is a politician in Indian Congress Party and because he was accused for murder of his wife, which is not yet proved. For these silly reasons, they say that this book can't be considered as a genuine book for learning about Hinduism. Also they critize this book because it tells about politics of Hindutva, which they say is complete lie or distortion of facts.
In my personal opinion, there is no such thing in this book. I'm writing this review after reading it completely. Three are references of the facts mentioned in book. You can check them out if you have any doubt. Also I didn't felt any manipulation while reading it. Also, author clearly mentions that which thing is said by whom and what author feels about it. All the view belongs to author and you don't need to agree with them at all places. I found author's views completely rational, liberal and unbiased.
In case if you disagree with any of author's view then please give your own view regarding that and that view should be rational, unbiased and liberal. Don't just start criticizing the book and author if your view doesn't matches with that of author.
Thanks for your patience reading.
21 people found this helpfulReport
jgLondon
5.0 out of 5 stars A great book and a great start.Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 February 2018
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A great book with points forcefully made. I would like to see a sequel which delves more into social and religious practices of the liberal Hindu society of ancient times. Very many books allude to it, the Cultural history of india by RMIC Golpark details it with academic rigour. We need a Tharoor to bring a storytelling ability to actual paint a vivid picture.
4 people found this helpfulReport
Puja Teli
5.0 out of 5 stars OutstandingReviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 February 2018
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This needs to be read by everyone who is unsure how to explain their religion or who already thinks they have it figured out.
7 people found this helpfulReport
Atulya Sinha
4.0 out of 5 stars HINDUISM: "Almost the Ideal Faith"Reviewed in India on 12 March 2018
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Dr Shashi Tharoor, the erudite and eloquent author of 16 earlier books, now takes up his pen to express his views on Hinduism. As he says in the introductory note to this book, his purpose is two-fold: to “understand… the extraordinary wisdom and virtues of the faith” and to “show the… intolerant and often violent forms of Hindutva…” According to the author himself, this book is targeted at the English-speaking twenty-first century reader.
The book is divided into three sections, each consisting of one or more chapters.
The first section is titled “My Hinduism” which contains four chapters. The first and second chapters generally cover the basic tenets and beliefs of the faith. Here are some representative extracts from the first chapter:
“…Hinduism is a civilization, not a dogma. There is no such thing as a Hindu heresy. Hinduism is a faith which allows each believer to stretch his or her imagination to a personal notion of a creative godhead of divinity … Hinduism, in other words, incorporates almost all forms of belief and worship within it; there is no need to choose some and reject others … It is quite common for Hindus to show reverence to the religious places of other faiths, and to carry relics or sacred objects of other faiths.”
While first two chapters are undoubtedly well written in terms of expression, they would convey very little new information to Indian readers. In the third chapter, the author expresses strong opinions on issues like caste discrimination, the cults of various gurus; and karma. The fourth chapter describes some of the great teachers and reformers of the faith, including Adi Shankara, Ramanuja, Mirabai, Raja Rammohan Roy and Swami Vivekananda. This chapter is exceptionally well written, both in terms of presentation and content, befitting the author’s background as a scholar of history.
The second section of the book is titled “Political Hinduism” and it contains just two chapters, both of which are long and dreary. The former deals with thinkers and activists such as Savarkar, Gowalkar and Deen Dayal Upadhyay, leading up to the rise of Bhartiya Janata Party in the national scenario. The latter chapter, by far the longest in the book, is devoted to issues like secularism, nationalism, and the interface of Hindutva with science, culture and history. Here the author reveals himself as a politician strongly opposed to what he perceives as Hindutva.
Finally, the third section is titled “Taking Back Hinduism” and it comprises a concluding essay in favour of a tolerant and inclusive Hinduism as discussed in the first section, as opposed to the strident or militant Hindutva described in the second section. This chapter begins with the interesting comment that Hinduism is “almost the ideal faith for the twenty-first century” as it is eclectic and non-doctrinaire. The main thrust of this section of the book is best expressed in the author’s own words: “Majoritarian communalism, as Nehru had long recognized, is a fundamental threat to our political democracy.”
This book is not meant for the reader who wants to learn about Hinduism per se – she could learn much more by reading the works of Swami Vivekananda or Dr Radhakrishnan – or perhaps more recent authors like Dr Karan Singh and Wendy Doniger.
This book is ideal for the well-informed reader who is familiar with the concepts of Hinduism, but would like to explore them through the viewpoint of the author. This book is also helpful for readers who want to know about the rise of Hindutva, though I would caution them that the tone of this book is more critical than informative.
Finally, this book is recommended for those who appreciate Dr Tharoor’s masterly writing for its own sake, for instance: “The reason India has survived all the stresses and strains that have beset it for seventy years, and that led to so many to predict its imminent disintegration, is that it maintained consensus on how to manage without consensus.”
16 people found this helpfulReport
Hiteshkumar M Lad
5.0 out of 5 stars Title made sense after reading it.Reviewed in Canada on 20 February 2019
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Mr. Tharoor @ his best !
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RPA in Virginia
4.0 out of 5 stars Hinduism as seen and lived from the insideReviewed in the United States on 13 December 2019
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"Why I Am a Hindu" was written in the context of growing electoral victories by the Hindu nationalist BJP political party (which claims to represent "real Hinduism" and to speak for a Hindu India rather than the secular pluralism of Gandhi and Nehru) and so written primarily for an Indian audience.
I read it for a different reason: There is no end of English-language literature on Hinduism written from one of two perspectives: either erudite, academic analysis or wit a specifically Christian, and usually missionary, view. (There's a lot of material that amounts to, "How to talk to a Hindu about Jesus" which presumes that Hindus need to be something other than what they are.)
I wanted to follow the advice of the late Krister Stendahl of Harvard (in later life the Lutheran Archbishop of Uppsala) who said that if you want to understand a religion, talk to its adherents, not its detractors.
Hinduism could not have a more articulate proponent than Dr. Shashi Tharoor, who is Hindu both by birth and conviction and also thoroughly at home in the English-speaking intellectual world. For an American reader, a great strength of this book is precisely that it was not written for a Christian audience--since I am not at all sure that someone from an Abrahamic tradition even CAN really grasp Hinduism, in all of its hospitable plurality and avoidance of sectarian certainty.
But if you're willing to try and engage Hinduism on its own terms--the only approach with any integrity, after all--then this is a wonderfully helpful book, and one worth reading more than once.
Non-Indian readers should be willing to skip around, though, since not all sections will be relevant to their interests.
15 people found this helpfulReport
an engrossed reader
5.0 out of 5 stars A sincere attempt to explain the unexplainable way of life as practised by a billion people.Reviewed in the United States on 26 July 2018
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I am a Hindu by birth. It never occurred to me to oppose the practices by people around me. Like I choose what I want to eat in a cafeteria I practised methods the religion the way I felt comfortable with. It affords me the freedom to see God in away,shape and form that provides me freedom of thought and methods. This aspect of Hindu faith makes it appear disorganized and chaotic to the outside observer of life of people living in India regardless of the religious affiliation of people being observed. The authors brings this point out very vividly in this book.
15 people found this helpfulReport
sujeet
5.0 out of 5 stars Worth the effort - All praise for the oldest and greatest faithReviewed in India on 30 June 2019
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Written in a simple way this book is a must read for every Hindu.
Non-Hindu's may also read to understand the differences and appreciate them as a Hindu would do for their religion.
Answers comprehensively why a Hindu should be proud of himself even though she may not be a ritualistic person
It must be read if you are a liberal Hindu and find an unbearable flood of illogical arguments against your principles
It clearly presents the Larger View of Hinduism which now seems overshadowed by the one currently being pushed by many, so much so, that the view might also be called alternative now
Hinduism should return to its deeper self and this book contributes very well to that idea
Lots of interesting facts are present in the book. If you like history you might find a few surprises as well.
A number of new points got registered in my head about the Hindus in South India specifically.
The references as well are deeply studied documents it seems and I am tempted to look into them as well
Lastly some English needs a dictionary - but it may be worth the search I believe - after all it's a Tharoor!
3 people found this helpfulReport
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