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The Passenger: India
By The Passenger, Arundhati Roy, Prem Shankar Jha and Tishani Doshi
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A journey into today’s India through essays, photography, and more, shortlisted for a 2022 Edward Stanford Travel Writing Award.
Since its earliest interactions with the West, India has been the object of a gross misinterpretation, a vague association with ideas of peace, spiritualism, the magic of the fakirs. Constantly reframed and mythologized by Westerners fleeing their supposedly rationalist societies, India continues to fascinate with its millennia-old history, shrines on every street corner, ancient beliefs and rituals, and unique linguistic and cultural diversity.
Today this picture is mixed with that of a society changing at a frenetic pace and at the forefront of the digital revolution—a “shining India” of dynamic, fast-expanding megalopolises. Yet these success stories coexist with the daily plight of the large section of its population without access to drinking water or a toilet, with a rural economy (still employing the majority of its over 1.3 billion inhabitants) that depends on monsoons for irrigation and is threatened by climate change. The greatest democratic experiment ever attempted, India remains plagued by one of the vilest forms of class and racial discrimination, the caste system, exacerbated by the Hindu nationalist regime.
All things considered, though, it’s hard to find a more dynamic and optimistic country or, as Arundhati Roy puts it, “a more irredeemably chaotic people.” This volume aims to depict India’s chaos and its contradictions, its terror and its joy, from the struggle of the Kashmiris to that of non-believers (hated by all religious sects), from the dances of the hijra in Koovagam to the success of the wrestler Vinesh Phogat, a symbol of the women who seek to free themselves from the oppressive patriarchal mores. Despite the obstacles and steps back, India continues its journey on the long path toward freedom and toward ending poverty for some of the world’s most destitute. Included are writings on:
Caste: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow by Arundhati Roy · The Invention of Hindu Nationalism by Prem Shankar Jha · No Country for Women by Tishani Doshi · Plus: the grand ambitions of the world’s most underrated space program, Bollywood’s obsession with Swiss landscapes, an ode to Bengali food, eagerly awaiting the monsoon, the wrestler tackling stereotypes and much more . . .
“These books are so rich and engrossing that it is rewarding to read them even when one is stuck at home.” —The Times Literary Supplement
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LanguageEnglish
PublisherOpen Road Integrated Media
Release dateMar 23, 2021
ISBN9781609456719
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===
The Passenger #9
India
Various
4.01
101 ratings7 reviews
Want to read
Buy on Kobo
Rate this book
Fully-illustrated, The Passenger collects the best new writing, photography, art and reportage from around the world.
IN THIS VOLUME: Caste: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow by Arundhati Roy・The Invention of Hindu Nationalism by Prem Shankar Jha・No Country for Women by Tishani Doshi・plus: the grand ambitions of the world's most underrated space program, Bollywood's obsession with Swiss landscapes, an ode to Bengali food, eagerly awaiting the monsoon, the wrestler tackling stereotypes and much more...
Since its earliest interactions with the West, India has been the object of a gross misinterpretation that has survived to the present day, a vague association with ideas of peace, spiritualism, the magic of the fakirs. Constantly reframed and mythicised by Westerners fleeing their supposedly rationalist societies, India continues to fascinate with its millennia-old history, its shrines on every street corner, its ancient beliefs and rituals, and its unique linguistic and cultural diversity.
Today this picture is mixed with that of a society that is changing at a frenetic pace and is at the forefront of the digital revolution--a "shining India" of dynamic, fast-expanding megalopolises. Yet, these success stories coexist with the daily plight of the large section of India's population without access to drinking water or a toilet, with a rural economy (still employing the majority of India's over 1.3 billion inhabitants) that depends on monsoons for irrigation and is threatened by climate change. The greatest democratic experiment ever attempted, India remains plagued by one of the vilest forms of class and racial discrimination, the caste system, which is being exacerbated by the Hindu nationalist regime currently in power.
All things considered, though, it is hard to find a more dynamic and optimistic country or, as Arundhati Roy puts it, "a more irredeemably chaotic people." This volume aims to depict India's chaos and its contradictions, its terror and its joy, from the struggle of the Kashmiri people to that of non-believers (hated by all religious sects), from the dances of the hijra in Koovagam to the success of the wrestler Vinesh Phogat, a symbol of the women who seek to free themselves from the oppressive patriarchal mores. Despite the obstacles and steps back, India continues its journey on the long path towards freedom and towards ending poverty for some of the world's most destitute people.
Show more
GenresNonfictionIndiaTravel
192 pages, Paperback
Published March 23, 2021
Book details & editions
17 people are currently reading
242 people want to read
About the author
Various315k books1,189 followers
Follow
Various is the correct author for any book with multiple unknown authors, and is acceptable for books with multiple known authors, especially if not all are known or the list is very long (over 50).
If an editor is known, however, Various is not necessary. List the name of the editor as the primary author (with role "editor"). Contributing authors' names follow it.
Note: WorldCat is an excellent resource for finding author information and contents of anthologies.
Show more
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Community Reviews
4.01
Jack M
283 reviews · 10 followers
Follow
May 20, 2023
The playlist from this one is a keeper, it's the leading contender for the soundtrack of summer 2023 if you'll be around my neck of the woods.
For the actual essays, I'm far, far, less enthusiastic than I was about the previous editions I've read, and I'm asking myself why that is. The conclusion I'm reaching is the sheer magnitude of the place. The other collections had a far more personal feeling, especially with Rome and Barcelona, the pieces were a pleasant mixture of intimacy and information. Similarly with Japan, though it's also a lot of ground to cover, a lot of those essays felt narrower in focus, and I wonder if at least I share some common ground in the sense that it's a capitalist country and what I'm used to.
Whearas in the India collection, we are inundated with far, far, to much information about the multitudes of languages, religions, politics, castes, beliefs.
If the collection intentionally did that, as some meta-commentary, maybe they've accomplished it, but a large part of these felt like they belonged in a publication like The Economist, which is to say, lacking a human touch.
I suppose if there's one thing I learned, is that that exact mixture and diversity is the beauty of India, and currently being threatened by politics aiming to make a homogonous Hindu identity. There are one or two films and books I may follow up on, and plus one points for the page that exposed Ghandi as a bit of a fraud since I always appreciate a bit of myth-busting.
1 like
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Comment
Umberto Mínguez
69 reviews
Follow
June 12, 2021
Book from The Passenger collection. I liked it less than Turkey, perhaps because the sociopolitical and cultural context is more complicated and very far from our Western idea. In fact, the first of the articles in which they talk about Hindu nationalism seemed tiresome and endless to me. Despite everything, recommended as the entire collection.
1 like
Like
Comment
Liquidambar
200 reviews · 12 followers
Follow
October 15, 2020
Nothing, unfortunately the spark didn't come. I didn't like the choice of photos, the layout of the articles, the selection of the articles... too bad, too far from my personal tastes to objectively judge the quality of the publication.
Italian non-fiction
1 like
Like
Comment
Sara Cantoni
446 reviews · 135 followers
Follow
July 22, 2021
The Passenger series has never disappointed me so far.
I find the format interesting, well thought out and pleasant also on an aesthetic and editorial level.
Also in this case, after a series of introductory sheets on the nation in question, in this case India, essays on various topics are collected which allow you to get an idea of the varied and multifaceted (as well as complex) panorama Indian socio-cultural-political-economic.
There are articles of a religious, political, economic, social, cultural and literary nature.
Everything possible is done to tell the different aspects of a complex and multifaceted society and culture like the Indian one.
All accompanied by images and illustrations.
Plus, a series of musical recommendations , literary and cinematographic to delve deeper into the different aspects mentioned in the articles.
A big yes for me!
travel
Like
Comment
Gabriele Della Torre
707 reviews · 8 followers
Follow
January 8, 2022
Very interesting read that allowed me to gain an overview of this great country.
india
Like
Comment
Andrea
38 reviews
Follow
February 22, 2021
An unusual journey, through articles, essays and testimonies, in the Indian subcontinent.
Like
Comment
Elizabeth
18 reviews · 23 followers
Follow
April 10, 2020
My favorite from The Passenger series among those read so far.
All the interesting, unexpected, well-written, but above all profound and complex essays, to give an account of the "chaos contradictory, terrible and joyful" which is India today.
reportage trips
Like
Comment
====
The Passenger #9
India
Various
4.01
101 ratings7 reviews
Want to read
Buy on Kobo
Rate this book
Fully-illustrated, The Passenger collects the best new writing, photography, art and reportage from around the world.
IN THIS VOLUME: Caste: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow by Arundhati Roy・The Invention of Hindu Nationalism by Prem Shankar Jha・No Country for Women by Tishani Doshi・plus: the grand ambitions of the world's most underrated space program, Bollywood's obsession with Swiss landscapes, an ode to Bengali food, eagerly awaiting the monsoon, the wrestler tackling stereotypes and much more...
Since its earliest interactions with the West, India has been the object of a gross misinterpretation that has survived to the present day, a vague association with ideas of peace, spiritualism, the magic of the fakirs. Constantly reframed and mythicised by Westerners fleeing their supposedly rationalist societies, India continues to fascinate with its millennia-old history, its shrines on every street corner, its ancient beliefs and rituals, and its unique linguistic and cultural diversity.
Today this picture is mixed with that of a society that is changing at a frenetic pace and is at the forefront of the digital revolution--a "shining India" of dynamic, fast-expanding megalopolises. Yet, these success stories coexist with the daily plight of the large section of India's population without access to drinking water or a toilet, with a rural economy (still employing the majority of India's over 1.3 billion inhabitants) that depends on monsoons for irrigation and is threatened by climate change. The greatest democratic experiment ever attempted, India remains plagued by one of the vilest forms of class and racial discrimination, the caste system, which is being exacerbated by the Hindu nationalist regime currently in power.
All things considered, though, it is hard to find a more dynamic and optimistic country or, as Arundhati Roy puts it, "a more irredeemably chaotic people." This volume aims to depict India's chaos and its contradictions, its terror and its joy, from the struggle of the Kashmiri people to that of non-believers (hated by all religious sects), from the dances of the hijra in Koovagam to the success of the wrestler Vinesh Phogat, a symbol of the women who seek to free themselves from the oppressive patriarchal mores. Despite the obstacles and steps back, India continues its journey on the long path towards freedom and towards ending poverty for some of the world's most destitute people.
Show more
GenresNonfictionIndiaTravel
192 pages, Paperback
Published March 23, 2021
Book details & editions
242 people want to read
About the author
Various315k books1,189 followers
Follow
Various is the correct author for any book with multiple unknown authors, and is acceptable for books with multiple known authors, especially if not all are known or the list is very long (over 50).
If an editor is known, however, Various is not necessary. List the name of the editor as the primary author (with role "editor"). Contributing authors' names follow it.
Note: WorldCat is an excellent resource for finding author information and contents of anthologies.
Show more
Readers also enjoyed
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
Jack M
283 reviews · 10 followers
Follow
May 20, 2023
The playlist from this one is a keeper, it's the leading contender for the soundtrack of summer 2023 if you'll be around my neck of the woods.
For the actual essays, I'm far, far, less enthusiastic than I was about the previous editions I've read, and I'm asking myself why that is. The conclusion I'm reaching is the sheer magnitude of the place. The other collections had a far more personal feeling, especially with Rome and Barcelona, the pieces were a pleasant mixture of intimacy and information. Similarly with Japan, though it's also a lot of ground to cover, a lot of those essays felt narrower in focus, and I wonder if at least I share some common ground in the sense that it's a capitalist country and what I'm used to.
Whearas in the India collection, we are inundated with far, far, to much information about the multitudes of languages, religions, politics, castes, beliefs.
If the collection intentionally did that, as some meta-commentary, maybe they've accomplished it, but a large part of these felt like they belonged in a publication like The Economist, which is to say, lacking a human touch.
I suppose if there's one thing I learned, is that that exact mixture and diversity is the beauty of India, and currently being threatened by politics aiming to make a homogonous Hindu identity. There are one or two films and books I may follow up on, and plus one points for the page that exposed Ghandi as a bit of a fraud since I always appreciate a bit of myth-busting.
1 like
Like
Comment
Umberto Mínguez
69 reviews
Follow
June 12, 2021
Book from The Passenger collection. I liked it less than Turkey, perhaps because the sociopolitical and cultural context is more complicated and very far from our Western idea. In fact, the first of the articles in which they talk about Hindu nationalism seemed tiresome and endless to me. Despite everything, recommended as the entire collection.
1 like
Like
Comment
Liquidambar
200 reviews · 12 followers
Follow
October 15, 2020
Nothing, unfortunately the spark didn't come. I didn't like the choice of photos, the layout of the articles, the selection of the articles... too bad, too far from my personal tastes to objectively judge the quality of the publication.
Italian non-fiction
1 like
Like
Comment
Sara Cantoni
446 reviews · 135 followers
Follow
July 22, 2021
The Passenger series has never disappointed me so far.
I find the format interesting, well thought out and pleasant also on an aesthetic and editorial level.
Also in this case, after a series of introductory sheets on the nation in question, in this case India, essays on various topics are collected which allow you to get an idea of the varied and multifaceted (as well as complex) panorama Indian socio-cultural-political-economic.
There are articles of a religious, political, economic, social, cultural and literary nature.
Everything possible is done to tell the different aspects of a complex and multifaceted society and culture like the Indian one.
All accompanied by images and illustrations.
Plus, a series of musical recommendations , literary and cinematographic to delve deeper into the different aspects mentioned in the articles.
A big yes for me!
travel
Like
Comment
Gabriele Della Torre
707 reviews · 8 followers
Follow
January 8, 2022
Very interesting read that allowed me to gain an overview of this great country.
india
Like
Comment
Andrea
38 reviews
Follow
February 22, 2021
An unusual journey, through articles, essays and testimonies, in the Indian subcontinent.
Like
Comment
Elizabeth
18 reviews · 23 followers
Follow
April 10, 2020
My favorite from The Passenger series among those read so far.
All the interesting, unexpected, well-written, but above all profound and complex essays, to give an account of the "chaos contradictory, terrible and joyful" which is India today.
reportage trips
Like
Comment
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