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Suchitra's wanderings into the book forest!
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Suchitra
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Mar 17, 2012 06:16AM
Finished reading the argumentative Indian by amartya sen. I started off with great expectations!.....the first page was riveting!.....talking about the tendency of indians to talk a lot as krishna menon has done at the UN. It was interesting to know that the mahabharatha and the ramayana are a lot longer than the iliad and the odyssey.......but some parts were really boring and dry and i had to skip a lot......i found reading about tagore and gandhi quite captivating.......but on the whole....the book is brilliant at times.....but worth a read for those brilliant moments......If anyone has read it, do let me know what u think.
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Suchitra wrote: "Finished reading the argumentative Indian by amartya sen. I started off with great expectations!.....the first page was riveting!.....talking about the tendency of indians to talk a lot as krishna ..."my suggestions for the thread...
it would be better if u put some rating for the books you read. so that the ones who read the review will get to know. "oh its a 5 star huh.maybe i will lookout for it"...and you can add the book on the comment . so that people can go to the books page in a click...
Mod
Thanks vinoth and smitha!I have posted a short review under the book review section.
I gave it 3 stars out of 5.
That is the rating for the whole book.,but some parts are exceptionally brilliant!
The Argumentative Indian: Writings on Indian History, Culture and Identity
Have u read it?
It was fascinating to hear about how massively wrongly portrayed Indian civilisation was by British authors.....long ago....deeming it an inferior civilisation....when the author had never visited India and did not know any Indian languages!....how ever was he considered an expert on India?
Made me glad to have writers like amartya sen who bring an Indian perspective to Indian history!....
Mod
Smitha wrote: "haven't so far, though I have the book"Suchitra wrote: "Have u read it?
..."
@suchitra : no. but i will
@col. i would have been surprised only if you had said that you did not have the book.. :P
Do read and whatever I post will not count as a spoiler since it is not a story!It said on the blurb on the back.....that every Indian must read it and I agree!...
It would be interesting to see what u found interesting.......
Smitha! What r u waiting for? I was hooked on reading the first word.....prolixity.....i had to look up the dictionary.....
....and it is so so an Indian trait!
Suchitra wrote: "Smitha! What r u waiting for? I was hooked on reading the first word.....prolixity.....i had to look up the dictionary...."that would be because she has 100's of book to be read :)
am i rite , col ??
Suchitra wrote: "Do read and whatever I post will not count as a spoiler since it is not a story!It said on the blurb on the back.....that every Indian must read it and I agree!...
It would be interesting to see w..."
Is it written in a difficult English? Because I have added it in my wishlist but I can't find an Italian translation.
Not all of it has difficult English words. I would not suggest reading on an e reader as I think it is more difficult to skim thro a page and skip which is easy in a real book!.....And u have to skip!
But dely, u can know a lot about India from this book....
Amartya sen is an intellectual person who has a grasp of a lot of complicated situitations in India.....for example he explains how the hindutva movement is different from Hinduism..... Hindutva refers to the fanatics whereas traditionally Hinduism has been a tolerant religion in which even atheism is accepted as a part!
If u keep reading this thread I might end up rewriting the whole book in simpler English!
I really enjoyed reading some parts......
I was fascinated by his take on Tagore.......how the west fell in love with Tagore and then fell out!.....and why.......
Amartya sen himself was born in shanthiniketan and studied there!
Maybe am not much of an academic to appreciate the rest of the book...
And this is what prolixity means....... Using too many words and rambling on and on!.....
An Indian diplomat called Krishna Menon gave the longest speech ever at the united nations...... Nine hours!.....
Suchitra wrote: "Not all of it has difficult English words. I would not suggest reading on an e reader as I think it is more difficult to skim thro a page and skip which is easy in a real book!.....And u have to s..."
It seems very interesting!
Yes, I will follow this thread so I am glad to read what you will write about this book ;)
Mod
that would be because she has 100's of book to be read ..."
you are rite :D
ha! so u own a bookstore do u colonel?i have finished reading the first part of the mahabhartha......
by a child......
i borrowed it from a library to refresh myself as i was not too sure about a lot of details when i was telling the story to my kids.....
ended up loving the book and finishing it long before the kids!.....
simple english but still beautifully written.....
the drawings are cute too....
i gave it 4 stars out of 5.....
especially for a novice ......
The Mahabharatha: A Child's View: Volume 1
Mod
i borrowed it from an online library called book and borrow in chennai. but i like it a lot. so am planning to buy part 1 and 2. ideal for kids.....9 year old would find it delightful.....i have found amar chitra katha books use strange words and only when u read a few, u can follow the rest!.....
this one is for all kids.....i really liked the style and illustrations.....
and not easy to get my son to read anything but the wimpy kid series!.
and my daughter ...geronimo and thea stilton books.....
so was glad that this one got them interested in the mahabharatha.....
Read this again!The Sittaford Mystery
Yeah yeah.... I will give the gift.....now that I am done with it!
Anyone read Anita Desai's Clear Light of Day?
finished the gerard durrell book......i liked his writing, sense of humour, was interesting to read......
to know about his work.....
but as always i am uneasy that all these wonderful animals are actually being taken away from their habitat for a zoo...
...The Whispering Land
Mod
have it with me, not read yet.
If Tomorrow Comes4/5
i guess ideally only new books should count towards the challenge. but then i may never read a 100 then. and i did read the whole book again not flip thro it.....
Suchitra wrote: "If Tomorrow Comes4/5
i guess ideally only new books should count towards the challenge. but then i may never read a 100 then. and i did read the whole book again not flip thro it....."
one of my favorites! :)
Mod
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