War and Peace in India
932348
American scholastic outlines rarely delve with British imperialism in places like China or India.  Literature about the same is less common.  This book touches upon such a rarely seen backdrop.

Showing the issues in a seemingly impartial perspective, and at times overcautiously positive about the characters, the book describes the hardships of man-against-man: Indians versus British; Chinese versus British; Mulattoes in the mind of the British; French overcoming British common thought; Indian versus Indian with caste; and more.

The man's inhumanity to man seems greatest in the sea where the law and enforcement of the same are beholden to one person: the captain.  The captain, engaging in the seas with one job to perform (deliver the cargo, including unrightly adjudicated prisoners, to the other shore), hires many of the wrong people to do the right job.  Eventually, the oil-and-water blistering relationship of the people on board becomes the ultimate tyrannical mayhem.  And, no peace could be delivered, save a parting of the seas or parting of company.

The prose in these pages meets the high standard recently seen by many other Indian writers who in the 20th and 21st centuries are filling our libraries with masterpieces akin to the Welsh of the 18th and 19th century.

Having little knowledge of the 1838 give-and-take between the British and others in their territories prohibits me from judging the backdrop as being a too fictitious backdrop - engaged exclusively to  support the storyline and dialogue of these impressive characters.  Being ignorant of such, I will accept the same as accurate (most authors do serious homework before the delivery of the novel) and will perceive what has been delivered to me as the truth.

The love story amid a war zone is a common nucleus for a blockbuster novel.  Hence, the bones of this novel come from pedigree concepts with proven successes; and, mixed with the literary abilities of the author and unique story of this unique period of unique people - this book should make for a blockbuster.

I will read other novels of this author.
317531
Martha C. Nussbaum is Professor of Law and Ethics at the University of Chicago. She worked for eight years (1985-93) with the Research Project of the UN World Institute for Development in Helsinki, focusing on the economic and cultural problems of India. She chose India when she wanted to write on human rights norms for women's development worldwide. She was a consultant with the UN Development Programme's New Delhi Office and in 2004 was a visiting Professor at the Centre for Political Science at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi. She lectured in various parts of India and wrote extensively on India's legal and constitutional traditions. She travelled so many times to India that it now feels like her second home.

Her relationship with India is intensely political, focussed on issues of social justice, and she has had close contacts with Amartya Sen, winner of the Nobel Prize for Economics in 1988. Three personalities in particular feature, namely, Nehru, Tagore and Gandhi. In her Preface she states: "This is a book about India for an American and European audience". But it is not only about India but also about the present clash between Islam and the West.

She writes: "... that the real clash is not a civilisational one between `Islam and the West', but instead a clash within virtually all modern nations - between people who are prepared to live with others who are different, on terms of equal respect, and those who seek the protection of homogeneity, achieved through the domination of a single religious and ethnic tradition".

At a deeper level the thesis of this book is the Gandhian claim that the real struggle that democracy must wage is a struggle within the individual between the urge to dominate and defile the other, and to live respectfully on terms of compassion and equality, with all the vulnerability that such a life entails.

Nussbaum deals extensively with the ethnic/religious pogrom in Gujarat in February-March 2002 when approximately 2,000 Muslims were killed by Hindus. She analyses the Hindu nationalistic personality and finds sufficient hatred within to explain the Gujarat events. Her conclusion - based to a great extent on Gandhi's thinking - is worth quoting:

"The ability to accept differences - differences of religion, of ethnicity, of race, of sexuality - requires first, the ability to accept something about oneself: that one is not lord of the world, that one is both adult and child, that no all-embracing collectivity will keep one safe from the vicissitudes of life, that others outside oneself have reality. This ability requires, in turn, the cultivation of a moral imagination that sees reality in other human beings, that does not see other human beings as mere instruments of one's own power or threats to that power."

She argues, in this highly passionate study, that ultimately the greatest threat comes not from a clash between civilisations, but from a clash within each of us.

Piet Dijkstra
2924424
It was interesting to learn about Gandhi's early life history as well as the many small victories that led him to continue brokering peace amongst ever growing groups.
939011
This is an extremely good book. It starts with an excellent question - why were the invasions of the Turks, Afghans etc called Muslim invasions and not territorial invasions. This is clearly indicative of the bias that has pervaded much of Indian history through the last decades.

Jaswant Singh proceeds in a gentle manner, clearly unfolding the events of the times. He clearly explains how Jinnah moved from being a champion of Hindu-Muslim unity and nationhood to a champion of Pakistan. The roles that the great Indian politicians played in causing the division of India into India and Pakistan has been clearly explained. It is a sorry tale, where the actions of a few men caused such divisions and large scale displacement.
The book is meticulously researched, balanced and well written.
This is an honest book, and one that deserves the highest praise.
2348665
The images and descriptions of Bombay, India and Afghanistan are vivid and drew me into the story. Having travelled to India several times, I think this captured so much of Indias history. Although long, its well worth the read.
114591
An enjoyable  read with an excellent portraying of the mood in India during that turbulent period. In would have been prudent to edit some of the descriptions because it just becomes a tad tedious.
578832
This is a hugely enjoyable book, written with much love and tenderness and though a sad story it ends in hope. Merryn Glover paints a wonderful picture of the Indian sub-continent, with all the violence and sadness of partition and the troubles after the assassination of Indira Gandhi, and yet in all its fascinating beauty. The broken relationships within a missionary family and the problems of children sent off to boarding school at an early age are explored with great sensitivity. All in all a great read with much food for thought.
739844
A great book. There's so much happening in it that it sometimes reads like a work of fiction. Id call it a must read for anyone interested in the history of the never ending conflict between India and Pakistan. A good read, that educates as well...a rare occurrence. Should warn a potential reader that it can occasionally get confusing, as there's so much going on
3229324
I bought this book to read a single volume, unbiased account of Indian history. On most parameters I got what I wanted from this book. It is no easy task to describe the 5000+ year history of the Indian subcontinent in a single book of around 500 pages. But John Keay's work is an admirable attempt. The book is very readable and should be enjoyed by anyone who loves reading about history. Instead of just reeling off incidents, places and dates, Keay also talks about how some historical incidents were reconstructed by using inscriptions, coins and other relics that have survived till the modern age.

The book starts off from the Harappan civilization and the entry of Aryans into the Indian subcontinent. This period is also the most difficult to analyze due to the dearth of conclusive historical evidence. Keay is also careful to avoid mixing the many myths of this era with what may have actually transpired. Once civilization took root in India, the book describes the rule of ancient dynasties like the Mauryas, Guptas and later the Vardhanas. It becomes evident that India was never an integral entity but ruled by a large number of smaller states that continuously vied with each other. South Indian history is well represented with descriptions from the Chalukya, Pallava and Chola times. There are quite a few maps and illustrations that nicely complement the prose.

The influence of Islam on Indian history has been significant. It started with the invasions of Muslims from the North West and peaked with the rule of the mighty Mughals. You can read about the Islamic invaders such as Ghazni, Timur and Nadir Shah who were responsible for the destruction of countless Hindu lives and temples. On the flip side, Islamic style has given India some of the world's most beautiful architectural wonders such as the Taj Mahal.

I was a little disappointed with the later chapters on modern Indian history. Keay belittles the Indian freedom movement and his tone of writing seems to indicate that the British left India because they were weakened by the two world wars and grew sick of running India in general. Keay is quick to point out the pros of British rule such as the unification of India and investment in infrastructure (such as the railways). But he never mentions the dark side - the British were in India for their own interests and had little interest in improving the lot of the people they were ruling. Little was done during the times of famine. Despite being once blessed with abundant natural resources, India and Pakistan have always been economically backward since independence in 1947. Keay also never mentions the fact that Jinnah, the man responsible for the creation of Pakistan, was an elitist and selfish ruler who never cared about the plight of Muslims. Keay rightly points out that the Indian army has abused human rights in Kashmir, but what about the cross border terrorism that emanates from Pakistan?

The book ends on a pessimistic note saying that India has not seen the end of religious or ethnic secession movements. While that may be true, the fact is that India, commonly referred to as the sub-continent, is made up of a population diverse in ethnicity, race, language and religion. India is a secular country that tries to maintain communal harmony but minor problems are always bound to crop up.

Keay also points out the irony that although India takes pride in its ancient civilization, most of those sites lie in present day Pakistan. On the other hand Pakistan, which glorifies the Mughal rule, finds that the best examples of Mughal art and architecture are left in India. On the whole this book was informative and enjoyable, but the last few pages did not go down well with me.
3865310
Those involved in the struggle for peace must read this book.
2001555
Great hearing it from an Indian warrior that fought in the battle. Also of their way of life in those times. I'd give the book six stars, if I could.
1762438
This book deals with cause and effect. The principle of "fault wars" is not new but applied as this author has makes it unique. The principle he states is that differences in people are not related to geography or national lines. That which binds people together has never been national but religious. This element bind people together with a willingness to die for their cause. It results in tearing apart nations with little regard to any national boundary. It, for me, to makes sense of the Israel-Palentine conflict and puts a slant on it that makes more sense than the retoric delivered by so many adminstrations. The point he makes is clear-you can make peace with in a conflict of this type BUT ONLY if both sides are worn out. The indication is that it will start again no matter what. That brings us to the conclusion--  the total destruction of one side or the other is the ONLY solution that will actually work. During the past 3,247 year of human history according to Durant the historian only 250 of these have been free of war!! Maybe the Bible is right-"There will be Wars and rumors of Wars till I come again!"
2187860
A remarkable and rare account of life in the ranks of the  British Army in India. Invaluable from an historians perspective.
2936984
This book presents the Englishman's point of view about their time spent in India, chronicling the life and times of the British officers of the Indian civil service. It brings out the wonderful traits of the English character, so woefully missing today, that enabled them to build and run an empire the likes of which the world has not seen.

This book immediately brings to the reader's mind the vivid contrast between the well-governed districts and provinces of the British era and the ill-governed ones of the India of today; the scrupulously honest British civil service and the corrupt Indian establishment. The book highlights some of the wonderful gifts of the British empire to India - a full-fledged political unity, a network of railheads from which no village was more than 50 kms away (at the beginning of the 20th century, India had more than 30,000 km of railway track; in contrast China had less than 3000), separation of judicial and executive functions of the state, settlement of land revenue and keeping of meticulous land records (in Moghul and Maratha territories, the land revenue was at least 1/3 rd and 1/4th of the produce; it was 1/8th in British India), crackdown on Thugee and efforts to reform customs like sati, human sacrifice and child marriage.

However, the book is less than fair to the Indian movement for independence. The author has used unjustifiably strong language to describe the actions of Nanaji Peshwa, Tilak and even Shivaji. For Indians, this is a good book to get a perspective of events from the other side - something that has been smudged by years of silly Congress propaganda. For example, the timing and motive of that most thoughtless and inane movement - the Quit India movement of 1942.

Indians have been conditioned to think of the British period as a period of darkness, but the fact is that there was order and probity that was absent in the Mughal, Maratha and Sikh territories and is, indeed, missing in India today. It may perhaps be preferable to live in anarchy, as Mr. Gandhi implored the British to leave India to, but it is painful nonetheless.

Any period of foreign rule evokes strong feelings, but to a nation firmly steeped in mediaeval times, British rule was a bitter way of bringing the fruits of the European renaissance and industrial revolution. Certainly, British imperialism was benign as compared to Portuguese, Japanese, German, Italian or Russian imperialism. The tragedy is that they stayed longer than necessary, spoiled a lot many good things about India and handed over the reins to a class of Indians that did not understand India and tried to ape the western nations' overtly mental and materialistic way to progress.
1042757
This book by a professor of mine at Yale Divinity Schools gives the full picture of how Christians have approached war and peace. For the first 300 years they did not participate in wars. The ethos of the church followed Jesus commond to love your enemies. later there when Constantine made Christianity the state religion Augustine came up with the criteria for a just war. Even later Pope Leo I came up with the idea of a crusade to wipe out the infidels. I guess the goal is for all people to get back to position number one. That wouild be something as they say that a war was begun and nobody came.
936440
A timely and honest book about war and peace and international relations. You may not agree with all that is presented in this book, but it's certainly worth reading it...
1320317
A beautifully written and thoughtful work on the morality of war and the role of the warrior. Fabulous and one of the best books I have ever read.