I'm half way through reading Amartya Sen's acclaimed best seller "The Argumentative Indian", and I must admit, I am more than impressed with this collection of 16 essays. The essays focus on the history of India, how India is viewed from outside, how India is viewed from within and what India can become given the history that India has had. Throughout the book, Dr. Sen talks about the argumentative tradition of the Indian people - a tradition, which he believes, is the reason for the outstanding success of India's democracy. He talks about the historical significance of this argumentative tradition in the resolution of differences of opinion. He traces this history to the time of the great Mauryan emperor Ashoka and his nation wide "conferences" on the Buddhist faith. This is a tradition, Dr Sen says, continued in the time of the Mughal empire and further on in pre and post independence India. Dr Sen's critical analysis on the life and time of Rabindranath Tagore and the wisdom behind his opinions on India and his championing of the need for argumentative introspection, are definitely worth a read. Also interesting is Dr Sen's examination of Pandit Nehru's "Tryst with destiny" and how the Indian nation still have some way to go before we meet the pledges that were taken just before the midnight of August 14, 1947.
Bottom line:
This book is definitely a must-read for anyone who thinks he or she knows anything about India. I guarantee it will be an eye opener and I'm sure more than one myth about India will end up shattered in your mind.
