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Tharoor, Shashi, 1956-

Why I am a Hindu / Shashi Tharoor. - London : Hurst & Company, 2018. - xv, 295 pages ; 23 cm

Includes bibliographical references (pages 275-289) and index.

My Hinduism -- The Hindu way -- Questioning Hindu customs -- Great souls of Hinduism -- Hinduism and the politics of Hindutva -- Beyond holy cows: the uses and abuses of Hindu culture and history -- Taking back Hinduism.

In Why I Am a Hindu, Shashi Tharoor offers a profound reexamination of Hinduism, one of the world's oldest and greatest religious traditions. Opening with a frank and touching reflection on his personal beliefs, he lays out Hinduism's origins and its key philosophical concepts -- including Vedanta, the Purusharthas and Bhakti -- before focusing on texts such as the Bhagadvagita. The 'Great Souls', or key individuals of Hinduism, from Adi Shankara to Vivekananda, are discussed, as are everyday Hindu beliefs and practices, from worship to pilgrimage to caste. Tharoor is unsparing in his criticism of extremism and unequivocal in his belief that what makes India a distinctive nation with a unique culture will be imperilled if Hindu 'fundamentalists', the proponents of 'Hindutva', or politicised Hinduism, seize the high ground. In his view, it is precisely because Hindus form the majority that India has survived as a plural, secular democracy. A book that will be read and debated now and in the future, Why I Am a Hindu, written in Tharoor's captivating prose, is a revelatory and original contribution to our understanding of religion in the modern era.

ISBN: 1849049890 9781849049894 9781925713534 1925713539

Nat. Bib. No.: GBB868073 bnb

Nat. Bib. Agency Control No.: 018830874 Uk

Subjects--Personal Names:
Tharoor, Shashi, 1956- --Religion.

Subjects--Topical Terms:
Hinduism.
Hinduism and politics--India.
Hinduism and culture--India.
Authors, Indic--India--21st century--Biography.

Subjects--Geographic Terms:
India--Social life and customs.
India.

Index Terms--Genre/Form:
Biography.

LC Class. No.: BL1202 / .T49 2018

Dewey Class. No.: 294.5