Rating: 
Summary: What a brilliant writer ...
Review: If you have ever been to India or are intending to go, have a read of this. The "Age of Kali" is a Hindu reference to a descent into chaos, and many of these stories certainly bring vividly to life the confusion that reigns as India grapples with "modernisation" and the sheer enormity of governing a country with 600 million people.The author has a good sense of humour and is a captivating writer. I get the feeling that I'll be reading plenty of his books in future. In fact I've just started on "From the Holy Mountain" which is shaping up as a good read as well ...
Rating: 
Summary: Very informative and (hence) depressing
Review: In this book, the famous travel-writer Dalrymple publishes a collection of his essays about South Asia that he has gathered from a decade of living in the sub-continent. There are six sections - North India, Rajasthan, the New India, The South, the Indian Ocean and Pakistan. Be warned that the book, especially the first two sections are incredibly depressing. The horrors of some aspects of modern Indian living rarely make it to the front page so I found myself almost numb with shock as to the level of suffering described. Dalrymple details an Indian state in chaos, where most of the parliament is made up of convicted criminals who murder openly, where sectarian and caste disputes lead to regular massacres and where there's no infrastructure or safety. We are led through the hardships faced by the lower castes, the poverty and horrors of rural life and the immense corruption that's on a level that's fortunately hard to believe for an inhabitant of a "developed" country. There are, however, some notions of hope. William describes the new prosperity emerging from the south as something with the potential to improve the lot of the whole country if it spreads. As usual, fans of Dalrymple will find plenty of digressions to the past, with his interest in the Muslim and colonial rulers of India showing through. My favourite thing about Dalrymple is how he presents both history and current affairs in an interesting way by finding the connections. This certainly occurs in this book, though most of it is modern. The Age of Kali got me interested in world affairs again as you are thrust into the brutal techniques of groups such as the Tamil Tigers and various Hindu right-wing nationalists in India, as well as a reminder of the atrocities of Partition. The concise essays are examples of great journalism as Dalrymple gets up close to the people that make everything happen and shows you a view of the sub-continent that most aren't exposed to. The book brings out many of the region's troubles but there is also a degree of optimism - it'll wake you up to issues of the region that aren't often enough discussed in most circles.
Rating:
Summary: Required reading for anyone interested in India
Review: It is amusing that some of the most interesting and veridical commentantary on the cultural and political anarchy that is India should come from a non-Indian raconteur. Beautifully illustrated by Olivia Fraser, The Age of Kali offers a compassionate view of a nation struggling against forces both modern and ancient. William Dalrymple has written a book that is required reading for anyone interested in India's emerging role in world affairs. Hindu cosmology divides time into four great epochs, or yugs, which represent the movement from perfection toward moral and social disintegration. Many Indians today believe that they live in the Kali Yug, or Age of Kali, a period of rapidly advancing darkness marked by chaos, corruption, and decay. Not until the world is cleansed by fire will the cycle repeat itself, restoring balance. "In the Age of Kali," writes Dalrymple, "the great gods Vishnu and Shiva are asleep and do not hear the prayers of their devotees. In such an age, normal conventions fall apart: anything is possible." Despite being at the vanguard of the computer software industry and having recently joined the ranks of world superpowers with the successful test of an atomic bomb--an ominous development when one considers the state of relations with neighboring Pakistan--India remains a country firmly entrenched in the past. In much the same way that the Luddites rebelled against the first wave of industrialization, so too have many Indians, especially the more conservative followers of the Hindu religion, resorted to violence to express their dissatisfaction with encroaching Western influence. Xenophobia and intense nationalism maintain in defiance of the fast food restaurants, beauty pageants, and satellite TV stations that threaten traditional Indian values. Dalrymple's essays succeed in presenting the many disparate facets of Indian society as a whole, from the glitterati of Bombay's movie scene (otherwise known as "Bollywood") to the dispossessed women of Vrindavan who roam the streets begging alms, to the conflicts between Hindu and Muslim factions that continue to escalate in number and intensity (including the recent horrendous Gujarat massacres), to the blood feuds and political turf wars waged in Bihari, which, like Lahore and parts of Uttar Pradesh, has succumbed to the rule of drug lords and corrupt government officials, or surprisingly even to the risilient malaises such as caste system and sati -- the research is right on target. This is an amusing book, laden with factual insights about India, and is a breeze to identify with -- perhaps it takes an "outsider" to look at a kaleidoscopic country under such a prying lens. Highly, highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: Great book. Interesting perspective on India
Review: Read this if you are interested in India and/or are planning on travelling there. Interesting stories across a wide range of people and places in India and Pakistan. The author is a great story teller with a journalist's eye for relevant detail. Having lived in India for some time, he is able to provide much more than a casual observer's view. Plus his job as a newspaper correspondent gives him access.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent read
Review: Readable, elegant, observant. Perhaps a little too nostalgic about the Raj, but a wonderful read nonetheless.
Rating:
Summary: A must for anybody who loves or hates India
Review: The first time I visited India (1984)it was a great experience, but I felt it could well be the last time I'd been there. The fact that we had to stay four more days because of another mistake by Air India (does that sound familiar?) might have had something to do with this. Well after that first visit I've been back four times, so I'm seriously addicted to this fascinating country and it's inhabitants. The moment I'm out of the airport and into the bustle I'm totally at home. Unlike lots of other travelogues William Daymple's book gives the same feeling of coming home, of feeling at home in India. And that's exactly the reason I like it very much.But even if you visited India and hated it, this book is a must. After reading it you know exactly why you never want to go back again. Or maybe you might one day?
Rating:
Summary: Apocalyptic yet witty
Review: This book was sent to me unasked for by a bookclub. By far the best bit of misdirected mail I've ever had ! Dalrymple's apocalyptic vision of India is both compassionate and amusing. He takes you from the jungle lairs of the Tamil Tigers to a party with Pakistani tribesmen and everywhere in between. The brutal reality of some of the things he describes dispel any rosy preconceptions of the Suncontinent the reader may have. His writing style is clear and never pompous (even when name dropping Benezir Bhutto and Imran Khan) and his historic knowledge is accomplished. I advise anyone travelling to India to read this book first - they won't regret it !
Rating:
Summary: A great look into what makes India tick
Review: William Dalrymple has done what many travel writers have tried to do and failed at: He has written a book that actually enables the reader to envision what it is he's writing, and how the people in these narratives act and live.
This book is a collection of extremely engaging essays that explores the attitudes and psyche of the Subcontinent through analysis and research into issues that plague the region. For example, he goes into the divisiveness of the nationalist movement in India through his contact with the Rajmata. He examines the rampant corruption through his interviews and observations of Bihari politicians and the elections process in Pakistan, etc.
The point is, in each essay, you feel as if you are right there in the trenches with Dalrymple. Every subject, no matter how big or small, is thoroughly examined.
I would most definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to gain insight into the India-Pakistan conflict or into the Subcontinent in general.
Rating:
Summary: Dalrymple does it again!
Review: William Dalrymple is one of the best travel writers about. His book "THE AGE OF KALI" is a collection of essays written during his many travels over the years through India. Don't be deceived by the title, although Dalrymple talks about the ancient Goddess Kali, this book is not about her; it is in fact about the transition that India is going through, "the age of Kali" a time when change takes place, often not for the best. In this book he shows a side of India that perhaps many would like to avoid discussing. He talks about India's dark side, the violence, religious intolerance, the abject poverty of many people, a stronger than ever caste system along with the pain of a country struggling to find its feet in the 20th century. This is not a depressing book, far from it, Dalrymple shows the reader, that despite all the problems India has to contend with, she is a country of great beauty, great compassion and many wonders, admid all the tragedy, corruption, and heartbreak. This is not a book for the squeamish and if you want a read that romanticizes India, then this isn't for you. However, if you are looking for a book that you won't be able to put down, then this is certainly something you will want to read again and again.
Rating:
Summary: Dalrymple does it again!
Review: William Dalrymple is one of the best travel writers about. His book "THE AGE OF KALI" is a collection of essays written during his many travels over the years through India. Don't be deceived by the title, although Dalrymple talks about the ancient Goddess Kali, this book is not about her; it is in fact about the transition that India is going through, "the age of Kali" a time when change takes place, often not for the best. In this book he shows a side of India that perhaps many would like to avoid discussing. He talks about India's dark side, the violence, religious intolerance, the abject poverty of many people, a stronger than ever caste system along with the pain of a country struggling to find its feet in the 20th century. This is not a depressing book, far from it, Dalrymple shows the reader, that despite all the problems India has to contend with, she is a country of great beauty, great compassion and many wonders, admid all the tragedy, corruption, and heartbreak. This is not a book for the squeamish and if you want a read that romanticizes India, then this isn't for you. However, if you are looking for a book that you won't be able to put down, then this is certainly something you will want to read again and again.
|
