Saturday 4 June 2016

Book Review : My India "Musings of a Patriot" by Vivek Gumaste

Book- My India “Musings of a Patriot”

Author- Vivek Gumaste

Genre- Non-fiction (Articles)

 

Blurb-

The book is a summation of various articles published on different platforms. Topics vary from one area to other but have one common strand “INDIA”.

 

Title-

After reading the book I was really sure about the appropriateness of the title of the book. It was well suited.

 

Cover-

The cover depicts the ‘Stone Chariot’ of the Vittala Temple complex in Hampi, Karnataka which was once the capital of the great Hindu kingdom of Vijayanagara. The ‘Stone Chariot’ was built in the 16th century, during the reign of Krishnadevaraya, one of the greatest kings of the Vijayanagara Empire. (As mentioned by the author)
I thought it's better to share the information with the readers. The cover was a very thoughtful account. Kudos author.

 

Reviews-

The whole book had topics which can make you move with ease. I was in awe after completing the book because it had transferred a lot of information which were never known to me about my own country. At the end of my read I was satisfied.

There were some topics which I found the best; my review would be majorly covering those topics.

Part 2- BJP ; Chapter 15- Why the RSS and BJP are true champions of our democracy
It talks about how things paces after independence in our country. It is needed that we know about how things worked. The heroes and villains must be known. This article is really effective because of its efficiency to draw in front the realities.

Part 3- The Congress Party; Chapter 17- Mr. PM you too can raise to the occasion comparison between Manmohan Singh and Lal Bahadur Shastri
An eye opener was this article. We sometimes forget the people who had done a lot in the most crucial times. It gave me Goosebumps to know what all Mr. Shastri did to fight wars, droughts etc. The information can make one believe that India is a sacred place because it is the home of people like these.

Part 4- Kashmir; Chapter 22- Kashmir: Pakistan is the problem not the solution
The problem of Kashmir is not unknown to anyone. The article was a nice summation of what we are heading to and what we are actually suppose to do and follow. I haven’t read the reality in such naked form which can make one stop and think for a while.

Part 9- Terrorism ; Chapter 47- Be like the French
This topic must be read by all the Indians because we need to know that it’s just in India that things are delayed. Other people are so adamant to move ahead and get things done.

Other mind-blowing topics are-

*Have we been unfair to Narendra Modi?
*Are Nepal Maoists a threat to India?
*Forget Pak, let’s first strengthen our internal security
*The rape controversy: why we need to move beyond protest

The topics in the book are short and not exaggerated much. It made the reading experience quite subtle and easy. The topics are meant to teach and show things which we neglect or might have forgotten to even notice. The book was a great read, something really refreshing.

 

Eye-catchers-

· “His moderation, unimpeachable integrity and honesty made him an ideal compromise candidate.”

· “Bad behaviour cannot be rewarded.”

 

Turn-on’s-

The way the book was divided in various parts and the different topics which were presented in each of them was making things appropriate in one sense or the other. The author’s vast knowledge can easily be seen through each and every topic that was discussed. It was well balanced book.

 

Recommendation-

Readers who are into reading political writings can give it a try for sure. The book is not for fiction readers because it requires a lot of patience and attention.

 

About the author-

Vivek Gumaste is an academic and political commentator based in the United States. Passionate about India, he is an avid writer and has written several op-eds and columns for mainstream Indian newspapers like the new Indian express, the Hindustan times, the Sunday guardian and the Pioneer. In addition he is a regular columnist for the popular news portal, Rediff and blogs on Huffington post (India).

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