Gauri Viswanathan Libri

After two international bestsellers, Am I a Hindu? and Amazing Secrets of the Bhagavad Gita, Ed Viswanathan’s third book is an equally thought-provoking and educational book on Hindu culture and the history of India. The whole idea behind this book is to educate people about India and Hinduism from a cultural and historical perspective, in simple language. The narrative is presented in the form of topics that focus on explaining key concepts such as Karma, Maya, Heaven and Hell; and questions such as ‘Who is a Hindu?’, ‘Why should I be a Hindu?’ and ‘What makes Hinduism great?’. This book is a must-read, especially for cynics, as the author invites readers to investigate and question everything in the book, since a true seeker will only search for truth.

Focusing on the concept of religious conversion, Gauri Viswanathan presents it as an interpretive act intertwined with cultural criticism. The book explores colonial and postcolonial contexts to challenge secular ideologies, particularly the discourse of rights within the British empire. By linking the legal emancipation of religious minorities in England with the acculturation of colonial subjects, Viswanathan argues that conversion often serves as resistance rather than assimilation, positioning it as a significant act of cultural crossing and a means of embracing difference.

Describes the introduction of English studies in India under British rule and its function as an effective form of political control