I’ve read various Hindu-influenced books for a number of years, so awhile ago I read a book about Vivekananda (who is mentioned here) for some good old-fashioned brown Hinduism—not trying to East-of-Suez you but I figure if I’m going to buy Hindu-y books some of the money should find it’s way into the pockets of brown people, right. And what I got from that, from Vivekananda, was India; ordinary, secular, poor-and-miserable India matters, and not just philosophy. So I read this book next instead of another Hinduism proper book, and I also watched “Gandhi” (1982), which was mentioned in a book I happened to pick up, “White Teeth” by Zadie Smith, a novel.

The British cared about their own homes, at the end of the day, but I don’t like that as a topic because it’s too simple—although foreign imperialism is bad and it does cause poverty, and even worsen many divisions we tend to assume are intrinsically Oriental.

But maybe a word or two about the Hindu-Muslim question. Hindu and Muslim, there is much in this. Muslims are a World Tribe, like the Christians, and Indian thought is the other sort of religion, often in some of its loftiest forms.... non-tribal in some ways, but also a world religion.

Coming from a Western background it’s probably easier to hate the Muslims, because they often embody the faults that we either embody or nurse the grudge of. They’re intolerant. A Hindu like Gandhi might embrace all faiths, but Muslims and Christians in their classical forms find that difficult and often not even desirable. Muslim vice: intolerance.

Of course, Hindus can be intolerant too—“Death to Muslims!”— especially among the rank and file, but I think the more Dharmic or perhaps for us, secular vice is a little different. They’re not inclusive. They observe gradations. Hindu vice: exclusivity. No, really. The British made it worse, for their own purposes, but in the Muslim world you don’t get the same sort of thing about caste and small tribes (cf The Autobiography of Malcolm X). Sometimes crazy people live in Pakistan because they’re intolerant, but Muslims in India live under certain exclusions in a less than inclusive society, as do people from the lower castes with poor ancestors. Not Vivekananda, and not Gandhi, although overcoming problems that sociology describes is to skirt the edges of sociology. There is a Hindu vice like there is a Muslim vice, and this should be understood as not to Orientalize them. (After all, Kipling was a liar, right? Oh, I Love East of Suez! Sure, ‘course....)

At the same time this is a book about hope, and not just about Nehru and his dynasty. (Fascinating factoid about Nehru: he was an atheist. Old-school, socialist atheist.)

Anyway, someday I’d like to read this whole series; they’re edited very well.