India Books

When I was about to leave for an 8-month assignment to New Delhi, I went to my local book store to buy Lonely Planet's guide to the country. But unfortunately (or fortunately) the store only had this book instead.

After reading it -- or more like browsing through -- and experiencing the country, I've found that the guide's very informative and spot on. The thing that I found to be most helpful is about the Indian culture and the street life. These are especially important if you intend on taking to the streets, where you'll see that anything is possible.

The prices mentioned in the book tend to be a bit off, but not that much.

The book also has a lot of humor without losing focus, and also more entertaining than the Lonely Planet book I have (Central Europe)..

Now I'm off to look for the France version.

Highly recommended!

After winding up pretty much abandoned in NWesn India (long story), my copy of Let's Go: India was my bible. Their writers are accurate, observant, pithy and ballsy. The info's good, the recommendations excellent and *they're funny* which I cannot say for any of the Lonely Planet guides I've read.

Let's Go is a book for a budget traveler -- there are some higher-end listings but you won't find Bangkok's Taj Mahal hotel listed. Instead, you'll find tiny guesthouses run by tiny women overflowing with personality and good advice -- who can paint your hands with hemp, teach you the fine points of Bollywood cinema or take you sari-shopping.

I used Let's Go throughout Rajastan and Gujurat as well as in Bombay/Mumbai. It was so good that I've taken versions to Peru, London, Thailand, Malaysia and Italy. I recommend the entire series.

I read this book several times in the eighties - I was reading as many titles as I could find on charismatic psychopaths. Ed Sanders "The Family" was another excellent read. Neville's story of CJ's rampant career across Asia was fascinating - he seduces us even from the page. I love/hate the charismatic trigger that all humans respond to - is it a genetic imperative to resond to this rare attribute in someone to ensure that we follow leaders? Few modern leaders have this charisma essence anyway - see Australian PM John Howard - maybe we need more Charismatics, and damn the odd psychopath as a necessary part of the deal. Collateral Damage, as the Yanks like to say...
Get this book, however you can, and enjoy.

If any one has been to Thialand, Vietnam or India this book is a must, you simply cannot put it down and it's all true!

This is a very pretty book, a simple tale of the Buddha's real, historical life, taken from traditional sources. This would be a great book to read for the kids!

I call this gem of a book "Master piece" not because of it's scholastic value, but because of the way it so beautifully captures the essence of Buddhism and it's founder Gautama Shakyamuni. Reading though the book, even for a person who have no prior knowledge of Buddhism will get the essence of its teachings as though you are there besides Buddha himself. It covers his life from birth to nirvana with some reference to stories in Jataka - a prebirth stories about how Buddha became what he is. The stories are told in not dry textual way but in lively way as if you are there yourself. I would rate this book high for introduction to Buddhism. It is still a treasured book in my library after being a Buddhist for over 30 years.

This book is a highly readable description of the relationship between music and society in North India. Topics include: becoming a musician, being a musician, social organization of specialist knowledge, gharanas (musical traditions), adaptive strategies of Hindu music culture, ecology of Hindu music culture, and the cultural structure and social organization of a music tradition. As an outsider, Neuman is quite attuned to the special characteristics of Hindu music culture that make it unique. He points out that in the Indian culture, "there is a high premium on musical knowledge. The more esoteric, the more it is valued," which goes a long way towards explaining the complexity of Indian rhythms and modes. In the chapter on becoming a musician, Neuman relates how beginning students are evaluated not so much on how well they play, but on the thicknesses of their calluses. Students are expected to practice 8, 12, even 18 hours a day, just as mature performers do. Neuman describes the relationships between the teacher and the student, and between the soloist and the accompanists, between the musicians and the audience. In his chapter on gharanas, he discusses the history of gharanas and how this ancestral system of musical `heredity' works. He also provides an informative discussion of All India Radio, and what it means to be employed as a musician at AIR. The appendices include a variety of material, from charts diagramming connections and marriage links between gharanas, to types of musicians employed at AIR and the fees they receive. There is also a glossary, in addition to a list of references and index.

This book is a must for all those interested in the tradition of Hindustani music (the 'classical' music of North India). It covers the cultural structure, social organization, and adaptive strategies of the musicians, from both an historical and current perspective.

I bought this book for my toddler son but I enjoyed reading it more than him, as it is an educational tool for us Asian-Americans. The illustrations are magnificent and it truely speaks to the Indian garden lover.

Kids ages 3-8 will delight in this story of a young girl who discovers India by exploring the unusual plants in her mother's exotic garden. Lily's survey of the plants comes to life when suddenly she is transported to India to learn about the lives of three different Indian girls in this whimsical tale, with bright drawings by Rob Hefferan.

Valuable resource regardless of your level of interest in personal growth or natural healing. a Well written book. The author gets the essence of the process accross. An inspiring book. Thank you.

I found this gem at a booksale and was overjoyed to be finding something about the "luminous essence" --meaning our lightbody and how it relates to alternative healing. While I believe some of the best parts in the book are his relaying information from his teachers, he has provided us with valuable information--particularly pertinent to energy therapists. This book provided a bridge for me from Reiki to Chinese Energy Therapies. It helped me better understand the function of the energy body and how that controls physical body health issues.
I would love to read more on the subject if he offers it. Parts were reminiscent of Castenada with an oriental flair.

This book is fascinating. It is a very complete study of the influence of europen culture, art and crafts on the Maharajas of India, encompassing all forms of consumer goods... cars, jewels, trains, etc, etc. All these works of art are the result of intense cultural and economic exchange between both worlds and the book emphasizes this very well. A scholarly publication well served by wonderful photographs.

Dr. Amin Jaffer is a curator in the Asian Department of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London where he specializes in Indian art and culture during the era of European influence during the British Raj period (1857-1947). With "Made For Maharajas: A Design Diary Of Princely India", Dr. Amin has compiled with narrative commentary an impressive historical overview of art and luxury goods in all manner of media and associated with the aristocracy of the maharajas during these centuries. Superbly illustrated with 290 images (150 of which are in full color), the representative and custom-made artifacts range from private airplanes and luxury cars, to chandeliers, gold dinnerware, couture fashions, fine leather goods, houses, furniture, jewelry, and more. Dr. Amin drew upon the archives of firms that included Louis Vuitton, Boucheron, Chaumet, Cartier, and Hermies, he had access to palace and private collections, and employing his own extensive expertise, has written a text that is as entertaining as it is informative in revealing the extraordinarily varied works commissioned by princes whose personal wealth was exceeded only by their eccentricities. As an impeccable work of scholarship in a coffee-table art book format, "Made For Maharajas" is especially recommended for academic library collections and would make a superb choice as a community library Memorial Fund acquisition.

When I became fascinated with Indian foods, this is one of the first books I picked up and I was glad I did. I learned a lot about the culture of India at the same time. I have experienced many wonderful Indian dishes with the help of this book.

Madhur Jaffrey has done it again. She, of the lore fame, has spun a tale taking the reader into different states of the country. Her unique style of narrative makes you feel you are having a cup of tea across from her and listening to her elaborate on each distintive cuisine. Her recipes are simple yet the creator comes up with authentic and complex foods that strive to do justice to the varied cuisine of India. As with all her other books, this one is a keeper. Madhur Jaffrey has become my favorite aunt whose knowledge of both cuisine and culture I devour with each new offering from her.

I bought this book for my husband for Christmas as he is currently illustrating a book on the Sikh wars. I gave it to him early as I wasn't entirely sure how useful it would be and it cost too much to be a book left languishing on the shelf! Anyway he was delighted with it, finding many images and reference material he had not seen before. He lent his copy to the author of the new book he is illustrating who immediately bought his own copy. Definitely recommended!

This book is one most authoritative books on Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Until now book has explored the development of culture and art during the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Superb content, great illustrations and really high quality paper. It will great addition to any library or personal collection.

I don't care to duplicate the academic praise seen in the above reviews. But I can tell you simply that Dennis Dalton was my professor in a class on Non-Violence at Columbia Univ. and it changed my life. At a period of time when I was an atheist, believing that all religion was just a set of rules to control people, D. Dalton demonstrated through the example of Ghandi that the Love and Truth force can be a powerful vehicle for change. This completely changed my view point from victim to activist. One could actually have spirituality from within, instead of imposed upon him or her from without. A tool, not a punishment. The 'truth' one has seems to be irrelevant; it is one's passion and belief and willingness to stand behind that Truth that triumphs. If it is True in the archetypal sense, others will join (not follow) you. And by direct action at the heart level, you can touch and change nations. This is not about passive resistance; this is about direct non-violent confrontation. It is about appealing to the best, the highest nature, of that which you confront. He showed me that one can change the world with one's heart; that truth can win. And now I just wait for Dennis to write the definative book on Emma Goldman... Truly a great teacher and initiator of the inner spark of one's own truth force. And with Ghandi as his guiding archetype, this book should be on the reading list of every activist.

What a brilliant analysis of Gandhi's philosophy! This is an insightful collection of essays that illuminates the essential relationship between Gandhi's theory of non-violence and his practice of the same. Dennis Dalton uses two powerful examples: the Salt March of 1930 and the fast to end Partition-related violence in 1947. There is a fascinating conclusion between Gandhi's ideas and those of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, illustrating the relevance of Gandhi's thought to present day issues.