Incredible India

"The burly Maulana, whose beard reached down almost to his rotund belly, then asked if I wanted some refreshment. I said I would like a Nescafe, which is the only kind of coffee usually available in northern India outside of the cities. 'No, no,' he said sternly. 'We have issued a fatwa forbidding the faithful from buying any American or British products.' I tried in vain to convince them that Nescafe is owned by Nestle, which is a Swiss company, but they had either never heard of Switzerland or could not see the difference. No, they said, wagging their fingers, as if they had caught me pulling a fast one, Nescafe is Angrezi. (In much of India the word Angrezi - English - simply means foreign or western.) Then something ocurred to the Maulana, who was also a member of the committee that issues Deobandi fatwas. 'I have thought of a legitimate loophole,' he announced with a smile. 'The fatwa only applies to products bought after 11 September. Does anyone here possess Nescafe that is older?' A student raised his hand. The mildewed sachet of instant coffee that he fetched from his room certainly pre-dated 9/11. It was one of the most satisfying coffees I have had."

- In Spite of the Gods: The Strange Rise of Modern India by Edward Luce

If you are interestd in India, politics or asian studies, or if you have always been fascinated or puzzled by India, then you should almost certainly read Edward Luce's In Spite of the Gods: The Strange Wise of Modern India. Luce provides a highly informative and thoughtful analysis of India in this book, which is peppered with anecdotes and careful selection of data. He writes lucidly and in a simple style. The result is a thoroughly informative piece of work that is also fun to read. All too often, books of this genre fall into the trap of either boring the reader with jargon and leaden analysis or with unexciting narratives. Not this book, however. I was never bored at any point of time reading it.

One reason why the book is such a delight has to be the subject matter itself - India. The largest democracy in the world is abound with contradictions and unique circumstances borne out of its history, its sheer diversity and the world view of Indians of their place in this world and in the larger Indian society. There are plenty of interesting facts revealed. After learning about them, you may concur with its tourism tagline 'Incredible India' with a renewed conviction.

The second reason has more to do with the writer and his craft. Luce is the Washington Bureau Chief of the Financial Times. Between 2001 and 2005 he was FT's South Asia bureau chief based in New Delhi. He therefore writes with some authority on the topic of India. More pertinently in my opinion, his journalistic background gives his writing much verve. His strength lies in his accessible writing and concise descriptions, which is a hallmark characteristic of a seasoned journalist. Devoid of dry, technical analyses, his is a book that can be enjoyed by anyone who is keen to have a broad fundamental understanding of India. It is for the same reason that I enjoy reading such type of non-fiction writing on politics and current affairs, written by those with a journalistic mind and hands-on insights. Thomas Friedman's From Beirut to Jerusalem comes to mind.

I happen to have both books, and I'm pretty sure I will be reading Edward Luce's book again. Here's another extract taken from the book:

"Quite by chance, my tour of Film City coincided with the presence of Amitabh Bachchan, India’s most revered film star, whose sixty-second birthday had just been celebrated in dozens of newspaper supplements. I was halfway through an interview with Sanjeevanee Kutty, the civil servant in charge of Film City, when her assistant rushed in. ‘Mr Bachchan is ready now,’ said the assistant. ‘Ready for what?’ I enquired. ‘Ready for his interview with you.’ This qualified as one of Bollywood’s more improbable little twists. Having no idea that Bachchan was in the vicinity, I had not requested an interview. Had I done so, it would have taken weeks of faxes and conversations with public relations agencies to secure even the ghost of a chance. Led by Kutty in her official white Ambassador, we piled into a cavalcade of cars and rushed to the set. Like most of Bachchan’s shoots, it was a commercial. Whenever you are in India, the chances are that if you close your eyes and throw a dart it will land on a billboard bearing Barchchan’s distinguished grey-bearded visage. Whether it is for Pepsi-Cola, Cadbury’s chocolate, Parker pens of Maruti cars, no amount of exposure seems to dilute his brand equity. On this occasion, he was staring in an advertisement for Dabur, a health-food chain."