Holy Cow by Sarah Macdonald- Sarah’s husband moved to India as a journalist, so she followed him there, and shares her stories of life in Delhi. She is a very funny writer and also does a lot of travel througought the country, so can share her experiences in many different cities. During one chapter she did vipasanna, which I found particularly interesting. She went to an ashram to practice this form of silent meditation; 10 days where you wake up at the crack of dawn to meditate. You cannot speak, read, watch television, do anything really, except eat a simple meal, rest, and meditate. It was really interesting reading about her experiences with this. Sideways On A Scooter by Miranda Kennedy- Miranda lived in Delhi as a foreign correspondent for 5 years. She tells the story of her life there, but focuses in on castes and specifically the life of a woman in India. I couldn’t put this book down. I never learned much about the caste system when I was in India but find it very interesting. Women’s issues have always been of interest to me, so I loved how she told this through the lives of several women she met. She is a funny writer, but I also learned so much. It is a very good read for anyone wanting to learn about Delhi, the caste system, globalization, arranged marriage, or global gender issues.
Untouchables by Narendra Jadhav- As I learned in the book, every sixth person in the world today is Indian, and every sixth Indian is an untouchable (also known as Dalit), the group at the bottom of the Hindu caste system. The author writes the story of his parents, both untouchables, and their experiences standing up against discrimination. They had personal experiences with Dr. Ambedkar, leader of the untouchables and one who arranged for hundreds of thousands of untouchables to convert to Buddhism (including the author’s parents) to escape their discrimination. I knew very little about the history of the untouchable caste and found this fascinating, particularly the way the story was intertwined with that of “Babasaheb” Ambedkar’s.
White Tiger by Aravind Adiga- This wasn’t my favourite story about India, but I thought I would include it on the list because it’s a decent read. It paints a pretty negative picture of India, and while there are these negative sides, it just wasn’t the India I know. It is a novel, not a memoir as many of the others on this list are. It is written from the perspective of a low-caste driver for a wealthier Indian man, and shares how he involves his life into one filled with corruption, murder, and lies. For what it’s worth, it’s a quick read and I enjoyed it on the basis of the story (and learned a bit more about caste system and the life of a servant in India) but it isn’t the best portrayal of India.
The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai- I had a hard time getting into this novel, but it has won several awards so I wanted to include it. It tells two stories; that of Sai, who is growing up in Darjeeling, India, and that of Biju, an illegal Indian immigrant living in the USA. The author writes another book set in India called Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard, that I have not read.
King of Bollywood Shah Rukh Khan by Anupama Chopra: I am in love with Bollywood. I find it so much fun and so entertaining. The first Bollywood film I ever watched was Devdas, starring Shah Rukh Khan, or “King Khan” as he is known. Shah Rukh is the King of Bollywood and as famous, in India, as Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt combined! I found this book super interesting and entertaining. It was a light and easy read, and inspired me to go out and rent several Bollywood movies! It seems silly, but Bollywood really is such a huge part of Indian culture. Going to see Hrithik Roshan’s film, Kites, when I was in Delhi was so much fun. I will definitely go see another Bollywood when I go back!
