2.5 Stars

What does it mean to be 'Indian'? is supposed to provide insights about the topic mentioned in the title. The blurb says, “Written for an intelligent but lay public, this book shares the results of 40 years of scientific investigations in the research programme Comparative Science of Cultures. It transcends the political distinction between 'the right' and 'the left' by looking deeper into ideas on human beings, society, culture, experience, the past, impact of colonialism, etc.” 

Needless to say, I was intrigued and excited to read the book. The past couple of years saw my attempts to decolonize and be assertive of my cultural identity. 

I respect and acknowledge the author’s expertise in the subject. However, I’m not sure if it translated to readability in this book. Also, the tone didn’t sit well with me, which I ignored because it’s the content that matters. 

I do agree with a few points- the definitions of culture & colonialism, the difference in perspectives, and the theory that we (Indians) indeed don’t know the West or our own heritage as we claim to do. 

The points about lack of access to the undistorted past and the widening gap between the land’s cultural heritage and its people are also 100% true. Another point I agree with is how the so-called Indian intellectuals and Left ape the West and copy their catchphrases ignoring the basic difference in both the countries operate. 

However, the book doesn’t answer any of the questions it raises. It has theories and hypotheses, some of which are valid, but those aren’t going to be enough. Indic learners (like me) are looking for a solid foundation to explore the land’s history. We need scholarly guidance from those who have spent decades in the field. I hoped the book would provide me some of this. 

Alas, it didn’t. Most of the content reads like an article or a thesis than a book with a definite goal. It gets confusing when a lot of topics have a start but end with something like- ‘I won’t talk more about this.’ 

That’s the whole point! I want you to talk more about those. Though we need to look at the future, there’s enough evidence that history will continue to repeat itself until we learn from our mistakes. Let’s start with the past and be unapologetic about it. 

The gap between the title & blurb and the actual content further affects the reading experience. I won’t speculate on how this happened, but I wish it would be rectified. Even an intelligent reader needs something to work with. 

I remember a reader’s post saying that the book would make more sense when paired with Sanskrit Non-Translatables by Rajiv Malhotra and India That is Bharat by Sai Deepak. I have read both books and would say that I agree with this statement to an extent. 

Check out the first recommendation to know more about Sanskrit words and their incorrect translations. Read the latter (book one of a trilogy) to understand how India ended up with a twisted version of secularism and whether or not Hinduism can be called a religion (more on this later). 

In fact, I would suggest you read those two, along with books by Dhrampal, Sita Ram Goel, and Ram Swaroop (plus other books by Rajiv Malhotra), to get a better and clearer picture of the topic. 

It’s not that these books offer answers to all our questions. But they provide information for us to create the necessary connection and bring together the pieces of a puzzle. From here, it is up to us to determine our path toward the future. 

Hinduism: A Religion (?) 

The author discusses whether or not Hinduism can be called a religion. While it sounds great in theory to present it as a way of life, people have to deal with the real-life implications of not having a recognized religion protected by the law. Our temples are controlled by the state and the money we donate to maintain and develop the temples is used by governments to do as they please. 

There are already enough debates about whether or not Hinduism can be considered a religion. We have to realize that stimulating intellectual theories and reality don’t always blend. After all, the ideal condition exists only in theory.   

Now, the concept of Adhikara is a recurring topic in the book. The author questions how Indians have the Adhikara to study Sanskrit/ religious texts while Westerners don’t. He says we don’t have additional Adhikara compared to others. I agree with the second part. 

However, when it comes to the first, it seems like there’s a contradiction in the book. On one side, the author says that the advent of British colonization alienated Indians further from their roots and made it hard to access our ancient works and how using the theories of one religion for another caused so many misinterpretations. 

Then, the author also wonders why we think Westerners don’t have the Adhikara to read and analyze our works. I think the answer is obvious. That said, we have people like Dr. David Frawley and Maria Wirth, non-Indians, and we admire and respect their knowledge of Hinduism. So who gave them this Adhikara? No one. They earned it with their years of Tapasya and dedication. 

The same applies to Indians too. We don’t have the Adhikara (and I refuse to use this word casually) to claim anything. If I were to tell my parents that I am an Adhikarini and the gatekeeper of my culture because of my birth, they’ll ask me to stop being stupid. That’s not how it works. 

Adhikara cannot be demanded or snatched. It comes when you surrender yourself to gain knowledge. It takes years, and even then, there is no guarantee. Adhikara isn’t obtained from a crash course that gives a person the right to commercialize an ancient process and eliminate its roots to claim it as their own. 

This post by Jessica Hodges may be four years old, but it explains what exactly are the concerns with giving Adhikara to others who don’t value it. She writes about how the Arvigo Mayan Abdominal Massage belonging to an indigenous community ended up as a cash vending machine for Rosa Arvigo, who trademarked it after learning from a traditional MesoAmerican healer. The same has been happening to yoga for decades. 

So if knowledge has to be shared with others, it is vital to determine what the receiver will do with this knowledge. How can Indians who have been colonized and taught to hate their native culture not be wary of such people? We haven’t even been able to heal ourselves yet and explore our ancestors’ knowledge without tripping over multiple distortions and in-fighting because of this! 

To summarize, What does it mean to be 'Indian'? is at best a collection of random ideas and concepts that provide some insight into the topic but aren’t as cohesive as expected. Since the book ends with the author claiming he still isn’t sure about what it means to be an Indian, let me tell you what it means to me. 

Being an Indian is being an integral part of this ancient land and cherishing my relationship with her (never mind the govt, politicians, & others). It’s a sacred bond between me, my heritage, and my land. 

Thank you, Indica, for a copy of the book. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book. 

This review is posted as a part of the Thousand Reviewers Club. 

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Tara Zhaabowekwe Houska on the concept of ‘forgiveness’