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The Passenger #9
India
Fully-illustrated, The Passenger collects the best new writing, photography, art and reportage from around the world.
IN THIS VOLUME: Caste: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow by Arundhati Roy・The Invention of Hindu Nationalism by Prem Shankar Jha・No Country for Women by Tishani Doshi・plus: the grand ambitions of the world's most underrated space program, Bollywood's obsession with Swiss landscapes, an ode to Bengali food, eagerly awaiting the monsoon, the wrestler tackling stereotypes and much more...
Since its earliest interactions with the West, India has been the object of a gross misinterpretation that has survived to the present day, a vague association with ideas of peace, spiritualism, the magic of the fakirs. Constantly reframed and mythicised by Westerners fleeing their supposedly rationalist societies, India continues to fascinate with its millennia-old history, its shrines on every street corner, its ancient beliefs and rituals, and its unique linguistic and cultural diversity.
Today this picture is mixed with that of a society that is changing at a frenetic pace and is at the forefront of the digital revolution--a "shining India" of dynamic, fast-expanding megalopolises. Yet, these success stories coexist with the daily plight of the large section of India's population without access to drinking water or a toilet, with a rural economy (still employing the majority of India's over 1.3 billion inhabitants) that depends on monsoons for irrigation and is threatened by climate change. The greatest democratic experiment ever attempted, India remains plagued by one of the vilest forms of class and racial discrimination, the caste system, which is being exacerbated by the Hindu nationalist regime currently in power.
All things considered, though, it is hard to find a more dynamic and optimistic country or, as Arundhati Roy puts it, "a more irredeemably chaotic people." This volume aims to depict India's chaos and its contradictions, its terror and its joy, from the struggle of the Kashmiri people to that of non-believers (hated by all religious sects), from the dances of the hijra in Koovagam to the success of the wrestler Vinesh Phogat, a symbol of the women who seek to free themselves from the oppressive patriarchal mores. Despite the obstacles and steps back, India continues its journey on the long path towards freedom and towards ending poverty for some of the world's most destitute people.
IN THIS VOLUME: Caste: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow by Arundhati Roy・The Invention of Hindu Nationalism by Prem Shankar Jha・No Country for Women by Tishani Doshi・plus: the grand ambitions of the world's most underrated space program, Bollywood's obsession with Swiss landscapes, an ode to Bengali food, eagerly awaiting the monsoon, the wrestler tackling stereotypes and much more...
Since its earliest interactions with the West, India has been the object of a gross misinterpretation that has survived to the present day, a vague association with ideas of peace, spiritualism, the magic of the fakirs. Constantly reframed and mythicised by Westerners fleeing their supposedly rationalist societies, India continues to fascinate with its millennia-old history, its shrines on every street corner, its ancient beliefs and rituals, and its unique linguistic and cultural diversity.
Today this picture is mixed with that of a society that is changing at a frenetic pace and is at the forefront of the digital revolution--a "shining India" of dynamic, fast-expanding megalopolises. Yet, these success stories coexist with the daily plight of the large section of India's population without access to drinking water or a toilet, with a rural economy (still employing the majority of India's over 1.3 billion inhabitants) that depends on monsoons for irrigation and is threatened by climate change. The greatest democratic experiment ever attempted, India remains plagued by one of the vilest forms of class and racial discrimination, the caste system, which is being exacerbated by the Hindu nationalist regime currently in power.
All things considered, though, it is hard to find a more dynamic and optimistic country or, as Arundhati Roy puts it, "a more irredeemably chaotic people." This volume aims to depict India's chaos and its contradictions, its terror and its joy, from the struggle of the Kashmiri people to that of non-believers (hated by all religious sects), from the dances of the hijra in Koovagam to the success of the wrestler Vinesh Phogat, a symbol of the women who seek to free themselves from the oppressive patriarchal mores. Despite the obstacles and steps back, India continues its journey on the long path towards freedom and towards ending poverty for some of the world's most destitute people.
- GenresNonfictionTravelIndia
192 pages, ebook
Published March 23, 2021
22 people are currently reading
304 people want to read
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If an editor is known, however, Various is not necessary. List the name of the editor as the primary author (with role "editor"). Contributing authors' names follow it.
Note: WorldCat is an excellent resource for finding author information and contents of anthologies.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
July 7, 2025
Questo è ormai il terzo libro della collezione The Passenger di Iperborea che leggo, e devo dire che questa ormai per me è sempre una certezza! Anche per queste edizione ho apprezzato, oltre alla splendida impaginazione e le fotografie, l'ampia gamma degli argomenti trattati. Avendo letto diverse opere di letteratura indiana, molti argomenti mi erano quantomeno familiari, ma in ognuno dei racconti ho comunque trovato qualcosa che non conoscevo.
Di seguito i voti per i singoli racconti:
La sfida esistenziale dell'India: ☆☆☆.5
In/visibili: ☆☆☆.5
Il razzo sulla bicicletta: ☆☆☆☆.5
Fenomenologia dei monsoni: ☆☆☆
Ogo Shuncho! Ehi, ascolta!: ☆☆☆☆
Guai se non credi: ☆☆☆☆
Contro le caste. Ieri, oggi e domani: ☆☆☆.5
Stacco: Svizzera: ☆☆☆☆
Il sangue dei tulipani: ☆☆☆.5
Sul ring con le donne più forti dell'India: ☆☆☆☆
Un Paese, molte letterature: ☆☆☆☆
Di seguito i voti per i singoli racconti:
La sfida esistenziale dell'India: ☆☆☆.5
In/visibili: ☆☆☆.5
Il razzo sulla bicicletta: ☆☆☆☆.5
Fenomenologia dei monsoni: ☆☆☆
Ogo Shuncho! Ehi, ascolta!: ☆☆☆☆
Guai se non credi: ☆☆☆☆
Contro le caste. Ieri, oggi e domani: ☆☆☆.5
Stacco: Svizzera: ☆☆☆☆
Il sangue dei tulipani: ☆☆☆.5
Sul ring con le donne più forti dell'India: ☆☆☆☆
Un Paese, molte letterature: ☆☆☆☆
October 5, 2025
Una raccolta di voci e riflessioni che riesce a offrire tante prospettive diverse sull’India contemporanea. È il libro perfetto da leggere prima di un viaggio: non è una guida, ma apre davvero la mente e prepara lo sguardo a ciò che si troverà.
May 20, 2023
The playlist from this one is a keeper, it's the leading contender for the soundtrack of summer 2023 if you'll be around my neck of the woods.
For the actual essays, I'm far, far, less enthusiastic than I was about the previous editions I've read, and I'm asking myself why that is. The conclusion I'm reaching is the sheer magnitude of the place. The other collections had a far more personal feeling, especially with Rome and Barcelona, the pieces were a pleasant mixture of intimacy and information. Similarly with Japan, though it's also a lot of ground to cover, a lot of those essays felt narrower in focus, and I wonder if at least I share some common ground in the sense that it's a capitalist country and what I'm used to.
Whearas in the India collection, we are inundated with far, far, to much information about the multitudes of languages, religions, politics, castes, beliefs.
If the collection intentionally did that, as some meta-commentary, maybe they've accomplished it, but a large part of these felt like they belonged in a publication like The Economist, which is to say, lacking a human touch.
I suppose if there's one thing I learned, is that that exact mixture and diversity is the beauty of India, and currently being threatened by politics aiming to make a homogonous Hindu identity. There are one or two films and books I may follow up on, and plus one points for the page that exposed Ghandi as a bit of a fraud since I always appreciate a bit of myth-busting.
For the actual essays, I'm far, far, less enthusiastic than I was about the previous editions I've read, and I'm asking myself why that is. The conclusion I'm reaching is the sheer magnitude of the place. The other collections had a far more personal feeling, especially with Rome and Barcelona, the pieces were a pleasant mixture of intimacy and information. Similarly with Japan, though it's also a lot of ground to cover, a lot of those essays felt narrower in focus, and I wonder if at least I share some common ground in the sense that it's a capitalist country and what I'm used to.
Whearas in the India collection, we are inundated with far, far, to much information about the multitudes of languages, religions, politics, castes, beliefs.
If the collection intentionally did that, as some meta-commentary, maybe they've accomplished it, but a large part of these felt like they belonged in a publication like The Economist, which is to say, lacking a human touch.
I suppose if there's one thing I learned, is that that exact mixture and diversity is the beauty of India, and currently being threatened by politics aiming to make a homogonous Hindu identity. There are one or two films and books I may follow up on, and plus one points for the page that exposed Ghandi as a bit of a fraud since I always appreciate a bit of myth-busting.
June 11, 2021
Libro de la colección The Passenger. Me ha gustado menos que Turquía, quizá porque el contexto sociopolítico y cultural es más complicado y muy alejado de nuestra idea occidental. De hecho el primero de los artículos en el que hablan del nacionalismo hindú se me hizo pesado e interminable. A pesar de todo, recomendable como toda la colección.
October 14, 2020
Niente, purtroppo non è scattata la scintilla. Non mi è piaciuta la scelta delle foto, l'impaginazione degli articoli, la selezione degli articoli... peccato, troppo lontano dai miei gusti personali per giudicare obiettivamente la qualità della pubblicazione.
July 21, 2021
La collana The Passenger per ora non mi ha mai delusa.
Trovo il format interessante, ben congegnato e piacevole anche a livello estetico ed editoriale.
Anche in questo caso, dopo una serie di schede introduttive alla nazione in oggetto, in questo caso l'India, sono raccolti saggi di vario argomento che consentono di farsi un'idea del variegato e poliedrico (oltreché complesso) panorama socio-culturale-politico-economico indiano.
Ci sono articoli di matrice religiosa, politica, economica, sociale, culturale e letteraria.
Si fa il possibile per raccontare i diversi aspetti di una società e di una cultura complessa e sfaccettata come quella indiana.
Il tutto corredato da immagini e illustrazioni.
Plus, una serie di raccomandazioni musicali, letterarie e cinematografiche per approfondire i diversi aspetti accennati negli articoli.
Per me un grande si!
Trovo il format interessante, ben congegnato e piacevole anche a livello estetico ed editoriale.
Anche in questo caso, dopo una serie di schede introduttive alla nazione in oggetto, in questo caso l'India, sono raccolti saggi di vario argomento che consentono di farsi un'idea del variegato e poliedrico (oltreché complesso) panorama socio-culturale-politico-economico indiano.
Ci sono articoli di matrice religiosa, politica, economica, sociale, culturale e letteraria.
Si fa il possibile per raccontare i diversi aspetti di una società e di una cultura complessa e sfaccettata come quella indiana.
Il tutto corredato da immagini e illustrazioni.
Plus, una serie di raccomandazioni musicali, letterarie e cinematografiche per approfondire i diversi aspetti accennati negli articoli.
Per me un grande si!
March 4, 2025
È incredibile la capacità di questo libro di offrire un spaccato dell'India. Gli argomenti sono infiniti e il paese è molto eterogeneo, però ho trovato interessante la scelta dei saggi (anche se mi stupisce che non ci sia un capitolo sul cricket!)
La violenza di genere inoltre trasuda da ogni pagina, e sebbene sia un discorso necessario da affrontare, l'ho trovato abbastanza cruento. Ora non so più se voglio davvero andare in India!
The passenger comunque è sempre una sicurezza 😊
La violenza di genere inoltre trasuda da ogni pagina, e sebbene sia un discorso necessario da affrontare, l'ho trovato abbastanza cruento. Ora non so più se voglio davvero andare in India!
The passenger comunque è sempre una sicurezza 😊
February 21, 2025
Really enjoyed this collection of essays on various topics in and around India. I think you’ll find it more interesting if you already have some knowledge of / interest in issues in India such as gender discrimination, caste, agriculture, politics, etc. But if you already have a basic understanding and an affinity for the country, I think it’s worth a read.
January 8, 2022
Lettura molto interessante che mi ha permesso di ottenere una visione d'insieme di questo grande paese.
February 21, 2021
Un viaggio insolito, attraverso articoli, saggi e testimonianze, nel subcontinente indiano.
April 9, 2020
Il mio preferito della collana The Passenger tra quelli letti fino ad ora.
Tutti i saggi interessanti, inaspettati, ben scritti, ma soprattutto profondi e complessi, per dare conto del “caos contraddittorio, terribile e gioioso” che è l’India di oggi.
Tutti i saggi interessanti, inaspettati, ben scritti, ma soprattutto profondi e complessi, per dare conto del “caos contraddittorio, terribile e gioioso” che è l’India di oggi.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews