What does it mean to be 'Indian'?

by S.N. Balagangadhara, Sarika Rao

Why ask this question today? After all, a lot is written about India, her culture, her past, her society, the psychology and sociology of individuals and groups. Why is that not enough? It is because what we have learnt so far is either false or fragmentary. If Indian culture is not a slightly inferior, slightly idiosyncratic variant of Western culture, as the received view has it for a very long time, what else is it? Research into culture and cultural differences gives novel and surprising answers. 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. Today, the question 'What does it mean to be 'Indian'?' is both important and difficult to answer.

Is there something 'Indian' about this culture that goes beyond the differences between Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs or Jains? What does it überhaupt mean to belong to Indian culture?

Genres: Philosophy, Cultural, India

216 pages, Paperback

First published August 24, 2021

About the author

S.N. Balagangadhara (aka Balu) (ಎಸ್. ಏನ್. ಬಾಲಗಂಗಾಧರ in Kannada) is a professor at the Ghent University in Belgium, and director of the India Platform and the Research Centre Vergelijkende Cutuurwetenschap (Comparative Science of Cultures). He was a student of National College, Bangalore[1] and moved to Belgium in 1977 to study philosophy at Ghent University, where he obtained his doctorate under the supervision of Prof.[2] Etienne Vermeersch. His doctoral thesis (1991) was entitled Comparative Science of Cultures and the Universality of Religion: An Essay on Worlds without Views and Views without the World. Prof. Balu has been researching the nature of religion. His central area of inquiry has been the study of Western culture against the background of Indian culture.[1] His research programme is called in Dutch "Vergelijkende Cultuurwetenschap," which translates into "Comparative Science of Cultures." Prof. Balagangadhara has held the co-chair of the Hinduism Unit at the American Academy of Religion (AAR). He also gives lectures to the general public in Europe and India on issues such as the current (mis)understanding of Indian culture and the search for happiness

Reviews

[Rosh · Rating 1 out of 5]

This isn’t a review. This is almost a rant-filled novella. (I don’t even know if it will fit in the Goodreads character count constraint, I hope it does.) I’m perfectly fine with my friends here skipping this lengthy write-up. But I had to get this out of my system.

A little background first. I am an Indian. Born and brought up in this country, have stayed here all through my life so far, am a legal citizen of this country. I am also a Christian, born and brought up in the faith to parents who were born and brought up in this faith (going back to 5 generations of Catholics as far as I know. Beyond that, no one remembers, so I can’t confirm for sure.) While I am not excessively religious, I am a believer and a weekend church-goer. I consider both these identities as equally important and not mutually exclusive. Thus, I am an Indian Christian and proud to be so.

The term “Indian Christian” reveals a lot about the priority of identity. No one says “Christian Indian”, or, for that matter, "Muslim Indian" or any other such combination. It’s always the nationality first, and then the religion. That ought to remind us of an important fact: what unifies us is our nationality and our willingness to live in harmony. What keeps our diversity intact is our various faiths and beliefs and traditions united under the umbrella of our nationality. The threat to the country comes when the religious identity supersedes the national identity, as is happening pretty frequently nowadays. (Prime parties to be blamed: the politicians, the media, and the pseudo-intellectuals who consider one or the other faith to be more superior. Also to be blamed are the excessively “woke” who rise up in arms at the mere mention of religion or caste, without bothering to understand the background of the reference.)

So before I dive into this book rant (again, this isn’t a review), I just want to emphasize on this:
(a) Every citizen of this country is an Indian;
(b) Everyone who stays in this country and adapts to its customs and traditions is an Indian;
(c) Every person of Indian origin who continues to believe/follow genuine Indian traditions/customs while not being a legal resident of the nation is an Indian.
Thus, Kamala Harris isn’t an Indian as far as I am concerned. Kalpana Chawla was. Tom Alter was. Mindy Kaling isn’t. Ruskin Bond is. You may or may not agree with my thinking process, and that’s absolutely fine. It’s a democratic country after all. But why do you need to know all this? For the below reason.

The author, SN Balagangadhara, has not been an Indian resident since 1977. He is a citizen of Belgium, and has been there since his postgraduate years. He is married to a Belgian woman who “was” a Christian. He is a strong adherent of “Indian” culture and his research programme focusses on “Comparative Science of Cultures”. So what is he – an Indian or an NRI? According to point (c) of my definition, he is definitely an Indian. So my critique of his work is not based on his being a legal NRI. But you need to know his background to see the book in its proper context. I will assume that the term ‘Indian’ as used in the title refers to all three categories of Indians that I mentioned above.

Let’s get to the book now.

One might assume from the title that this is a book that provides an answer to the question it raises: “What does it mean to be an Indian?” What is the state of identity that this term bestows on us? But this supposition is wrong. The question stays not just unanswered but also ignored except for 2 paras in the last chapter titled "Conclusion". The content is more directed towards "What does it NOT mean to be an Indian?" In other words, we get a whole array of what not to do, but no one tells us what to do.

The intent seems to be to bring knowledge to people, but the manner in which this intent is carried out is such that the content is chaotic in every sense of the word. I’ll just tackle some of the ideas of the book, and present my thoughts on those. (Did you notice how pompous this sentence sounds? Well, I learnt it from this author himself. The whole book has statements like this.) My feedback is in no particular order and spans the entire book. (Whatever is in quotation marks is what I have quoted verbatim from the book. Also, now onwards, the second person "you" is addressed directly to the author and not to my fellow readers.)

Claim: The book declares in the very first sentence that it is targeted at an intelligent but non-academic public.
My response: Myth! Sorry for busting this idea, but even intelligent non-academicians will find this book esoteric and poorly structured. (Based on the bold and overconfident assumption that I am one such person.) There are many hoity-toity words thrown in to make a point, but vocabulary alone doesn’t an argument make. The content is illogical, and the evidence, insubstantial. Where there is a gap in logic, there's a bridge sentence to escape the loophole. "Let us agree not to ask questions about how this happened" or "I will not speak of how this issue came up" or any other such generic escape route.

Claim: “The book stands firmly rooted in that Indian tradition which transmits knowledge without popularising it or dumbing it down, but by trying to reach those who seek to know…Therefore this book does not differentiate axioms from premises; it does not build hypotheses and construct proofs or assemble evidence to support my thesis… But it will make you think by tickling your brain and triggering the processes required for knowledge to emerge in you. I promise you that you will acquire it, if you are prepared to think.” (Written in the preface.)
My response: Sorry, boss. But a book that makes claims without evidence or proof is nothing but empty propaganda. (Yup, this is my “Western culture” thinking again. More on this later.) If you want to convince readers of your ideas, you need to explain them. If you merely want to throw your conjectures at them without letting them know how to understand your point and/or rectify their thought process, you are going about it wrong.

Claim: ”Our future will partly depend on how we make use of the past and present.”
My response: One of the few sentences in the book that is true and practical. Heartily agree with this thought.

Claim: "A back to the roots movement is just as silly today as performing the routine of the brown Saheb and his butler-English."
My response: Again, a hundred per cent true. But this should have been accompanied by a ‘how to go ahead’. If you have the knowledge, why not use it to guide rather than gloat? A guru-shishya tradition works not just if the shishya is willing to learn but also if the guru is willing to share his acumen.

Claim: "No interpretation of Western theology allows us to consider Shiva as 'God'. This leaves us with the only possibility that Shiva is the Devil or one of his minions."
Related Claim: "In Christian theology, we Indians are mostly worshippers of the Devil and our gods are demons. As such, among other things, Indian pagans are perverts--sexually, morally and intellectually. The worst of the lot are the priests of the Devil and these are the Brahmins or the 'upper caste' as it is called in India today."
My response to both these claims: Say whattttttt!?!? Ever heard of the logical fallacy named "False dichotomy"? This is akin to saying, “If something isn’t white, it is black”. No, it isn’t! Every polytheistic faith believes in all its gods but believers choose to pray to a few select gods. Every monotheistic religion believes that its own god is the one, true god. But this doesn’t mean that they look at the rest of the religious pantheon as the devil. This is simply absurd. It is such stupid declarations that worsen the divisiveness of this country.
(One more thing before I forget: No “Christian believer” will capitalise the ‘D’ of devil. We only capitalise the ‘G’ of God to give him rightful importance, as is done for every proper noun.)

Claim: The book argues multiple times over how Indian religious concepts shouldn’t be translated to English: ‘puja’ isn't worship, ‘deva’ isn't god, and so on.
My response: I honestly appreciate this point about translations. Hardly any translation can capture the true regional essence of the word. So how would one explain these terms to someone who genuinely wants to learn more about them? No answer. Why should this restriction stand only for religious terms? No answer. What is the harm if a Westerner sees ‘puja’ as worship, as long as his intentions are noble and he understands the concept, and as long as Indians know that it means much more than basic worship? No answer.

Claim: “All stories require that we interpret them....we need to note too that there are always multiple interpretations available in the marketplace....If our choices are based merely on our likes and preferences, they become dependent on our background or cultural beliefs, prejudices, or pet theories... The disagreement between people becomes an issue of acceptability of interpretations.”
My response: True, very true. Then why not apply the same to your declarations? Aren’t they simply your personal interpretations based on your belief system? Aren’t you yourself trying to create a disagreement by refusing the validity of the interpretations that the modern generation is trying their best to make while balancing living in this modern world and staying in touch with their roots? It’s easier to preach than to practise.

Claim: "The consensus among recent 'authoritative' translators of the Rig Veda is that it is the first religious praise poetry of mankind."
My response: Yet another declaration without evidence. Which “authoritative” translators? Mention their tomes. Let us readers also be able to validate this claim. Because as far as I could find out (and as far as my online searches told me), there isn’t a single source referring to the Vedas as religious praise poetry. Plus, you have declared that the Vedas don’t fit this description. (And I agree.) Then what are they? Why didn’t you answer that? Why not clarify the misconception outright instead of only declaring its erroneousness?

Claim: "The Catholic Bible is preached in local languages by the priests but is not translated from Latin."
My response: Errr… who told you this crap? There are variants of the Bible in a multitude of languages, including the Indian variants of Marathi, Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, and many more. And these aren’t kept restricted from the general populace but are available to anyone who wishes to read the book in a language they are comfortable in.

Claim: "(The British) described their experience of us, and we accepted their experience as truths about ourselves."
My response: I can’t deny this outright. But I can’t accept it in its entirety. I doubt most knowledgeable thinkers believed what the British claimed of us. I have no evidence to back my gut feeling on this, but hey! You also haven’t provided any evidence to back up this claim. So it’s a tie game.

Claim: "One must follow the Muslims and Christians in terms of dress codes while visiting temples rather than appearing in our traditional garb." (Note that he isn’t saying that Indians ought to do this, but that Indian religious institutions make people do this.)
My response: Again,….What??!??!?!? Every religious institution has their own dress code, and visitors ought to follow it. Like when we visited the Golden Temple in Amritsar, I went barefoot and covered my head with a scarf. When we visited the Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga Temple in Aurangabad, the guards refused women entry, and asked my husband to take off his shirt as men could only enter the premises bare-chested. My husband wasn’t comfortable with this idea and so we both left without paying our respects. This is nothing but respect for each religious faith and its requirements. What institution(s) has said that the Muslim and Christian dress code is the only acceptable one? (Also, what is the Christian dress code? This Christian doesn’t know!!! All I know is that some Indian churches discourage sleeveless or short/revealing outfits for both men and women when coming to church.)

Claim: "According to these (Christian) modern secular ethics, Indians are either deeply immoral or resemble moral cretins."
My response: I will not repeat my argument of false dichotomy here. Instead, allow me to point out the hidden assumption in this sentence, an assumption that repeats itself hundreds of times in this book. “Christian” and ‘Indian” are two separate categories. So if I am an Indian Christian, am I a moral believer (for being a Christian) or an immoral cretin (for being an Indian)? The entire book uses the term ‘Indian’ to refer to followers of the Hindu faith. What about the rest of us? There’s an answer hinted at: we are “crippled Indians.” (Oh boy! *EYE ROLL*)

Claim: Hinduism isn't a religion per se and is only a term coined by the colonial rulers to simplify their understanding of local beliefs.
My response: I see the merit of this claim, and I agree with it. But what is it then? How do we rectify this supposedly mistaken terminology in a peaceful yet resolute way? No answer. At the same time, I want to raise a question. If Hinduism is just an ‘ism’ created by the colonial rulers and the multitude of beliefs in this nation cannot and should not be brought under this umbrella brand, then how could you use the term “Western Culture” to talk of every single non-Indian idea, no matter which country or religion it was about? Aren’t you committing the same fallacy?

Claim: "If one must criticise me, one must follow the rules of the scientific game: to come up with an alternative hypothesis that not only explains everything I explain, but also more. In all honesty, I have yet to come across such a hypothesis."
My response: I must admit defeat here. I cannot produce such a hypothesis that will conclusively defeat your agenda, Mr. Author. But the reason isn’t because your thoughts are so strong. The fact is that one can counter only logic with logic. Where there are absurd claims made under the guise of scientific credentials, and with not a single proof provided for any hypothesis, how the heck can anyone counter them? (I must add: it's so funny that you demand a scientific counterpoint to your claims when you yourself haven't followed the scientific method while making your declarations.)

Special section now: Contradictory claims made by the author:
“Western scientific theories are nothing but repackaging of Christian ideas in a scientific guise.” (In other words, accepting ideas of such thinkers is "akin to accepting Christian beliefs". Author's words, not mine.)
“The theory of gravity is a good theory that links varying phenomena and unifies them.” (In other words, it's a theory worth believing in. Guess you forgot who proposed the theory of gravity.)

Another instance of a contradictory claim:
“We cannot simply accept what the West tells us without having evidence for it.” (In other words, logical proof is necessary.)
“If anyone asks about your traditions, just say that you are following them keeping faith with your fathers and you need no reason to follow traditions.” (In other words, logical proof isn't necessary.)

This is the end of my ‘Claim vs Response section. If you think I am done with my rant, oh no… I still have some more fuming to do.

• What I wanted to know from this book was how a 3000 year plus old culture adapt to modern thinking without losing its identity. This question still stays unanswered.
• That there have been gross injustices in the past in terms of religious attacks and colonisation is a fact that no one can deny. But to use events that happened hundreds of years ago to demean the believers of those faiths today and enforce a "reclamation" on them, is that fair? Isn't that again injustice?
• You say that we shouldn't deride the absence of historiography in India nor should we convert our history into historical documents. But we need to know our history. How exactly should this happen? The question is unanswered.
• Your examples are, to put it mildly, weird. For instance, “If I'm not told to share my wife and family with all, why must priests share their temples with all?” Huh!?!?

To sum up (yes, finally a summation), some part of the content did make me think. Your definitions on ‘colonialism’ and ‘culture’ for instance are brilliant. But looking at the book with pinhole glasses isn’t going to help anyone. Most of the book comes across as pompous, especially in your repeated use of the first person and the stress on your intellectual superiority. But there is no backing evidence for any of your declarations. There are no concrete solutions provided. The editing also needs work as there is a lot of repetitive content. There is a lot of generalisation in the book, and also a strong undertone of defensiveness and aggression towards contrary beliefs. A single example is extrapolated as indicative of popular belief. None of these are attributes of a strong theory.

When will pseudo-intellectual thinkers realise that pushing down one religion doesn't elevate their own? If you have insulted or denigrated any religion just to show how yours is a superior belief system, you are no better than those colonisers and Islamic rulers of the past.

In this day and age, when the world is becoming more global, there is a greater responsibility on all of us to maintain and nourish our roots. But this can't be undertaken by encouraging divisive thinking. If all of us start looking at each other as Indians and not as Hindus or Muslims or Christians, and we focus our energies on saving our combined heritage, only then can this country have a unified future. If we use events that have occurred more than 2 centuries ago and seek retaliation, there's something drastically wrong with our heads.

Nothing more to say. *Mic drop!*

Yikes, one more thing to say! I received a complimentary copy of this book through the Indic Book Club. All opinions expressed here are voluntary and honest.


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Join me on the Facebook group, Readers Forever! , for more reviews, book-related discussions and fun.

[Srivalli (Semi-Hiatus) · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

One Liner: Has a few good points but fails to inspire as a whole

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 with 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 : The Importance of Sanskritizing English by Rajiv Malhotra and India that is Bharat: Coloniality, Civilisation, Constitution by J. 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 Dharampal, Sita Ram Goel, and Ram Swarup (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.

Adhikara: Who is Eligible

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 highlights 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 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 people, who have been colonized and taught to hate their native culture not be wary of others? We haven’t even been able to heal ourselves yet and explore our ancestors’ knowledge without tripping over multiple distortions and in-fighting!

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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A little read: Tara Zhaabowekwe Houska on the concept of ‘forgiveness’.

[Vineet Singh · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author of this book has a different level of intellect, which in turn seeks a higher level of intellect from the reader of this book. As the author has said in the beginning of this book that this book does not give answer to the question “What does it means to be Indian”? Rather, it gives an insight so that they engage themselves in seeking the answer. I have been reading quite a lot nowadays but till now I have not come across any book or article which has presented view like the author has on many aspects like Shivling pooja, Idol worship, God, polytheism, discrimination propaganda, temple entry for shudra, entry of women in certain temples, technicalities of words like ignorance, secularism, truth etc. All are like eye-opener.
Regarding secularism, I came to know about it from Sitaram Goel book, but here it has been explained more clearly. And it was shocking for me when the author says that “Social Science is not science in any sense but secularised Christian theologies”. Further it is confusing for me when author says that “there no such entity like Hinduism in the world outside the universities in the west and in the mind of Indologists”.
As it is said in the beginning, this book does not provide the answer to questions but same time prepares the reader so that he starts his journey in search of answers.
I request the readers to read this book 5-6 time then only we can do justice to the work of the author. An eye-opener book.

[Pallavi Kamat · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the premise of the book What does it mean to be an 'Indian'?, seems interesting and intriguing, right from the first page, it came across as slightly abrasive/elitist - the first line says, "This book is for an intelligent but non-academic public." Another sentence says, "Accept the gift if you are both hungry and deserving of this gift."

The book discusses about the differences that distinguish one culture from another. It also discusses how Indian tradition had been transmitting knowledge by trying to reach those who seek to know.

It talks about Nehruvian socialism, Communism, Naxalism, secessionist movements, etc. Both Islamic and British colonialism denied people and cultures their own experiences.

As Indians, we feel connected to our collective past through the stories of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. There's also interpretation of various stories through the ages. It also discusses the role of stories in our culture. "Cultures teach not only which resources to use but also how to use them."

Colonialism arrested and impeded the transmission of theories that were required to make sense of our experience. Today, Sharadamba, the Kashmirapuravasini, has become an alien in Kashmir.

The book also talks about the expansion of different religions, through conversion or securalisation. It also mentions how the Indian intelligentsia is desperately imitating the West.

I did not enjoy reading the book as much as I had hoped to. It felt pretty disjointed and disconnected throughout.

[Divya Mahajan · Rating 3 out of 5]

What Does it mean to be Indian by Dr S N Balagangadhara & Sarika Rao raises more questions than answers. It is not an easy book to read in terms of concept and content. The author discusses the slow erosion of our culture dues to 2 major colorizations and we trying to justify our art and rituals and beliefs instead of talking about facts . This is a book of contradictions that states a fact and then next raises questions and makes the reader think aloud . The book also touches on today's touchy subject of (pseudo) secularism (where we Indians are not comfortable identifying with our culture in case we are called fundamentalist .) Where people of other countries are propud of evrything their country represents especially the language and their culture We Indians are not so comfortable with our own traditions and culture . This book gives a glimpse into many subjects that makes us look deep into ourselves. Colonial mentality is what this book dissects .
A book I would recommend to be read at least to get a view of What exactly is an India or Bhartiya .


Thanks Indic Book Club for this book

[Keyur · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Review of What does it mean to be ‘Indian’?
Author Shri. S N Balagangadhara in this very book presents a very holistic approach to the question that hasn’t got a satisfactory answer i.e What does it mean to be an Indian?

The book is very neatly structured into 3 parts highlighting each and every aspect of our civilizational ideas. The author starts with literature related to our past and further explains how the Christian colonizer has made us view Bharatiya ideas from the former’s lens i.e with a Christian perspective. Further on importance of culture is very aptly described taking examples of how it influences building a nation. The effects of Islamic and Christian Colonialism on the native ideas are empirically explained through concepts of self-realization and self-introspection. Moreover, the author also highlights the concept and ill effect of secularism as in how one being a secular is just being a more Christian.

Overall this book is a wonderful and powerful weapon for every Bharatiya and would recommend everyone to read it.

[AK SACHDEV · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book’s preface starts by telling the reader that the book is meant for the intelligent but non-academic reader and appears to be written to exhort him to open his mind to some constructs it throws up with a view to make the reader shed some imbibed notions. At the same time, for a non-Indian reader it offers deep insights into why some of the notions held outside India about Indians are debatable.
The book speaks of two colonisations that India’s history has been afflicted by --- the Islamic and the British --- and makes the incisive distinction that the former was a religious one while the latter was inflicted by a people. It dissects the disparate effects of these colonisations on Indian culture and consciousness and implies that the effects of these colonisations still linger on. An associated side effect of our British colonial period is projected by the book as misconceptions about our culture being carried not only by non-Indians but the majority of Indians as well. It dwells on many such erroneous notions (like the flawed perception of the lingam and the interpretation of many stories that are a part of Hindu religious texts) and offers counters to the wrong concepts in common literature.
For the reasons it ascribes largely to colonialist legacy, it predicts that the Indian culture is certain to be submitted to a renaissance but does not specify any time frame for that to happen.
The book raises some interesting, thought provoking issues; it may not offer a huge increase in the reader’s knowledge about Indians but, if he is an Indian, it will definitely give him something to think about. Indeed, it may change some of his ideas about what ‘Indian’ defines in a person.

[Divya Goel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book talks about decolonising the consciousness of India by examining what it means to be Indian. The author lays out the framework for being “Indian” in terms of culture rather than linguistic, geographical boundaries. It is a thought-provoking book that will force you to rethink widely accepted notions like colonialism, Hinduism, discrimination and the translation of Sanskrit terms to English.

The author asserts that the way we look at our traditions is affected by Western colonial consciousness which is based on Christian theology. He bemoans that social scientists and Indians across the political spectrum derive their ideology from this same colonial consciousness. He argues that Indians on either side of the ideological spectrum view themselves from a colonial lens. He also says that Indians need to understand Indian consciousness without this colonial lens and to do so must understand Western culture. The remaining book elaborates on this idea. He even gives examples on how to counter questions about traditions such as puja etc. coming from this colonial lens.

The writing style is fairly abstract and will likely not appeal to a wide audience. While I did not agree with all the ideas and the examples stated in the book, the ideas presented did give me a different perspective. I think the author could have elaborated on some of his ideas more instead of just stating them which might have enhanced my understanding. I would recommend this book as an intellectual challenge. Even if you dismiss the ideas entirely or agree with some or all of it, it is likely to provoke your existing perspectives.

[Bimit · Rating 3 out of 5]

One may have come across numerous books on this subject matter, many of of which may profess to contain mines of data in regards to something similar in a jargon heavy language which is of no use until you have covered the fundamentals.

The book (not written in technical or scholarly language and in random order) covers topics like Social Issues, Colonialism, History, Dharma, Psychology, Theology, Mythology and Musings each in turn containing a couple of chapters.

"What does it mean to be Indian" and similar titles is not an uncommon genre across the span of years. This title elaborates on core basics and is an attempt to improve and expand one's perception of the forces at play. The author remarks on the existence of a relation between an individual and some concealed variables. For instance, there are two chapters "Experience and Anubhava 1" and "Experience and Anubhava 2" that talk about the distinction of the both in terms of etymology of the two words and how both of them are different and what makes Indic Anubhava unique.

Through the book, the author tries to address certain aspects attached to the world's oldest civilization and how a change in perspective in widening our views regarding this field. The writing is simple and captivating and resonates with today's generation. Overall A well researched, compiled, inspiring and enlightening read.

[The Conch · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The best way to destroy the past of a people is to give them history.”

India is probably only one country in the world, which is still able to retain her civilization from Vedic age. She suffered invasion in waves, but no one created so much turmoil as much created by Islam and specially British. Colonization not only conquers land, but also “…alters the way we look at the world…” We forget “what does it mean to be Indian” and author prods us to ruminate about the question. As Swami Vivekananda said “what has the Englishmen left? Nothing but mounds of broken Brandi bottle”.

Author begins with effect of colonization on history. West wrote India’s history based on how they viewed us from their lenses; however, problem began when Indian intellectuals or historians, instead of doing independent research, started viewing India’s past with colonizer’s lenses and were naïve about West’s culture and its ‘Biblical history’. As author rightly says, “we are in urgent need of a new …intellectuals rooted in Indian culture but ‘at home’ with Western intellectual riches. Creating them is the task for the future.”

Chapter 2 is stunning where author opens a salvo in form of conversation. Author shows how Christian theology and enlightenment philosophers of Europe influence Indian Indologists. They present every explanation of murthis of devi and devataas either by garnishing with Freudian sauce or by reducing murthis into just an aesthetic object. Chapter 4 may be read with this chapter to understand concept of difference between explanations of experience and experience itself.

Understanding is necessary to know about development of culture to understand how colonization influences it. ‘Resource of socialization’ and ‘configuration of learning’ are important concepts that forms the basis of culture and differences among cultures. Human’s “natural environment and the social environment” are main component. Author brilliantly coins new terms and explains their relation with culture. Human languages (“poems, stories, theories, hypotheses, speeches, and talks”) and human institution (“family, marriage, rituals, child rearing, schools, clubs, legal and political organizations”) are reservoir of culture from which human learn. This is “resource of socialization” and how differently it is used by human race will give rise to cultural difference.

Second part of the book says about colonialism and its impacts on politics (arising of secularism), language, social science and psychology. It generates “colonial experience” and “colonial consciousness”. Brown sahibs just download these colonial experiences and experience “Indians as lazy, corrupt, dishonest, backward, immoral, etc”. Narrative like “inhuman caste system…, depressed class,…Hindu fundamentalism” all is cascading from that experience. Here, author raises a valuable question – “what made Indians think that the British experience of India describes India the way it is?...This colonialism arrested and impeded the transmission of theories that were required to make sense of our experience.”

In chapter 8, author presents conflicts between Catholic and Protestants in early Europe and advent of concept of secularism. Readers will be spellbound by knowing Christianity’s insidious influence on every aspect of politics and social science.

From part 3 (chapter 12-19), author begins discussion on “who India is and is not.” One may read these chapters to get the gist of the book. Here, author represents a unique view. Hinduism is a built-up concept of west. It is like, an alien visits India and it describes rituals and religion by naming “hipkapi”. West created Hinduism for their own understanding, but instead of study our own heritage in our own way, we blindly borrow the spectacle of Macaulay.

Author gives a task to “re-establish our connection to Indian tradition and its way of teaching to reflect on human experience”. However, there is no proposed SOP how to achieve this, but through
“the prism of scientific theorizing”.

This book is not an easy-read due to introduction of several new terms and concept. However, those who are serious to find out how to invigorate lost consciousness then it is most appropriate one.

I am grateful to Indic Club for providing such a scintillating book.

[Ivns Raju · Rating 3 out of 5]

The very word India itself is as old as 200 years. When Indians continue to be referred to as Indians, we continue to get this question. This is my first feeling (Bhaavana) emanating from reading this book.

Authors SNB and SR did a prolonged contemplation on the question which is the title of this book. This book must be read by every one those who took birth and living outside Bharat. They need to be guided by their parents to add their perspective to the concept of SanatanaDharma which was, unfortunately, not taken up as the root of Bharat and Bharateeyata by the authors.

Similarly being a person from Karnataka, SNB should have learnt about Dasa Sahitya and Dvaita Vedanta that unfolded and gifted to the seekers the realistic theism. Our Supreme God is not Nirguna and Niraakaara. He is full of infinite auspicious qualities. Our Rishis must have used the words Nirguna and Niraakaara in a context that befits them but we must note that being Nirguna is also a Guna being Niraakara is also an Aakaara. Lingam needs to be understood in this perspective. Wendy Doniger like Indologists shared their distorted understanding, such distortions must have been quoted in this book.

A Muslim in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Telugu States can understand the beauty of the language spoken there. The knowledge, skill and attitude towards that language a Muslim or a Christian posses makes him/her a person from Bharat (Indian). Because such unique knowledge, skill and attitude is not possessed by a muslim or christian living outside Bharat.

This question (title of the book) got thoroughly answered by our Risihis of the Vedic Lore long ago. Our ignorance of Samskrutam, our education system, our political system and vested interest robbed many generations to know many answers to this question that can be reconciled into one Independent Reality. The Brahma Sutras did this work. Who has got the patience to read them? Dr. BNK Sharma did an excellent work on this.

The trouble comes when we compare SantanaDharma with Religions like Christianity and Islam that are as recent as 2021 years old.

[Vikrant Pande · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book by SN Balagangadhara and Sarika Rao begins by warning the reader that is meant for an intelligent but a non academic person!
I have not read but I am told that SNB wrote a masterpiece many years back on the Western interpretation of Eastern religions which were in the Christian or semitic framework and which has been internalized by Hindus who got a colonial mindset.
The author defines colonialism as a phenomenon where native Indians experience the world through violence and alienation. The chapter which talks of focusing on countering colonial consciousness is interesting. It asks us to critically examine the western culture and reversing our gaze while decolonizing the self as the author asserts that the descriptions of Indian society and culture are Western in nature.
I am sure there would be a lot of criticism from some of the Christian readers. Colonial consciousness is an important idea which even after 75 years of Independence we remain trapped. Pride in Indian culture does not mean giving up anything modern or western. The book helps the reader to understand what being Indian means. It needs slow reading. It is not a book to browse but to assimilate and think. It is not that I came out with very insightful or earth shattering conclusions but I definitely began to think differently about what it means to be an Indian.
It is a book which we need to read.

[Reading Diet · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well explained Indian Culture - Only for Intelligent readers

The book (which you may Feel like someone is randomly talking with you on different topics) is all about Indian culture, politics, religion, Colonialism, Psychology, Mythology, and history. The author SNB said at the beginning of the book that it’s not a typical fiction book. You might not enjoy reading it. I believe he was right.

You may find numerous books on the same topic but all will be worthless if you don't understand the simple fundamentals of "What does it mean to be 'Indian'?". The author tried to write it in a very simple manner that uses the day-to-day life Indian English vocabulary. They didn't use a heavy foreign vocabulary, which an ordinary Indian reader might not like to read it.

I must say that author's intellect level is too different than my ability of reading. I agree with some of his claims but at the same time, I don't understand the significant explanation about those claims. The portion I understood had given me good vibes. Through the book, they raised questions more than the answers given. At the end of the book, you might even don't get the answer to the question asked through the book title.

No writer is good or bad ever, It's just a difference between our intellectual thought processes. You must read it once if you are born and brought up outside India.

If I'll talk about book quality then I'm much impressed with bookbinding, page quality, and especially a cover image.

[Ankit · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I started reading this book, I was very skeptical of the title (as if one book was enough to know - What does it mean to be an Indian?). But now that I have gone through it, I can comfortably say - it's one of the most thought-provoking pieces out there on the 'Bharatiya' philosophy. And I put emphasis on the word 'Bharatiya' because it's the way it should be read and the book talks exactly about that.

It talks about the colonizer's way of seeing us as the land of snake-charmers and whatnot and provides rebuttals to such notions in a very lucid manner - synergizing with the ancient Bharatiya tradition of Purva-Paksha. Not just that, even to a Bharatiya who is in deep slumber about his/her glorious past and the recent maligning of it, it presents several interesting questions to which the answers need to be found.

It explains the need to shun our dependence on other ideologies to prove our own existence and instead, start looking within our thought process to find "What does it mean to be an Indian?" It talks about the pluralist, inclusive nature of the Hindu society, and also explains with a slight disgust how it has been misrepresented by the western Masters, claiming themselves to be "holier than us".

For example, it explains the fact that there is no "God of Truth" in our culture unlike say Christianity, where God is the only Truth - which ultimately means that in the Hindu way of life, Knowledge trumps Truth. But it also laments that despite this fact, we failed to produce and sustain world-class intellectuals over a period of time, thanks to the deep-rooted colonial influence and years of slavery that have paralyzed our intellectual systems.

The author also talks about how we as Bharatiyas take everything that a westerner says at face value. Take in point the fact about calling Idol Worship regressive or ancient - well, it's just one way of thought that the Abrahamic faiths do not believe in. But how on earth can a case be made to prohibit us as Bharatiyas to question our faith? And the irony is - the same bunch of people cheers the ideas of Secularism.

It also points out the fact that the Bharatiya thought revolves around - "Truth can enslave, and only knowledge liberates." It then talks about the feeling of mutual respect and understanding, and tolerance that our culture has taught us since time immemorial by taking the example of Rishi Durvasa. Even though his temper was well known, his fellows didn't look down upon him but embraced his good qualities and accepted him as he was, knowing very well that each of us has some bad as well as some good qualities and can't be judged on the basis of either one alone.

The author also talks about the colonial consciousness, which played a huge role in preventing access to the Bharatiya experience to a large number of Bharatiyas, and it continues to do so even today. It reflects in our thoughts about our own motherland, and the way we decide to shape its future, without understanding clearly what it had stood for in the past.

This book also comes down heavily on the Indian brand of Secularism - which, according to the author, nothing more than a distorted version of Christian theology, where people of the Pagan belief system (Indians, Romans, Greeks) are mostly worshippers of the Devil (since there could be only one God according to them) and that leads them into believing Bharat is a land of perverts, intellectually bankrupt citizens who need to be cured and uplifted. This is what the author calls "the secularization of Christian Ideas".

This book also talks about this particular secularization sprint that led Bharatiyas who went to study in Universities abroad, say the likes of Nehru, to believe that there was something wrong with our society, that there was a need for the rule of law to prohibit certain practices which don't make sense under the lense of secularism. That's where, unfortunately, the downfall of the Bharatiya traditions began and it continues to date. Our judiciary is a prime example of how law can replace inclusive pluralism with forced secularism in society.

The book further talks about the illogical comparison between the Abrahamic sacred text (Bible, Quran) with innumerable Bharatiya Shastras, Upanishads, Puranas, etc. Those who believed in Abrahamic faiths couldn't digest the fact that there could be so many paths toward truth and reconciliation in our culture. Hence, they looked down upon us instead as followers of a confused faith, which many of us would rightfully assert that we are not. Remember, we are a country of seekers, we explore in search of knowledge, and don't hesitate to cross-examine if the truth itself is presented to the naked eye.

The author also talks about the beauty of our oral traditions and the fact that the West sees them as ancient and anti-progressive. Well, just because a certain group of people doesn't understand the utility of it, doesn't make it anti-progressive. It is for those who believe in Abrahamic faiths to ponder upon, since they are the ones whose sole purpose in their lives, according to their holy books, is to serve God and God alone. If they fail to do so, they are doomed to go to hell for eternity. Is anyone else talking about being regressive here? This is the main reason that such people consider Bharatiyas to follow the same kind of religion and experience the type of regressiveness that's deeply ingrained in their culture. But as knowledge would have it, that's totally not true.

Lastly, and most importantly he talks about instilling the belief of "Puja" in our younger generation, not just with respect to worshipping say Rama, Shiva, etc but to really make them aware of the difference between "Puja" and "Worship". The author also tells that it's important to make people understand that we don't necessarily need to worship a Lingam, a Tree, or any "symbol" because we consider them as manifestations of a deity, but because we believe in Universalism - treating everything and everyone as apart as well as the whole of the Higher figure.

In his closing arguments, he talks about the need for Bharatiyas to tread on the path of Knowledge and Knowledge alone, ride on the chariot driven by our intellect and re-discover the magic called the Bharatiya thought - without the westerner's lens. I believe this book should be read by every proud Bharatiya so that we can invoke the self-interest in developing the Indic thought process, contribute towards and propagating it, and pass it to our generations to come. I personally am a bit more sure about "What it means to be an Indian" after reading it, and I wish the same for you and everyone.

[Nitesh Singh · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are intellectually confused about what it means to be an Indian, you should read this book. Young Indians are being brian washed and made feel ashamed of being Indian, this book gives the food of thought to your mind which will allow you to counter the narrative of another side objectively.

As the author said, this book is for the intellectually intelligent and not the lazy public. We must know the answer to "what it means to be an Indian" because what has been taught to us is mostly the birds-eye view from the western point of view. You can't paint the Indian society with a western brush! This book won't give you the answer to the question but will help you find your own answer.

Book is written in lucid and easy-to-understand language. If you have an interest in finding the answer to "what it means to be an Indian", read this book!

[Saurav Basu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nearly three decades ago, S N Balagangadhara wrote his monumental incisive critique of Western interpretation of Eastern religions which were dubiously situated in a Christian or semitic framework, one that has been unfortunately and uncritically internalized by colonized Hindus.
The present book, curiously titled “What it means to be Indian” unlike its predecessor is targeted at the “non-academic”, “intelligent” reader but obviously one of gentle, pro-Hindu (?sanatana) non left-liberal persuasion (reference to third rate identity politics by post-colonials, p.13, scare-quoting Indian identity, p.15). It also at times attempts to extends his past narrative – for instance, the author asserts that India is the product of two colonialisms, the first Islam the religion, and second, the British, the people. This is not some novel assertion, years ago, Agehananda Bharati (ala Leopald Fischer) in his anthropological survey of medieval Hindu civilization observed the internalization of Islamic philosophical motifs in concepts such as ‘kismet’. The confrontation with modernity created such an inferiority complex for some educated Hindus that they monothesized their religion – until possibly the intervention and pushback during the 19th century Hindu renaissance in Bengal by Ramakrishna—Vivekananda.
Balagangadhara sums up colonialisms as the phenomenon wherein natives ways of experiencing the world are displaced through sheer violence and alienation precluding experience of their world and ways of life in their own terms. Unfortunately, he avoids reference to religious conversion which is the most effective way of implementing the colonial agenda. Nevertheless, Balagangadhara’s novel contributions to anti-colonialism are also present in this book – the differentiation between semitic religions based on ‘truth claims’ and Eastern and pagan faiths that sought legitimacy and sanctity from the force of antiquity and tradition by altogether superseding the factual realm. Colonized Hindus seek scientific and historical legitimacy of our itihasa-purana traditions by subjecting it to the historical requirements of semitic faiths, rendering Hinduism, into grave danger of being reduced to myth, and hyperbole.
The chapter on experience and anubhava cautions against conflating two distinct phenomenon which reminds you of Sanskrit untranslatable terms (see, MalhotraL 2020). However, some statements are confounding such as the author’s assertion that ‘Indians….privilege knowledge above truth’ (what happened to sat-chit-ananda, the fundamental description of the Vedantic godhead)?
Other chapters focus on countering colonial consciousness by critically examining Western culture and reversing the gaze while decolonizing the self for “existing description of Indian society and culture are Western cultural descriptions of the experience of an Indian culture”.
The most controversial and thought-provoking chapter in the book is the author’s assertion that ‘Hinduism is not a phenomenon in Indian culture’ and the claim that we require a different description of Indian culture. Yet, quite amusingly, throughout this book, the author engages nominally with Indians while perhaps technically addressing only those who subscribe to the larger Hindu worldview.
All in all, this is a difficult book to read, a dumbed down version of the ‘Heathen in his blindness’, and at best a pale shadow of his original masterpiece.

[Nishant · Rating 4 out of 5]

The question “What it means to be Indian” is a hibernated curiosity within all of us. But then it means that our culture is still alive to some extent. This book investigates all layers of thickly overlaid snow within which we have safeguarded (or lost) our cultural consciousness. The author investigates the processes induced by two colonialisms to prevent us from accessing our own knowledge (not the “Truth”) and turned us into a crippled society, which by the way has become normal for us. Discussion on how the colonialism has destroyed the fecundity of intellectual life in India and turned us into mental retards of modernity, is very insightful.

The author very rightly emphasizes on the need of defining our own terms and not to borrow words and definitions. In author’s own words, “We don’t need to understand our mother-in-law to know our mother. What we have learnt about ourselves has been the result of what has been said about us by the colonizers. We reproduce both our bondage to the West and our obliviousness to that bondage, whenever we reproduce the so-called social sciences or their critique. Some of us can at least attempt to undertake the job of critically reflecting on our experiences instead of reproducing barren third-rate ideas borrowed from second-hand sources far from our shores.”

The best thing about this work is that the author is blunt and do not mince words in calling a spade a spade. But (and the author is aware of it) the style of writing is not “interesting”. Yes, this book is not meant to be finished in one sitting, but there are sections which could have been more appealing. But then it is also true that every discussion ends up in a solid statement/summary/conclusion. To me this book gives words to the hidden understandings I had/have about our (Indian) current cultural identity, which most of the intellectuals fail to provide because they themselves have succumbed (under the colonial rule) to what they did not understand.

If you have patience to go through a book, irrespective of the writing style, and are keen to understand an Indian’s dilemma then pick this work up. The book clarifies that “India is no third-rate identity politics taught in Chicago or Columbia by the post colonials, but the strivings of a culture.”

[Charan Kruthik · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book begins with providing deep insights to non-Indian readers as to why some of the ideas about Indians spreading outside India are worth discussing. The book describes two colonisations that have plagued Indian history by the hands of Islamists and the British. It compares the various effects of these colonisations on Indian culture and suggests that the impacts of these colonisations are still going on. The author also states that it is important to make people understand that there is no need to worship Shiva linga, trees. The book starts off encourages him to open up to some of the structures it throws in order to get the reader to throw away some, as the book is intelligent but not intended for academic readers. An absorbed idea that begins with telling the reader what it looks like to be written. The relevant side effects of our British colonial era are predicted by the book as a misunderstanding about our culture shared by the majority of Indians as well as non-Indians. This book talks about illogical comparisons between Abraham's scriptures (the Bible, the Quran) and the myriad of Upanishads, Prana, and more. Those who believed in Abraham's faith were able to reconcile the truth in our culture. But, they looked us down as just followers of a set of confused pseudo beliefs. Many of us will correctly claim that we are not. We are people belonging to country of seekers. We search for knowledge and feel free to cross-examine when the truth is presented to the naked eye. It addresses many such misunderstandings, such as the Linga misunderstanding and the interpretation of many stories that are part of Hindu scriptures, in contrast to the misunderstandings found in mainstream literature. We predict that Indian culture will certainly experience the Renaissance, mainly because of its colonial heritage, but there is no time frame for this. This book raises some interesting and mind-boggling questions. The book will certainly give him something to think about. In his final discussion, he rides on a tank powered by our intellect, that Bharatiya needs to follow the path of knowledge and knowledge alone. He says he thought about rediscovering without the use of a lens. As a whole, it is a must read for every “Bharatiya”.

[Preetisagar Talukdar · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has lot of question and answer a few, while rising a lot of new questions. A specific character of the book is that it does not adhere to the pleasing attitude or in other words suck up to people. Its rude, crude and says things as it is, shocking the readers. Snowflake readers are bound to get offended. The author directly claims that the book is not for everyone, i.e reader with low threshold to different opinions. The author wants readers with certain intellect to pick up the book. The book is not for faint hearted or for people who gets offended left right and cemter.
The book has to be read with and open mind. The writing need a lot of pondering over. The description of Indian civilization, the effects of colonization (both Islamic and Christianity), the subsequent after effect of colonial mentality is jaw dropping and mind opening.
The author describes his pain over this colonial mentality, over the fact that many aspect of India’s political spectrum derives their ideology from the colonial mentality and consciousness. He appeals for shedding of this conditions.

[Madhavi Kunte · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book deals with what it means to be an Indian in a true sense. According to the author, what we see and experience today is far removed from the actual concept of a true Indian. This disparity or shift in focus and understanding is the result of the two colonisations (Islamic and British), that India as a country and a culture had to undergo. Hence, there has been a paradigm shift in ideologies due to the two colonisations and the gap between the real and perceived notions of being an Indian is vast.
The author believes that there is a disconnect with experience and lack of self-realisation on the part of Indians as a culture. It is interesting to note when the author argues that Indians living in India too lack understanding of their own culture. Hence, they try to look at it from the point of view of westerners who have tried to study Indian culture and hence, the true meaning gets lost in vague translations.
The author tries to derive from his experiences and presents his thoughts and inferences based on his extensive research on the topic. Throughout the course of the book, he continues his monologue focusing on the religious practices followed by Indians and tries to build his case on hypothetical case scenarios. The reader looks at the religion through the author’s point of view which most of the times comes across as a subjective analysis of the cultural practices.
Looking at the title, I felt that it was about how the western world perceives an Indian and what it should understand more about the culture. But it turns out, that the author strongly believes that something is lacking with the new age Indians and tries to highlight their shortcomings. Though a bit repetitive, he raises a lot of thought-provoking questions and accepts that he himself doesn’t have the satisfactory answers.
My expectations were a little different when I picked up this title but it might resonate well with another reader, so pick it up only if you are ready to do some soul-searching and introspection because this book upsets and unsettles an “Indian” on many counts.

[Pooja Rathod · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recently I heard a family member debating on Shivas avatar to be one of the jain tirthankar while the other did not agree. And that provokes one to think which version is true. The author quotes that it’s only us, influenced Indians who question the authenticity of the divine where as the Greeks or Romans never did.

So what does it mean to be Indian?

The author remarks our definition on being Indian is the received view which is either not true or framed in parts by the coloniser’s and not the one our culture and traditions should have stood for. He sheds more light on how India has been sketched with regards to our epics, puranas , empirical histories and stories…. based on our own inputs and weaved by the Westerners and how our intellectuals have accepted their versions without even reasoning. He specifies what colonialism actually means and that inspite of being repatriated, we are still byproduct of colonial influence and that exactly is destroying our true image.

I fit in with the author’s alarm about the hybridly evolving culture and if not retraced to its roots, our future generations will not be able to chronicle as we did.

Being an Indian, I can feel the feeling of being let down when our godly statues are tagged as aesthetic objects by an Indian.

Colonialism being the reference frame throughout, the book delves into the historical past, associating stories with cultural shift, secularising religion, native language inefficiency when asked to prove, and what it is like to be raised in a culture. Here the author runs into paragraphs detailing experience of Indian Culture with received view and structuring our own experiences i.e Anubhava.

I am more than astonished to get such a full scale picture of the diverse respects that mutually help the reader to define the title in an apt way. I agree it took me too long to absorb the contents of the book but once you get the knack of it, it is more food for reflecting on our identity as an Indian

[Pramod Vemuri · Rating 3 out of 5]

For an Indian Hindu, this essay is actually fairly good at capturing the experience of how non-Abrahamic traditions of India are practiced, and how they should think when others ask them of their culture. Even in various non-hindu traditions of India (including Indian muslims and christians) we see similar positive tendencies, where they continue to pragmatically practice syncretic traditions of their ancestors, often with no qualms of partaking in hindu celebrations. However the essay can needlessly vague at places, and doesn't attempt to establish the common grounds between cultures as much as it should.


So I believe that threat of cultural erosion in face of *western gaze* is faced not just by Indians but also in the South-Eastern cultures. Indeed, pragmatism and the pragmatic notion of truth are most important as the author (or as Jordan Peterson also points out) more than factual truth which is more often than not only a representation. And in this process the author criticises the theorists (freudians, indologists, sociologists, evangelists) who are so firmly rooted in their mental models of justice and language that they can only perceive different cultures as being dishonest or discriminatory.

If we focus on why Hindus didn't develop the notions of individualism as the West did, I completely agree with his theory on why it so happened, that colonialism severed the ties between hindus and their philosophy; but while the lasting impact of British imperialism on indian education is well documented, the impact of Islamic imperialism needs to be studied with more scrutiny than the anglophone propaganda that's obscuring India's history. However I do not agree with the author on how introspection is a western practice and self-reflection an eastern practice, when it is better understood as a traditional vs modern mentality. Even to my lay eye, Bible or Quran aren't biographies but hagiographies which don't discuss motives. In fact it's known that many missionary criticisms leveled at Hinduism were originally leveled by enlightment thinkers on medieval christianity, which shows that it's actually that missionaries were dishonest about their own history.

Having said all that, I do not find the essay as impressive as it could be, because it feels like the author is deliberately vague at many places than use simpler words, and at other places the book cuts off from condemning fascism or untouchability in India when it can comfortably do so. For instance, he makes a dangerous choice of words when he talks about how colonialism "inflicted physical and psychic violence" - this borderlines on the "speech is violence" idea that has captured the minds of critical race theorists and justifies regressive violence. The pain that the traditional hindu feels is shame, but the response to shame isn't pride or anger which never reduces the pain; but wisdom, acceptance and indifference, the lack of which often seen in many misguided hindu nationalist ideologues.

[Jain Rahul · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the Britishers left the country in the midst of all the chaos and poverty in 1947, the country, which had a largely Hindu character before the colonizers arrived was left searching for an Identity.

The book describes What It Means to be an Indian whose land was until recently colonized, whose culture was subjected to humiliation and whose roots to its ancient heritage were attempted to be cut off. In this introspective text, a large amount of light is shed on the remanants of colonialism that still survive in the formerly colonized society.

In the introduction the author says that the country had tried to see and understand itself through the lenses of socialism, identity politics, caste poltics and now through a Hindu lens. This process is through various political and social experimenting; embracing, testing and rejecting ideas and identities which do not seem correct.

In the first part of the book, the author sets the ground work by describing how the history has been mutiliated to suit the invaders narrative. Author seeks readers to reconnect with eith the original naitive view of history.

The book then lays a neat framework of what is a cutlture including its artefacts such as traditions and stories; what it meant to “anubhav” or experience a culture.

To set a context on how the way current generations do not understand it really how their experience of the cultural heritage is different from what pre-colonial ancestors did, the author drives home the point with a next example which is not quoted here to avoid spoilers. Once this base is set, the rest of the book swiftly takes up one topic after another exposing all the distortions in the culture that have taken root on account of colonisation.
For example, in addition to the destruction caused by arrival of Islam in India, there was also a stoppage of ideation in the Imdian cultural thought. Author analyses subsequent ideas of Sufism and Bhakti movement and argues how they’re more Islamic in approach that Hindu.
Similarly how movements like Arya Samaj were a result of the Christian Protestant attack on Indian culture.
In these sections the book shines like a beacon and the insights are indelible on the readers mind.
The books highlights jow modern society does not look at Upanishads in their native framework but from one largely borrowed from the West which is Christian in essense. In this framework every evaluation of the Indic ideas comes across as backward, regressive, etc. Aptly the book suggestion to not take such assessments at facevalue but urges the user to think independent to arrive at the conclusion.

Another exmaple highlight in the books is mapping of Indian religious words to similar meaning words. There is a failure to appreciate the nuances of differences each of these Indian words had with respect to the mapped English words because they were seeing the Indian religions from a Christian theological framework. The result is that people accessing their own religions using the western languages are not able to understand their own religion properly.

After an enlightening session, the book concludes with the task at hand for those who wish to preserve the culture. To again avoiding revaling spoilers, the review can say that the path forward suggested is the most apt one considering the ethos of the pristine Indian thought, though the path seems to be long and not for the impatient one.

Coming to the shortcoming, the reviewer felt that The writing style at the outset is a bit coherent. Sometimes, it seems that the author has presupposed a lot of concepts are already implicitly cultivated in the reader's mind, when they’re re in fact not. This leads to the text reading on another level compared to the reader's state of mind, and a reader has difficulty keeping things on track. This issue is profound in the first few chapters of the book only. However, this is in no way a deal-breaker and the book is a light read overall nicely divided into byte sized chapters and remains a recommended read overall.

[Anupama Warrier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Firstly Thankyou Indic Academy and Indica Books for sending me the book- ' What it means to be an Indian' by Dr S N Balagangadhara and Sarika Rao. One of the best books to analyse on our degrading culture by overpowering colonial mindsets. The author explains about the role of culture in building up a nation be it in terms of art, language, geography or certain other rituals. The book explains on how the Christian theology has given rise to Western colonial consciousness which has degraded the Indic consciousness or ideology. The book also highlights about pseudo secularism and its ill effects. The author has stressed on 'Experience and Anubhava' in two different chapters stating relation between an individual and various objects and events.
Overall a well reasearched, inspiring book in simple and captivating language making the readers think deep into the subject. A must read book especially for today's young generation.

[Kanhaiya Shah · Rating 3 out of 5]

“𝘞𝘦 𝘨𝘢𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘬𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘶𝘴. 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘱𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩? 𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘶𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵.”
- Quintus Aurelius Symmachus

I have taken this quote from the book, entitled ‘What does it mean to an Indian?’ authored by S. N. Balagangadhara and Sarika Rao. The authors have dedicated this book to Quintus Aurelius Symmachus. I have found this thought to be resonating throughout the book. The authors are passionate about being an Indian (𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰 𝘐 𝘢𝘮). This is among one of the thought-provoking books I've read in recent times. The title itself makes you grab the book and start reading. I did the same and found it an enjoyable and knowledgeable read. This book is detailed and well-researched. The author aptly discussed each and every point.

The book consists of 20 strong chapters elaborating on the topics of Indic history, Dharma, Philosophy, Psychology, Colonialism, Theology, Christianity, Islam, Mythology, Secularism, and key social issues, among others. The chapters are divided into 3 main sections, i.e. Part-I: To Be Raised in a Culture, Part II: Colonialism and its Consequences, and Part III: Who India Is & Is Not, along with the authors’ concluding remarks at the end of the book. Various key concepts, e.g. 𝘈𝘯𝘶𝘣𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘢, Introspection, Self-realisation, Colonialism, Colonial mindset, Indic culture, etc. are empirically explained through examples and dialogues. I would also like to comment on the language and narration of the book. Language is crisp and easily adaptable whereas narration plays a good role in making the book interesting. Narration is simple, lucid, and appealing.
I have read numerous books on the same topic, and the book, ‘What does it mean to an Indian?’ is a good addition to it. I would recommend that every Indian should read and understand the valid points the authors want to put light on about our country. Overall, the book is a must-read. Although it gets a little slow at times.
What does it mean to be an ‘Indian’? If anyone asks me this question. I would say that being an Indian does not mean ‘to be something’. It is an ongoing process. You have to experience and assimilate the ‘Indianness’ in your psyche. This thought very well resonates with the following excerpt from the book.

"𝘛𝘩𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺 (𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘥𝘢𝘺) 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦. 𝘐𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺: 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘯. 𝘉𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘯, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳."

[Anshul Surolia · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all I would like to thank Indic Academy for this beautiful work by S. N. Balgangadhara. What does it mean to be 'Indian'? The title of the book asks you a question and let me tell you, the author doesn't answer this question. He just puts the reader in situations to think. This is the beauty of the book, it doesn't draw conclusions. Instead of this, it puts questions and wants its readers to ponder and draw the conclusions.
Although the book is not written in any order or scholarly language but it leaves a lasting impact on the minds of readers.
According to me the best part is when the author talks about the difference in 'Experience and Anubhav'. This simple etymology kept me mesmerised for long.
Overall the book is a slow read but I would not mind it as it needs an effort to devour and ponder over the topics like Social Issues, Colonialism, History, Dharma, Psychology, Theology and Mythology.
Once again I thank Indic Academy for this book.

[Mrutyunjay Joshi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book focus on the indigenous values of being an Indian. It gives wide account of the Indic culture and the impact of the colonialization on it. It is the work of author's personal research. This mentions the subversion of the Hindu civilization, a Very highly productive and rich in philosophical Ideas to the the Colonial servility leading to forces secularised religion. How people in India are being converted not only to Christianity but also their way of living is also westernised. This also elaborates of the neo-colonialism and the colonial hang over in people who are able to influence the popular narrative of the society. How well-coordinated forces colluded to destroy the Indic civilisation is exposed by this book in very well organised intellectual argument. This makes it essential reading for mentioned subject matter.

[Rohit Kumar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Indians are not indians till they can grasp the depth of colonial consciousness over themselves.
Many people here think the book asked a question but didn't answer it, yes it didn't. And that's the whole book. Explaining in all sort of ways that we don't know what it means to be indian and why that is the case.

[Neel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply put, we view the world through a lens. We understand everything, including ourselves through a framework - a framework handed over to us from the British - which in turn is handed down from Christianity. It is like living in a matrix. Or being trapped in a box. We have no idea what lies outside that box. And we force fit who we are to fit those notions we have learnt. This book is an introduction to this thought process to enable us to go beyond colonial frameworks and understand who we are. Really this book is the younger sibling of "The heathen in his blindness" the magnum opus of the author - so if you cant read that, you definitely must read the younger modern cousin - this book for sure.

[Sanhi · Rating 4 out of 5]

4* only because the book isn't for the casual reader. But a must read for all Indians who think in English. Earth shattering theories. Dr. Balagangadhara has broken the glass ceiling.
We need more such thinkers to broadcast their thoughts. Much needed voices to help us understand where we Bharatiyas stand today and how we can move forward.
Thank you for this work of a lifetime.
🙏