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This is not the first William Dalrymple book about India that I have read, and I sincerely hope it won't be the last. Like City of Djinns: A Year in Delhi, The Age of Kali: Indian Travels & Encounters is a fascinating book about the Indian subcontinent, its religions, history, politics -- everything. The Age of Kali is a book of essays that takes in several states of northern India, Rajasthan, Bombay, the South, Sri Lanka, Goa, Pakistan, and even the distant Isle of Réunion, technically a part o...
Writing a great book is not enough. Is that a touch of superiority we hear behind every one of his sentences?
Another one of 'those' books about India where the author talks about the deteriorated state of a once glorious India. With the once glorious India being from the Raj. This collection of articles combined to become the book has Mr. Dalrymple travelling through the Indian subcontinent and writing about the India of the day. In every place he is shown around by someone. These people are either from the rich/elite section of the society or those he happens to stumble across to reinforce his idea of...
Willaim Darlymple chronicles India during mid ninetees- when MNCs started operating in full swing, when politicians like Lalu and Mulayam rose to popularity. It also describes Indian Army's debacle in Sri Lanka during IPKF operations. Also, the author covers life of Pakistani politicians Like Imran Khan and late Benazir Bhutto during that period. An interesting chapter is also on Goa, describing the reaction of Goans of Portuguese origin when India took over. In totality, the book covers the pol...
Detailed review coming up.Edit: Full reviewIndia is a country of such great culture and over centuries of invasions and fights for freedom, we as a country, have emerged as a powerful plethora of multitude of wonders. The Age of Kali is one such view of this country through Dalrymple's lens, as well as a short glimpse into the neighboring Pakistan. Dalrymple is witty, humorous and I might just add, extremely brave. Encapsulating the essence that is India in a few 400 pages in the manner in which...
3.5/5 This was my second book by Dalrymple and I was quite impressed by his ability to find stories and narrate them interestingly with great perception and empathy in "Nine Lives". While the narration and perception are still good, some of the stories r a bit common-place. Still, a good read especially if u like Dalrymple.PS:- It didnt matter to me that the book's stories r from the 90s. The best (and critical) Indian travelogue to me is Naipaul's "India - a million mutinies" set in 1989.
As an Indian in India, I have always read with interest the writings of foreigners about India. The earlier books of Dalrymple appeared to me to be delivering a well researched and authenticated version of his views about aspects of India. More and more I find him cashing in on his established reputation merely to sell his latest volume. A disappointment. Sheer drivel. Somehow this chap's perspective is laced with prejudice and 'trying hard to disguise self righteous undertones'.
What struck me about this book was that there was not a single positive remark on India or any of the other countries discussed. Even many of the personalities mentioned in the book were discussed from a cynical point of view. I understand that the book deals with the age of Kali which is a rather negative/ destructive period of history. But, Dalrymple's style of writing is such that he shows scant respect for his subjects. He reminds me of slumdog millionaire director Danny Boyle! There is an a...
A historian - with countless awards and multiple honorary doctorates - writes *a* chapter with *100* mistakes. A Chapter about Jaffna:Fun facts. Central Bank attack was in 1996. NOT in 1997.Mullaithivu attack was in 1996. NOT in 1997. *Giving benefit of the doubt -- typo cos author may have "fat fingers" like me*Jaffna fell in SL army's hand in 1995. NOT in 1993 (Typo again??? Finger skipped two keys???)I lived in Jaffna - under Ts control in 1994 and 95 too. We left when army captured some part...
Dalrymple is a good writer. I’ve read some of his other books and thought they were better. Because this book was written in 1988 it is bound to be out of date in some ways. The author is an English journalist who has lived in India and we assume likes it because he keeps going back to the subject. In Age of Kali, Dalrymple uses the Hindu idea that evolving epochs demonstrate the health and well being of a time. Kali Yug is the time of strife, instability and degeneration. With that as a theme y...
I have to say I am extremely disappointed. As someone who is considered an expert on India and and everything Indian and is very vocal about the politics in India, I was expecting a balanced and maybe even a true good to be true sort of experiences. But Dalrymple didn't have a single positive thing to say about the country and its people. Every single story has a "has been" reminiscing about their lost opulent lifestyle, their big palaces, and the powers they enjoyed under the colonial rulers. A...
Two very bad chapters in this book has compelled me to give this a 1 star1. In the chapter about Awadh Dalrymple goes on a nostalgia overdose and portrays Awadh as the best kingdom in the entire history of India. The fact is that Awadh was a disaster the rulers were opium addicts and made a mess of the empire which eventually paved the way for the British to overtake. Not even a single word about this in the entire essay, instead too much patronizing. Also Do you realize that the haveli and what...
