What will you learn from this book
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Identity and Belonging: Taseer grapples with his identity as a person of mixed heritage, navigating the cultural divide between his Indian and Western identities.
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Religious and Cultural Transformation: The book delves into Taseer's exploration of Hinduism and his initiation into the Brahmin caste, highlighting the rituals and traditions associated with this religious and cultural transformation.
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Caste Dynamics: Taseer offers insights into the intricate caste system in India and its enduring influence on social structures, relationships, and identity formation.
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Generational Conflict: Taseer's relationship with his father, a prominent Indian journalist, is fraught with tension and generational conflict, reflecting broader societal changes and cultural shifts in modern India.
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Political Landscape: Against the backdrop of contemporary Indian politics, Taseer examines the rise of Hindu nationalism and its impact on social cohesion, religious tolerance, and cultural diversity.
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Globalization and Urbanization: The book explores the effects of globalization and urbanization on Indian society, economy, and culture, reflecting on the tensions between tradition and modernity.
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Family History: Taseer reflects on his family's history and legacy, tracing his lineage back to his Pakistani roots and exploring the complexities of identity and allegiance in the context of India's partition.
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Personal Growth and Transformation: Through his journey of self-discovery and cultural immersion, Taseer undergoes personal growth and transformation, gaining a deeper understanding of his roots and heritage.
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Literary and Philosophical Reflections: Drawing on literary and philosophical insights, Taseer contemplates themes of identity, belonging, and existentialism, weaving together personal anecdotes with broader reflections on life and society.
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Narrative of India: "The Twice-Born" offers a nuanced and multi-layered narrative of India, capturing its diversity, contradictions, and complexities through the lens of Taseer's personal experiences and observations.
| Language | English |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10 | 9353023882 |
| ISBN-13 | 9789353023881 |
| No of pages | 248 |
| Font Size | Medium |
| Book Publisher | Fourth Estate |
| Published Date | 16 Oct 2018 |
About Author
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In The Twice-Born, Aatish Taseer embarks on a journey of self-discovery in an intoxicating, unsettling personal reckoning with modern India, where ancient customs collide with the contemporary politics of revivalism and revenge
When Aatish Taseer first came to Benares, the spiritual capital of Hinduism, he was eighteen, the Westernized child of an Indian journalist and a Pakistani politician, raised among the intellectual and cultural elite of New Delhi. Nearly two decades later, Taseer leaves his life in Manhattan to go in search of the Brahmins, wanting to understand his own estrangement from India through their ties to tradition.
Known as the twice-born—first into the flesh, and again when initiated into their vocation—the Brahmins are a caste devoted to sacred learning. But what Taseer finds in Benares, the holy city of death also known as Varanasi, is a window on an India as internally fractured as his own continent-bridging identity. At every turn, the seductive, homogenizing force of modernity collides with the insistent presence of the past. In a globalized world, to be modern is to renounce India—and yet the tide of nationalism is rising, heralded by cries of “Victory to Mother India!” and an outbreak of anti-Muslim violence.
From the narrow streets of the temple town to a Modi rally in Delhi, among the blossoming cotton trees and the bathers and burning corpses of the Ganges, Taseer struggles to reconcile magic with reason, faith in tradition with hope for the future and the brutalities of the caste system, all the while challenging his own myths about himself, his past, and his countries old and new.