I read and liked Tharoor’s book Inglorious Empire: What the British Did to India so I thought I’d pick up this title as well.

This book was at its best in the first half when the author was expounding on the history and philosophy of Hinduism. He paints a portrait of this most interesting and eclectic faith in glowing and vivid terms that are at once accessible and educational.

While his thoughts on the current state of India, and especially the concerning Hindutva movement are cogent and beautifully expressed, overall the latter half of the books felt a little scattered and rambling for me. I learned a good deal but I felt that it wanted a bit of the clarity and focus of his previous writing.