1990
First Published
3.94
Average Rating
318
Number of Pages
An Introduction is a highly readable and rewarding initiation into a complex, ancient civilization, by one of India's most widely-read writers and journalists. Khushwant Singh tells the story of the land and its people from the earliest time to the present day. In broad, vivid sweeps he encapsulates the saga of the upheavals of a sub-continent over five millennia, and how their interplay over the centuries has moulded the India of today. More, Khushwant Singh offers perceptive insights into everything Indian that may catch one's eye or arouse its ethnic diversity, religions, customs, philosophy, art and culture, political currents, and the galaxy of men and women who have helped shape its intricately inlaid mosaic. He is also an enlightening guide to much India's extensive and varied architectural splendours, its art and classical literature. Khushwant Singh's own fascination with the subject is contagious, showing through on every page, and in every sidelight that he recounts. An Introduction holds strong appeal for just about anyone who has more than a passing interest in the country, Indians as well as those who are drawn to it from farther afield. And for a traveller, it is that rare erudite, intelligent, lively.
Avg Rating
3.94
Number of Ratings
185
5 STARS
25%
4 STARS
48%
3 STARS
23%
2 STARS
4%
1 STARS
1%
goodreads
Author
Khushwant Singh
Author · 58 books
Khushwant Singh, (Punjabi: ਖ਼ੁਸ਼ਵੰਤ ਸਿੰਘ, Hindi: खुशवंत सिंह) born on 2 February 1915 in Hadali, Undivided India, (now a part of Pakistan), was a prominent Indian novelist and journalist. Singh's weekly column, "With Malice towards One and All", carried by several Indian newspapers, was among the most widely-read columns in the country. An important post-colonial novelist writing in English, Singh is best known for his trenchant secularism, his humor, and an abiding love of poetry. His comparisons of social and behavioral characteristics of Westerners and Indians are laced with acid wit.
