Book Review 'The Argumentative Indian'

There is no doubt that Indians have a long and colorful tradition of arguing. India grew as a center of learning partly due to this tradition and also due to the relatively high tolerance level amongst its people. Usually thought of only for its spiritualism and mysticism, Indian culture has in fact developed from the skeptical and reasoning nature of its individuals.
Being a country of vast diversity as well as disparity, with a wide range of cultures, languages, traditions and point of views, discussions often take the form of arguments.
Amartya Sen’s The Argumentative Indian: Writings on Indian History, Culture and Identity, consists of sixteen essays on varied topics, which attempt to decipher and understand this tradition of arguing. They cover subjects concerning ancient India, our relations with China in the first millenium, contemporary Hindu politics, the Indian calendar system, films of Satyajit Ray and debates between Rabindranath Tagore and Mohandas Gandhi. It is all about Indian identity.
Illuminated with examples from the teachings
and lives of emperors such as Akbar and Ashoka, with illustrations from the epics, The Ramayana and The Mahabharata, and a staggering range of other references, he propounds a view of Hinduism as an inclusive philosophy rather than an exclusionist, divisive religion. This view of Hinduism is mature enough and magnanimous enough to accommodate dissenting views and ‘even profound scepticism’.One of the book’s many highlights is its tone. Sen does not indulge in triumphalism about his country’s past; nor does he spare Western influences (like James Mill’s History of British India) that have oversimplified and distorted the Indian reality.
This book has a superlative reach and moral vision-spanning history, cultural studies and political economy. Prof. Sen views reverberate with great kings like Ashoka, Akbar and India's visionary first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. His book serves as good source of inspiration for the younger generation to better understand how India's greatness lies in its diversity and tolerance towards people of all countries, caste, creed, religion and color.
Reformer, Ram Mohun Roy considered not being able to argue back as the worst thing about death.
“Just consider how terrible the day of your death will be. Others will go on speaking, and you will not be able to argue back.”