Why I am a Hindu
Well, this book was one of the most awaited reads for me. I had waited for it for long especially as I have read and have considerable interest in philosophy and ancient Hindu literature. I had always liked Tharoor's writing style and how he builds up his books with thorough research work.
At the outset, I would say that the book thoroughly disappointed me. It is divided into three sections. In first he highlights his own belief in Hinduism and traces out the origins of Hinduism and brings out different ideologies of Hinduism. He describes the great souls of Hinduism like Adi Shankaracharya, Patanjali, Ramanuja Vivekananda and Mahatma Gandhi. He highlights the pluralistic and open-ended nature of Hinduism.
Unfortunately, he drifts after that and the remaining two sections just focus on Hindutva Brigade and other right-wing organisations including the ruling Party and their actions. The ideology of RSS and Veer Savarkar has been described and criticized as well.
My disappointment with the book is that it was a golden chance for Tharoor to create a modern day classic on Hinduism and he used it to criticize his political opponents.
My personal opinion is that only the first section is worth the title.
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