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An engrossing account of Pankaj Mishra`s journeys - both geographical and intellectual - through the modern world. Old, new; rich, poor; rural, urban; Brahmin, Dalit; Hindi, Muslim. India is a country of contrasts, and Temptations of the West explores this diversity in all its forms. From the empty corridors of a grand but guestless western-style hotel to improvised shacks clustered along muddy roadsides; from the polite efficiency of stewards on board one of India`s private airlines to overpopulated tenements and one-roomed school buildings where no teachers ever set foot; from sites of religious worship to those of mass burial; from road blocks to voting booths -- as Mishra`s travels take him from one part of India to another, and then beyond, to Pakistan and Afghanistan, he paints a clear and often alarming picture of disarray and disorder. All too often, superficial changes seem simply to paper over the cracks, and beneath modern facades, the old tensions still exist. A travel book unlike any other, Temptations of the West also offers a detailed and thought-provoking exploration of the histories, politics, religions and philosophies of India - and her neighbours. ISBN - 0330434675
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Pages : 247
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