Demythsifying Myths: Demystifying 18 Myths about India – Amit Bagaria
Amit Bagaria has stood up to the occasion of non-fiction writing in the country as no author has done in recent time. His spree of a book after book has taken him to a position where any author would like to reach as quickly as possible. However, in reaching where he is today, Amit Bagaria’s hard work and a dedicated style of writing have helped him a lot. Today I will be discussing his book Demythsifying Myths: Demystifying 18 Myths about India. This is a non-fiction and rather a historical book that takes a retrospective look at some of the facts Indians have been made to believe hitherto. However, there are also some facts that are general in nature and pragmatically explained – is there a need for an upper house in the Parliament of India? I, Gaurav Shashi, will be reviewing this book for the readers of The Last Critic.
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In the Sphere:
The paperback edition has 205 pages (excluding some introductory pages in Roman) and 18 chapters (as one could easily assume from the number 18 in the title). All the chapters are entitled after the myth they ‘demythsify’. The chapters are long enough to construe the given subject. There are also figures and data (wherever applicable) in the book that will further intensify the readers’ interest in the book and behind the very idea of this book.
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The Book:
Right from the beginning, a reader with an Indian Congress’ leaning could say that the book has been tilted towards Hindus and in general, the BJP. However, if one could read it carefully, it has chapters on Lord Ram being presented as non-vegetarian and it begins with India not being 5,000 years old… how could it be pro-Hindu? Amit Bagaria’s Demythsifying Myth is strictly against the propaganda and lies that have been fed to Indians (especially teenagers and youths) as truths – and even gospel truths. Nehru’s misdeeds, Indira’s rampage, Gandhi’s experiments with Brahmacharya and many scams of the ruling party (for long) in India… Amit has also introduced the readers with a well-defined chapter on Hinduism and the concept of Hindu Rashtra. His chapter on Kashmir and also on the debate between a presidential democracy and prime-ministerial democracy are very interesting to read.
However, the lack of concrete evidence for the claims made by the author makes the book a little tough for the average readers who rather believe in author giving them a complete package instead of flexing their own intellectual machine. Amit’s facts can be counter verified but by tough and sometimes rigorous research. He could have easily added a list of bibliography or at least a list of references for the claims that he has made – and the claims that can trigger the minds of people of a certain belief network.
Overall, with language easy to understand and with facts presented in an easy way to construe, Demythsifying Myths: Demystifying 18 Myths of India is a book that readers will enjoy reading.
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Conclusion:
To conclude my review, I would like to say that Amit Bagaria’s reputation as an author of non-fiction books does reflect a good position today. His understanding of the issues and his narrative (balanced and biased at times) that he uses to indulge the readers are both complementing each-other most of the times. The book lacks a few technical aspects but it has too much to let the readers enjoy this one. And I would certainly recommend this book to the readers who want to know another side of the ‘popular truths’ they have been told – can anyone guess why and how Gandhi become Rashtrapita? Or is he really our Rashtrapita? Questions like this one are very interesting and we often look for answers; your chance is now… read this book to unravel the 18 mysteries that Amit has brought for you.
You can get a copy of this book from Amazon India now. Click the link below to buy:
Buy the book – Amazon India – click here
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review by Gaurav Shashi for The Last Critic
Demythsifying Myths
145 Rs
4
TLC Approves
- Interesting narrative
- Quality topics selected
- Straightforward conveying of facts
TLC Disapproves
- No list of references
- The book could be longer
This Post Has One Comment
Very well-attempted review. I am new to the website The Last Critic and I am curious to read more. Amit Bagaria has done well with his book and he will certainly reach out to the Readers who are young. Thanks for the review.