I don’t read much fiction except for PG Wodehouse. World history and Indian philosophy has been the theme for the reading I have done in the last 3-4 years now. Many people may find my taste boring or academic. But I hope I can engage people’s attention with some of subtle details and may be inspire them to read more for themselves.
Anyway, here are some books I found to be interesting. They may not be the best but they are worth a read.
1. Discovery of India by Nehru. Please keep your prejudices against Nehru out and read this book. If you have lived outside India for sometime and have felt the pang of being away, this may help you understand and feel proud of our India. Nehru, you will see has approached India from almost a NRI point of view. Of course, he studied in England and my guess is that he did not know much of India until he was 30+ years old.
2. The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William Shirer. Excellent book by a war correspondent who lived in Germany during World war II. Full of details that will surprise you.
3. Adolf Hitler by Robert Payne. Understanding Hitler was once my hobby. This is a very good biography of the man of the century.
4. The Oxford History of India. It is a decent book, I mean it tends to be a little too Western for you but I feel we also have to grow up and accept India as it is. We should not try and defend some indefensible arguments, especially on superstitions and blind faith. It is what we are and Westerners will never understand it.
5. Complete works of Swami Vivekananda. He is in many ways my idol. Clarity of thought, courage and his passion for India are the things I want to emulate. Look for the volume where he answers questions and the one where he writes about his travel on the ship abroad. His command over English is brilliant.
6. Ramakrishna and his disciples by Christopher Isherwood. Ramakrishna’s stories are full of wit and yet they are so full of message. I get goosebumps when I am reminded of the incidents in his life, especially the first meeting between Ramakrishna and Vivekananda. If you do not understand spirituality or are adamant that it is all just hogwash, you may not like this book.
7. The Upanishads by Eknath Eshwaran. Excellent book, simply superb. To me the Upanishads are extremely scientific and the ruthless objectivity with which they go about understanding the human psyche will surprise you.
I am just going to leave it there. I will try and compile a few more later.