asia

This book seems to have caused great offence - due either to its cover or its content, or both. I'm neither a Hindu nor Indian so I've no idea whether or not the cover is offensive. However, the UK version appears different to the US one, which gives rise to the question: did anyone bother to check before it was published in the US?

Skipping past the issue of the cover, what of the content? Well, I thought that there was little in the book which taught me anything more about India than I'd read elsewhere (for example by Mark Tully and William Dalrymple). Thus once again you get a description of the Kumbh Mela, a trip to Kashmir, visits to ashrams - pretty much the usual stuff. The difference is that those other writers did it better, with deeper insight, greater balance and more respect for their subject.

Much of the writing and observations in this book are distinctly shallow - the trip to Mumbai to learn about the Parsis, and the ravings about Sikhs made my toes curl. In different ways, the author did a disservice to both. Apparently India is a "land of contrasts" - a stunning insight. Whether or not her descriptions of the attitudes exhibited to her by Indian men are true, I don't know. Neither do I know whether she is stunningly attractive, or whether the appearance of any white woman in India is enough to send Mr Average Indian into a sexual frenzy, but it did seem a bit far-fetched to depict every Indian as a lecher. Oh, and apparently it's OK to ogle Ms MacDonald so long as you do it in Sydney!

The author goes to various ashrams and religious establishments, arrives sceptically, is moved by the experience, then shakes it all off. Or not - she blames a sadhu for her pneumonia and a Hindu saint for her expanding boobs. Large sections of the book are devoted to how she looks, how her friends look, and recounting screechy conversations between the girls. All very irritating, shallow and vain.

(...)

The people that rate this book (and tell Sarah to go to hell) seem to be taking someone else's experiences rather personally. I didn't find this book to be an indictment of India, but rather an honest, often hilarious foray into a foreign culture. I applaud her for seeking as many experiences as she did! She didn't stay in an air-conditioned hotel and whine - she dove, headfirst, into the cultural, religious, and political stew that is modern India. Her honest reactions of a stranger in a strange land rang true. This book has no disrepect nor intolerance. What it offers is a healthy dose of humorous reactions to new experiences. I highly recommend this memoir to all world travelers and esp. to women who dare to be as curious and intrepid as Ms. Macdonald.

Sarah obviously sees the world through the Western norms and thus cannot understand what makes India or for that matter other multi-cultures tick. It not really her fault because she is from a country that has cleansed the local population and traditions to meet the Western norms which according to them is the 'civilized' way of living. Rather than comment on her ridiculous analysis based on a crash course on India and its diverse religions I look at this as a reflection on how India has allowed all views and religions to co-exist albeit with occasional hiccups. That according to some maybe a tad better than fitting all into one straightjacket norm that is defined by the occupiers! It would be interesting to see Australia with an Aboriginal prime minister!!