Incarnations

Incarnations: India in Fifty Lives
Sunil Khilnani
Narrated by Vikas Adam
Tantor Audio, September 20, 2016
print version published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux
$20.97 for Audible members, more for non-members
purchased with an Audible credit

I had saved this book in my collection of Kindle samples a while back. When I was looking for the next audiobook to load on my iPhone Incarnations seemed like a plausible candidate. I was not disappointed.

The author delivers profiles of fifty individuals who were significant in the history of India. He starts with Gautama Buddha, who lived, as best as we can tell, in the fifth century before the Common Era. He ends with the industrialist Dhirubhai Ambani, who died in 2002. Perhaps ironic or perhaps appropriate, as the Buddha was all about simplicity while Ambani was all about the acquisition of wealth.

The book offers a fascinating history of India through the lives of the individuals that shaped it. We see Hindus, Muslims, British, and even a black African. The latter portion of the book provides an enlightening perspective of pre- and post-independence India.

The author does not pretend to be objective. He has strong opinions about liberals, conservatives, and Indian nationalists. I had no problem with this. I would rather know about his biases than have them hidden in a pretense of objectivity.

The audiobook is ably narrated by Vikas Adam. He has just the slightest trace of an Indian accent, but capably and accurately pronounces all of the Indian names and terms. If you are interested in the history and culture of the Indian subcontinent Incarnations is well worth your time.