The Twice-Born: Life and Death on the Ganges
Aatish Taseer
Mar 2019 · Highbridge Audio · Narrated by Neil Shah
4.6star
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8 hr 49 min
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About this audiobook
When Aatish Taseer first came to Benares, the spiritual capital of Hinduism, he was eighteen, the Westernized child of an Indian journalist and a Pakistani politician, raised among the intellectual and cultural elite of New Delhi. Nearly two decades later, Taseer leaves his life in Manhattan to go in search of the Brahmins, wanting to understand his own estrangement from India through their ties to tradition.
Known as the twice-born—first into the flesh, and again when initiated into their vocation—the Brahmins are a caste devoted to sacred learning. But what Taseer finds in Benares, the holy city of death also known as Varanasi, is a window on an India as internally fractured as his own continent-bridging identity. At every turn, the seductive, homogenizing force of modernity collides with the insistent presence of the past. In a globalized world, to be modern is to renounce India—and yet the tide of nationalism is rising, heralded by cries of "Victory to Mother India!" and an outbreak of anti-Muslim violence.
From the narrow streets of the temple town to a Modi rally in Delhi, Taseer struggles to reconcile magic with reason, faith in tradition with hope for the future and the brutalities of the caste system, all the while challenging his own myths about himself, his past, and his countries old and new.
Known as the twice-born—first into the flesh, and again when initiated into their vocation—the Brahmins are a caste devoted to sacred learning. But what Taseer finds in Benares, the holy city of death also known as Varanasi, is a window on an India as internally fractured as his own continent-bridging identity. At every turn, the seductive, homogenizing force of modernity collides with the insistent presence of the past. In a globalized world, to be modern is to renounce India—and yet the tide of nationalism is rising, heralded by cries of "Victory to Mother India!" and an outbreak of anti-Muslim violence.
From the narrow streets of the temple town to a Modi rally in Delhi, Taseer struggles to reconcile magic with reason, faith in tradition with hope for the future and the brutalities of the caste system, all the while challenging his own myths about himself, his past, and his countries old and new.
Ratings and reviews
4.6
81 reviews
Mradul Kumar Sharma
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April 18, 2019
Hii there! I read the summary of the book and i want to buy this book as i am a student right now i don't have enough money to spend so i want to ask you for a discount on this book which will help me a lot if you provide me.. It will be a great help for me.. Thank you Sir.. Hope you will reply soon..
8 people found this review helpful
Crainax, Vern left so Now I'm Akho's ex
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April 22, 2019
sir I really want to buy this book but I dont have enough money but i will try my best to buy... so sir can u kindly refund me some money back... I will really be grateful to u.. Thank you
Xzi Gaming
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April 28, 2019
Hi I Won't to Buy this book but i won't some cashback after buying this book because i don't have enough money i will buy this from here by playing Rs406 but u have to give me cashback of 200..if you are ready than reply i will buy
4 people found this review helpful
About the author
Aatish Taseer is the author of the memoir Stranger to History and the acclaimed novels The Way Things Were, a finalist for the 2016 Jan Michalski Prize; The Temple-Goers, which was short-listed for the Costa First Novel Award; and Noon. He lives in New Delhi and New York.
Neil Shah is an Audie Award-nominated narrator and AudioFile Earphones Award winner who has recorded over one hundred audiobooks. A classically trained actor with an MFA from the Old Globe/University of San Diego program, Neil has appeared off-Broadway and on regional stages, as well as in film and television.
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