Book cover of The Nationalization of Hindu Traditions

Book description

This volume studies how a dominant strand of Hinduism in north India--the tradition which uses and misuses the slogan "Hindi-Hindu-Hindustan"--came into being in the late nineteenth century. It examines the life and writings of one major Hindi writer of the nineteenth century--the playwright, journalist, and polemicist Bharatendu Harishchandra (often called…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked The Nationalization of Hindu Traditions as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I loved this book because it nuanced my understanding of how modern Hindu identity was manufactured through Hindi literature in the literary salons and polemics of nineteenth-century Banaras. Dalmia’s intricate study of the life and writings of Bharatendu Harischandra, a colorful and creative personality and often called the Father of Modern Hindi, impacted me strongly.

Here was a writer, playwright, publisher, and polemicist who played a critical role in the formation of Hindu modernity in North India. I also find the book interesting for its description of social history, rooted in the ancient city of Banaras. 

If you love The Nationalization of Hindu Traditions...

Ad

Book cover of December on 5C4

December on 5C4 by Adam Strassberg,

Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!

On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…

Want books like The Nationalization of Hindu Traditions?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like The Nationalization of Hindu Traditions.

Browse books like The Nationalization of Hindu Traditions

Book cover of Gita Press and the Making of Hindu India
Book cover of Hindu Wife, Hindu Nation
Book cover of Hindu Nationalism and the Language of Politics in Late Colonial India

Share your top 3 reads of 2025!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,278

readers submitted
so far, will you?

Ad

📚 If you like The Nationalization of Hindu Traditions, you might also like...

Book cover of The Bridge: Connecting The Powers of Linear and Circular Thinking

The Bridge by Kim Hudson,

The Bridge provides a compassionate and well researched window into the worlds of linear and circular thinking. A core pattern to the inner workings of these two thinking styles is revealed, and most importantly, insight into how to cross the distance between them. Some fascinating features emerged such as, circular…

Book cover of And Then They Were Gone: Teenagers of Peoples Temple from High School to Jonestown

And Then They Were Gone by Ron Cabral,

Of the 918 Americans who died in the shocking murder-suicides of November 18, 1978, in the tiny South American country of Guyana, a third were under eighteen. More than half were in their twenties or younger.

The authors taught in a small high school in San Francisco where Reverend Jim…

5 book lists we think you will like!