DOMINION OF INDIA AUTHOR · BIOGRAPHY · SOCIAL LIFE AND CUSTOMS
Ved Mehta
"India" Winston Churchill once barked, "is merely a geographical expression.
— from India
Most acclaimed
A family affair
2000
"In a city built on dreams, Trisha Holiday makes her living moving like one. But out of her dancer's costume, she's as down-to-earth as they come. That's why she ignores the admiring note--and the accompanying $1000 bill--that arrives backstage after one of her ethereal performances. Yet the sender, a wealthy foreign prince, isn't easily dissuaded. Seven years living and studying in the United States have made Malik long for the freedom to choose his own bride--and the woman he wants is Trisha. After a breathtaking visit to Malik's kingdom culminates in a marriage proposal, Trish attempts to adjust to an opulent new lifestyle complete with servants, sumptuous surroundings, and vast wealth. None of that matters to Trish as much as Malik's love. With Malik's sister Soraya proving a trusted new friend, they plan a lavish wedding surpassing anything she could have imagined. Yet Trish's new life will have challenges too--adjusting to a new and complex culture, to the myriad demands of Malik's royal position, and to the expectations she faces as his wife. In the midst of her own major changes, Trish vows to help her sister, Emma, whose marriage has ended in a bitter breakup. And through it all, Trish will strive to stay true to what matters most--love, true friendship, and the ties that hold family together across the miles and the years"--
India
Shashi Tharoor's India: From Midnight to the Millennium is a portrait of one of the world's most important and interesting countries - its politics, its mentality, and its cultural riches. But it is also an eloquent argument for the importance of India to the future of America and the industrialized world. Shashi Tharoor shows that India, is it prepares to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of its political independence, stands at the intersection of the most significant questions facing the world at the end of the twentieth century. If democracy leads to inefficient political infighting, should it be sacrificed in the interest of economic well-being? Should the developing world opt for bread over freedom? Does religious fundamentalism provide a way for Third World countries to assert their identity in the face of Western hegemony, or is there a case for pluralism and diversity amid cultural and religious traditions? Does the entry of Western consumer goods threaten a country's economic self-sufficiency, and is protectionism the only guarantee of independence? The answers to such questions will determine what kind of world the next century will bring. And since Indians will soon account for a sixth of the world's population, their choices will resonate throughout the globe.