Another tale reveals the widening chasm between the different life-worlds (p. 156). A Jesuit priest in mid-nineteenth-century Karnataka listened to a Jain monk’s discourse on non-violence and vegetarianism. In the evening when food arrived, he took out a crude microscope and stained a little yoghurt that was being served. Seeing the microbes for the first time, the Jain monk could not eat any more. Mirza Ghalib took to verses to extol the steam power of the colonial rulers, how they rule the waves and get news from thousands of miles in a couple of breaths (p. 160). The concluding chapter traces the contemporary history of the country. The author ponders as to whether we are in a post-Darwinian age of ‘survival of the richest’ or some kind of reverse Darwinism that promotes the ‘survival of the idiots’ (p. 193). Yet he is hopeful about the inner resilience of people who withstood the vicissitudes of partition, emergency, wars and internal strife and still repose faith in the democratic tradition. This book is a well-argued scholarly work which one can enjoy at leisure, full of humorous insights about our Trishanku existence. Hailing from a mofussil background, the author had to struggle to gain proficiency in English. Maybe keeping his own experiences in mind, he has used very simple yet elegant prose which would be understood even by a layman. One only wishes that the author should have analysed the changing ethos in the country, especially since the past 2 years. There are passing references to civil society groups who have outlined an alternative agenda for the nation which needs to be explained at length particularly in a scenario where the state is curtailing the rights of the citizens. Many a time, the author uses ideas which tease the reader’s imagination but does not elaborate; for example, setting up of Special Academic Zones (SAZs, p. 45). However, the book would be of immense use to any student who wishes to understand the changing contours of our society. Shailaja Menon Assistant Professor in History School of Liberal Studies Ambedkar University Delhi, India E-mail: shailaja@aud.ac.in

中文翻译：

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Hilal Ahmed，后殖民印度的穆斯林政治话语：纪念碑、记忆、争论。

另一个故事揭示了不同生活世界之间不断扩大的鸿沟（第 156 页）。19 世纪中叶卡纳塔克邦的一位耶稣会牧师聆听了耆那教僧侣关于非暴力和素食主义的演讲。晚上食物上来的时候，他拿出一个粗显微镜，把正在端上来的一小块酸奶染了色。耆那教第一次见到微生物，再也吃不下了。Mirza Ghalib 用诗句颂扬殖民统治者的蒸汽动力，他们如何驾驭海浪并在数息之内从数千英里的地方获取消息（第 160 页）。最后一章追溯了该国的当代历史。作者思考我们是处于“最富有的人的生存”的后达尔文时代还是某种促进“白痴的生存”的逆达尔文主义时代（第 193 页）。然而，他对经受住分裂、紧急情况、战争和内乱的沧桑，仍然对民主传统抱有信心的人们的内在韧性充满希望。这本书是一本论据充分的学术著作，可以在闲暇时阅读，其中充满了对我们 Trishanku 存在的幽默见解。作者出身于 mofussil 背景，不得不努力精通英语。也许是考虑到自己的经历，他使用了非常简单而优雅的散文，即使是外行也能理解。只希望作者应该分析一下该国不断变化的风气，尤其是过去两年以来。有一些民间社会团体为国家概述了替代议程，需要详细解释，特别是在国家限制公民权利的情况下。很多时候，作者使用的想法挑逗读者的想象力，但没有详细说明；例如，设立学术特区（SAZ，第 45 页）。然而，这本书对任何希望了解我们社会不断变化的轮廓的学生都有很大的用处。Shailaja Menon 印度德里安贝德卡大学通识学院历史学院助理教授电子邮件：shailaja@aud.ac.in 这本书对任何希望了解我们社会不断变化的轮廓的学生都非常有用。Shailaja Menon 印度德里安贝德卡大学通识学院历史学院助理教授电子邮件：shailaja@aud.ac.in 这本书对任何希望了解我们社会不断变化的轮廓的学生都非常有用。Shailaja Menon 印度德里安贝德卡大学通识学院历史学院助理教授电子邮件：shailaja@aud.ac.in