THE MUDDLE AND MYSTERY OF INDIA - (No Longer Available)
In his classic novel, A Passage to India, E. M. Forster describes India as both a “muddle” and a “mystery.” The novel suggests that the Westerners are always trying to categorize and label things, but that India defies labeling. To a Westerner, India can be disorienting and chaotic while at the same time be mystical and seductive. In this seminar we will try to make sense of the “muddle and mystery” of Indian civilization and psychology and the extreme diversity of religions, languages and ethnic groups that form the backdrop for the country named India. Rather than exploring the often romanticized view of India offered by travel books, colonial British or non-native writers, we will explore the social landscapes and listen to the voices of modern-day Indians through the writings of Rohinton Mistry and Aravind Adiga.
“A MYSTERY IS ONLY A HIGH SOUNDING TERM FOR A MUDDLE. NO ADVANTAGE
IN STIRRING IT UP, IN EITHER CASE. AZIZ AND I KNOW WELL THAT INDIA IS A MUDDLE.”
– E.M. Forster
LEADER
Nora Palmieri worked for 18 years with the Great Books Foundation, leading adults and children in discussions.
She currently lives in Lyon, France. An avid traveler, Nora and her husband backpacked through Asia in 1988-9. They spent 5 weeks in India. Every evening of their travels in India, Nora had a whopping headache. The poverty, dust, smells, sounds, colors, confusion of people and the towns and roads filled with animals, people, and vehicles was all exhausting and unsettling. But of all the countries visited in those 7 months, India is the one that she dreams of returning to. India’s muddle may be disorienting, but its mystery is so alluring!
BOOKS
Participants are required to obtain the specified editions in order to facilitate the group’s ability to find and cite portions of the text during discussion.
Rohinton Mistry, Swimming Lessons and Other Stories from Firozsha Baag
Paperback: 256 pages
Vintage (1997)
ISBN-10: 067977632X
ISBN-13: 978-0679776321
Aravind Adiga, The White Tiger
Paperback: 304 pages
Free Press (2008)
ISBN-10: 1416562605
ISBN-13: 978-1416562603
DISCOUNTS – one per registrant
- Register before January 1, 2010 and receive a complimentary Soulpepper theatre ticket
- St. Michael’s College blue card holders receive a CAD $50 discount
- Participants who have attended Toronto Pursuits at least five times receive a CAD $150 discount
- Register with a friend, and if one or both are first time participants, each receives a CAD $150 discount
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