Storizen Magazine June 2019 | Madhulika Ra Chauhan Storizen Magazine June 2019 | Madhulika Ra Chauhan | Page 20

STORIZEN EVENTS
HOT OFF THE PRESS
A provocative and topical book about the systematic spread of (mis)information about
Indian society.
ABOUT THE BOOK -
‘India…has
an
information
space packed with numerous
sources and agents – from
politicians and activists to
profiteers and extortionists –
all competing for attention and
legitimacy
in
a
growing
information
market…Whom
does one believe?’
The political manipulation and
simplification of information about
a dizzyingly complex society have
fashioned certain ‘truths’ about
India. These truths have resulted
in the creation of major religious
and caste identities, which have
been the defining features of the
country’s politics and history for
over 200 years.
The Truth about Us explores answers to
crucial questions: Is India a homogenous
Hindu nation sprinkled with minorities, or a
pluralistic, heterogeneous one? Is our
knowledge of the inequalities in our society
founded on facts or perceptions? What are
the real origin stories of India’s social
categories, and how are they being
constructed and challenged today?
At a time when India is in the throes of an
existential debate, convulsed by contesting
claims over identity and history, Hindutva
and Dalit consciousness, nationalism and
freedom of speech, and the rights and
realities of minorities, this deeply
provocative book is urgent reading for
every thinking Indian.
An unsparing study of how this
situation has come about,
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STORIZEN MAGAZINE
JUNE 2019