Did you know that India is the birthplace of four religions--Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism and Buddhism? The Indian culture is a spicy blend of customs, traditions, religions and languages, not just derived from its diverse states, but also from its Muslim and European rulers. The home of the Himalayas, the Taj Mahal and the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi, this country has contributed to arts, science and world cuisine significantly. As part of the Asiapac Culture series, this book offers a glimpse at the origins of the Indian people and their religious and social customs. You can find out about the different gods that Hindus pray to, why Sikhs wear a turban and the reasons for celebrating Deepavali. This is the book to read if you would like a quick guide to Indian culture and many aspects of their lives.

Moving across academic disciplines, geographical boundaries, and literary genres, Home and Harem examines how travel shaped ideas about culture and nation in nineteenth-century imperialist England and colonial India. Inderpal Grewal’s study of the narratives and discourses of travel reveals the ways in which the colonial encounter created linked yet distinct constructs of nation and gender and explores the impact of this encounter on both English and Indian men and women. Reworking colonial discourse studies to include both sides of the colonial divide, this work is also the first to discuss Indian women traveling West as well as English women touring the East. In her look at England, Grewal draws on nineteenth-century aesthetics, landscape art, and debates about women’s suffrage and working-class education to show how all social classes, not only the privileged, were educated and influenced by imperialist travel narratives. By examining diverse forms of Indian travel to the West and its colonies and focusing on forms of modernity offered by colonial notions of travel, she explores how Indian men and women adopted and appropriated aspects of European travel discourse, particularly the set of oppositions between self and other, East and West, home and abroad. Rather than being simply comparative, Home and Harem is a transnational cultural study of the interaction of ideas between two cultures. Addressing theoretical and methodological developments across a wide range of fields, this highly interdisciplinary work will interest scholars in the fields of postcolonial and cultural studies, feminist studies, English literature, South Asian studies, and comparative literature.

We always hear the names Raffles or Farquhar whenever we discuss Singapore’s early history. But what of the many other pioneers who were just as important? What are their stories? Accompanied by lively, charming illustrations, Pioneers of Singapore brings you the accounts of thirty-five key figures in Singapore’s colonial history. Some of them include: Who broke up one of the biggest communal riots in Singapore? Who founded the first hospital in Singapore that was built entirely without help from the government? Who produced the first comprehensive map of Singapore and designed most of its early buildings? Read on as our forefathers come to life with the help of comic artist Alan Bay’s beautiful artwork, as the 2004 bestseller returns in an all-new coloured edition!

Bridging the traditional divide between East and West, the Eurasian people are able to draw on an unmatched wealth of traditions for inspiration in the arts and cuisine. Join us on a voyage of discovery as we explore the rich and unique heritage of a true world culture in this part of the Montage Culture series!

Compared to how it looked 150 years ago at the eve of the colonial conquest, today’s India is almost completely unrecognizable. A sovereign nation, with a teeming, industrious population, it is an economic powerhouse and the world’s largest democracy. It can boast of robust legal institutions and a dizzying plurality of cultures, in addition to a lively and unrestricted print and electronic media. The question is how did it get to where it is now? Covering the period from 1800 to 1950, this study of about a dozen makers of modern India is a valuable addition to India’s cultural and intellectual history. More specifically, it shows how through the very act of writing, often in English, these thought leaders reconfigured Indian society. The very act of writing itself became endowed with almost a charismatic authority, which continued to influence generations that came after the exit of the authors from the national stage. By examining the lives and works of key players in the making of contemporary India, this study assesses their relationships with British colonialism and Indian traditions. Moreover, it analyzes how their use of the English language helped shape Indian modernity, thus giving rise to a uniquely Indian version of liberalism. The period was the fiery crucible from which an almost impossibly diverse and pluralistic new nation emerged through debate, dialogue, conflict, confrontation, and reconciliation. The author shows how the struggle for India was not only with British colonialism and imperialism, but also with itself and its past. He traces the religious and social reforms that laid the groundwork for the modern sub-continental state, proposed and advocated in English by the native voices that influenced the formation India’s society. Merging culture, politics, language, and literature, this is a path breaking volume that adds much to our understanding of a nation that looks set to achieve much in the coming century.

Origins of Chinese Culture guides you through the perplexing maze of all things Chinese. Pick up interesting facts about the "Four Treasures of the Study"--the brush, ink, paper and inkstone--which form the cornerstone of Chinese culture. Be enthralled by the charming stories of Chinese icons: * Cao Cao, who hinted that he wanted a door widened just by writing a character on the door. * Shi Kuang, whose music was said to resurrect the dead. * Wu Daozi, who never completed his paintings for fear that they would come alive. You will be amazed by the wisdom and exquisite allure of Chinese culture, and be treated to insights into Chinese music, weiqi, xiangqi, calligraphy and painting!