This was a fascinating read.

The book is a series of short essays in which Dalrymple shares his experience as he travels across India as a journalist. Sort of like a Behind-The-Scenes of journalism. The underlying theme of all the essays points towards society’s decadence.

Having been a child of the ’90s and reading this book in 2020 was like looking at a snapshot of life back then and allowing me cognizance of the language and symbols referenced in the book. Furthermore, taking the book as a reference and looking at the present, one can undoubtedly see “the age of Kali” all around us.

My favorite essay, I think, was the one about Bangalore. It was certainly refreshing to look back and relive the Bangalore of the ’90s. What shocked me was to read about the atrocities committed by the Indian state during the military take over of Hyderabad and Goa. I would love to learn more about these events if I can find any good books detailing the history.