Lloyd I. Rudolph (1927–2016)

The book is almost a little gem. Lloyd and Susanne Rudolph drove from London to India in 1956, embarking on a long academic journey to study India. They divided the book into two parts, devoting the first to their journey across Europe and Asia into South Asia. The second part has two articles written about India.
I don't understand why they used a semi-cursive font for the book's first part. The font made the reading challenging but forced you to read slowly. The descriptions, with dates show more from their journal, are sparse but perfectly convey the spirit of adventure. Not much is unexplored today, and technology simplifies travel. We forget that, a few decades ago, people went out to explore, and circumstances often placed them in tough spots. You needed ingenuity to solve the hurdles that always cropped up.
Lloyd and Susanne Rudolph remind us that people are the same, yet different, and you cannot judge people by one standard.
The book's second part includes two articles that challenge the reader but provide enough material for further research. This section will appeal to a narrow group of readers who wish to explore unknown facets of India and seek additional reading material. Many of us (Indians) are unfamiliar with our country's complexity. We are guilty of judging different aspects of society according to our standards: the West alone is not guilty of prejudiced behavior.
Why do I call the book 'almost a little gem'? Why don't I drop the word 'almost'? The book is fascinating for a small section of society and readers but may not appeal to the majority as a tragedy. If the authors had included a summary of their research and findings, they would have placed the book in a proper context. show less

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