Mark Tully (1) (1935–2026)

The man I stayed with in Goa reccommended this book for me to read, I wanted something about Indian history/politics/culture -- and not some white upper-middle class woman's spiritual experience as a tourist or whatever. /No Full Stops In India/ was perfect for me, entertaining essays and insights by a former BBC journalist who truly loved the country. The book is comprised of 10 chapters, plus an introduction and an epilogue.

"Ram Chander's Story" is about Tully's servant: his life, their show more relationship, attending his daughter's marriage. It is a fitting first chapter to the book, gives a taste of the humour, tales, thoughts and insights of a white man absorbing and living in Indian culture.
"The New Colonialism" deals with the lasting impact of the british raj and how the Indian elite, with their western values, are shaping the country and infiltrating every sector of the culture - sometimes misguidedly.
"The Kumbh Mela" is the description of a religious event that is thuroughly Indian. I read this chapter in Hampi in Northern Karnataka the day of a similar festival where I'd gotten so frustrated at the Indians lack of order and masses of humanity that prevented me from getting from one side of a river to another because every time people tried to board a boat, too many got on and it started sinking. Rather than organize the crowd into a queue, they stopped the boat shuttles altogether until the second boat was finished being built.... Enterprising Indians took advantage of the situation and offered to ferry people across in coricles (essentially wicker baskets) to make some easy money. The whole ordeal reminded me of this chapter of the book...
"The Rewriting of the Ramayan" is about he intersection of india's film industry, religion/mythologies, and general culture.
"Operation Black Thunder" is one of the more political-events focused piecies in the book, about Sikh extreamism and the sensitive way the Indian government police and army deals with religious fundamentalism.
"Communism in Calcutta" talks about the crazy politics of India and one groups attempt to revitalize India.
"The Deorala Sati" is about a country and caste coming to terms with questionable religious practices, as well as how feminists are seen in India.
"Typhoon in Ahmedabad" talks about the shady local politics surrounding riots and religious differences, and highlights the disconect between the politicans and the poor, and the press and the poor.
"The Return of the Artist" is a story quintecentially Indian, similar to the opening chapter it is funny but informative at the same time.
"The Defeat of a Congressman" is a sad last story about Indian politics and one mans attempt to make good for India despite the beurocracies qnd confusions.

Really interesting book, I think Mark Tully provides an interesting view od Indian culture and politics. My main problem I had was the fact that it was written in 1990, and I'm sure a ton has happened in India since them so I'm not sure how much of uis ideas are still totally relevant. show less

This is one of the "Penguin 60s" series of little books produced to mark the Penguin anniversary in 1995. Embarrassingly, it's been sitting on my "to be read" shelf ever since. When someone asked the question in a talk thread "What's the oldest book on your TBR pile?", I thought it was time to act, and put it in my pocket to read on the bus...

The text is an excerpt from Mark Tully's book No full stops in India of 1992. Tully is a British journalist, well-known for his work for the BBC, who show more has spent much of his life in India. This text reads a bit like an extended From our own correspondent piece, analysing his relationship with his servant Ram Chandra. He recounts Chandra's background, explores his own Western liberal guilt at employing a servant, and then uses the occasion of Chandra's daughter's wedding, for which he is invited to Chandra's home village, to discuss the social difficulties of the situation. Tully has helped to finance the wedding, he and his family are guests of honour, their presence obviously enhancing Chandra's standing in the community. On the other hand, they feel that they are outsiders, causing extra inconvenience and without any real role to play in what is essentially a community event.

It's an enjoyable little essay, that raises a few interesting questions about the collision between cultures of developed and developing countries, but doesn't delve too deeply. show less

Tully is a respected veteran reporter on the Indian scene with impeccable connections at the political level, and on the personal level - he was born in Calcutta. In this book he examines the huge canvas of Indian political and social life through a series of essays that capture incidents large and small. But whether he is talking about the wedding of his employee´s daughter in a small village, or the assasination of political leaders, Tully draws in threads of history and character. He show more places the small story in its context in the big themes of history, and reminds the reader - through some detail that other´s have not thought worth telling - of the personal tragedies and triumphs behind the headline stories. Tully has a great affection for India, despite it´s faults, and has written a book that lays them both before the reader in very honest terms. show less

Tully, for many years the BBC's correspondent in India, loves that country and it's people (despite their many faults) and it shows in these stories of village life. Fictionalised in order to save the participants from repercussions they have, nonetheless, an air of authenticity about them that conveys the sense of what he encountered in his travels in Indian life. Recommended, but best read in conjunction with some of his other writing about India in order to get some sense of Tully's deep show more knowlegde of and attachment to that country and its people. show less