NINE LIVES STUDY GUIDE


"While the West often likes to imagine the religions of the East as deep wells of ancient, unchanging wisdom, in reality much of India's religious identity is closely tied to specific social groups, caste practices, and father-to-son lineages, all of which are changing very rapidly as Indian society transforms itself at speed."

-- William Dalrymple

Some Questions To Consider

What most surprised you about Nine Lives?

How would you begin to make connections between the different individuals interviewed?  What common themes emerge?  What holds the book together?

What strikes you as most distinctive about the sacred in modern India?  How would you compare and contrast Indian religions with those of the Abrahamic tradition?

How would you make sense of Dalrymple as editor and author?  Why do you think he wrote this book?  To whom does he seem to be drawn, and why?  To what extent are we introduced to "sacred India" through his particular lens?  What are the strengths and weaknesses of his book?

Do you think that Dalrymple is chronicling a disappearing world?  Analyze the collision between the traditional and the modern as portrayed in Nine Lives.


Some Extra Resources

"In Search Of The Sacred In Modern India," Frost Over The World, Al Jazeera English, October 9, 2009: A 15-minute video interview with the famed British journalist.

  "India's Diverse Faiths, As Told Through 'Nine Lives,'" NPR Morning Edition, June 24, 2010: A short feature from American public radio.

"Dalrymple's Indian Odyssey," Spirit Of Things, ABC Radio National, June 13, 2010: An in-depth radio interview from the Australian national broadcaster.

"William Dalrymple's 'Nine Lives,'" Jaipur Literature Festival, November 6, 2012.


 

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