The writer, diplomat and politician offers a profound examination of Hinduism, one of the world's oldest and greatest religious traditions. He lays out Hinduism’s origins and its key philosophical concepts, and its everyday beliefs and practices, from worship to pilgrimage and caste. Tharoor is unsparing in his criticism of extremism and unequivocal in his belief that what makes India a distinctive nation with a unique culture and democratic tradition will be imperilled if Hindu fundamentalists, the proponents of ‘Hindutva’, or politicised Hinduism, seize the high ground.