Hindu chai, Mussulman chai, Hindu pani, Mussulman pani
A compellingly readable eyewitness account of India in the ’30s, Inside India is an insightful study of Indian nationalism, its strengths and weaknesses and its encounters with British colonialism by an intelligent, liberated Muslim woman traveller determined to be an impartial observer of the confusing mix of images, people and places. Apart from its evident value for historians and social scientists, Inside India has some fascinating glimpses of contemporary life in the cities and the countryside, including Gandhi in his ashram at Wardha, the trio who formed his inner circle: his secretary wife and his "adopted daughter" Mirabehn, and dozens of other Congress leaders including Sarojini Naidu and her two daughters. —Sheela Reddy
