Decoding India

[Synopsis] The author, Jia Haitao, is a professor in the History Department at Jinan University and director of the Institute for Comparative Chinese-Indian Cultural Studies. He specializes in Indian history and culture. This collection of essays grew out of his academic exchanges with India's scholarly and cultural communities and his travels throughout the country. Its titles include “Eating in India,” “India's Crows,” “Exploring Goa,” “An Unexpected Encounter in Kochi,” “Chinese Film Week in Delhi,” “Investigating the Slums of Chennai with a University Student Interview Team,” “Lecturing in Chennai, South India's Largest City,” “A Guest at the University of Mumbai,” and “Discussing India's Future in Kerala.” Through relaxed, engaging prose, the author offers readers in China a glimpse of the everyday Indian society he has seen. The manuscript consists mainly of travel observations and personal essays and does not address sensitive issues.