‘Robust streak of common sense’: How Sree Narayana Guru’s biographer Shashi Tharoor sees his subject
An interview with the author of ‘The Sage Who Reimagined Hinduism’.
Black News 
The Sage Who Reimagined Hinduism is Shashi Tharoor’s account of one of the most intriguing spiritual leaders and social reformers of modern India, Sree Narayana Guru. However, he is not very well-known outside of his home state, Keralam, and this book is, among other things, an attempt to remedy that neglect.
Born in 1855 into a modest, middle-class family in Travancore, Narayana belonged to the Ezhava caste, which was considered untouchable at the time. The story of how a boy from a socially disadvantaged caste rose to become a charismatic sage with millions of followers is a remarkable one. Yet, the Guru was not just an inspiring spiritual leader. He was also a social reformer who was determined to reshape the oppressive caste system that held millions in its grip. He fought to make the society he was part of more equal, establishing and consecrating temples that were open to all castes, founding schools and other educational institutions, and doing everything he could to empower the lower castes and break the malign influence of the upper castes.
In a conversation with Scroll, Tharoor spoke about how he discovered the Guru, his own understanding of faith, and why the Guru continues to intrigue us. Excerpts from the...
