In the opening pages of The New India, Bhatia recalls how one relative went from being an affable goofball to angrily disparaging Muslims as less than human. Another relative transformed from an apolitical humanist into someone who insisted that India needed a benevolent dictator. This shocking transformation reflects the growing influence of Hindu nationalism and the weakening of traditional values in the face of contemporary political narratives.
Bhatia was stunned when the people he knew started to resuscitate centuries-old disputes and spout venomous slurs about Muslims. This unfamiliar country had begun to justify even murder if the occasion demanded it, he writes. He needed to find where the poison was coming from, showcasing the urgency and depth of his investigative impulse throughout this journey into the heart of modern India's turmoil.
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