The Controversial Views of Nirad C. Chaudhuri

An Indian writer once claimed that Hindus are actually from Europe and that India turns

its people into swine. His name was Nirad C. Chaudhuri,

and his 1966 book, "The Continent of Circe," was explosive. He argued that modern Hindus descended

from fair-haired, blue-eyed Aryans who migrated to India. He compared the

country to the Greek sorceress Circe, saying India's climate and culture dehumanize its inhabitants

over time. Seen as a total Anglophile, he was one of the most controversial

figures in Indian literature. The wildest part? He still won India's highest literary

award for another book years later.