Podcast Summary:

New Books Network: "Chips from a Calcutta Workshop: Comparative Religion in Nineteenth Century India"

Guest: Dr. Neilesh Bose (University of Victoria)
Host: Dr. Raj Balkaran
Date: February 19, 2026
Book Discussed: Chips from a Calcutta Workshop: Comparative Religion in Nineteenth Century India (Cambridge UP, 2025)

Overview of Main Theme

This episode explores Dr. Neilesh Bose's latest work on the emergence and development of comparative religion as both a field and practice among major Indian thinkers in 19th-century Calcutta. The conversation navigates how Indian reformers—often discussed primarily within the context of colonialism or as reactors to external critique—should be re-examined as agents of intellectual innovation and religious synthesis in their own right. The book's analysis specifically puts forth a more nuanced narrative that recenters indigenous agency and intellectual curiosity.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Rethinking the 19th Century Indian Religious Landscape

• Prevailing Narratives Challenged ([00:40])
  • Religion in 19th-century India is often associated with communalism and reactionary politics.
  • Dr. Bose argues the era was a time of "vibrant" intellectual activity, particularly around comparative religion.
  • Quote: “I found that one issue in the 19th century, often people don’t recognize, is how important comparative religion was to Indian thinkers, intellectuals, writers and religious reformers.” – Dr. Bose [00:52]

2. Structure and Key Figures of the Book

• Chapters Focus on Intellectual Journeys ([02:16])
  • Four main figures: Ram Mohan Roy, Debendranath Tagore, Keshab Chandra Sen, Swami Vivekananda.
  • Each chapter explores both individual lives and the broader processes of religious comparison and synthesis.
• Intellectual Links Transcending Regions
  • Links are drawn between Indian reformers and Western intellectuals like Emerson.
  • Quote: “I put figures like Debendranath Tagore in conversation with Ralph Waldo Emerson… They sought information about various religions throughout the world.” – Dr. Bose [06:09]

3. Indigenous Agency vs. Colonial Context

• Agency Beyond Colonial Reaction ([07:21])
  • While Christianity and colonialism are present, Bose cautions against reducing Indian reformers to “mere products” of either.
  • Quote: “His interest in Christianity stemmed not from the influence of colonialism, but rather from a great interest in reforming Indian religions as he perceived them...” – Dr. Bose [08:35]
• Roy as an Independent Thinker
  • Roy’s efforts predate aggressive Christian missionary activity; he had a broad curiosity, not only reactive motives.
  • He encountered critiques of Hinduism both from within and outside his tradition, navigating these with unique agency.

4. Intellectual History vs. Hagiography

• Moving Beyond Heroic or Dismissive Histories ([16:56])
  • Dr. Bose advocates for viewing these reformers as complex intellectuals, not simply heroes or mere colonial products.
  • Quote: “They are individuals who have an intellectual odyssey and a journey that is to be respected on its own terms, regardless of later generations’ reactions to a colonial context...” – Dr. Bose [17:43]

5. Sources and Methods

• Primary Sources Emphasized ([21:14])
  • Works of these figures (translations, texts, pamphlets, lectures, letters) are central.
  • The form and compilation process of their writings offer insights into their comparative methods (e.g., Debendranath Tagore's Brahmodharmo).
• Material and Institutional Innovations
  • Keshab Chandra Sen’s creation of new worship spaces combining motifs from various religions.
  • Pilgrimages to “great men” in religion and science signal deliberate comparative activity.

6. The Category of "Religion"

• A Problematic yet Indispensable Modern Category ([25:13])
  • The concept of "religion" is context-bound and shaped dynamically by these thinkers’ comparative engagement.
  • Swami Vivekananda, for example, characterizes religion as “a facet of modern life that cannot be denied,” constituting a relationship between personal choice and recourse to something transcendent.
  • Quote: “There’s a concerted effort to accept that there is an isolated space in human life for religion… the sources for that are multiple and... come from all different directions.” – Dr. Bose [27:10]

7. Unexpected Discoveries in Research

• Centrality of Vedas and Upanishads ([29:04])
  • All the figures, in diverse ways, remained deeply engaged with Vedic and Upanishadic texts, countering later academic presumptions.
  • Not simply tools for “Orientalists,” these texts were living sources for indigenous spiritual and intellectual activity.

8. Broader Audiences & Implications

• Relevance Beyond South Asian Studies ([32:10])
  • The history of comparative religion in India provides invaluable data for the global study of religion and philosophy.
  • Bose situates India’s comparative religious activity as parallel, not subordinate, to similar movements in the West.
  • Quote: “India offers an extraordinary amount of data for comparative religion, showing that the impulse to compare, to think broadly and deeply about religion... is definitively a part of the history of modern India.” [33:37]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [00:52] “I found that one issue in the 19th century, often people don’t recognize, is how important comparative religion was to Indian thinkers, intellectuals, writers and religious reformers.” – Dr. Neilesh Bose
• [06:09] “I put figures like Debendranath Tagore in conversation with Ralph Waldo Emerson… They sought information about various religions throughout the world.” – Dr. Bose
• [08:35] “His interest in Christianity stemmed not from the influence of colonialism, but rather from a great interest in reforming Indian religions as he perceived them...” – Dr. Bose
• [17:43] “They are individuals who have an intellectual odyssey and a journey that is to be respected on its own terms, regardless of later generations’ reactions to a colonial context...” – Dr. Bose
• [27:10] “There’s a concerted effort to accept that there is an isolated space in human life for religion… the sources for that are multiple and... come from all different directions.” – Dr. Bose
• [33:37] “India offers an extraordinary amount of data for comparative religion, showing that the impulse to compare, to think broadly and deeply about religion... is definitively a part of the history of modern India.” – Dr. Bose

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:40] – Rethinking religion’s place in 19th-century India
• [02:16] – Structure of the book and introduction of major figures
• [06:09] – Comparative impulses: Indian and Western parallels
• [07:21] – Debates over indigenous agency vs. colonial influence
• [11:07] – Ram Mohan Roy: Motivations and context
• [16:56] – Roy in scholarship: Breaking from reductive narratives
• [21:14] – Source base and methodological approach
• [25:13] – The definition and role of “religion”
• [29:04] – Unexpected findings: The ongoing role of Vedic texts
• [32:10] – Broader significance of the work

Closing Note

The conversation encourages both specialists and general audiences to rethink the narratives surrounding 19th-century Indian religion and its reformers. Dr. Bose’s work demonstrates that Indian intellectuals were not passive receptors of Western ideas but active agents creatively shaping a global religious discourse.

For more insights, read “Chips from a Calcutta Workshop: Comparative Religion in Nineteenth Century India,” Cambridge UP (2025).