Hindu nationalism is one of the predominant political beliefs prevalent in India. According to the author, the book is not about Hindu nationalism as a power, but as a social and political movement.[5]
Dasgupta wrote the first three chapters of the book, which are: The Political context; Motherland, Religion and Community; Politics and the Hindu Narrative. The book then provides a collection of essays which are divided into three categories: The Motherland and Nation Building, History, and Fault Lines.
Rishi Raj, reviewing for the Financial Express, called the book a "timely book".[1] According to Raj, in India's left liberal dominated discourse, BJP and Hindutva politics have been given distaste in intellectual and academic circles.[1] Besides tracking the rise and success of Hindutva politics, the book also examines its faultlines.[1] Raj praised the essays selected by Dasgupta but expected the author's own analysis on its relevance in today's times.[1] In the end of review, Raj suggests to give the book to liberal historian Ramachandra Guha when he rues about absence of India's conservative intellectuals.[1]
Ravish Tiwari, writing for The Indian Express, observed that the book teases out different strands of Hindu cultural nationalist belief.[2] According to him, the book's introductory chapters form the context of the book but specific context is lacking on why the essays were chosen.[2] For The Week, Vijaya Pushkarna wrote that book is an attempt to identify some of the ideas, attitudes and beliefs of conservatism in India.[3] "Anecdotes and stories in the book," wrote Pushkarna, "are interesting to read."[3] She observed that Dasgupta's chapters in the book are more about Narendra Modi and his contributions to economic intellect and ideas for the BJP.[3]