The book  is the 1950 Indian edition of The Web of Indian Life by Sister Nivedita, an Irish disciple of Swami Vivekananda. She is celebrated as a brilliant interpreter of Indian culture and religion, whose work was highly regarded by figures like Rabindranath Tagore. The book offers Indians a "sympathetic searchlight" into their own strengths and weaknesses, while providing Westerners a unique understanding of India through a Western "master mind."