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Thursday, August 14, 2025

Afterword

Young Muslim women fight to control their own stories in Ghazala Jamil’s new book

In 'Muslim Women Speak: Of Dreams and Shackles', activist-scholar Jamil tries to find these women's real voices, instead of just presenting them as victims.

Devil’s advocate Karan Thapar fails to acquit himself

In his rather salacious memoir, the journalist doesn't offer a nuanced perspective about the personalities and events that shaped India. 

Chidanand Rajghatta’s book combines memories of Gauri Lankesh with cultural controversies

‘Illiberal India’ is an eminently readable narrative, and is as close to a biography of Gauri as there is likely to be in English.

Evil in the Mahabharata deserves a book. This one is not it

US-based professor Meena Arora Nayak’s take on the epic seems to push an agenda. Readers ought to rather read the original text.

The making and unravelling of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto

Born to be Hanged, Syeda Hameed’s biography of Bhutto, is a valuable contribution to the existing corpus of research on political figures of South Asia.

A curious way to define national security

The Oxford Handbook might have enabled deeper engagement if it had a narrower conception of national security

Never mind the title, ‘The Most Dangerous Place’ is an absorbing read

Srinath Raghavan’s broad and detailed swathe of the US-South Asia relationship beautifully brings out the inherent contradiction in the heart of US policy.

Judges’ appointment: Putting the debate in historical and political contexts

‘Appointment of Judges to the Supreme Court of India’ comes at a moment when the contours of independent judiciary are consistently being contested.

How the early Europeans perceived the Indian subcontinent

Sanjay Subrahmanyam’s Europe’s India: Words, People, Empires 1500-1800 is a rich experience for its detailed source of information and analysis.

Why a new encounter with Adi Shankaracharya, India’s greatest intellectual, is essential

In his book, Adi Shankaracharya: Hinduism’s Greatest Thinker, former diplomat Pavan K. Varma explores the continued relevance of his teachings by revisiting the sites he frequented.

On Camera

Trump is swinging on Russia again. What this means for Europe’s security architecture

The dynamics between Europe and Russia have gone so south that mending fences looks like an uphill task—even as the US swings between sanctions and olive branches.

Slashing GST on waste can unlock Rs 1.8 lakh crore, high tax hurting circular economy goals—CSE

Centre for Science and Environment in new report makes case for rationalising GST on waste material, saying most informal operators can’t afford high tax & it also hinders recycling.

Hit by mortar shell, but still fighting—BSF heroes of Op Sindoor honoured with gallantry medals

President of India has honoured 16 BSF personnel with gallantry medals for show of exemplary courage in the 87-hour ‘war’ between India and Pakistan that followed the launch of Op Sindoor.

Modi’s ready to risk it all for farmers. Farm reform can answer Trump with new Green Revolution

Standing up to America is usually not a personal risk for a leader in India. Any suggestions of foreign pressure unites India behind who they see as leading them in that fight.