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Wednesday, September 18, 2024
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Book Excerpts

Nehru had a diplomatic brigade. It had many soldiers from Bose’s Indian National Army

In ‘Nehru’s First Recruits’, author Kallol Bhattacharjee tells us the stories and experiences of India’s earliest diplomats.

Wajid Ali Shah consulted Hindu priests to remove a curse from his wives

In ‘Dance to Freedom’, AK Gandhi tracks the history of tawaifs. They were dancers Mughal courts, spied on British officers and played a role in the Indian freedom movement.

Karpoori Thakur removed burden of English. Then came a surge of backward caste college students

In ‘The Jannayaka Karpoori Thakur’, Santosh Singh and Aditya Anmol looks at the contributions of the former Bihar CM, especially toward the upliftment of backward classes.

Rahul Bajaj was an intense haggler. A Turkish rug salesman was no match for him

Hamara Rahul, edited by Tarun Das and Kiran Pasricha, compiles tributes to Rahul Bajaj from a list of luminaries.

MTR invented rava idlis when Japan invaded Burma. It caused a rice shortage in Bengaluru

In ‘India’s Most Legendary Restaurants’, editor Ruth Dsouza Prabhu compiles essays on the food and history of Paragon, Peter Cat, Karim’s and more.

Tuluva people aren’t devil worshippers. That’s just a colonial perspective of Kola rituals

In 'Daiva: Discovering the Extraordinary World of Spirit Worship', K Hari Kumar, brings you stories of powerful immortals along with details of their worship through mystifying rituals.

Intelligence work doesn’t come without its hurdles. Ex-R&AW, ISI chiefs recall life

'Covert' will take you into the heads – and lives – of two sypmasters, India's Amarjit Singh Dulat and Pakistan's Asad Durrani.

Looking for pit vipers on your honeymoon in Nilgiri Hills? That’s what Rom & Zai Whitaker did

In ‘Scaling Up’, Zai Whitaker expands on the classic Snakeman, which was about her and her ex-husband Romulus Whitaker’s adventures in conservation.

Ex-BSF DG was agitated to see Pakistani flag in Sopore. So he came up with a dangerous plan

In 'Unforgettable Chapters', Prakash Singh recounts relentless battles against insurgency, and the delicate dance between law enforcement and political interests.

The protector Goddess of Buddhism—Marichi and her many symbols of strength, knowledge

Marichi is a symbol of rapid enlightenment, and continues to be deified in Tibet, China and Japan. But her importance has declined in India and Nepal.

On Camera

IAS, IPS reshuffle won’t do. Mamata Banerjee must change advisors, improve MLA connect

The RG Kar incident became the nucleus around which public angst against years of rot coalesced; as a former street fighter, the CM needs to worry about her MLAs’ lack of ground connect.

Five debt defaults, two NPAs & 100% value erosion. MTNL barrels towards a major financial crisis

Since 2019, govt has pumped Rs 3.22 lakh crore into MTNL & BSNL. Both remain in losses. MTNL has begun to default on loans & bond payments, possibly the first large PSU to become NPA.

Did Captain & fiancée ‘attack’ cops or were they ‘manhandled’? Army to take up case with Odisha authorities

While police are quoted as saying that officer & fiancée created fracas & injured four police personnel, Army’s situational reports and his statement present a different picture.

BJP’s Northeast policy has lit new fires & reopened old wounds. And it still won’t blink

Manipur represents BJP’s unique ideological approach to governing Northeast by playing identity politics jiu-jitsu. It hasn’t gone well yet, is getting worse, but the party insists on continuing.