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Thursday, October 31, 2024
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Book Excerpts

From scientific fervour to social reform, a new book brings out little known facets of Hindutva

Aravindan Neelakandan uses history, sociology, politics, and science as tools to analyse the many facets of Hindutva in his 816-page book.

Bahadur Shah Zafar resented Raja Ram Mohan Roy. So he complained to East India Company

In 'The Broken Script: Delhi Under the East India Company and the Fall of the Mughal Dynasty' Swapna Liddle details the complex tussle between the last two Mughal emperors and the East India company. 

Kodaikanal’s radioactive seafood diet, how mercury was added to the menu

In 'Heavy Metal: How a Global Corporation Poisoned Kodaikanal', author Ameer Shahul explores the mercury poisoning that rocked the hill station.

India’s survival was important for US in 1950s. How it changed 40 years later

In 'Friends with Benefits', Seema Sirohi traces the India-US story with stark detail, and the transformation of their relationship over decades.

Ageing people are difficult, but they deserve to be: Romila Thapar

In ‘A Portrait of Ageing’, professor Romila Thapar writes about holding onto life in the 'last stages'.

Knee deep sewage, sea of documents—the story of two families escaping the war in Kabul

With 'August in Kabul', Walkley-award winning journalist Andrew Quilty offers a remarkable record of the US exit from Afghanistan, and the return of the Taliban.

What is Kalaripayattu? Ancient Indian martial art that has come to define Kerala

Kalaripayattu has traditionally been passed on to students through ‘vaythari’ or oral commands. It was only in 1936 that these instructions were published.

Vivekananda rejected image worship and the guru cults of contemporary Indian spirituality

In Guru to the World: The Life and Legacy of Vivekananda, Ruth Harris shows how Swami Vivekananda’s thought became a touchstone of Hindu nationalist politics.

The great Indian jugaad is not a skill. It is how we work with impractical corporate policies

In 'The Company We Keep' Divya Khanna gives her insights on the corporate culture of India through her experiences, which are doubled down by expert comments and responses from other corporate employees.

A republic can be undemocratic, but Nehru and Ambedkar’s India wasn’t one of them

The essays in ‘Between Hope and Despair’ force us to think about our public, private and political life and question the current state of our political institutions.

On Camera

Iran’s real fantasy is to take over Muslim world. Palestine is just a façade

Since 1979, Iran has used the Palestinian issue as a façade for its regional agenda to oppose American diplomacy, the Western world, and the existence of Israel.

Watch CutTheClutter: Flattening INR-USD rate, and debate on pros and cons of a ‘strong’ rupee

In Episode 1544 of CutTheClutter, Editor-in-Chief Shekhar Gupta looks at some top economists pointing to the pitfalls of ‘currency nationalism’ with data from 1991 to 2004.

All about Major Bob Khathing, whose daring expedition & diplomatic parleys secured Tawang for India

The decorated Naga officer from Manipur also served as envoy to Myanmar & Nagaland chief secy. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated a museum dedicated to the Tawang hero Thursday.

From 2004 to 2024, bad news has come wrapped as good news for Congress

Congress is silently acknowledging it over-read verdict of last general election. You can see it in easy concession to SP. It will likely be more reasonable in Maharashtra & Jharkhand.