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Tuesday, August 12, 2025

Afterword

Is sex-work reproductive labour? Swati Ghosh’s latest book tries to identify

In The Gendered Proletariat: Sex Work, Worker’s Movement and Agency, Swati Ghosh looks to understand the worker-status claim of sex-work in a meaningful fashion.

David Pilling’s book explains why economic growth has failed to make people happier

The Growth Delusion compels the reader to reflect on the futility of what is being pursued and how ill-informed public policies are.

What an unlikely collaboration between former India, Pakistan spy chiefs looks like

‘The Spy Chronicles: Raw, ISI and the Illusion of Peace’ is an intriguing read end-to-end just for what the former Pakistani spy chief reveals and doesn’t.

Supreme Court’s jurisprudence is often reactionary, suggests Arun K. Thiruvengadam

In ‘The Constitution of India: A Contextual Analysis’, Thiruvengadam captures the progression of law through sociopolitical factors, and development perspectives.

In ‘Night of Happiness’, Tabish Khair wants empathy for the liberal Muslim

After 9/11, everyone’s world has changed. Over the last forty years, life has become far more difficult for the liberal, sensitive Muslim whose interests include innocuous subjects like accounting and finance.

Arun Shourie’s ‘Anita Gets Bail’ a damning indictment of opaque & inefficient judiciary

Shourie’s ‘Anita Gets Bail’ is a damning indictment of the opaque and often inefficient manner in which our higher courts function, writes Maneesh Chhibber.  

Comparing artifacts of ‘India and the World’ brings out unexpected & united purpose

The book compares the ways in which world cultures found solutions to similar societal needs which were aesthetically varied but united by a common purpose.

Lawrence Freedman’s book shows that thinking about the future of war has its own history

‘The Future of War’ tracks diverse themes through the long arc of modern warfare from mid-19th century to the present – and of course the future.

With a touch of Marquez, a non-fiction fairy tale gives China’s people a voice

‘Becoming China: The Story Behind the State’ is an excellent starting point for someone wanting to move beyond a traditional, i.e. statist, understanding of China.

The ISRO spy case that became a potboiler of ‘sex, spies and rocket science’

Scientist Nambi Narayanan in Ready to Fire: How India and I Survived the ISRO Spy Case writes about being accused of selling top-secret data to foreign nationals and his acquittal. 

On Camera

Hrithik Roshan & Jr NTR in Janaab-e-Aali is exactly what a dance-off should not be

Forget comparing it with classics like Hrithik’s Ek Pal Ka Jeena or the slick title track of Dhoom 2, Janaab-e-Aali does not even come close to Ghungroo.

How mining, manufacturing & power sectors weighed on India’s industrial output since January 2024

India’s industrial output growth saw a 10-month low in June, with Index of Industrial Production (IIP) growing by mere 1.5% as against 1.9% in May 2025.

India expands Southeast Asia defence footprint with new joint venture in Philippines

Memorandum of understanding between SMPP and ADFC was signed during state visit of Philippines’ President to India earlier this month.

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.