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Monday, November 24, 2025
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Book Excerpts

How Rajput general Man Singh won Kabul for Akbar

In 'The Emperor's General', Rima Hooja offers a biography of Raja Man Singh of Amber, a Rajput prince who was Akbar's foremost general and trusted statesman.

How Anuradhapura’s ancient monastic complex altered the course of Buddhism in Sri Lanka

Over time, Abhayagiri diverged from the Mahavihara’s orthodox principles and evolved as a distinct and cosmopolitan centre of Buddhist thought in Sri Lanka.

Who influenced Rumi? Very few know about Sufi poet Attar

In 'The Invisible Sun', translator Sholeh Wolpé offers an introduction to the poetry of Attar, 12th century Sufi poet who inspired Rumi.

Shah Rukh Khan said to Vir Das: ‘Show me what you’ve got’

I made my big movie debut wearing a curly black wig and glasses, which you really should google if you haven’t already. So there...

When Malala attended the Diwali Ball at Oxford

In 'Finding My Way', Malala Yousafzai reintroduces herself to the world through a vulnerable, surprising memoir.

If equality is the aim, a caste census can never deliver it

Anand Teltumbde's 'The Caste Con Census' tells that caste, by definition, divides. And in the modern period, how it has multiplied.

Santiniketan became India’s guest house in 1920s, 1930s

In the book, A History of Santiniketan: Rabindranath Tagore and His Life’s Work 1861-1941, Uma Das Gupta sheds light on the poet’s life beyond his literary legacy—his devotion to education.

Not wearing a saree may be an issue in Carnatic music. Wearing one won’t be a bed of roses either

In the book, Songs of the Clay Pot: My Journey With Ghatam, Sumana Chandrasekar talks about those issues that we ponder about when we consider women and percussion.

‘Don’t call me Boomer.’ On being young, young-old, and old-old

In her memoir, 'Aging (Un)Gracefully', Lalita Iyer takes a deep dive into the many ways in which the process is both a ‘growing up’ and a liberation.

When the British suffered a humiliating defeat against Mughal navy in 1690

In 'Murarirao Ghorpade', Reeta Ramamurthy Gupta and Indrajeet Ghorpade offer a tale of military conquests, espionage, forbidden love and loyalty in 18th-century Deccan.

On Camera

At Charcha 2025: Local entrepreneurship, not just big IT, will drive next wave of distributed AI work

While global corporations setting up GCCs in India continue to express confidence in availability of skilled AI engineers, the panel argued that India’s real challenge lies elsewhere.

US pilot says his team pulled out of Dubai Air Show after Tejas crash out of respect for IAF pilot

Taylor ‘Fema’ Hiester, commander of USAF F-16 Viper Demo Team, hit out at air show organisers for continuing with the show after Wing Commander Namansh Syal lost his life in the incident.

A tribute to Tejas. India’s delay culture is the real enemy in the skies

It is a brilliant, reasonably priced, and mostly homemade aircraft with a stellar safety record; only two crashes in 24 years since its first flight. But its crash is a moment of introspection.