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Book Excerpts

I asked Tagore to write an essay for me so I could top my class. We got 4 out of 10

In ‘Amader Shantiniketan’, Padma Shri and late Hindi author Shivani had written about ‘Gurudev’ Rabindranath Tagore teaching her Bangla.

Your genes and morals have different PR advisers. That’s why you don’t act on bad thoughts

In ‘Beyond Bad’, Chris Paley writes that humans are the only species that can properly manage conflicts of interests within groups that aren’t family.

‘Zip it, sweetie’ — PM Jacinda Ardern had to face sexism not just from men, but women too

In ‘Jacinda Ardern’, Supriya Vani and Carl A. Harte write about the New Zealand PM’s journey from a politician and administrator to an international icon.

Was Harappa wet or arid? Rhinos hold a clue

In ‘Mega Mammals in Ancient India’, Shibani Bose explains how the moisture-loving Indian rhinoceros survived in Harappan times.

Begum Akhtar joined films against her ustad’s wishes. Then a spat with Mehboob made her leave

In 'Akhtari', Iqbal Rizvi, along with some of Begum Akhtar's closest friends and associates, reminisce her eventful life, music, and contribution to cinema.

Crowds at rallies don’t mean victory and have no bearing on how voters will vote

In 'How India Votes', CEO of Axis My India Pradeep Gupta writes that not even 10% of the crowd that claps and cheers for a leader will vote for him/her on the basis of what they hear at a rally.

‘Can’t find last year’s winter cap, but they want papers from 1970?’: Shaheen Bagh illustrated

In ‘Shaheen Bagh: A Graphic Recollection’, Ita Mehrotra tells the story of Muslim women who became the catalyst for a pan-India movement against CAA and NRC.

When Hope Cooke, the American socialite wife of Sikkim king, asked for return of Darjeeling

In ‘Sikkim’, former diplomat Preet Mohan Singh Malik writes about the Namgyal dynasty that ruled the Himalayan kingdom until it became India’s 22nd state.

This Urdu newspaper was banned after criticising General Dyer. Here’s what it did next

In ‘Print and the Urdu Public’, Megan Eaton Robb writes about the impact and role of popular Urdu newspaper Madinah and how it pushed back against censorship.

Paid news not recent concept, Bihar saw it 35 years ago. But Germany, China, US started it

In ‘Power, Press and Politics’, Alok Mehta gives us an insider account of the workings of the Indian media — both print and electronic.

On Camera

India’s labour policy left it unable to compete with other eastern economies: Nani A Palkhivala

Liberty without accountability is the freedom of the fool. Our concept of freedom will remain impoverished until it is deepened by liberal education, wrote Nani A Palkhivala in 1995.

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.

Tejas fighter aircraft crashes at Dubai Air Show, IAF confirms pilot’s death

This is the second such incident after a Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas had crashed into a hostel on the outskirts of Jaisalmer in March last year.

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.