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Book Excerpts

When Mahatma Gandhi washed Kasturba’s soiled petticoat

Between 1943 and 1948, Gandhi’s grand-niece Manu kept a diary, writing about every small thing that happened during her stay with him and Kasturba.

Asked Gujral, Kalyan Singh. Finally Sonia got women equal rights to agri land: Ex-IAS officer 

Former PM IK Gujral was shocked when I told him about plan to make women landowners. Being a Punjab MP, he didn't want to annoy the patriarchal Jats.

The British were so impressed by Indian WWI aviators that they gave India its own Air Force  

More than a million Indians served in WWI. Among them, dapper in RFC uniforms, was a tiny number of Indians who served in the flying corps.

How elite medieval Rajputs ignored Hindu laws to practice polygamy

Rawal Bapa married 140 women and Raja Udai Singh of Marwar married 27. Marriage for the Rajputs was about producing male heirs and consolidating state power.

How a chemist burnt his hand and gave birth to aromatherapy

The lavender oil that healed Rene Gattefosse’s burnt hand encouraged him to experiment more with essential oils. In 1928, the chemist coined the term ‘aromatherapie’.

When Indian Navy helped catch Japan’s stolen ship – and what Vajpayee did

Operation Alondra Rainbow began as a routine interception at sea but within a few hours the situation had acquired serious international implications.

How a Newton-apple moment in South Africa led Ashish Hemrajani to start BookMyShow

In the pre-smartphone era, BookMyShow's work involved physical delivery of tickets and COD. It was a logistical nightmare.

When Shiv Sena ministers were told to remove Raj Thackeray’s photos from their cabins

During the 1995 campaign, the Shiv Sena cadre would ask for Raj wherever ‘Balasaheb’ could not go.

Want to make office meetings worthwhile? Have an agenda beforehand

Office meetings must have agendas & not be a forum for organisers to hear themselves think.

Want to raise perfect children in India? You can’t & you’ll never win mother of the year

You can be a tiger mom, a cheetah mom, a WhatsApp mom, or a drone mom, but there is no perfect recipe for motherhood.

On Camera

Manusmriti in a London church? 18th-century Britain’s Indomania loved everything Hindu

Sir William Jones’ monument with Hindu religious imagery was accommodated in a Christian church as independently validated proof of the truth of Christianity.

High capacity usage, fresh borrowings & new orders — why FY25 could be a big year for pvt investment

Companies are borrowing more from banks and public. Economists say high capacity utilisation & growing new orders could set stage for renewed investment push by India Inc.

China builds road through Shaksgam Valley, India registers protest

New Delhi has, in past, too, objected to Chinese construction activities in Shaksgam Valley. Work in this strategic region gathered pace after the 2017 Doklam stand-off.

Frontrunner is letting the challenger define this poll campaign. Modi still hasn’t found a big theme

A theme has not yet emerged for BJP & people see lack of a contest, which makes it unexciting. For all these reasons, 2024 is turning out to be an unexpectedly theme-less election.