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Monday, July 21, 2025
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Book Excerpts

What Bacha Khan’s daughter told me about his treatment by Pakistani authorities

In Talib's Tale, John Butt writes about his journey to Pakistan in search of an education he couldn't get in England and how he adapted to the Pashtoon way of life.

Tablighi Jamaat tells its followers not to pursue political dominance in this world

Tablighi Jamaat is an Islamic religious reform movement. It has emerged as one of the most dominant forms of religiosity in postcolonial India, writes Hilal Ahmed in his book Siyasi Muslims.

How an interview with Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters in London made us celebrities back home

In Calling Elvis, Shatanu Datta writes about meeting Roger Waters in London and how a 15-minute chat turned into an hour-long conversation.

Raghuram Rajan tried to find bad loans. The dirt that came out was thrice his expectation

In Bad Money, Vivek Kaul writes how public sector banks refrained from recognising bad loans because that meant setting aside money to meet these losses.

Political parties battle each other in Indian slums by using rumours and violence

In Demanding Development, Adam Michael Auerbach writes on the competition between different party workers in slums and how it fragments leadership.

India’s Act East policy is slowly becoming Act Indo-Pacific policy under Modi government

India has placed the Indo-Pacific at the heart of its engagement with the countries of south, southeast and east Asia to counter China, writes Prabir De in his new book.

Disaster of communism overshadowed damage done by slavery and colonialism

In Capital and Ideology, Thomas Piketty writes on the ‘naturalisation’ of disparity by the elites and how history proves them wrong.

I went undercover with women social media extremists. They want traditional roles to return

In Going Dark, The Secret Social Lives of Extremists, Julia Ebner talks about her experience with ‘Trad Wives,’ a women’s group where feminism is banned.

From religious meetings to music concerts, how ‘sabha’ culture changed in Madras

The book Music, Modernity, and Publicness in India edited by Tejaswini Niranjana explains how musicians moved to colonial cities and formed exciting spaces of listening and desire.

When Dalai Lama was talking about asylum in India, Nehru almost fell asleep

In The Dalai Lama: An Extraordinary Life, Alexander Norman writes about the time the Dalai Lama came to India to discuss asylum, but Nehru had already made up his mind.

On Camera

India’s TRP ecosystem needs a reset. Time to end BARC monopoly

A ratings monopoly in India has led to lack of technological variation, resulting in sluggish systems detached from market dynamics.

India-US set to ink mini trade deal soon, reach understanding on agricultural & dairy products

Mini deal will likely see no cut in 10% baseline tariff on Indian exports announced by Trump on 2 April, it is learnt, but additional 26% tariffs are set to be reduced.

Not just AK-203, India & Russia to jointly manufacture AK-19 and PPK-20 for domestic use and export 

India-Russia JV is also racing to deliver 7,000 more AK-203 assault rifles by 15 Aug. These are currently being made with 50% indigenisation and this will surge to 100% by 31 December.

Strategic partner one day, tactical nightmare the next: India’s learning Trumplomacy the hard way

Public, loud, upfront, filled with impropriety and high praise sometimes laced with insults. This is what we call Trumplomacy. But the larger objective is the same: American supremacy.