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Friday, November 21, 2025
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Book Excerpts

Two Pakistani women demanded rights — one irked the mullahs, other was killed

In Fearless, Amneh Shaikh-Farooqui writes about the stories of Pakistani women achievers like Asma Jahangir and Qandeel Baloch who challenged patriarchy.

Kejriwal and Khattar forgot Vadra deals. Only IAS Ashok Khemka stuck to fighting corruption

In Just Transferred, Bhavdeep Kang and Namita Kala write about Ashok Khemka, the man who was transferred 53 times for speaking truth to power and cancelled Robert Vadra’s land deals.

How the humble coconut became a part of modern warfare in World War I

In ‘Coconut’, Robin Laurance traces how the fruit changed the world. Coconut charcoal was in great demand during WWI.

The Birth of T20 fixing — Lou Vincent, American dollars and sex

In Cricket 2.0: Inside the T20 Revolution, Tim Wigmore and Freddie Wilde write about how the first great fixing scandal to be exposed allegedly began in a hotel room.

Jamsetjee Framjee Madon — a pioneer of Indian cinema and champion of Calcutta’s poor Parsis

In Pioneering Parsis of Calcutta, Prochy N. Mehta chronicles the little-known lives of the first Parsis who came to the city during British rule.

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.

On Camera

India is welfare-first, so why would Bihar be different?

Bihar will evolve and eventually prosper. But the nature of the country’s political economy means that the journey for Bihar, and India, is slower than some would like.

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.

IAF’s leased KC-135 lands in Agra, American firm’s pilots to man mid-air refueller

India’s refueller fleet comprises six Russian Ilushin-78 tankers, first inducted in 2003, which are facing huge maintenance and serviceability issues.

INDIA has a Congress-sized hole. And the fix begins with a little humility

Without a Congress revival, there can be no challenge to the BJP pan-nationally. Modi’s party is growing, and almost entirely at the cost of the Congress.