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Monday, August 11, 2025
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Book Excerpts

East India Company sent a diplomat to Jahangir & all the Mughal Emperor cared about was beer

Jahangir had four million armed men under him and a vast empire, talking about trade with an English diplomat bored him greatly.

How Indian Navy operated a secret commando group and spooked Pakistan in 1971

Operation Jackpot’s success on 15 August 1971 gave a huge boost to Mukti Bahini forces in Bangladesh.

How Manmohan Singh played a key role in India signing its first bilateral investment treaty

In 1993 budget speech in Parliament, Manmohan Singh signalled the role of BITs as an important means of attracting foreign investment in India.

Why a typical Bollywood hero is Gandhian on the streets, but sings lustfully in the sheets

In every Bollywood film, songs express the desires that the heroes sacrifice or reject in the actual story.

15 August is special for Assam and it’s not just about Independence Day

While Assam was asleep, a historic pact was signed past midnight on 15 August.

You can’t change your boss, but you can change yourself: How to prevent workplace burnout

Being cynical about work, coming to office tired in the morning, and not being fully ‘present’ during discussions. Are you one of those people?

In 1947, Gandhi told Lt Gen Sen that wars were inhuman, but to fight for Kashmir with all means

In his book, Slender Was The Thread, Lt Gen. L.P. Sen wrote about being airlifted to Srinagar in 1947 and taking over the Indian defence of Kashmir.

What Nehru wrote to Sardar Patel on Kashmir & its ‘oblivious’ Hindu Maharaja

In a letter written in 1948, Nehru complained that Kashmir's then Maharaja behaved in an inexplicable manner and irritated the people of the Valley.

As Brig Nisar passes away, read how he led Pak artillery to break Indian attack in Chawinda

India ignored an elementary principle – it is not enough to neutralise defenders on the objective without, at the same time, rendering impotent the guns supporting them.

How liberals lost Gandhi as they lost their own intellectual moorings

Some liberals lost Gandhi because he was a democrat, who refused to surrender the individual to the mob in the name of majority rule.

On Camera

How mining, manufacturing & power sectors weighed on India’s industrial output since January 2024

India’s industrial output growth saw a 10-month low in June, with Index of Industrial Production (IIP) growing by mere 1.5% as against 1.9% in May 2025.

Legacy of Air Chief Marshal LM Katre, the man who flew Spitfires & ushered IAF into a modern era

ACM Katre was 2nd IAF chief to die in harness. It was at a memorial lecture in his honour where IAF chief AP Singh revealed that India shot down 6 Pakistani aircraft in Op Sindoor.

Modi’s ready to risk it all for farmers. Farm reform can answer Trump with new Green Revolution

Standing up to America is usually not a personal risk for a leader in India. Any suggestions of foreign pressure unites India behind who they see as leading them in that fight.