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Tuesday, April 16, 2024
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Book Excerpts

KCS Paniker’s paintings moved between metaphysical & abstract. They redefined Modern Indian Art

Sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Paniker travelled to Europe, where he held exhibitions in Paris and London, while also meeting artists such as Henry Moore and Pablo Picasso.

This Indian woman fled to Kabul for love in 1989. The sex life there repulsed her

In ‘The Taliban and I’, Sushmita Bandyopadhyay recounts how her life changed when she married an Afghan man and went to Kabul.

Women and Mughal jali architecture—where the body couldn’t go, the eyes could gaze

Navina Najat Haidar's 'Jali: Lattice of Divine Light in Mughal Architecture' explores the delicate beauty of centuries-old jalis across India.

God put ball in Bishan Singh Bedi’s hand, said ‘Go spin for India’—That’s not how it happened

Bedi’s smooth action was such that, unusually for a spinner, he never had any injuries of the fingers, shoulder, thighs or ankles.

Java to Iceland, ancient India’s Panchatantra stories had 200 versions in over 50 languages

In 'The Indian Cat', BN Goswamy explores how the cat was represented in stories, paintings, poetry, and proverbs in India.

Pakistan businesses soared in early 1950s compared to India. Gujarati Muslims were the reason

In 'No Birds of Passage', Michael O'Sullivan explores the history of Gujarati Muslim business communities like Bohras, Khojas and Memons.

Electric crematorium won’t give moksha, caste Hindus won’t touch dead. Dom jobs in Banaras safe

In 'Fire on the Ganges: Life among the Dead in Banaras', author Radhika Iyengar writes how no ‘upper-caste’ Hindu will be willing to perform the task of burning corpses, even if the said work has been ‘glorified’ for centuries as the only way of ‘providing moksha’.

Our ‘smart devices’ know more about us than we do. Don’t put blind faith in companies making them

In 'The Third Way: India’s Revolutionary Approach to Data Governance', Rahul Matthan presents an original view of the role technology can play in data governance.

Nepal’s politicians are hiding a democratic deficit. Look beyond the elections.

In 'Nepal', Lok Raj Baral unpacks the idea and practice of democracy in the South Asian nation, disentangling the tensions and balances between representation and governance.

Kingfisher Airlines to Victoria’s Secret—How authority bias brings governance failures

The authority bias gets concretized due to long tenures of board members which erodes their actual independence from the owners or promoters.

On Camera

There’s too much Akshay Kumar on screen. Take a break and come back with a Hera Pheri

Every few months, a new release raises the question: Can this film save Akshay Kumar’s career? So far, the answer has been a resounding no.

Pilots, engineers, maintenance crew — skilled worker shortages add to crisis in aviation sector

India’s aviation space is grappling with more than just a pilot deficit problem as industry experts highlight the need for the government and the aviation regulator to step in.

Indian Navy carries out maiden operation as CMF member, seizes 940 kg drugs in Arabian Sea

India became an associate member of CMF in July 2022 and a full member last November; another engagement key to the country’s widening military diplomacy.

44 years on, two things that have changed in Modi’s BJP, and one that hasn’t

As the BJP heads for a likely third successive term in power, it's fascinating to debate how true it looks to the original proposition: a party with a difference.