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Wednesday, October 1, 2025
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Book Excerpts

From Kolkata Test to World Cup win as spectator, how cricket came full circle for Ganguly

In ‘Gully Gully’, Aditya Iyer, looks at the story of a team brimming with legends & the game’s forgotten heroes: nameless and faceless Indian fans, emerging from all those gullies.

How the Charkha became a symbol of India’s freedom struggle

Specimens of twisted cotton thread found from Indus Valley sites in the early twentieth century were initially used as evidence to date the charkha to the third millennium BCE.

Traditional Baniya banquets had no paneer. The most exotic dish was raswali matar

In ‘From the King’s Table to Street Food’, Pushpesh Pant traces the history of Delhi through its food. From the royal Mughal kitchens and British delicacies to Baniya staples and other immigrant cuisines.

Karma in Jainism is a subtle form of matter. It clings to the soul

In 'The Essentials of World Religions', Trilochan Sastry reveals how the human quest for meaning, truth, and God is common to all religions.

Aryans got the ‘nakshatra’ system from Harappans in 3000 BC

Devdutt Pattanaik's 'Ahimsa : 100 Reflections on the Harappan Civilization' draws attention to how much Harappan memory persists in our lives today.

AMU’s struggle for minority status dates back to 1965. Ex-CJI Ahmadi was rooting for it

In 'The Fearless Judge', author Insiyah Vahanvaty recalls the life and times of Justice AM Ahmadi, who was Chief Justice of India from 1994 to 1997, and was celebrated for being a ‘Citizen’s Judge’.

How Nehru’s hostility pushed Jinnah closer to the Pakistan cause

Tahir Kamran's 'Chequered Past, Uncertain Future' describes the post-1947 shift – following the partition of India and the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

Hyderabad’s CCMB was called Sheraton of science labs. MF Husain was its artist-in-residence

In ‘Beyond Biryani’, Dinesh C Sharma captures Hyderabad’s transformation into a globalised city.

The Mughal Emperor was a networked individual. Personal bonds formed the base of his power

In 'Akbar the Great CEO', Shazi Zaman compiles defining episodes of the Mughal emperor's life, distilling from them leadership lessons for modern institutions.

Rajputana was shaped by warrior ethic. It was a barrier to becoming great statesmen

In ‘Krishna Kumari’, Rahul Sagar introduces and contextualises the first English play written by an Indian. English Subba Rao wrote the play about the Rajput princess to critique the rule of the East India Company.

On Camera

Hyderabad’s broken roads make Revanth Reddy’s ‘Future City’ goal hard to believe

How can the Telangana government plan to build a world-class ‘Bharat Future City’ out of Hyderabad when it can’t even provide basic infrastructure?

Market regulator SEBI clears Adani Group of impropriety alleged by Hindenburg Research

SEBI probe concluded that purported loans and fund transfers were paid back in full and did not amount to deceptive market practices or unreported related party transactions.

Finnish giant ICEYE to build signature radar microsatellites in India, offers full control to govt

Company builds microsatellites that are smaller, faster, cheaper to produce. ICEYE will develop & launch micro-satellites, hand them over to India, which will have full control & sovereignty.

Something’s hidden in the Oval Office photo of Trump, Munir, Sharif. India must look closely

What Munir has achieved with Trump is a return to normal, ironing out the post-Abbottabad crease. The White House picture gives us insight into how Pakistan survives, occasionally thrives and thinks.