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Monday, October 21, 2024
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Book Excerpts

This is where Gandhi’s charkha revolution really came from. He didn’t invent it

In 'Gandhi: A Life in Three Campaigns', MJ Akbar takes a close look at the nationalist leader's activism.

‘I can’t have Gujarat? I’ll get Hindustan’- Bahadur Shah after fleeing murder maze in Delhi

In ‘Bahadur Shah of Gujarat’ Kalpish Ratna draws facts from Indian histories to recreate the obscure signposts of the life of Bahadur Khan, the king time forgot.

Neeraj Chopra entered sports to lose weight. Boys would tease him, call him ‘sarpanch’

In 'The Man Who Made History,' Norris Pritam tells the story of Neeraj Chopra, the ace javelin thrower who secured India's first track and field gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Nehru & Savarkar shared one thing – the use of sacred geography to build national identity

In 'Soul and Sword', Hindol Sengupta traces the history of political Hinduism in India and tries to understand the context and historical sources used to construct and promote it.

Akbar saw Allahabad as a city of Hindus. What was Yogi’s logic behind renaming it?

Ziya Us Salam's 'Being Muslim in Hindu India' is an impassioned cry for attention, an attempt to highlight just what has gone wrong with our polity and society in recent years.

Did Bose hide in Nagaland? People remember a bearded ‘North Indian’ with Gandhi spectacles

In 'His Majesty's Headhunters', Mmhonlümo Kikon recalls the untold story of the siege of Kohima, considered the last battle of the British Empire and the first battle of New India.

Telling mythological tales with shadow puppets – Andhra Pradesh’s ‘Tholu Bommalata’

The puppeteers are also the puppet-makers, and a troupe usually comprises family members, with the head of the family serving as the lead puppeteer.

People were keen to give me a house on rent – till they learned about my Dalit identity

'Concealing Caste: Passing and Personhood in Dalit Literature', edited by K. Satyanarayana and Joel Lee, brings together Dalit writings that reveal the inner workings of a vicious social order.

This Hizbul militant was seconds away from being shot — then, an Army major stepped in

In ‘Camouflaged’, Probal DasGupta excavates and presents hidden stories from India’s military past.

How JJ Irani stopped Tata Steel from becoming Tata Museum

In 'Doctor Steel' Jamshed Jiji Irani recalls his efforts to modernise Tata Steel, his time with JRD Tata, and his fondness for life.

On Camera

R&AW must answer why it tolerates poor tradecraft, recruitment standards, officer oversight

The alleged plot to kill Khalistan propagandist and lawyer Gurpatwant Singh Pannun had all the comic elements of an old-fashioned Bollywood cop movie.

Even working remotely can lead to burnout. Here is how to prevent it

New ways of working have opened up the debate on how, where and when people work, which in turn has an impact on employees’ expectations, behaviour and wellbeing.

Indian Army helmets in spotlight. Upgrades over the yrs & how they stack up against US & China’s gear

The helmets of Indian soldiers have been a talking point in the past, and though a lot has changed over the years, the phasing out of older models is an ongoing process.

Sikh separatists & their gang wars in Canada are not India’s problem. Call the troops back

If Sikh separatists are a nuisance, it should worry their host countries. Should it bother India if they keep killing their own in gang rivalries and making their neighbourhoods unsafe?