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Monday, November 17, 2025
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Book Excerpts

How fake photos, names helped two Indian prisoners of war escape Singapore Bidadari camp

In ‘The Forgotten India Prisoners of World War II’, Gautam Hazarika recalls that The British Indian Army had swelled from just over 2,00,000 men in 1939 to 2.5 million soldiers by the end of the war.

How India must deal with Beijing in its neighbourhood—be the ‘un-China’

In 'India’s Tryst with the World', editors Salman Khurshid and Salil Shetty offer a mix of essays by diplomats, opinion makers, and political leaders.

How the Buddha brings peace between Sakyas and Koliyas over a bitter river dispute

In 'Old Path White Clouds', Thich Nhat Hanh offers the reader remarkable insights into the life and teachings of the Buddha.

A neo-Gothic cathedral bears the last vestiges of early Christianity in India

In the late 19th century, British authorities found the church in need of rebuilding. They demolished it in 1893 and planned for it to be rebuilt in a neo-Gothic style.

What Amit Shah told me: ‘Not good work, sentiments win elections’

In his book, 'I, Witness', Shahid Siddiqui recalls encounters with the titans of Indian politics, presenting them not as distant icons, but as fallible beings.

Becoming Hindu is not the same as being Hindu. It’s not fashionable

In 'Hindutva and Hind Swaraj', Makarand Paranjape argues that the ideological clash between MK Gandhi and VD Savarkar continues to influence national life.

When a CIA agent recruited a Sufi mystic to spy

‘The Mission: The CIA in the 21st Century’ by Tim Weiner is a gripping history of the modern CIA, reaching from 9/11 through its covert operations in Afghanistan and Iraq to today’s secret battles with Russia and China.

Farooq Abdullah sent me a saffron shawl. I gifted it to Balasaheb Thackeray

In 'Stitching Stardom', Madhav Agasti shares candid stories about the film stars and politicians he met during his five-decade-long career as a renowned men’s dress designer.

Labour movement didn’t produce Indian Marxism. It came from migrants in Europe, Russia

In 'Comrades and Comebacks', Saira Shah Halim offers a rich historical narrative that foregrounds Left politics in world history, locates its relevance in India, and charts a future of its revival.

How Kejriwal lost Delhi’s middle class

In 'The Aam Aadmi Party', Sayantan Ghosh traces AAP’s journey from its origins in street activism to its defeat in the 2025 Delhi elections.

On Camera

We celebrate Harappa excavation—and dismiss Keeladi, Sinauli archaeological digs as politics

In the storm around Sinauli, many academics dismissed claims of chariots being found. And the public misinterpreted the chariots as a device planted by the govt to fortify Hindutva.

Women form about one-fifth of India’s digital workforce, leadership roles a rarity, says LEAD report

The report released at Charcha 2025, an annual gathering of India’s social development sector, found that women remain largely concentrated in low-value and routine roles.

Drone manufacturer ideaForge wins orders worth over Rs 100 crore from Army

ideaForge has formed a joint venture to manufacture and market UAVs in the US. Its Q6 UAV is now included in NATO and allied procurement systems.

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.