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Monday, October 21, 2024
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Book Excerpts

Caste, cash, compromise – What Tamil Nadu’s Dalit party VCK gives up to win elections

'Dalits in the New Millennium', edited by D Shyam Babu, Rahul Verma and Sudha Pai, analyses the political and economic shifts that influenced Dalit lives.

This is why Nehru dismissed CPI rule in Kerala

In 'Violence of Democracy', Ruchi Chaturvedi tracks the rise of India’s divisive politics through close examination of decades-long confrontations in Kerala between members of the CPI (Marxist) and supporters of the RSS and the BJP.

ECI got away with many mistakes. Problem lies in appointment of CECs, says former chief

In 'India's Experiment With Democracy', SY Quraishi talks about the de-politicisation of the appointment of election commissioners.

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’.

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?