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Monday, November 24, 2025
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Book Excerpts

126 songs, 35 ragas, 6 talas—Odisha’s ‘Prahlad Natak’ a musical play like no other

The director of a Prahlad Natak may also serve as the lead vocalist or the gahaka. He sings praises of characters, leads the chorus and directs musicians.

At BCCI, I held CoA Vinod Rai in high regard. Until this happened

During all my interactions, Vinod Rai had been courteous, but with my experience of that morning, I had seen a different side of him.

How Maharaja Hari Singh’s indecision led to Pakistan’s economic blockade of Kashmir

In 'Gilded Cage: Years that Made and Unmade Kashmir', author Sandeep Bamzai looks back at the years leading to and following the Partition.

Why a new airport in Kanpur won’t make the city fly, nor electric buses or a metro

Ideally, Kanpur would be well-positioned to jump up the value curve in its industry specializations—it has over 50 institutes of higher education, including an IIT.

Meenakari—enamel art that travelled from 16th-century Persia to modern-day India

Apart from being used on the reverse side of kundan jewellery, Meenakari is also done on decorative objects in the shape of elephants, horses and masks.

‘One more fight, the last and the best’—How Bose planned great escape from British custody

Sanjeev Sanyal's 'Revolutionaries' documents India's struggle for Independence with a sharp focus on armed resistance against the British Raj.

From scientific fervour to social reform, a new book brings out little known facets of Hindutva

Aravindan Neelakandan uses history, sociology, politics, and science as tools to analyse the many facets of Hindutva in his 816-page book.

Bahadur Shah Zafar resented Raja Ram Mohan Roy. So he complained to East India Company

In 'The Broken Script: Delhi Under the East India Company and the Fall of the Mughal Dynasty' Swapna Liddle details the complex tussle between the last two Mughal emperors and the East India company. 

Kodaikanal’s radioactive seafood diet, how mercury was added to the menu

In 'Heavy Metal: How a Global Corporation Poisoned Kodaikanal', author Ameer Shahul explores the mercury poisoning that rocked the hill station.

India’s survival was important for US in 1950s. How it changed 40 years later

In 'Friends with Benefits', Seema Sirohi traces the India-US story with stark detail, and the transformation of their relationship over decades.

On Camera

New HAL CMD doesn’t have to be an ‘insider’. Let merit decide

India’s premier defence public sector undertaking, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, will have a new Chairman and Managing Director in May 2026. The selection process has...

At Charcha 2025: Local entrepreneurship, not just big IT, will drive next wave of distributed AI work

While global corporations setting up GCCs in India continue to express confidence in availability of skilled AI engineers, the panel argued that India’s real challenge lies elsewhere.

US pilot says his team pulled out of Dubai Air Show after Tejas crash out of respect for IAF pilot

Taylor ‘Fema’ Hiester, commander of USAF F-16 Viper Demo Team, hit out at air show organisers for continuing with the show after Wing Commander Namansh Syal lost his life in the incident.

A tribute to Tejas. India’s delay culture is the real enemy in the skies

It is a brilliant, reasonably priced, and mostly homemade aircraft with a stellar safety record; only two crashes in 24 years since its first flight. But its crash is a moment of introspection.