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Monday, November 17, 2025
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Book Excerpts

The divine and royal past of ceremonial fly-whisks

Fly-whisks are used ritually to fan temple idols and sacred objects such as the Sikh holy book in gurudwaras, and are a common motif across religions in Indian visual culture.

Doctors failed to embalm Indira Gandhi’s corpse. Only face was saved, says ex-AIIMS director

In 'The Woman Who Ran AIIMS', Sneh Bhargava offers a frank and candid memoir, which is also the story of the medical profession in post-Independence India.

Thakkar Bapa created an education plan for tribal regions in 1946. First word taught was ‘Ram’

In ‘Islands against Civilisation’, Saagar Tewari offers a history of late-colonial discussions around the future of tribal communities in South Asia.

Morarji Desai reversed the changes Indira Gandhi made to PMO. Starting with the name

In 'PMO', Himanshu Roy traces the evolution of the Prime Minister's Office since Independence and explores the impact different prime ministers have had on it.

India trusted UN with Kashmir in 1948. And strengthened Pakistani presence near Poonch

'Commanded by Destiny' recounts the story of India’s 2nd Chief of Army Staff, General SM Shrinagesh, through the notes he left behind.

Punkahs, punkahwallahs, and White sahibs in Colonial India

Punkah' is a colonial-era anglicisation of the Hindustani term pankha, which referred to handheld fans. Punkah-pullers were made to work in deliberately uncomfortable conditions.

Chettiars were Tamil Nadu’s pioneer movie financiers. Great Depression led to risk-taking

In 'Fortune Seekers', Raman Mahadevan explores the fascinating history of Nattukotai Chettiars, the Tamil region's most prominent business community.

‘10 Saal Anyay Kaal’—when Mallikarjun Kharge released a chargesheet of BJP’s decade in power

In 'Contesting Democratic Deficit', Salman Khurshid, with Mritunjay Singh Yadav, examines the narratives at play during the 2024 general elections.

When Cheteshwar Pujara stood between the Australians and the 2021 Border-Gavaskar Trophy

In 'The Diary of a Cricketer's Wife', Puja Pujara offers a rare glimpse into Cheteshwar Pujara's journey to becoming one of India's greatest Test cricketers.

It’s the boss’s boss who decides your promotion

In 'Dear Rookie, Don't Panic', Pawan Kumar Marella offers a guide to thriving in today's corporate landscape.

On Camera

What Modi govt’s Seeds Bill 2025 must deliver for Punjab’s farmers

The draft Seeds Bill gets the big ideas right: universal registration, traceability, real penalties. To work for Punjab, it must get federal plumbing and farmer-facing details sorted.

As govt starts rolling back Quality Control Orders, a look at adverse impact they had, mainly on MSMEs

Between 2016 and 2025, around 700 QCOs were issued by the government. Now, it has withdrawn 69 of them.

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.