Biswajit Jha’s completion of the second book within a time frame of two and a half years is a marvel indeed considering his huge commitment in many spheres of life that includes work, writing, philanthropic projects, spiritual quests, family, and social commitments. His debut novel Bike Ambulance Dada, published by Penguin Random House, was a … Read more
A Suitable Boy: 30th Anniversary Edition Vikram Seth Speaking Tiger Pp 1,584, Rs1,799 First published in 1993, A Suitable Boy has sold millions of copies worldwide and has been universally praised for its intricate exploration of love and politics in a newly independent India. To mark its 30th anniversary, Speaking Tiger Books has released a … Read more
When writing about education in India, the system and the people involved—students, tea-chers, parents and society—one can easily take the academic route, stating facts and putting up numbers. But that is not what Anurag Behar does in A Matter of the Heart. Rather, the collection of 250-odd articles he wrote as newspaper columns takes the … Read more
Ancient scholar Vararuchi is an unyielding figure central to many tales set in different eras. In one such Malayalam folk tale, his colourful life provides a spectacularly vivid account of the origin of the land and culture of Kerala. The fascinating folk tale of Vararuchi, his wife Panchami and their twelve children, including the likes … Read more
It is 8 a.m., and as Michael Bublé’s rich baritone reminds me that it is beginning to look a lot like Christmas, my kitchen fills with the warm, gently-spiced aroma of masala oats. A spicy carb is my favourite way to kickstart the day, and the version in Farokh Talati’s Parsi – From Persia to … Read more
By Poornima Ever since Xi Jinping has taken over the reins of Zhong Guo i.e. Middle kingdom in 2013, China’s belligerence towards India has increased. In fact President Xi , who is looking for his third five year term after the 20th CPC Party Congress to be held in October- November , has a greater … Read more
By Nupur Pavan Bang Book: The Ambuja Story: How a Group of Ordinary Men Created an Extraordinary CompanyAuthor: Narotam SekhsariaPrice: 699/-Pages: 368Year: 2022Publisher: Harper Business, India Efficiency is the name of the game: Once upon a time, there was a boy, named Narotam. He was born in a Marwari family in Chirawa, Rajasthan. His family … Read more
In the beginning of Nireeswaran, the novel by award-winning Malayalam writer V J James, is a street called Deva Theruvu or God’s Street. It leads to a temple. Antony, Bhaskaran and Sahir, three friends who live on the street, are atheists who decide to change the name of the street to something less obvious. Having … Read more
In the past two years, many first-time authors have made an impact in the world of publishing. Globally, new voices have been heard and their words read—Sheena Patel’s I’m a Fan, Alanna Lloyd Banwo’s When We Were Birds, Daniel Wiles’ Mercia’s Take and Jo Browning Wroe’s A Terrible Kindness, among others, are witness to the … Read more
Chad is a very poor country and was run by a dictator Idriss Deby. While he lived in affluence the people remained poor. In 2013, there was threat of Islamist militants and he had to deploy the military to counter this problem. The Chadian president had no money to pay for this exercise but the … Read more