Book Reading
The Eleventh Hour review: Salman Rushdie's meditations on mortality
Salman Rushdie's latest work blends fiction, memory, myth, and mortality, offering a deeply personal meditation shaped by near-death, nostalgia, and literary playfulness
 "The Eleventh Hour review: Salman Rushdie's meditations on mortality")
The INA we don't know
Gautam Hazarika's debut book has important stories but falters in its telling
 "The INA we don't know")
A new book reviews the global history of how capitalism took over the world
Sven Beckert's sweeping global history reframes capitalism as a centuries-long, often violent world-making force - rich in detail, ambitious in scope, and certain to provoke debate
 "A new book reviews the global history of how capitalism took over the world")
'I was once a broken reader but slowly found my way back to books'
Writers may be more likely to break than other readers because there's ego and other occupational hazards involved
 "'I was once a broken reader but slowly found my way back to books'")
A History of Santiniketan: A university against national chauvinism
Uma Das Gupta's history of Santiniketan traces Tagore's educational vision, the making of Vishva-Bharati, and the challenges that shaped his alternative to nationalist orthodoxy
 "A History of Santiniketan: A university against national chauvinism")
Mind in Motion: A biography of Francis Crick balances his life with science
A balanced yet probing biography traces Francis Crick's brilliant scientific leaps and human flaws, revealing the mind behind DNA's discovery without fully interrogating his more troubling ideas
 "Mind in Motion: A biography of Francis Crick balances his life with science")
The Cell and the Soul: Anand Teltumbde's searing account of state power
Mr Teltumbde takes us through his experience inside jail and how it shattered his preconceived notions about imprisonment
 "The Cell and the Soul: Anand Teltumbde's searing account of state power")
Fascist Yoga: How the West twisted yoga's spirit of peace and wellbeing
How yoga has been appropriated, packaged and sold in the West by people whose political views are divorced from its spirit of peace and wellbeing
 "Fascist Yoga: How the West twisted yoga's spirit of peace and wellbeing")
The silent enemy redefines security for a world beyond the battlefield
A timely book by Arvind Gupta and Rajesh Singh expands the idea of national security beyond the military to include climate, technology, and economic vulnerabilities
 "The silent enemy redefines security for a world beyond the battlefield")
After the Spike: A bold argument for rethinking the demographic doom theory
Why a larger population is better than a smaller population with a higher quality of life
 "After the Spike: A bold argument for rethinking the demographic doom theory")
The peacemaker the world forgot: U Thant's UN and the Cold War's edge
How a self-effacing, self-taught school headmaster from a small Burmese village became one of the most influential figures at the UN in the 1960s
 "The peacemaker the world forgot: U Thant's UN and the Cold War's edge")
On the Brink of Belief: A book on gender, religion, and the margins
A new anthology brings together 24 queer and trans writers from South Asia exploring faith, identity, and belonging under the editorship of poet Kazim Ali
 "On the Brink of Belief: A book on gender, religion, and the margins")
Splendid Liberators: How America replaced Spain as the world's great power
Joe Jackson's Splendid Liberators unpacks the brutal realities and far-reaching impact of the Spanish-American War, challenging the myth of a "splendid little war"
 "Splendid Liberators: How America replaced Spain as the world's great power")
Moonlight Express: Rediscovering the lost romance and rhythm of slow travel
In the process, she draws the reader into not just the train and the intricacies of its sleeper class, but also the people, the character of cities it passes, and of course the surrounding countryside
 "Moonlight Express: Rediscovering the lost romance and rhythm of slow travel")
McNamara at War: Rare later regret over Vietnam worthy of admiration
Robert McNamara's life was defined by a quest for control. A new biography shows how that same drive shaped his Vietnam errors - and his rare, late-in-life willingness to admit them
 "McNamara at War: Rare later regret over Vietnam worthy of admiration")
Nautch Boy: Manish Gaekwad's book sheds light on lives of boys in a 'kotha'
Nautch, a corrupted pronunciation of naach, fascinated the author in his childhood. As a practice, the tawaifs didn't let their children near their performances and patrons
 "Nautch Boy: Manish Gaekwad's book sheds light on lives of boys in a 'kotha'")
Mango Millionaires: The common man's guide to financial independence
Why for beginners financial independence is less about picking the right stocks and more about avoiding mistakes early on
 "Mango Millionaires: The common man's guide to financial independence")
The CEO Mindset: Shiv Shivakumar puts behaviour at the heart of leadership
For leaders, what matters more - behaviour and mindset, or actions and practices? S Shivakumar's book argues for the former
 "The CEO Mindset: Shiv Shivakumar puts behaviour at the heart of leadership")
Missing from the House: Tracing the political legacy of Muslim women MPs
Despite exclusion and patriarchy, 18 Muslim women have entered the Lok Sabha to date - but their absence from public discourse is stark. This book recalls their political legacy
 "Missing from the House: Tracing the political legacy of Muslim women MPs")
Dance of Freedom: How Bharata Natyam became India's quintessential dance
Padma Shri Leela Samson traces the journey of Bharata Natyam through its origins, controversies, costumes, and philosophy, while reflecting on its enduring inclusivity and timeless appeal
 "Dance of Freedom: How Bharata Natyam became India's quintessential dance")
