Page 9 - Book Review
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")
Indian women voters find their voice, step out of the electoral closet
As political parties continue to scramble to design women-friendly welfare schemes and campaign speeches, women have begun to wield their vote as an instrument of assertion
 "Indian women voters find their voice, step out of the electoral closet")
Voice of the people: Book explains why speeches matter in a democracy
Ms Gupta's selection captures not the speeches alone but the parry and thrust that goes on between the treasury and Opposition benches. CPI (M) leader, late Sitaram Yechury never disrupted parliament
 "Voice of the people: Book explains why speeches matter in a democracy")
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")
Girls Who Said Nothing and Everything: A journey towards selfhood
In a sense, the book is a kind of quiet revolution, reclaiming the voice and identity of Indian girls across generations
 "Girls Who Said Nothing and Everything: A journey towards selfhood")
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")
Searches: Book explains how we turned to internet to understand ourselves
The strength of Searches, despite its banal moments, lies in the breathing space allowed to each digital experiment without judgments or definitive conclusions
 "Searches: Book explains how we turned to internet to understand ourselves")
Tangerine: A journey of self and truth shaped by political change
It tells the story of an unexpected journey into Hindu philosophy during a period of personal turmoil
 "Tangerine: A journey of self and truth shaped by political change")
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 Shortest History of AI: How the world came to love and fear it
The world has become firmly divided into two camps. One side believes that AI will solve almost all our problems pretty soon. The other worries about the emerging dangers
 "The Shortest History of AI: How the world came to love and fear it")
Wut's in a word? A new book spells out the threats to the dictionary
Fatsis provides an excellent primer on Merriam-Webster's role in the culture wars, with thorough accounts of the dictionary's approach to the N-word, the F-word, "Covid-19" and "woke"
 "Wut's in a word? A new book spells out the threats to the dictionary")
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")
Retain the Human Edge in an AI Age: Master the art of learning to learn
How mastering the art of learning to learn will determine your success in the AI age
 "Retain the Human Edge in an AI Age: Master the art of learning to learn")
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")
The Dravidian Pathway: Book traces evolution of Tamil identity and politics
This deeply researched book seeks to answer these questions, unravelling methodological challenges and dissecting the various components that go into the making of identity
 "The Dravidian Pathway: Book traces evolution of Tamil identity and politics")
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")
The Last Bench: A story that moves readers to question caste norms
This book doesn't call for action to abolish the caste system - yet it leaves the reader wanting to do away with it
 "The Last Bench: A story that moves readers to question caste norms")