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So jugaad
defines India's economics too?
Reviewed by Abhishek Joshi
Accidental India: A History of the Nation's Passage Through Crisis and
Change
By Shankkar Aiyar
Aleph. Pages 352. Rs 695
Shankkar
Aiyar's Accidental India is a cogent analysis of how a
series of game-changers in the country's history were, in fact, rooted
in crisis situations. Examining seven turning points since
Independence: The economic liberalisation of 1991, the Green
Revolution of the 1960s, nationalisation of banks in 1969, Operation
Flood in the 1970s, the mid-day meal scheme of 1982, the software
revolution of the 1990s and passing of the Right To Information Act in
2005, he contends these turning points were not the result of
foresight or careful planning but were rather accidental consequences
of major crises that had to be resolved at any cost.
Past
that binds and heals
Reviewed by Priyanka
Singh
Six Metres of Pavement
By Farzana Doctor.
Rupa. Pages 370. Rs 295
An
unforgiving past has a way
of catching up. It wrecks the present, pervading each moment of 'now',
sneaking in on a happy moment and battering it of any future hope. Is
there redemption for a father careless enough to forget his
18-month-old child in the back seat of his blistering car?
Three
cheers to love
Reviewed by Geetu Vaid
Love Stories that Touched My Heart
Edited by Ravinder Singh.
Penguin. Pages 242. Rs 125
Come
February and the hype about Valentine's Day starts building up
all around. Love and love stories seem to be the flavour of the month.
So the three titles under review have this four-letter word as the
common thread.
Commanders
in a difficult situation
Reviewed by Vijay Mohan
Ours Not to Reason Why: With the IPKF in Sri Lanka
By Brig R.R. Palsokar (Retd)
Power Publishers, Kolkata Pages 273. Rs 450
The
intervention in Sri Lanka in the form of the Indian Peace Keeping
Force (IPKF), to disarm militant groups and end civil war, remains a
bitter chapter in Indian military history. It revealed several
shortcomings at almost all hierarchical levels from the tactical
battle zone up through the chain of command to the service
headquarters and decision-making at the political level.
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