A Brief History of Present: Muslims in New India
The political discourse in India today swings between two contrary positions on the issue of Muslims. Hindutva politics categorises Muslims as a monolithic religious group to substantiate Hindu homogeneity and the liberals claim to protect Muslims as a religious minority to defend Indian democracy. Both envision Muslim identity as a one-dimensional phenomenon. The author attempts to provide an accurate picture of Indian Muslims.
Carnival: A Novel
by Sayam Bandyopadhyay.
Translated by Arunava Sinha
Aleph. Pages 160. Rs 499
On July 6, 1857, as colonial Calcutta prepares itself for the first gas lights to illuminate Chowringhee, Rajaram Deb remains in the solitude of his room. He is awaiting trusted associates of a man whose face remains obscured by shadows, and his partner, an adjutant stork. The men will escort him to a transcendental celebration set to begin at dawn. To be a part of this congregation, he will sever all worldly ties and forsake the human form… ‘Carnival’ melds past and present, the mysteries of an ancient city, and one man’s pursuit of ecstasy.
Just a Mercenary?
Notes from My Life and Career
by D Subbarao.
Penguin Random House. Pages 336. Rs 799
In his autobiography, ‘Just a Mercenary?’, the former Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, D Subbarao, has attempted to tell the various stories from his life by situating them in the larger context of drawing lessons or explaining policy dilemmas. This book narrates the journey of a small-town boy who started his career in the IAS as sub-collector of Parvathipuram sub-division in north-coastal Andhra Pradesh way back in 1974. He rose to become the RBI Governor decades later, in the midst of a fierce exchange rate crisis.
