The Anarchist Cookbook

FROM Fridays for Future, which began in Sweden, to the farmers’ protest, which registered a win at Delhi, right in the heart of India — democratic societies have seen movements that have brought about change. Aakar Patel’s new book, ‘The Anarchist Cookbook’, talks about ways in which the best campaigning organisations in the world effect change in democratic societies, how a citizen can engage with others who are likeminded, and how vibrant and participative action by citizens makes democracy better and more responsive. Featuring political cartoons that have the power to inspire, outrage or amuse, this is a book for our times.

TV anchor Udayan Mukherjee’s fourth book, ‘No Way In’ asks an important question: can the marginalised ever truly work their way into a world of acceptance? Sabita lives with her son, Dinu, in a terrace room of Jol Pori, the south Kolkata mansion of the prosperous Banerjees. When communal divisions rear their ugly head on the brink of a high-stakes national election, it becomes apparent that Jol Pori, under its benign surface, is nothing but a microcosm of modern-day India with all its destructive divisions. With Dinu’s future in mind, Sabita clings on desperately to her perilous position, but her past seems to be catching up.

IN a new biography, Shashi Tharoor tells the story of Dr BR Ambedkar, from being born a Mahar to becoming the father of the Indian Constitution. He describes the many humiliations and hurdles Ambedkar had to overcome in a society that stigmatised the community he was born into, and the single-minded determination with which he tackled every obstacle he encountered. The book gives insights into the various battles Ambedkar fought to make untouchability illegal, his disputes with the other political and intellectual giants of his era. ‘Ambedkar: A Life’ promises to give readers a fresh and profound understanding of one of the greatest Indians.