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- 75 Books to Help You Understand Politics
75 Books to Help You Understand Politics
Politics and its impact pervades every aspect of our lives, whether we realise it or not. Since the world we live in is more politically charged than ever before, it’s crucial to have a political understanding that goes beyond one’s preferred ideology. If you’re looking to learn beyond your political leanings, this comprehensive list of 101 books on politics can be your guide. Start exploring!
A New Cold War: Henry Kissinger and the Rise of China by
Jacinda Ardern: Leading with Empathy by Supriya Vani and Carl Harte
Based on first-hand interviews by peace activist Supriya Vani with Jacinda and her friends and collaborators, as well as the prime minister’s public statements and speeches, this biography reveals her to be charming, thoughtful, and sincere and gives readers a glimpse into the making of an exceptional politician, administrator, and international icon.
1984 by Sanjay Suri
Taking a close look at the question of the Congress hand behind the brutalities and why the survivors continue to wait for justice even thirty years later, 1984: The Anti-Sikh Violence and After remains urgent even today. It combines expert reportage with gripping recollections to tell a riveting story, leaving us disturbed and moved in equal measure.
No Holds Barred by Narayan Rane & Priyam Gandhi-Mody
Narayan Rane looks back on the years he has spent in the dog-eat-dog world of Indian politics. Packed with revealing stories of his encounters with the who’s who of the game in Maharashtra and at the Centre – ranging from the Thackerays, Pramod Mahajan, Gopinath Munde, Manohar Joshi, Vilasrao Deshmukh, Ashok Chavan, and Devendra Fadnavis to Sharad Pawar, Ahmed Patel, and Rahul and Sonia Gandhi – this is a truly candid and fearless tell-all that exposes the true nature of India’s corridors of power.
M.J. Akbar embarks on a historical whodunnit to trace the journey of an idea, and the events, people, circumstances, and mindset that divided India. He brings an impressive array of research, perception, and analysis to solve this puzzle with a fluent, engaging narrative style, making a difficult subject deceptively accessible. There could be no better guide to the subcontinent’s past, and a glimpse into its future.
The battles of yesterday were fought over land; those of today are over energy. But the battles of tomorrow may be over water. Nowhere is that danger greater than in water-distressed Asia. Water: Asia’s New Battleground is a pioneering study of Asia’s murky water politics and the relationships between freshwater, peace and security. Brahma Chellaney highlights the security implications of resource-linked territorial disputes and proposes real strategies to avoid conflict.
The India Way by S. Jaishankar
The decade from the 2008 global financial crisis to the 2020 coronavirus pandemic has seen a real transformation of the world order. The very nature of international relations and its rules are changing before our eyes. For India, this means optimal relationships with all the major powers to best advance its goals. It also requires a bolder and non-reciprocal approach to its neighbourhood. A global footprint is now in the making that leverages India’s greater capability and relevance, as well as its unique diaspora. This era of global upheaval entails greater expectations from India, putting it on the path to becoming a leading power. In The India Way, S. Jaishankar, India’s Minister of External Affairs, analyses these challenges and spells out possible policy responses. He places this thinking in the context of history and tradition, appropriate for a civilizational power that seeks to reclaim its place on the world stage.
The Billionaire Raj by James Crabtree
Over the past two decades India has grown at an unprecedented rate. Yet while the ‘Bollygarchs’ revel in new riches, millions still languish in their shadows, trapped in the teeming slums of the country’s megacities. From the sky terrace of the world’s most expensive home to mass political rallies in the streets, James Crabtree documents the struggle between equality and privilege playing out at the heart of this emerging superpower. Against a combustible backdrop of aspiration, class and caste, reformers fight for change while fugitive tycoons and shadowy political power brokers struggle to remain hidden and out of reach. The Billionaire Raj is a vivid portrait of a divided democracy whose future will shape the world.
The Spy Chronicles by S. Dulat, Asad Durrani & Aditya Sinha
Sometime in 2016, a series of dialogues took place which set out to find a meeting ground, even if only an illusion, between A.S. Dulat and Asad Durrani. One was a former chief of RAW, India’s external intelligence agency, the other of ISI, its Pakistani counterpart. As they could not meet in their home countries, the conversations, guided by journalist Aditya Sinha, took place in cities like Istanbul, Bangkok and Kathmandu. On the table were subjects that have long haunted South Asia, flashpoints that take lives regularly. Among the subjects: Kashmir, and a missed opportunity for peace; Hafiz Saeed and 26/11; Kulbhushan Jadhav; surgical strikes; the deal for Osama bin Laden; how the US and Russia feature in the India-Pakistan relationship; and how terror undermines the two countries’ attempts at talks. At a time of fraught relations, this unlikely dialogue between two former spy chiefs from opposite sides may well provide some answers.
Saints And Sinners by Ali Mahmood
The golden path to the greatest good Some countries prosper while others are left far behind. There are countries which have tried to progress at the cost of great human suffering and those which have reduced or even removed poverty. There are democracies and dictatorships, rogue nations and law-abiding ones. Ali Mahmood – politician, thinker, businessman – has been pondering over the question of why some nations remain poor and why others grow rich, and in Saints and Sinners he comes up with some surprising conclusions. Looking at the developing nations of Asia and Africa, he realizes that while peace, stability and good governance through the ‘rule of law’ are essential to growth and prosperity, democracy is not necessarily the best way to achieve ‘the greatest good for the greatest number’. For, military leaders, from Mao to Lee Kuan Yew, have provided stability, scientific and technical excellence, economic growth and prosperity to their nations. There can be many reasons for spectacular success, but the factor that seems to override them all is that of leadership. No matter what the system, how hard the challenges, it is leaders who can take a nation through. As Ali Mahmood avers in this immensely engaging book, it is these rare and exceptional men and women who changed the destiny of nations and achieved the impossible.
A succinct and penetrating analysis of one of the ancient world’s foremost political realists, Chanakya aka Kautilya, Kautilya: The First Great Political Realist draws out the essential arguments from his Arthashastra, one of the greatest political treatises of all time. The ideas elaborated in the Arthashastra are strikingly similar to those of Thucydides, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Clausewitz, and even Sun Tsu. Roger Boesche’s excellent commentary on Kautilya’s voluminous text demonstrates the continued relevance of Kautilya’s work to modern Indian strategic thinking and our understanding of the relationship between politics and economics.
The rapid pace and grand scale of China’s rise have produced a heady mixture of wonder and consternation in the West. Is China on track to become a superpower? What would that mean for the rest of the world? China in 2020 presents a native Chinese perspective on the challenges and opportunities that Beijing will face as its global footprint expands. Through a meticulous examination of China’s development trajectory, Hu Angang explains how his nation – as the world’s largest emerging market – will impact global economic growth, foreign direct investment flows, energy consumption, and carbon dioxide emissions. He proposes a comprehensive strategic framework to guide the next stage of China’s rise, seeking to maximize the country’s positive impact on the world and minimize the negative externalities of its meteoric development. As India gears up to challenge China as the next economic powerhouse, China in 2020 will provide Indian economists and policymakers invaluable insight into China’s growth trajectory over the next decade.
Kashmir the Vajpayee Years by S. with Sinha Dulat
Srinagar in the winter of 1989 was an eerie ghost town witnessing the beginnings of a war dance. The dam burst the night boys from the separatist JKLF group were freed in exchange for the release of Rubaiya Sayeed, the Union home minister’s daughter. As Farooq Abdullah had predicted, the government’s caving in emboldened many Kashmiris into thinking that azaadi was possible. It was a long, slow haul to regaining control. From then to now, A.S. Dulat has had a continuous engagement with Kashmir in various capacities. The initiatives launched by the Vajpayee government, in power from 1998 to 2004, were the high point of this constant effort to keep balance in a delicate state. In this extraordinary memoir, Dulat gives a sweeping account of the difficulties, successes and near triumphs in the effort to bring back Kashmir from the brink. He shows the players, the politics, the strategies and the true intent and sheer ruthlessness of the meddlers from across the border. Kashmir: The Vajpayee Years paints an unforgettable portrait of politics in India’s most beautiful but troubled state.
The Ultimate Goal by Vikram Sood
In The Ultimate Goal, Vikram Sood, former chief of India’s external intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), explains ‘the narrative’ and how a country’s ability to construct, sustain and control narratives, at home and abroad, enhances its strength and position. Intelligence agencies invariably play a critical role in this, an often-indispensable tool of statecraft. A ‘narrative’ may not necessarily be based on truth, but it does need to be plausible, have a meaning and create a desired perception. During most of the twentieth century, intelligence agencies helped shape narratives favourable to their countries’ agendas through literature, history, drama, art, music and cinema. Today, social media has become crucial to manipulating, countering or disrupting narratives, with its ability to spread fake news disinformation, and provoke reactions.
When Crime Pays by Milan Vaishnav
The first thorough study of the co-existence of crime and democratic processes in Indian politics In India, the world’s largest democracy, the symbiotic relationship between crime and politics raises complex questions. For instance, how can free and fair democratic elections exist alongside rampant criminality? Why do political parties actively recruit candidates with reputations for wrongdoing? Why do voters elect (and even re-elect) them – to the point that a third of state and national legislators assume office with pending criminal charges? In this eye-opening book, political scientist Milan Vaishnav takes readers deep into the marketplace for criminal politicians by drawing on fieldwork on the campaign trail, large surveys, and an original database on politicians’ backgrounds.
Invertonomics by Goonmeet Singh Chauhan
For decades since Independence, India has been beset by some fundamental and chronic problems. There is poverty and inequity in society, the air in cities is hazardous, there’s garbage on the roads, women feel unsafe in public places, the traffic is poorly managed, levels of basic education are low, the rural economy is decadent and there is an overall governance deficit. These problems have lasted so long that they often feel unsolvable in our lifetimes. But Goonmeet Singh Chauhan, an architect and futurist with a passion for transforming people’s lives, argues that they can actually be solved decisively. For achieving this, he presents a new methodology that he calls Invertonomics — inverting problems and looking at them instead as economic opportunities. He identifies eight persistent problem areas and proposes well-resolved, thought through, pragmatic and, in some cases, successfully implemented models for tackling them. These are solutions that will help us realize the dream of a great India.
At a time when India and Pakistan are both reeling under terror attacks and hysterical talk of an impending war, it is important to take stock of where we have reached, individually and as part of the Indian subcontinent; sixty years after the two nations were carved out as two distinct entities. This volume of essays by writers from both sides of the border attempts to do just that. As the editor, Ira Pande, says in her introduction, ‘There is a balance here between the ‘hard’ topics (politics, economy, diplomacy, religion et al) and ‘soft’ (music, crafts, language, cricket, cinema) to bring out the full range of our engagement with each other.’ The writers who have explored the various aspects of being Indian, or Pakistani, in the context of personal and national identity include Urvashi Butalia, Shiv Vishwanath, Sonia Jabbar, Amit Baruah, Alok Rai, Lord Meghnad Desai, Mukul Kesavan and several other well-known writers and political and social commentators.
In Poriborton!, Joshi stitches together those vivid articles and photographs within a larger narrative of the historic poll battle. Starting from an explosive debate where Mamata lambasts those trying to get into politics ‘from the backside’, Joshi moves through the celebrations of the cricket World Cup victory in Calcutta to the twists and turns of the two month- long election. Character sketches of politicians and ordinary citizens are drawn against the shifting landscape of Bengal as Joshi journeys from Calcutta to Murshidabad and Darjeeling, to Medinipur and the Maoist stronghold of Lalgarh. In turns hilarious, tragicomic and stark, Poriborton! is a riveting collage of contemporary Indian democracy at its most absurd and wonderful.
Ayodhya by Dhirendra K. Jha& Krishna Jha
22 December 1949: A conspiracy that began with the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi culminated in the execution of the Ayodhya strategy. Late that night, a little-known sadhu, Abhiram Das, and his followers entered the Babri Masjid and planted an idol of Rama inside it. While it is known that the Hindu Mahasabha had a role in placing the idol in the mosque, the larger plot and the chain of events that led to that act have never been subject to rigorous scrutiny. Krishna Jha and Dhirendra K. Jha bring together the disparate threads of the buried narrative for the first time. Ayodhya: The Dark Night uncovers, in vivid detail, what really transpired on the fateful night that was to leave a permanent scar on the Indian polity.
The book, based on Raja Mohan’s columns for the Express, examines the new opportunities that Modi’s energy and intensity have generated for India’s relations with the major powers and its neighbours in the subcontinent, Asia and the Indian Ocean. Raja Mohan reviews India’s new initiatives under Modi to put diplomacy at the service of economic development, deepen the ties with the diaspora, and develop a new vocabulary for Indian foreign policy. He takes a close look at Modi’s attempts to end Delhi’s defensiveness on the world stage, inject greater flexibility into India’s positions on trade and climate change, discard past slogans like non-alignment, and construct a new framework of pragmatic internationalism. At the same time, Raja Mohan takes a critical look at some of the domestic constraints that could limit Modi’s ambition to make India a ‘leading power’ in the world. Crisply argued and written, Modi’s World provides the reader a sharp focus on an area of intense activity.
In 2019, a high-voltage political drama unfolded over thirty-five days between the declaration of the Maharashtra assembly election results and the formation of the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress government in the state. The startling events that had the entire country glued to television screens culminated in the swearing-in of Uddhav Thackeray as chief minister on 28 November 2019. This book is a blow-by-blow account of the ups and downs that took place during those thirty-five days that baffled even hardcore political pundits. The goings-on unmasked almost all parties and politicians of the state and changed Maharashtra’s politics forever. With exclusive reportage and interviews from close observers of the whole drama, 35 Days goes behind the scenes to reconstruct what took place during the Maharashtra elections 2019.
A Manifesto for Change by P.J. Abdul Kalam
In A Manifesto for Change, its author A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, writing with co-author V. Ponraj, offers a sequel. As focused then as now on his dream of a developed India by 2020, the eleventh President of India examines what we need to get right to accomplish that essential goal: harnessing the stupendous energy of our youth to contribute to growth, a united Parliament that makes full use of its time for constructive debate and rises above petty party politics to achieve the larger national vision and a plan of action that looks at development from the grassroots to giant strides in infrastructure and bridging the urban-rural disparity. It is time to leave behind the politics of antagonism and disruption, he suggests. As a reward: a developed India befits this beautiful land.
India Misinformed by Pratik Sinha
India Misinformed: The True Story, written by the team of Alt News, a fact-checking website that debunks fake information – and edited by Pratik Sinha, Dr. Sumaiya Shaikh, and Arjun Sidharth – identifies the purveyors of fabricated news, exposes the propaganda machinery and familiarizes readers with techniques to detect these menacing stories.Was Jawaharlal Nehru anti-Hindu? Was Narendra Modi declared one of the most corrupt prime ministers in the world? Is Sonia Gandhi the fourth richest woman in the world? Did Rahul Gandhi register as a non-Hindu at the Somnath Temple? With photographs to establish its claims, India Misinformed: The True Story presents the real picture.
The Shape of Things to Come by Markandey Katju
In this timely collection of his views, Katju suggests that influential politicians and their governance are not enough, but a scientific mission for national reconstruction is the need of the hour to bring India into its own as a developed and egalitarian society.In his trademark no-holds-barred approach, the author holds up a mirror to the citizens of India and where they could be headed–so that from the dark times emerges a shining vision of the nation its people deserve. His forthright and unreserved views in The Shape of Things to Come give an important perspective to judge India’s future.
The Gated Republic by Shankkar Aiyar
Piped drinking water for all continues to be a pipe dream; homes and businesses are haunted by power outages; the lack of proper primary health care renders the poorest more vulnerable; millions of children coming out of schools lack rudimentary skills; and the security of lives and enterprises, a source of great anxiety, depends on private contractors. Indians are seceding from dependence on the government for these most basic of services and are investing in the pay-and-plug economy. They have internalized the incapacity of the state to deliver these and are opting for private providers despite the costs. But can India sustain private republics amidst public failures in a landscape scarred by social and economic fault lines? What are the possible solutions? Can government reinvent itself? The Gated Republic presents an interrogative view of the history and future of private India.
Headley And I by Hussain Zaidi
This is a complex tale of human relationships and the deceit therein. It is the story of Rahul Bhatt, an aspiring Bollywood actor, and his encounter with David Coleman Headley, the man responsible for a ruthlessly executed carnage in which 166 people were killed and over 300 injured over fifty-nine hours that brought Mumbai to its knees and shook the entire nation. Tracing the months leading up to the horrors of 26/11 and the long months of interrogation that followed, Headley and I will leave your heart racing long after you’ve put it down.
The Khalistan Conspiracy by G.B.S Sindhu
The author, a former Special Secretary of India’s external intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), examines a series of interconnected events that led to the rise of the Khalistan movement, Operation Blue Star, the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1984 and the anti-Sikh violence unleashed thereafter. With a timeline that moves from seven years before to a decade after 1984, the book strives to answer critical questions that continue to linger till today. The narrative moves from Punjab to Canada, the US, Europe and Delhi, looking to sift the truth from the political obfuscation and opportunism, examining the role that the ruling party allegedly played, and the heart-rending violence that devoured thousands of innocent lives in its aftermath.
On 23 May 2019, when the results of the general elections were announced, Narendra Modi and the BJP-led NDA coalition were voted back to power with an overwhelming majority. To some, the numbers of Modi’s victory came as something of a surprise; for others, the BJP’s triumph was a vindication of their belief in the government and its policies. Irrespective of one’s political standpoint, one thing was beyond dispute: this was a landmark verdict, one that deserved to be reported and analysed with intelligence — and without bias.Rajdeep Sardesai’s new book, 2019: How Modi Won India, does just that. What was it that gave Modi an edge over the opposition for the second time in five years? How was the BJP able to trounce its rivals in states that were once Congress bastions? What was the core issue in the election: a development agenda or national pride? As he relives the excitement of the many twists and turns that took place over the last five years, culminating in the 2019 election results, Rajdeep helps the reader make sense of the contours and characteristics of a rapidly changing India, its politics and its newsmakers. If the 2014 elections changed India, 2019 may well have defined what ‘new India’ is likely to be all about. 2019: How Modi Won India takes a look at that fascinating story, which is still developing.
The McMahon Line by General (Retd.) J. J. Singh
Sir Henry McMahon, a British colonial administrator, drew a line along the Himalayas at the Simla Convention of 1913-14, demarcating what would in later years become the effective boundary between China and India. The boundary, disputed by India’s northern neighbour, has had a profound effect on the relations between the two Asian giants, resulting most prominently in the war of 1962 but also in several skirmishes and stand-offs both before and after that. It continues to be a thorn in the side – reaching a flashpoint at the tri-junction between Tibet, Sikkim and Bhutan in Doklam in 2017 – and may derail all the progress in bilateral ties if left unattended. General J.J. Singh examines the evolution of the boundary and the nuances of British India’s Tibet policy from the eighteenth century through to India’s Independence, analyses the repercussions for contemporary times and puts forth recommendations for the way ahead.
Anticipating India by Shekhar Gupta
A riveting first draft of modern Indian history, Anticipating India interprets everything from the successes and failings of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh to the ascent of Rahul Gandhi, Narendra Modi and Arvind Kejriwal, from the forces that have deepened Indian federalism and constitutionalism to the public mood that keeps a check on excesses in the use of political power. Each chapter in Anticipating India, in its questioning of power, its use and abuse, carries within it ideas of India that challenge conventional wisdom, shatter stereotypes and, in the end, question our long-held assumptions of who we are as a nation and a people.
India’s Broken Tryst by Tavleen Singh
Seventy years after Nehru’s beautiful midnight speech — ‘Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny…’ — in Indian cities and villages millions survive on less than the bare minimum. Children are not in classrooms, women have nowhere safe to relieve themselves, and jobless men lie around in a daze. In cities, where initiative should flourish, a merciless state looms large over every common endeavour. The civilization that was India, that grand culture, has not found utterance again. Long years after freedom from the British, why do we remain suppressed? In India’s Broken Tryst, bestselling author and popular political columnist Tavleen Singh chronicles the damage done. Here is the story of Surekha, who lives on the pavements of Mumbai’s landmark Marine Drive with memories of crushing hunger. Of Ali, the idli seller who is forced out of his honest livelihood by cops and corporators. Of Sahib and Sardar, little boys torn from their mother on the criminal charge of begging. Of those nameless servants who do not have access to toilets even as they service the luxury apartments where Singh lives. From the very poor to the very rich, Tavleen Singh catalogues in bold, eviscerating detail the systematic unmaking of our sense of destiny.
From the Anna Andolan in 2011 to the anti-CAA-NRC movement in 2019, a fierce spirit of liberty has gripped the nation over the last decade. Across the country, citizens have taken to the streets, petitioned, lobbied and hashtagged their demands for justice, equality and better governance. Their ask: freedom in independent India. The speeches, lectures and letters collected in Inquilab: A Decade of Protest capture the most important events and issues of the past ten years. With a foreword by Swara Bhasker, this anthology includes the voices of Anna Hazare, Kavita Krishnan, Nayantara Sahgal, Rana Ayyub, Rohith Vemula, Kanhaiya Kumar, Romila Thapar, P Sainath, Mahua Moitra, Majid Maqbool, Chandra Shekhar Aazad, Nabiya Khan, and Ramachandra Guha.
Majoritarian State by P.Chatterji
Majoritarian State traces the ascendance of Hindu nationalism in contemporary India. Led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP administration has established an ethno-religious and populist style of rule since 2014. Its agenda is also pursued beyond the formal branches of government, as the new dispensation portrays conventional social hierarchies as intrinsic to Indian culture while condoning communal and caste- and gender-based violence. The contributors explore how Hindutva ideology has permeated the state apparatus and formal institutions, and how Hindutva activists exert control over civil society via vigilante groups, cultural policing and violence. Groups and regions portrayed as enemies of the Indian state are the losers in a new order promoting the interests of the urban middle class and business elites. As this majoritarian ideology pervades the media and public discourse, it also affects the judiciary, universities and cultural institutions, increasingly captured by Hindu nationalists. Dissent and difference are silenced and debate increasingly sidelined as the press is muzzled or intimidated in the courts. Internationally, the BJP government has emphasised hard power and a fast expanding security state.This collection of essays offers rich empirical analysis and documentation to investigate the causes and consequences of the illiberal turn taken by the worlds largest democracy.
India’s China Challenge by Ananth Krishnan
This book is Krishnan’s attempt at unpacking India’s China challenge, which is four-fold: the political challenge of dealing with a one-party state that is looking to increasingly shape global institutions; the military challenge of managing an unresolved border; the economic challenge of both learning from China’s remarkable and unique growth story and building a closer relationship; and the conceptual challenge of changing how we think about and engage with our most important neighbour.
India’s China Challenge tells the story of a complex political relationship, and how China — and its leading opinion-makers — view India. It looks at the economic dimensions and cultural connect, and the internal political and social transformations in China that continue to shape both the country’s future and its relations with India.
A.P.J. Abdul Kalam became President of India in July 2002. He was a surprise choice. A scientist and not a politician, with an unusual hairstyle and an unassuming way of doing things, and no other agenda except that of seeing India become a developed and strong nation. How would such a man fit into the regal splendour of Rashtrapati Bhavan, and all the pomp and ceremony of a head of state? What followed, however, as P.M. Nair shows in The Kalam Effect, was a remarkable presidency that in the next five years transformed the way people looked at this office, and made Kalam popular in a way few politicians have been. Rashtrapati Bhavan became a much more accessible place, and his ‘at homes’ drew guests in the thousands. Not only that, the website he set up became a huge draw, and people wrote to him on e-mail or otherwise from across the country. His positive attitude infected all those who came in touch with him. While the reasons for his popularity will be analysed for a long time, Nair, who was his Secretary, suggests in this affectionate yet factual account some of the probable causes. One of these being that Kalam is just a very special human being.
The Ambassador’s Club by V. Rajan
The Ambassador’s Club show, and Krishna V. Rajan, himself a skilful diplomat, has brought together, for the first time, a selection of experiences that shows the Indian Foreign Service in a remarkable new light. With a fine sense of observation and considerable writing skills, the contributions included here show the Indian envoy playing protector, negotiator and guide in places as far away as Chile and Fiji to closer home, in Bhutan and Nepal. Ranged here is the entire gamut of diplomatic duties, from putting forward the Indian viewpoint at tough negotiations on climate change to being the UN secretary-general’s special envoy in Iraq in the time leading up to the war there; from being in a sensitive position as envoy in Fiji during a coup to being present as the Shimla Agreement was reached between India and Pakistan. ‘It’s a boy!’ was the exciting announcement of that accord. It is that same pleasure of accomplishment that runs through this anthology.
From Chanakya to Modi by Aparna Pande
The foreign policy of India is as deeply informed by its civilizational heritage as it is by modern ideas about national interest. The two concepts that come and go most frequently in Indian engagement with the world – from Chanakya in the third-century BCE to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2017 – are autonomy and independence in decision making. Aparna Pande’s From Chanakya to Modi explores the deeper civilizational roots of Indian foreign policy in a manner reminiscent of Walter Russel Mead’s seminal Special Providence (2001). It identifies the neural roots of India’s engagement with the world outside.
My Enemy’s Enemy by Avinash Paliwal
A definitive account, grounded in history, of the strategic axis between New Delhi and Kabul. The archetype of ‘my enemy’s enemy is my friend’, India’s political and economic presence in Afghanistan is often viewed as a Machiavellian ploy aimed against Pakistan. The first of its kind, this book interrogates that simplistic yet powerful geopolitical narrative and asks what truly drives India’s Afghanistan policy. My Enemy’s Enemy provides a comprehensive analysis of India’s strategy debates and foreign policymaking processes vis-a-vis Afghanistan, from the last decade of the Cold War to the 1990s Afghan civil war and the more recent US-led war on terror. It demonstrates that Indian presence in Afghanistan has been guided primarily by an enduring vision for the region that requires a stable balance of power across the Durand Line.
Inside Parliament by Derek O’Brien
Derek O’Brien dominated Indian television as the country’s most well-known quizmaster for over two decades, asking questions to millions across India. Now he plays a key role in the Rajya Sabha raising important questions from the front row in the Upper House. One of the most candid, courageous voices of the Opposition, O’Brien is articulate, incisive and provocative – qualities that are apparent in his writing. In this book, comprising his best political essays, Derek O’Brien reflects on the state of the nation, offering insights from a unique vantage point -inside Parliament. Never afraid of controversy or contention, he covers topics ranging from federalism, the Constitution and the note ban to the much-debated GST bill, social media and the lessons he’s learnt as MP. Thought-provoking and captivating at once, Inside Parliament is required reading for all interested in understanding today’s India and all who care about its future.
The Brothers Bihari by Sankarshan Thakur
Laloo Yadav and Nitish Kumar, chalk and cheese. One a charismatic populist, the other a shrewd introvert. Taken together, a mesmerizing duo: heroes to some, villains to others, champions of the underdog yet imperious of manner; allies in youth, foes in mid-life, now ageing veterans. For a quarter of a century, the two by turns dictated the destiny of Bihar. What do Laloo and Nitish mean to Bihar? Here, for the first time, a revised and updated omnibus edition of Sankarshan Thakur’s widely acclaimed biographies of the men. From one of India’s finest journalists, this masterful narrative–part personal memoir, part political portraiture, part unsparing perspective–is essential reading to understand Bihar.
Making India Great by Aparna Pande
In Making India Great, Aparna Pande examines the challenges we face in the areas of social, economic, military and foreign policy and strategy. She points to the dichotomy that lies at the heart of the nation: our belief in becoming a global power and the reluctance to implement policies and take actions that would help us achieve that goal. The New India holds all the promise of greatness many of its citizens dream of. Can it become a reality? The book delves into this question.
Mission Bengal by Snigdhendu Bhattacharya
Mission Bengal documents the BJP’s extraordinary rise in the state and attempts to look at these developments in the historical context of Bengal — from the rise of Hindu nationalism and Muslim separatism in the nineteenth century, the Partition and its fallout, the impact of developments in Bangladesh, the influence of leftist ideals on the psyche of the Bengali people, to the demographic changes in the state over the past few decades.
Reimagining Pakistan by Husain Haqqani
Salman Rushdie once described Pakistan as a ‘poorly imagined country’. Indeed, Pakistan has meant different things to different people since its birth seventy years ago. Armed with nuclear weapons and dominated by the military and militants, it is variously described around the world as ‘dangerous’, ‘unstable’, ‘a terrorist incubator’ and ‘the land of the intolerant’. Much of Pakistan’s dysfunction is attributable to an ideology tied to religion and to hostility with the country out of which it was carved out — India. But 95 per cent of Pakistan’s 210 million people were born after Partition, as Pakistanis, and cannot easily give up on their home. In his new book, Husain Haqqani, one of the most important commentators on Pakistan in the world today, calls for a bold re-conceptualization of the country. Reimagining Pakistan offers a candid discussion of Pakistan’s origins and its current failings, with suggestions for reconsidering its ideology, and identifies a national purpose greater than the rivalry with India.
Great Game East by Bertil Lintner
There was the ‘Great Game’, the complex political machinations of Victorian Britain and Tsarist Russia in the nineteenth century; and there was the ‘New Great Game’, the conflict between the Western powers and Russia and China over Central Asia’s oil and natural resources. But there is another Great Game that’s playing out in Asia – one that will significantly impact the course of global politics. In Great Game East, Bertil Lintner, acknowledged as one of the foremost experts on insurgencies in the region, unpacks the layers and layers of complex political intrigues and spy networks that define the Great Game East. A must-read for anyone who wishes to understand the political future of a continent, or indeed the world.
The New Bihar by K. Singh& Nicholas Stern
Bihar was at the heart of the first two all-India empires in history, that of the Mauryas and the Guptas. Justly famous for its education, with universities at Vikramshila and Nalanda, it was also home to scholars like Kautilya, Aryabhata and Panini. However, the state went into a downward spiral after Independence, and by the 1980s it was at the bottom of the heap on all human development indices. After decades of stagnation and decline, the state, under the leadership of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, began to show remarkable progress. Notorious for crime and violence, it became relatively safe and secure. A state where development and growth were unheard of for decades began to show both in ample measure. In The New Bihar, N.K. Singh and Nicholas Stern have put together a collection of perceptive essays on the Bihar model of development – its achievements, shortcomings and the bumpy road ahead. Brimming with insights into issues bedevilling the various sectors of the state’s economy, The New Bihar is a compelling read for economists, politicians, policymakers, students of political economy and anyone interested in the prosperity of India.
Forged in Crisis by Rudra Chaudhuri
Rudra Chaudhuri’s book examines a series of crises that led to far-reaching changes in India’s approach to the United States, defining the contours of what is arguably the imperative relationship between America and the global South. Forged in Crisis provides a fresh interpretation of India’s advance in foreign affairs under the stewardship of Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and, finally, Manmohan Singh. It reveals the complex and distinctive manner in which India sought to pursue at once material interests and ideas, while meticulously challenging the shakier and largely untested reading of ‘non-alignment’ palpable in most works on Indian foreign policy and international relations. From the Korean War in 1950 to the considered debate within India on sending troops to Iraq in 2003, and from the loss of territory to China and the subsequent talks on Kashmir with Pakistan in 1962-63 to the signing of a civil nuclear agreement with Washington in 2008, Chaudhuri maps Indian negotiating styles and behaviour and how these shaped and informed decisions vital to its strategic interest, in turn redefining its relationship with the United States.
The Great Game in Afghanistan by Kallol Bhattacherjee
At the height of the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, a complex multinational diplomacy had proposed setting up a coalition government in Kabul as a solution to the ‘Afghan problem’. Even as all sides worked on the coalition, the US took steps that India considered a ‘stab in the back’. With the help of the official papers collected by US ambassador John Gunther Dean and conversations with Ronen Sen, Rajiv Gandhi’s diplomatic aide during those crucial years, the author recreates the falling apart of the India-US cooperation and the catastrophic effect it had on South Asian history.
What the Nation Really Needs to Know Edited by JNUTA
Who or what is ‘anti-national’? The question was foregrounded in a series of unprecedented events that unfolded in Jawaharlal Nehru University from February 2016. Over the next few months, sections of the television, print and social media turned the country into a choric chamber of hate, riveting national attention. The proliferating ‘charges’ produced great political and intellectual disquiet in the JNU community of students and teachers. As a creative response, the Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers’ Association organized a teach-in for a month between 17 February and 17 March 2016. The lectures addressed the meanings, histories and experience of nationalism, and its unresolved dilemmas, in India and beyond. The teach-in lectures, which were initially intended for members of the JNU community, and delivered principally by JNU teachers, soon gained unanticipated audiences across India and in international forums. Reports and translations of the lectures, live streamed on YouTube, made for a reach that echoed well beyond the ‘Freedom Square’, the area in front of JNU’s Administrative Block, which became the space of this intellectual and political occupation. This book, therefore, is both an archive of that historic moment and a tribute to the effort that succeeded in refocusing national attention on the university as the space for sustaining serious, well-historicized and critical thought.
Deadly Embrace by Bruce Riedel
Pakistan and the United States have been locked in a deadly embrace for decades. Successive American presidents from both parties have pursued narrow short-term interests in the South Asian nation, and many of the resulting policies proved counterproductive in the long term, contributing to political instability and a radicalized public. This background has helped set the stage for the global jihad confronting much of the world today. In Deadly Embrace, Bruce Riedel explores the forces behind these developments, explaining how and why the history of Pakistan-U.S. relations has unfolded as it has. He explains what the United States can do now to repair the damage and how it can avoid making similar mistakes in dealing with extremist forces in Pakistan and beyond.
Making Sense of Modi’s India by Various
Making Sense of Modi’s India attempts to understand the meaning and implications of Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party’s massive victory in the May 2014 general election, regarded as a watershed in post-Independence India’s political history. The book brings together a cross-section of leading voices from academia, media and politics to examine the factors behind the dramatic resurgence of Hindu nationalism and Modi’s own meteoric rise. Where is India headed under Modi? What exactly are the contours of the ‘new’ India he has promised to build? And is his promise of ‘development’ real or a cover for a hidden agenda? The book raises these questions in an attempt to contribute to – and hopefully shape – the debate on the future of modern India.
India Calling by Anand Giridharadas
In India Calling, one of the most vivid and perceptive accounts of the country in recent memory, Giridharadas journeys through India, artfully documenting change and conflict through keenly observed stories. He writes of a dynamic low-caste man in a small town who pulls himself up into the new India; of a progressive urban woman torn between her desires and the wishes of her parents; of a lonely man in Punjab who clings to old notions of honour even as money replaces it as the currency of prestige; of a ‘part-time’ revolutionary who worked as a journalist by day and a Naxalite by night; of Mukesh Ambani, perhaps the most powerful private citizen of India, whose success speaks of an India free from its colonial baggage. Telling these stories through the prism of his own emigre family history and his childhood memories of India, Giridharadas shows how India is reinventing itself.
Highway 39 by Sudeep Chakravarti
In Highway 39: Journeys through a Fractured Land, Sudeep Chakravarti attempts to unravel the brutal history of Nagaland and Manipur, their violent and restive present, and their uncertain and yet desperately hopeful future, as he travels along Dimapur, Kohima, Senapati, Imphal, Thoubal, and their hinterlands-all touch points of brutalized aspiration, identity, conflict and tragedy. These are the lands that nurture deadly acronyms-like AFSPA, an act of Parliament that with impunity hurts and kills citizens. Lands where militants not only battle the Indian government but also each other in a frenzy of ego, politics and survival, and enforce ‘parallel’ administrations. Sudeep Chakravarti’s journey introduces the reader to stories that chill, anger and offer uneasy reflection. A fourteen-year-old Naga girl who dies resisting a soldier’s attempt to rape her-and is now an icon. An eleven-year-old girl abducted by police in Manipur because they want to trap her parents. A faked encounter in Imphal that kills a former rebel, and also an innocent lady and her unborn child. A family in Kohima still trying to come to terms with the death of their youngest child in a mortar attack. Chakravarti also interacts with security and military officials, senior bureaucrats, top rebel leaders, and human rights and social activists, to paint a terrifying picture of a society and a people brought repeatedly to breakdown through years of political conceit and deceit, and stress and conflict.
India at the Global High Table by C. Schaffer& H.B. Schaffer
In this insightful and integrated analysis, former US ambassadors Teresita Schaffer and Howard Schaffer examine how India is managing its evolving role on the world stage. They focus particularly on the country’s strategic vision and foreign policy and the negotiating behavior that links the two. The book weaves together four concepts – India’s exceptionalism; its non-alignment and drive for ‘strategic autonomy’; its determination to maintain regional primacy; and, more recently, its surging economy – to explore where the country stands today. With a specific focus on negotiating practices, India at the Global High Table provides a unique, comprehensive understanding of an emerging international power player and the choices it will face negotiating its strategic autonomy with its desire to find partners in a fast-evolving world.
The Swachh Bharat Revolution by Parameswaran Iyer
On 15 August 2014, in his maiden Independence Day address to the country, Narendra Modi became the first Prime Minister of India to take on the national shame of open defecation. Launched a few weeks later, on Gandhi Jayanti, the Swachh Bharat Mission has come a long way over the past five years. India is now close to declaring itself an Open Defecation Free nation on 2 October 2019, the 150th birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation. The Swachh Bharat Revolution looks at all that went into making this remarkable transformation happen, and how a nation of over a billion people led the largest people’s movement in the world to make the impossible possible. This is a compendium of essays — with names such as Arun Jaitley, Amitabh Kant, Ratan Tata, Sadhguru, Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Tavleen Singh, Bill Gates and many more, along with a message from Prime Minister Modi himself — that celebrates a historic national achievement.
Sarpanch Sahib by Manjima Bhattacharjya
This book talks about seven gutsy women in seven far flung villages of India: Deepanjali, the adivasi graduate sarpanch treading new waters in Kalahandi; Chinapappa, the non-literate panchayat president in Tamil Nadu making education accessible to children; Sunita, struggling against a corrupt system in Madhya Pradesh; Maya, comingg to terms with sudden electoral defeat in the hills of Uttarakhand; Maloti, finding innovative ways of governing her constituencies in tea estate in Assam; Veena Devi, young widow and seasoned politician, navigating the criminalized politics in Bihar; and Kenchamma, the first Dalit woman president of Tarikere panchayat in Karnataka.
Perilous Interventions by Hardeep Singh Puri
It was an exclusive lunch at a high-end Manhattan restaurant on 7 March 2011. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and his A-team were present. It soon became clear that the main item on the menu was Libya, where it was alleged that the forces of Muammar Gaddafi were advancing on the rebel stronghold of Benghazi to crush all opposition. Over an $80 per head lunch, a small group of the world’s most important diplomats from countries represented on the Security Council discussed the possibility of the use of force. As things turned out, the Council’s authorization came only ten days later, and all hell broke loose. Hardeep Singh Puri, India’s envoy to the UN at the time, now reveals the Council’s whimsical decision-making and the ill-thought-out itch to intervene on the part of some of its permanent members. Perilous Interventions shows how some recent instances of the use of force — not just in Libya but also in Syria, Yemen, and Crimea, as well as India’s misadventure in Sri Lanka in the 1980s — have gone disastrously wrong.
The Seasons of Trouble by Rohini Mohan
Over three decades, civil war instilled deep fear and hate among millions in the multi-ethnic country of Sri Lanka. In 2009, when the army finally defeated the Tamil Tigers guerrillas, about 300,000 civilians were swept up in the end game, and estimates say the death toll exceeded 40,000. But what is ordinary life in the aftermath of war? Rohini Mohan’s searing account of three lives caught up in the devastation shows how war continues long after the cessation of hostilities. Their turbulent journeys reveal the realities of day-to-day life in a tumultuous postwar world wracked by violence and mistrust. The Seasons of Trouble is a startling and brutal, yet beautifully written debut from a prize-winning journalist.
The End of Karma by Somini Sengupta
A penetrating, personal look at contemporary India – a snapshot of the world’s largest democracy at a moment of transition. The End of Karma explores India through the lens of young people from different worlds: a Maoist rebel; a woman killed because she married the ‘wrong’ man; a teenage girl who needles her dad to let her become a police officer. Driven by aspiration – and thwarted by state and society – they are making new demands on India’s democracy for equality of opportunity, dignity for girls, and civil liberties. Somini Sengupta spotlights these stories of ordinary men and women, weaving together a ground-breaking portrait of a country in turmoil.
Tarun Gogoi became the chief minister of Assam at a difficult time. Insurgency was at its peak, and brutal killings dominated headlines. Development was at a standstill. With empty coffers, government employees were not paid salaries for months together. But the three consecutive terms of Gogoi’s government — from 2001 to 2016 — have changed the Assam story. The number of killings by rebels has come down as several outfits were brought to the negotiating table. Economic growth accompanied the new stability. In 2013-14, for example, the state had a revenue surplus of more than Rs 200 crore. While there is a long way to go, Assam is today drawing huge investments and holds pride of place in India. Having emerged stronger from the dark years, it is now looking ahead at building smart villages, e-governance to remove corruption, investments for the welfare of women and the youth, and employment-oriented education to stem brain drain. Turnaround: Leading Assam from the Front is the story of how Tarun Gogoi’s innovative and grounded style of governance helped bring about this change. As a record of Assam politics at its transformative best, it documents a trailblazing career and a state abuzz with the excitement of a makeover.
A Bureaucrat Fights Back by Pradip Baijal
The 2G spectrum allocation scam struck a blow to the UPA-II government and was perhaps India’s biggest political scandal. The notional loss to the exchequer was a whopping Rs 1.76 trillion. Yet, it was no aberration. The 2G story is rooted in the very fabric of economic reforms in India–reforms that are essential for the growing economy. When Pradip Baijal took over as the third chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India in 2003, the telecom sector was in a serious crisis. But there was also resistance to the reforms he sought to implement. They were seen as both anti-establishment and pro-private businesses. Baijal fought for the reforms at great personal cost and, years later, the accused in the 2G scam blamed him for creating conditions conducive to malpractices. A Bureaucrat Fights Back: The Complete Story of Indian Reforms uses the 2G story–Indian telecom’s rise from 3.1 million mobile users in 2000 to a billion in 2015–to analyze the roadblocks to change in India. It also captures the dilemma of India’s civil servants, an especially pressing concern given the necessity of reforms. You are not doing your job if you shy away from reforms, and if you pursue them, you are likely to get mired in inquiries. How does a bureaucrat walk that tightrope? And at what cost? Intensely personal and deeply political, this book is an examination of the best and worst of India’s economic coming of age.
Attendant Lords by C.A. Raghavan
Bairam Khan and his son, Abdur Rahim Khan-i-Khanan were soldiers, poets, and courtiers whose lives reflected the turbulent times they lived in. In telling their stories, Attendant Lords spans the reigns of four emperors — Babur, Humayun, Akbar, and Jahangir — and covers over a hundred years of Mughal history, a time when these two noblemen were at the very heart of the court’s labyrinthine politics. After Humayun’s untimely death, Bairam Khan was regent to the young Emperor Akbar for four critical years. Abdur Rahim became one of the most important generals of the Mughal Empire, but he is best remembered for his literary prowess, most particularly for his famous ‘dohas’. This unusual dual biography traces the lives of these two noblemen against the backdrop of the courtly intrigues, brutal power struggles, and the grand literary endeavors of the Mughal court. And it looks at their afterlives — how politics and the Hindi-Urdu debate reincarnated them as national heroes; how both men came to be seen as standing at the confluence of Hinduism and Islam; and how history, religion, and literature combine in the broader context of nationalism and nation-building.
Tiger Hunting Stories by Pradeep Chandra
India is famous for Jim Corbett’s tales of hunting man-eaters in the Kumaon region. Equally fascinating are the tiger hunting tales that senior bureaucrats recount, of achievements real and imagined when they look back on their career. K. Pradeep Chandra has many stories of this kind to tell, and for those interested in the IAS, they are of immense use. From a career that spanned thirty-four years, there are examples of fighting corruption, ignorance, and casteism. There are also problems that defy the solution – an old woman whose insistence on the division of land results in a tragedy, an attempt to find an acceptable solution to ownership of shifting Lanka (island) lands in Rajahmundry. And there is a taut chapter on a prolonged negotiation with Naxalites when the lives of fellow officers are at stake; a lesson that a coursebook may not offer.
An Examined Life by Karan Singh
An Examined Life is a collection of writings from politician and scholar Karan Singh. There are momentous events here drawn from Jammu and Kashmir’s history, as well as essays and letters on subjects ranging from political science to active politics, metaphysics, and spirituality to Hinduism as a way of life. The essays, particularly, often anecdotal, feature important figures in contemporary history and offer insight into the years following Independence that set the tone for the world’s largest democracy. While his official correspondence with Jawaharlal Nehru over three decades casts light on the political turmoil in Kashmir post-accession to India, his letters to Indira Gandhi address a dark period in contemporary history – the 1975 Emergency, and the events before and after. The anthology also contains select poems and excerpts from his travelogues and novel set in Kashmir.
Clear Hold Build by Sudeep Chakravarti
This book offers a must-do checklist for human rights, and for responsible business planning and policy-making. Sudeep Chakravarti speaks to senior executives, policymakers, activists, lawyers, and local communities across such conflict zones in India to present a ringside view of the present and future of business and human rights. He breathes fresh understanding into some of the biggest human rights flashpoints in recent years – Vedanta, Tata Steel, Posco, Kudankulam – as well as less visible ones, and numerous forgotten projects, places, and people that continue to haunt the development story of twenty-first-century India. Clear. Hold. Build. is a groundbreaking work that highlights avoidable battle lines and seeks to change the way government, businesses, and communities talk with each other, treat each other, and work with each other.
Battleground Telangana by Kingshuk Nag
When the state of Andhra Pradesh was formed in 1956, the people of Telangana (the region ruled by the Nizams at the time of independence) did not want to be a part of it, fearing that they would be displaced by the more enterprising and better-educated migrants from the Andhra region. In 1969, massive agitations for a separate Telangana left 400 people dead but the movement petered out. With the creation of new states like Jharkhand, Chattisgarh, and Uttaranchal in 2000, the battle for Telangana began once again. In 2009, the Indian government announced that Telangana would be a separate state, but is now dilly-dallying, worried about the backlash from the Andhra region. At the heart of the problem is the city of Hyderabad, which lies bang in the middle of Telangana but is being claimed by both sides. Is the upsurge in Telangana so strong that the Indian government will be unable to resist it? Is there a middle course? This book explores the complex issues and the underlying causes of the Telangana movement.
A Life In Politics by Sangma P. A.
A Life in Politics explores the political life of one of the most fascinating personalities on the Indian political scene. It traces his rise from a small tribal village to the highest echelons of the country’s Parliament, profiling his contributions to Indian politics and development, as also his unrelenting fight for the protection of democratic institutions and the welfare of the common man. Almost every important speech that Sangma delivered in the LokSabha and the RajyaSabha has been incorporated here. Also included are his rulings as the Speaker, Lok Sabha, the speeches delivered by him at national and international conferences and seminars, and his midnight speech in the Central Hall of Parliament on the golden jubilee of India’s Independence. These speeches reflect the vision and the concern of an eminent parliamentarian for the development of the country and its citizens and give an insight into the working of the world’s largest democracy. The book also contains messages by eminent politicians and personalities from other walks of life, including the prime minister, Union ministers, governors, chief ministers, and trade union leaders, describing the multifaceted personality of Sangma. This book is a tribute to a visionary leader and a useful guide to issues of prime importance to Indian democracy for young politicians, researchers, and the common reader.
A Mirror to Power by M J Akbar
A Mirror to Power takes a sharp look across the wide horizon of the past decade, a time when reputations were wrecked on a high-velocity rollercoaster and events became a jamboree instead of a procession. This tumbledown history of corruption, terrorism, justice delayed, rights denied, and governance betrayed still left enough gaps for a celebration of laughter in areas outside politics. The cast is extraordinary: from the founding fathers of our partitioned subcontinent to those shaping its future today. This book is especially distinctive because of M.J. Akbar’s unerring eye for underlying causes and potential consequences that bookend current events and a prose style that conveys serious thought in lucid sentences and succinct paragraphs. The pieces are on subjects as diverse as politics, cricket, cinema stars, the lost art of reading, and the joys of trash, besides long, elegant essays on the history of a community seen through the genius of its poets and the trial of Bahadur Shah Zafar. This is an indispensable introduction to what promises to be an Indian century.
Strangers Across the Border by Reshma Patil
Strangers Across the Border: Indian Encounters in Boomtown China captures with a reporter’s acuity the twin strategies of cooperation and competition that shape Beijing’s India policy and Chinese ideas of India. From software parks where techies lesser skilled than their Indian counterparts in Bengaluru demand higher salaries, to factories where Hindu idols are churned out in the thousands for sale in India, Reshma Patil traces the many spaces where India and China struggle to converge or threaten to collide. The state-run newspaper Global Times tries to mobilize public sentiment against India with its provocative articles; the Chinese police call unannounced at her apartment to check her visa papers. But the simple acts of everyday life that she encounters – like being saved from being questioned by the border police by a woman taxi driver, or the young beauty queen who lives on the Gandhian principle of ahimsa, a spiritual need in an atheist regime, or the wise professor who encourages his students to rethink the repressive one-child policy – make her journey much more than a simple journalistic inquiry. Finely balanced between the political and the personal, this is a nuanced account of a relationship that continues to be an enigma that, if unraveled, could change the future of 2.5 billion people.
The Political Imagination by Nayantara Sahgal
This book collects her writings and lectures on subjects ranging from literature and the arts to international relations and imperialism, written through some of India’s most turbulent phases – Independence, the Emergency, globalization, terrorism. Her astute social commentary is laced with personal wisdom that comes from first-hand knowledge of Indian politics and diplomacy. Known for her refusal to compromise with attempts to subvert modern India’s democratic and multicultural tradition, Sahgal has watched some of India’s most historic moments unfold in her own backyard and has always appraised the situation with a critical eye and analytical acumen. The Political Imagination draws from Sahgal’s rich body of work and includes letters and commendations written to her that have never been published before. Combining public history with personal reflections, Sahgal reveals the politics of her own imagination in this collection of her most culturally insightful and socially conscious writings.
Modi Demystified by Ramesh Menon
The 2014 elections will be remembered for a campaign that captured the public imagination as never before. At its heart was Narendra Modi, 63, the feisty chief minister of Gujarat for thirteen years, bidding to be prime minister. By the end of the campaign, there was scarcely anyone who had not–on television, radio, social media or at one of his rallies–heard his message. He too seemed to have grown from a regional satrap to a leader with a national stature. Long before the results were out, the outcome seemed a foregone conclusion. Behind the ascent to prime minister, though, is a story of tough politics and hard strategy. In spite of his achievements, minorities are wary of his Hindu nationalist background, and bureaucrats and party colleagues are jittery about his reputation as an autocrat. Most of all, he has never fully been able to exorcize the ghosts of the riots that took place on his watch in Gujarat in 2002, leading to doubts among his critics about how India’s social fabric will fare during his term.
Why India Needs the Presidential System by Bhanu Dhamija
At one time or another, Dr Ambedkar, Mahatma Gandhi, M.A. Jinnah, Sardar Patel and many other top leaders strongly opposed India’s adoption of the parliamentary system. History has proven them right. Given its diversity, size, and communal and community divisions, the country needed a truly federal setup — not the centralized unitary control that the parliamentary system offers.Why India Needs the Presidential System tells the dramatic story of how India’s current system of government evolved, how it is at the root of the problems India faces. The result of years of meticulous research, this book makes a passionate plea for a radical rethink of India’s future as a nation. Why India Needs the Presidential System is not just an expose of what is wrong, but a serious effort at offering a possible solution.
Hillary Clinton in Her Own Words by Lisa Rogak
With more than 300 quotations from the former First Lady of the United States, Senator of New York, and Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton in Her Own Words goes way beyond politics as usual to reveal Clinton’s intimate perceptions and public stands on issues that interest everyone — from health care to hairstyles, from social security to social media. Whether they are remarks from speeches delivered at international summits or bon mots exchanged in friendly sparring matches with the press, Clinton’s wit and intelligence are always apparent — as are her passion, eloquence, humility grace and tenacity. This definitive collection will appeal not only to politically-minded readers but also to those interested in her philosophies as she plots the course of her own future as the first woman to hold the office of US president.
Autumn of the Matriarch by
Maiorano also reveals how Mrs.Gandhi’s policies in the 1980s impacted the big industrialists, the middle class, the rich peasantry, and the poor, thereby crucially re-orienting India’s economic strategy. Autumn of the Matriarch is the first major study of Mrs. Gandhi’s last years in power, an important juncture in India’s recent history, as it saw the emergence of trends that influenced the country for the next three decades.
The Chinar Leaves by
As a record of Indian politics at a time of momentous events, this is a frank and sometimes shocking look at recent history from the man who exercised immense influence from behind the scenes and whose impact continues to this day.
The Phoenix Moment by Praful Bidwai
The Phoenix Moment seeks to understand how a communist movement, almost unique within the world’s capitalist democracies, flourished for so long in India, and what accounts for its initially gradual and then rapid decline.
The South Asia Papers by Stephen Philip Cohen
This exceptional collection includes materials that have never appeared in book form, including Cohen’s original essays on the region’s military history, the transition from British rule to independence, the role of the armed forces in India and Pakistan, the pathologies of India-Pakistan relations, South Asia’s growing nuclear arsenal, and America’s fitful (and forgetful) regional policy.
Keeping India Safe by Vappala Balachandran
Security and intelligence specialist Vappala Balachandran analyses the shortcomings of India’s security system in Keeping India Safe. He traces the origins of the problem, makes a case for reducing the burden on the police to make them more efficient, and offers solutions to fix the system.
Cold War in the Islamic World by Dilip Hiro
For four decades Saudi Arabia and Iran have vied for influence in the Muslim world. At the heart of this ongoing Cold War between Riyadh and Tehran lie the Sunni-Shia divide, and the two countries’ intertwined histories. Dilip Hiro examines the toxic rivalry between the two countries, tracing its roots and asking whether this Islamic Cold War is likely to end any time soon.
India’s China Challenge by Ananth Krishnan
The story of a complex political relationship, and how China — and its leading opinion-makers — view India. It looks at the economic dimensions and cultural connections, and the internal political and social transformations in China that continue to shape both the country’s future and its relations with India.
Kashmir: The Vajpayee Years by A.S. Dulat, Aditya Sinha
From then to now, A.S. Dulat has had a continuous engagement with Kashmir. The initiatives launched by the Vajpayee government, in power from 1998 to 2004, were the high point of this constant effort to keep balance in a delicate state. As Vajpayee said, Kashmir was a problem that had to be solved. In this extraordinary memoir that reads like a thriller, Dulat gives a sweeping account of the difficulties, successes, and near triumphs in the effort to bring back Kashmir from the brink.
Karachi: Ordered Disorder and the Struggle for City by Laurent Gayer
In contrast to the ‘chaotic’ and ‘anarchic’ city portrayed in journalistic accounts, there is indeed an order of a kind in the city’s permanent civil war. Far from being entropic, Karachi’s polity is predicated upon relatively stable patterns of domination, rituals of interaction, and forms of arbitration, which have made violence manageable for its population-even if this does not exclude a pervasive state of fear, which results from the continuous transformation of violence in the course of its updating.
The Islamic State by Charles R. Lister
Charles R. Lister, visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution’s Doha Center, traces the outfit’s growth from the release of its notorious father figure, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, from a Jordanian prison in 1999, and the group’s formation in Afghanistan, finally to its stunning maturation in Iraq and Syria more than a decade later. This is an excellent primer on an organization that threatens to unseat al-Qaeda as the leader of transnational jihadism, not to mention the risk it poses to global security.
Chingari – Pakistan Ka Aatit Aur Bhavsiya by Akbar M J
M.J. Akbar embarks on a historical whodunnit to trace the journey of an idea, and the events, people, circumstances, and mindset that divided India. The investigation spans a thousand years and features an extraordinary cast: visionaries, opportunists, statesmen, tyrants, plunderers, generals, and an unusual collection of theologians, beginning with Shah Waliullah who created a ‘theory of distance’ to protect ‘Islamic Identity’ from Hindus and Hinduism.
Tinderbox: The Past and Future Of Pakistan by M J Akbar
An impressive array of research, perception, and analysis to solve this puzzle with a fluent, engaging narrative style, making a difficult subject deceptively accessible. There could be no better guide to the subcontinent’s past, and a glimpse into its future.
Anna – 13 Days That Awakened India by Ashutosh
Well-known Hindi journalist Ashutosh weaves together the story of the thirteen days that changed India. He had a ringside view of the developments, stationed as he was at the Ramlila Grounds in New Delhi, the venue of the fast, and had intimate access to the two warring parties: the Congress government at the Centre and Team Anna. Evoking the Jayaprakash Narayan movement and Gandhi’s satyagraha, Ashutosh mines the history of India’s post-independence politics to understand the phenomenon that is Anna Hazare.
Fatal Faultlines by Irfan Husain
Do people of different faiths, different histories, and backgrounds share similar goals and objectives? Does humanity, at its core, share common values – ones that can form the basis of peaceful co-existence for people from different parts of the world belonging to different religions? Do we really understand each other’s perspectives? These questions have never been more important than they are now, as two societies stare at each other across an abyss that threatens to engulf us all.
Drawing on personal experiences, interviews, and decades of observations, he explains how different perceptions and misunderstandings have poisoned attitudes on both sides.
An India For Everyone- A Path to Inclusive Development by Amarjeet Sinha
An India that has truly been able to provide a decent sustenance to its billion plus people. Amarjeet Sinha examines key issues of under-nutrition, health care, education and social security. Crucial to providing these is reforming the public recruitment system, decentralizing authority and increasing accountability among government servants, which will help bring about better public systems in the country. Going beyond politics and economic reforms, this book addresses the issues that truly form the bedrock of where we want to be.
The New Bihar
During the 1990s, Bihar’s development failed to benefit from the acceleration in India’s economic growth, principally because of a steep decline in the already low standards of governance. this changed dramatically after November 2005, when The Nitish Kumar government came to power. Within a short time, major initiatives were launched in improving governance, infrastructure, education, especially primary and for girl children, health and agriculture. The last six years have shown that rapid economic development is possible in Bihar.
Kashmir’s Untold Story by Iqbal Chand Malhotra
Owing to its strategic location, the intrigues within the state and the machinations of its neighbours have resulted in the government directly administering Kashmir’s affairs, one way or the other, for the last 130 years.
It is a riveting account of the history of Jammu and Kashmir, from the time of its political and geographic consolidation under Maharaja Gulab Singh to present-day India.
Self-Deception by Arun Shourie
On what assumptions was Pandit Nehru confident that China would not invade India in 1962? Why and on what basis did he scotch all warnings in Tibet and our entire border? Are the same delusions and mistakes not being repeated now? Why will the consequences be any different? This is a devastating analysis and warning on India’s policy and approach regarding China, based on Nehru’s notes to his officers, his correspondence, including letters to chief ministers and his speeches in and out of Parliament.
Every Vote Counts by Navin Chawla
Navin Chawla has had a ringside view of Indian elections: as Chief Election Commissioner, he supervised the landmark 2009 general election, and several key state elections as well. Drawing on his wide-ranging experience, Every Vote Counts presents a riveting account of how the daunting task of conducting the largest electoral exercise in the world is undertaken.
India’s Afghan Muddle by Harsh V. Pant
The way in which India’s foreign policy shapes up this year-or if it does at all-will determine the consequences for Indian security once Western forces depart. As Afghanistan braces for the most important year in its political history since 2001, India’s Afghan Muddle sets the terms for the debate on why2014 is no less important for India as well.
100 Things To Know and Before You Vote by Hindol Sengupta
What is slower – our Internet or our bureaucracy? Here are 100 things to think about before you press that button in the critical election of 2014. This is the ultimate state-of-the-nation guide to make us think beyond the fourletter acronyms that we have turned our national debate into. This is a call to action, a warning, an urging, a prodding, an appeal to give real issues a think before we vote.
The Crown Prince, the Gladiator and the Hope by Ashutosh
The Crown Prince, the Gladiator and the Hope emerges from the lessons learnt in that ferment. A keen personal account of what it takes to fight an election in India, how the media was manipulated to reap huge electoral dividends, and why Elections 2014 was an epoch-making one, the first real twenty-first-century election centred on modern sensibilities and aspirations.
Modi and Godhra – The Fiction of Fact Finding by Manoj Mitta
Scrupulously researched and now updated to factor in the national elections of 2014, The Fiction of Fact-finding draws telling parallels between Gujarat 2002 and the 1984 massacre of Sikhs in Delhi to underline an insidious pattern in Indian democracy: the subversion of the criminal justice system under a shroud of legal platitudes.
Faith, Unity, Discipline by Hein Kiessling
In 1979, the organization’s growing importance was felt during the Soviet war in Afghanistan, as it worked hand in glove with the CIA to support the mujahideen resistance, but its activities received little coverage in the media. Offering fresh insights into the ISI based on intimate knowledge of its inner workings and key individuals, this startlingly original and provocative book uncovers the hitherto shady world of Pakistan’s secret service.
How to Rig an Election by Nic Cheeseman, Brian Klaas
Based on their firsthand experiences as election watchers and their hundreds of interviews with presidents, prime ministers, diplomats, election officials, and conspirators, Cheeseman and Klaas document instances of election rigging from Argentina to Zimbabwe, including notable examples from Brazil, India, Nigeria, Russia, and the United States―touching on the 2016 election.
A sobering overview of corrupted professional politics, while providing fertile intellectual ground for the development of new solutions for protecting democracy from authoritarian subversion.
The Fractious Path by Raza Rumi
Grappling with the spillover of conflict in Afghanistan, jihadist insurgency and a fragile economy, Pakistan’s democracy had to contend with the imbalances inherent to the country’s power structure.Reporting from the ground as these political developments were unravelling, Rumi provides a unique window on contemporary Pakistan – its democratic transition, internal security, extremism, governance, foreign policy and the future of democracy in the country.
The Republic of My Dreams by Mrinalini Patwardhan Mehra
A commemoration of fifty years of Seva Mandir, a brave experiment to create a sense of ethical action within every individual in order to create a healthy society. In this, some of the people whose lives the organization has touched – villagers, volunteers, donors and administrators – tell us their story and how their lives have changed because of it. The Republic of My Dreams is a tribute to the triumph of the human spirit.
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simon.bradshaw@gmail.com | 11.02.2023
Hi harpercollins.co.in administrator, Your posts are always informative and well-explained.
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