Book Reviews

Publisher: Canongate / Random House India Pages: 384 Price: Rs 599 Money is on the minds of most of us, most of the time, as we think about how to get it and what to do with it. But our relationship with money is far more complex than this, and we need to understand this intricate psychology where we hate …

Publisher: Aleph Pages: 216 Price: Rs 250 If today’s Indian leadership can boast about the country’s economic growth despite the world economy largely being in a slump, the credit largely goes to former Prime Minister P.V. Narsimha Rao, who set the ball rolling way back in 1991, says this book by veteran journalist and former media advisor to Prime Minister …

Publisher: G.P. Putnams Sons/Penguin Random House Pages: 448 Price: Rs 399 India, losing its patience over continuing acts of hostility emanating from its neighbour, and Pakistan, where jihadi elements are gaining primacy, seem to be drifting towards war and an audacious terror operation seems to make it a certainty. But is it just the inimical forces responsible for what is …

Publisher: Bloomsbury India Pages: 334 Price: Rs 499 Joining the Indian Air Force in 1939 as a Pilot Officer, Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh had joyously anticipated he would soon be in the air. However, a “fearsome” Indian sergeant, who was not only in charge of the technicians but also of the planes too, brought his expectations “crashing …

Publisher: Rupa Pages: 297 Price: Rs 295 When E.D. Viswanathan published his “Am I a Hindu?” – which took the form of a lively discussion between a 14-year-old American born Indian and his father, covering all aspects of Hinduism — it proved an instant hit. The author follows the same style to explain, lucidly, what the Bhagavad Gita is all about. …

Authors: Ismita Tandon and Swami Vidyananda Om Publisher: Harper Element Pages: 278 Price: Rs 350 This is a book for believers. If you don’t have faith in god, avoid this. But if you are a devotee, this will be an eye-opener of a book. To those who may have considered the young Om Swami just another New Age monk in …

Author: Vaasanthi; Publisher: Juggernaut Pages: 175 Price: Rs 299 When she entered Tamil cinema, she was another struggling actress. But luck – and the legendary MGR’s blessings – were on her side. Once she was recognized as a cine star, Jayalalithaa plunged into politics – with just one benefactor in the whole of Tamil Nadu. And after MGR died, she …

Publisher: Allen Lane/Penguin Pages: 349 Price: Rs. 899 ‘Crime doesn’t pay’ is something almost everyone is taught around the world, but proves to be less than true (at least in the short run, which is what the great masses of people are concerned with). But is this the only wrong belief about crime and criminals we have, or are our …

Translated by: Keerti Ramachandra and Vivek Shanbhag Publisher: Harper Perennial Pages: 144 Price: Rs 350 Every country and society may have differing narratives of the past and for its future – and they can alternate. While their committed adherents fight for ascendance, the issue gains most significance during the ‘tectonic shift’ when one particular narrative attempts to replace another – as …

Publisher: Rupa Publications India Pages: 232 Price: Rs. 250 For millions of young Indians, it is the ultimate test of their calibre. If after months and years of arduous and intensive preparations, disrupted lives and other sacrifices, they qualify in the civil service examinations, they may think they are now well set in life. But are they? And are their …