India’s Five-Year Plans were one of the developing world’s most ambitious experiments. After nearly two centuries of colonial rule, planning the economy was meant to be independent India’s route from poverty to prosperity. Planning Democracy explores how India married liberal democracy to a socialist economy. Planning not only built India’s data systems, it even shaped the nature of its democracy. The Five-Year Plans loomed so large that they linked surprisingly far-flung contexts-from computers to Bollywood to Hindutva.
In this compelling history, Nikhil Menon brings the world of planning to life through the intriguing story of a gifted scientist known as the Professor, a trail-blazing research institute in Calcutta, and the alluring idea of ‘democratic planning’. Set amidst global conflicts and international debates, Menon reveals how India walked a tightrope between capitalism and communism. Planning Democracy recasts our understanding of the Indian republic, uncovering how planning came to define the nation and revealing the ways in which it continues to shape our world today
The work done by Arun Shourie and his colleagues rocked institutions and governments: the freeing of 40,000 undertrials; revealing the Bhagalpur blindings; purchasing Kamla; dislodging a ‘Sultan’; foiling ‘strikes’; controverting Judges; battling privilege motions; courting contempt of court charges; nailing corruption, forgeries, lies, and the opportunism of rulers; uncovering suppressed reports… What lay behind these and the consequences that followed?
A comprehensive account of dramatic incidents like getting governments to swallow legislation against the press, unseating of chief ministers, a prime minister unspooling himself even as manoeuvres to unseat him are scotched, a deputy prime minister trying to dislodge colleagues with fabricated documents, people’s movements ending up as rivulets in the sand, The Commissioner for Lost Causes discusses Shourie’s innings, the calumny hurled at him, his dismissal, and his being recalled and removed again.
Delicious tales of characters from the noble to the colourful to the short-sighted to outright bounders: from JP, to a president, to prime ministers, a deputy prime minister, chief ministers, a conman, indignant editors, and of course a great warrior, the press baron, feature in this honest retelling of the life of Arun Shourie, the writer, former editor and minister who was acclaimed as one of the fifty ‘World Press Freedom Heroes’.
Ever seen a desert made of salt?
Did you know the Himalayas are said to grow taller by two inches every year?
Which ancient fort has the second longest wall in the world encircling it?
Did you know that chess was invented in India thousands of years ago?
There are a million incredible things to discover about India–from its land, people, food, festivals to culture and a whole lot more! Daadu Dolma makes it even more fun for Mishki and Pushka in this book by telling them 101 awesome facts about India.
Join them as they traverse through time to learn about India’s land and water, foot-tapping music, snippets about lesser-known tribes, interesting people and celebrations. This is a journey you don’t want to miss!
101 Awesome Facts about India is part of the Discover India series of books that contain lots of fun facts and engaging activities. Through these books, delve into the history, culture, food, festivals, wildlife and monuments of India, and find out what makes this diverse nation such a fascinating place to be.
Did you know the Himalayas are a series of four parallel mountain belts?
Where does the Siwalik range get its name from?
Did you know the Western Ghats are listed by UNESCO as a biodiversity hotspot?
What is the name of the famous dam on Sutlej River?
There are a million incredible things to discover about India–from its land, people, food, festivals, to culture and a whole lot more! Daadu Dolma makes it even more fun for Mishki and Pushka in this book by telling them interesting facts about India’s majestic mountains and mighty rivers.
Join them as they explore the highest peaks, discover fascinating wildlife and look for the sources of rivers. This is a journey you don’t want to miss!
Mountains and Rivers of India is part of the Discover India series of books that contain lots of fun facts and engaging activities. Through these books, delve into the history, culture, food, festivals, wildlife and monuments of India, and find out what makes this diverse nation such a fascinating place to be.
A SUPER FUN GUIDE AND ACTIVITY BOOK ON INDIAN MYTHOLOGIES!
* A thunderbolt of bone, a discus of sun dust
* A menagerie of beastly deities and divine beasts
* Shape-shifting shenanigans, cosmic miracles
Dive into myths and legends from the Avesta, Quran, Mahabharata, Bible and more. Meet immortal beings and magical creatures like Kag Bhushundi, Girimekhala and Bahubali in anecdotes, fables, quizzes and crosswords.
Unlock this vault of timeless treasures, brimming with creation myths, supernatural twins, sacred plants and wondrous weapons. Even the Potterverse and Star Wars appear in this perfect primer on Indian myths.
Brought to life by the popular quizmaker-author duo, Mythonama is a fascinating narrative blending engaging text, fantastical illustrations and immersive activities.
Far out in the Sahyadris rises a mountain called Koleshwar. Amidst its caves and rumbling streams lie many secrets, secrets that Anirudh discovers when he wakes from a strange dream. Vikram, Aditya, Chitra and Anirudh are now tasked with trying to make sense of his dream. How does Anirudh inexplicably recognize not just every contour and ridge of the lush, monsooned hills but also know every minute detail of the vanished Fort of Mumbai? Will this group of budding adventurers decode the forgotten legacy, buried in the ancient slopes of the Sahyadris, before everything tips over the edge?
Journey to the Sahyadris in the concluding instalment of this riveting tale where history meets adventure in one of the most beautiful locales of India.
Once upon a time, there were fields in the city of Mumbai. Panthers roamed the forests of Malabar Hill and the occasional tiger could still be spotted, swimming the harbour or prowling the fringes of the city. The sea flooded the channels that separated the seven islands of the city. And on one of the islands stood a Fort, guarded by cannons that bristled from black ramparts.
Vikram, Aditya and their friends, Anirudh and Chitra, have no idea of the existence of this Fort. But in a cave, on a windswept mountain in the Sahyadris, Anirudh has a dream. He dreams of a boy named Irfan who once lived in this Fort. He dreams of a city long lost and a friendship both transformative and life-affirming.
Journey to the Sahyadris in the first part of this riveting tale where history meets adventure in one of the most beautiful locales of India.
‘This is the story of how my grandmother became a famous artist. It happened somewhere between my seventh and eighth birthdays, so she was really old and also a grandmother, and I didn’t know she was an artist. And, of course, she was not famous. And then she was both, all at once.‘
For Nini, Minima is just her normal everyday grandmother. So when Minima suddenly shows an interest in doing something new, Nini is not sure that she likes it. After all, a grandmother’s first job is being a grandmother, isn’t it?
Life is sweet growing up in Aizawl, with his family and friends, and all the narrator wants is a peaceful life. But the independence movement in Mizoram means that regardless of what he wants, he is drawn inexorably into a world where everyone has to choose where they stand …
Set in the initial stages of the two-decade-long struggle for Mizoram’s independence and against the backdrop of the 1966 bombing of Aizawl, this stunning debut novel is an universal story of how individual dreams and lives are shattered when larger conflicts arise.
This book is part of the Not Our War series, which looks at the lives of children in conflict zones.
Travel far and wide with an Indian sailor and his endless love for the sea!
Imagine an infinite blue ocean and somewhere in the middle of it, tossed by wind and wave-a single boat. In it a solitary sailor.
This is the gritty, glorious and true adventure of Commander Abhilash Tomy, a former officer of the Indian Navy, who in 2012 set off on the journey of a lifetime. Without once stopping by land, he circumnavigated the world alone for 151 days, encountering deathly perils on choppy waters! No other Indian had sailed like this before. When he finally returned to India, Abhilash was awarded the Kirti Chakra for his heroism.
Dive right into this rousing tale of a real-life hero whose ambition, courage, and determination to circle the world on his little boat, will fire up your imagination. And as you travel with Abhilash across the ocean, learn about famous ships and sailors, legends and maps, winds and currents, and a score and more fascinating stories about our world of water.
