कोलंबस भारत नहीं आ सका, लेकिन उसके चक्कर में आलू आ गया और उस आलू ने हमारी आबादी को जिस रफ़्तार से बढ़ाया कि दुनिया देखती रह गई। ईसाई पादरी ‘क्रिसमस नहीं मनाएँगे’, कहते रह गए मगर बाज़ार ने उसे दुनिया का त्योहार बना डाला। कभी हीर और रांझे की प्रेम कहानी ने बासमती को अमेरिका की संपत्ति बनने से बचा लिया, तो कहीं परंपरा के नाम पर महिलाओं का पोषण ही रोक दिया गया। कभी एक फ़ास्टफ़ूड कंपनी ने कहा कि फ़ेमिनिस्ट होने का मतलब है खाना न पकाना, तो कभी केलों के व्यापार ने सरकारों को तानाशाह बना दिया। अगर अब्राहम लिंकन की वजह से बंबई को उसकी पावभाजी मिली, तो कोला कंपनियों ने खेल को धर्म और खिलाड़ियों को भगवान बनाया। रोटियों से क्रांति करने और नमक से सत्ता गिराने वाले देश में इतिहास की थाली इन तमाम घटनाओं के साथ-साथ, बिरयानी से लेकर 1947 के बँटवारे तक को एक नई नज़र से देखने की क्षमता देती है। क्योंकि हमारे हर निवाले में स्वाद के साथ-साथ इतिहास, व्यापार, संस्कृति, पहचान और साज़िशों की पूरी दुनिया छिपी होती होती है।
Catagory: Society & Social Sciences
The Nine Lives of Annie Besant
On Thursday, 5 April 1877, thirty-year-old Annie Besant stood trial in London for daring to sell a small book on birth control—an act that shocked Victorian society and made her a household name. This was only the beginning of a lifetime spent defying authority.
Besant began as a devout Christian wife, only to renounce her faith and embrace atheism. She became a fiery socialist voice in the strikes and protests of the 1880s, then turned to Theosophy in search of spiritual truths. But it was in India that she found her greatest cause. Moving beyond religion and reform, she became a leader in the Indian movement for self-rule, edited nationalist newspapers, campaigned for self-rule and was even interned by the British government for her influence. To many Indians she was a heroine; to the colonial State, a dangerous agitator.
Annie Besant’s life was extraordinary and full of contradictions: from politics to mysticism, from the London suburbs to the heart of India’s freedom struggle, from Christian piety to Theosophical priestesshood. The Nine Lives of Annie Besant tells the complete story of a woman who broke all the rules.
Putting the Toilet Seat Down
For centuries, it has been (wrongly) believed that men are the superior gender. But what have we based that on? What research has been conducted to prove this?
Men are stronger. Men have had more power. So obviously, men must be superior.
Well . . . not quite.
Is it simply conditioning? At what point will we accept that feminism isn’t about one gender being better than another. It is about all genders being treated equally.
Putting the Toilet Seat Down is not only Feminism 101 but the first step we can take towards equal living. It is a no-gyaan, no-judgement guide for anyone who is curious (or confused) about feminism. Or for anyone who wants to unlearn their biases. With answers to questions like what is feminism, why do we need it in today’s world and do feminists hate men, this funny, engaging and nuanced graphic narrative breaks down big ideas with logic, humour, sensitivity and just the right amount of self-roasting.
Instead of lectures, you’ll get real talk—backed by history, science, and real-life examples — about why questioning your own biases doesn’t make you ‘less of a man’; just a better, more empathetic ally.
It’s about understanding the world a little better, and maybe becoming a better person in the process.
In the Margins of Empires
The prevailing narrative and knowledge ecosystem, and most certainly newspaper and TV reporting, on the Himalaya is dominated by colonial and postcolonial situational exposés that are informed by the Centres’ perspectives. Hence, many writings suffer from the imperial gaze, on the one hand, and a recency bias on the other, while approaching the peripheries as either exotic destinations or military hotspots with red lines drawn on snow-capped peaks, crests and arid plateaus.
The Himalaya has always been a contested region and has gained even more political salience after the 1962 Sino-Indian border war and, more so in recent times, with the rise of India and China.
What gets lost are the voices and lives of the people who actually call the Himalaya home.
In the Margins of Empires documents the lives and livelihoods of the borderlands in the Eastern Himalayan region—Nepal, Bhutan, pre-1950 Tibet and the post-1950 Tibetan Autonomous Region, Sikkim, Darjeeling, and India’s North-East. The book is an effort to look at the region as an organic whole, from within the region, connected through centuries of transboundary traders, travellers, scholars, monastic exchanges, but also by missionaries, monks, and moles.
As border infrastructure across the Himalaya in TAR and India is being constantly upgraded, and as India and China play a cat-and-mouse game, smaller states and communities in the borderlands, including the Chicken’s Neck, find themselves caught up in the larger geopolitical arena. With fresh analysis, great insight, and on-the-ground reportage, Akhilesh Upadhyay tells the story of the region and of communities that remain wedged between giants, yet are also shaping their own futures in the shadow of the Himalaya’s peaks.
What does the future of the region look like? Perhaps it will follow the mystique of the Himalaya.
Stories from a Kargili Kitchen
The untold story of Kargil—told not through war, but through food
Tucked between some of the most forbidding folds of the Himalayas, Kargil is a land too often seen only through the lens of war—yet its valleys hold a tenderness, resilience and faith that endure through food.
Born from years of travel, cooking and friendships, foodways researcher Yash Saxena gathers voices from mountain kitchens and firesides—of shepherds, monks, farmers and mothers who feed a world shaped by both faith and frost. From slow-simmering broths to shifting borderlines, from ancient Bon rituals to the echoes of Bofor gunfire, each story reveals how a community sustains itself through ritual, memory and the quiet grace of everyday cooking.
Blending memoir, travelogue and cultural history, this is part food book, part love letter and part act of remembrance—a tender, sensory journey through Kargili kitchens, whose flames fight to keep centuries of wisdom alive against the winds of change.
Farmer Power
In September-October 2020, around 300,000 Indian farmers marched to New Delhi, to protest against three new farm laws by stationing themselves on national highways around the capital for over a year. This movement, the largest farmer assertion in recent times, with its firm commitment to democracy, civil disobedience and peaceful resistance, carved out a distinct political space for itself.
For over a decade prior, farmer groups had repeatedly tried to highlight agricultural issues neglected by successive governments. However, what transpired after 2020 was a unique moment in the history of world social movements.
Farmer Power examines the 2020-21 movement and delves into its evolution, history and what made it unique on the global scale. This book also looks into broader agricultural sector issues, including the challenges faced by small and marginal farmers, agricultural labourers, and the limitations of the procurement system. It seeks to highlight the policy interventions made by Indian state in the past two decades on these issues. This comprehensive account is essential for anyone interested in the politics of agriculture, livelihoods, and rural scenarios.
When Birds Talked
Discover the enchanting bird legends of the Himalayas—stories that soar beyond time.
When Birds Talked by Neha Negi is a lyrical and beautifully illustrated collection of folklore that reimagines the myths of Himalayan birds. Drawing on Uttarakhand’s rich oral traditions, these tales trace the origins of birds such as the Himalayan Monal, Fire-capped Tit, Spotted Forktail and many others—bringing alive stories of transformation, longing and resilience.
Through dramatic storytelling and hand-painted illustrations, Negi creates an enchanting tapestry that connects mythology, ecology, and human imagination. At its heart, the book is an ode to the deep bonds between people and nature, a celebration of vanishing traditions, and a call to protect the fragile ecosystems of the Himalayas.
Blending myth, art and reflections on the environment, When Birds Talked is as much a preservation of cultural heritage as it is a modern eco-fable for readers of all ages.
Why We Die Hindi / Kyon Marte Hain Hum / क्यों मरते हैं हम
यह किताब नोबेल पुरस्कार विजेता वैज्ञानिक वेंकी रामकृष्णन द्वारा लिखी गई है और इसमें उम्र बढ़ने और मृत्यु के विज्ञान पर व्यापक रूप से चर्चा की गई है। लेखक बताते हैं कि उम्र बढ़ना और मृत्यु, दोनों ही हमारी जैविक प्रकृति के हिस्से हैं। किताब में बताया गया है कि कैसे हमारे डीएनए, प्रोटीन, टेलोमेयर और माइटोकॉन्ड्रिया जैसी कोशिकीय संरचनाओं में समय के साथ बदलाव हमें बूढ़ा करते हैं और बीमारियों की ओर ले जाते हैं। किताब मानव इतिहास में अमरता की खोज, जीवन और मृत्यु के बीच गहराई से जुड़े सवाल और सभी प्रमुख धर्मों में मृत्यु तथा अमरता की अवधारणाओं की झलक भी दिखाती है। अंत में, लेखक यह सवाल उठाते हैं कि क्या मृत्यु आवश्यक जैविक उद्देश्य की पूर्ति करती है और यदि हम अमरता को पा भी लें तो क्या वह हमारे लिए वाकई फायदेमंद होगी।
Sacred Grounds
WINNER OF THE 2025 EKAMRA SPORTS LITERATURE FESTIVAL SPECIAL JURY AWARD
Khep, 7s and Basti
Football in India is alive and kicking!
Not because of a few famous clubs and the top competitions, but because of the regional tournaments, local heroes and the people who keep football culture alive.
The hugely popular Khep games in Kolkata, the hotly contested 7s league in Kerala, the many Basti tournaments in Meghalaya—all of these have kept the ball rolling. And that’s not all. Be it in hilly Mizoram and Nagaland, amidst the lush greens of Punjab, the sandy beaches of Thoothoor in Tamil Nadu or the fabled villages of Goa—football holds a special place in the hearts of many.
Sacred Grounds is an attempt to tell the stories of the many unique Indian football cultures. It is an effort to shine a spotlight on local heroes and other names lost in history or restricted to certain silos, to narrate their fables and myths, and archive their unknown and forgotten stories. It explores the history, folklore, terrain and culture of different corners of India through the prism of football, using the sporting culture and values to reflect the society and its people.
The Line of Lanka
The Line of Lanka is a brilliant genre-bending book, portraying a country and its people, that will change your perception of Sri Lanka.
Through her intrepid journeys across Lanka’s lush countryside, Sunela Jayewardene helps readers rediscover the island’s myth and legend, history and heritage. She adroitly describes nature’s enduring beauty while bringing to life oft-forgotten traditions that pulse to the beat of an unseen drum. The Line of Lanka offers readers a less-explored perspective of Sri Lanka, and through her reflections, Sunela provides readers with a unique understanding of the country, its history and its people.