Publish with Us

Follow Penguin

Follow Penguinsters

Follow Penguin Swadesh

© 2020 Penguin India

Stranger Things: Suspicious Minds – An Excerpt

Posted on by Penguin India

A mysterious lab. A sinister scientist. A secret history. If you think you know the truth behind Eleven’s mother, prepare to have your mind turned Upside Down in this thrilling prequel to the hit show Stranger Things.

It’s the summer of 1969, and the shock of conflict reverberates through the youth of America, both at home and abroad. As a student at a quiet college campus in the heartland of Indiana, Terry Ives couldn’t be farther from the front lines of Vietnam or the incendiary protests in Washington.

But the world is changing, and Terry isn’t content to watch from the sidelines.

Here is an exclusive excerpt from the book:

Dr. Martin Brenner wished he could see inside the minds of the subjects. No messy conversation to extract what they might or might not have seen, how effective the hypnotic tech­niques had been. No unreliable witnesses of their own experi­ence.

No lies unless he told them.

The young woman in front of him, Theresa Ives, had piqued his curiosity. Rare enough these days, especially in adult sub­jects. The way she’d sensed an opportunity and shown up sug­gested potential – hers would not be an easy mind to crack. The challenge would make their findings more meaningful. She didn’t seem afraid of him. He approved of that quality… at least when it wasn’t in a young charge who didn’t know how to take no for an answer.

“Better?” he asked as she sipped the water his aide had pro­vided.

She nodded and handed the glass back, smoothing soaked hair away from a cheek shiny with moisture. Tears and sweat both. Extremely susceptible to the drug cocktail, by all appearances.

“On a scale of one to ten, how strongly do you feel you’re still experiencing the effects of the medicine?”

Her eyes were clear for the answer she gave. “Eight.”

“Can you tell me what you saw?” he asked, keeping his voice kind.

A hesitation. But a brief one. “My parents’ funeral. In the church before it.”

“Yes, good. Do you remember anything else significant? How do you feel emotionally?”

She adjusted the hospital gown to more fully cover her legs. “I feel…” she hesitated. “Lighter somehow. Does that make sense?”

Brenner nodded. He’d taken a great pain from her, locked it away. She’d feel much lighter. The first stage to creating a mind susceptible to greater manipulations. And he’d have a tool to use for leverage in the future if he needed it. The key was to make sure she wasn’t aware of the change until then.

“And you don’t know why?”

“No.” She eyed him nervously. “Can I ask you something?”

He nodded again. “Of course.”

“What’s the purpose of this? Is it as important as I think? What do you want me to say?”

Before he could formulate a response to her three questions, she surprised him by shaking her head and giving a dry husk of a laugh. “Never mind, I’m sure that would violate the experiment rules. Like us talking on the way over here.”

“What do you mean?”

“He told us not to talk about the experiment.”

He looked at his aide, who studied the floor. That hadn’t been any direction of his. As long as the man took careful note of what was said, the participants could say anything and everything that popped into their minds.

“You should talk about whatever you want on the drive,” he said.

The aide nodded acknowledgment but didn’t look at him.

“Did you experience anything else of note in your trance state?” Dr. Brenner asked.

Terry heaved a breath. “All kinds of crazy shit. I’m so tired. I’ve never done that before.”

Ah, that explains some of the strong response.

“But when you answered your questionnaire…?” He waited.

This time, she had the grace to look guilty. “I said I had dropped acid several times. I thought you might want that.”

Potential. She was bursting with it.

Get your copy of Strangers Things: Suspicious Minds today!

 

5 things you need to know about the Jallianwala Bagh Incident

Posted on by Penguin India

Credited as the event that galvanised the first major anti-colonial nationalist movement, and inexorably set Indian nationalists, including Gandhi, on the path towards independence.

The story of Jallianwala Bagh is accordingly also the story of a particular colonial mindset haunted by the spectre of the ‘Mutiny’. Kim A Wagner’s book seeks to show the interplay between a colonial mentality rooted in the nineteenth century and the contingenciesof the unrest in 1919 – an awareness of, and attention to, the varying themes at play within a single event.

The book introduces us to interesting facts we never knew about one of the most historical locations in the story of India’s Independence.

The pillars of the portico at the entrance of Jallianwala Bagh supposedly symbolise Dyer’s soldiers.

~

The real hero of the Jallianwala Bagh memorial,is the figure of Udham Singh, who, along with Bhagat Singh, is Punjab’s most celebrated freedom fighter. Following the assassination of O’Dwyer, Udham Singh was executed by the British, and was instantaneously accorded the status of a true patriotic martyr. It is said that Udham Singh had himself been present at Jallianwala Bagh and was wounded in the arm, although there is little evidence for this.

~

When the new Viceroy, Lord Reading, took the remarkable step of visiting Jallianwala Bagh on the anniversary of the massacre in 1921, the first British official to do so, he was met with complaints about the disparity of compensation awarded to Indians and Europeans. Reading promised to look into the matter, but nothing ever came of this.

~

Within a year of the massacre, and long before its real consequences were known, Jallianwala Bagh was purchased after a public subscription and turned into a memorial park. There was originally some opposition to the idea, and it was suggested that a memorial at Amritsar would – like the British ‘Mutiny’ memorial at Cawnpore – simply ‘perpetuate bitterness and ill will’.

~

The Amritsar Massacre was accordingly both retributive and pre-emptive: Dyer took revenge for the attacks on Europeans, including Miss Sherwood, during the riots three days earlier, but he also acted to prevent a much bigger outbreak that he believed to be imminent.

Situating the massacre within the ‘deep’ context of British colonial mentality and the local dynamics of Indian nationalism, Wagner provides a genuinely nuanced approach to the bloody history of the British Empire in Jallianwala Bagh.

10 Reasons Why Ruchir Sharma’s New Book is what you Need to Understand the Biggest Elections in the History of this Country

Posted on by Penguin India

Taking us through a 25-year long journey of Indian politics Ruchir Sharma’s Democracy on the Road builds up the platform and sets the stage for the 2019 elections; the ballot which will offer a choice of two different political visions, one celebrating the reality of the many Indias, the other aspiring to build one India.

Read on to find out why this book is a must-read before you press that ballot button in 2019:

 

  1. The book explores the time of the late 70s and early 80s; when in the face of Indira Gandhi’s Emergency, India started finding its ground as a real democracy.

 

  1. It tells the story of the rise of Mayawati in UP.

 

  1. The book delves into the details of the Congress’s journey in the general elections from 1998-2004

 

  1. It travels into the major states of India while exploring the pre-election campaigns in each of them alternately focusing on general and state elections.

 

  1. Democracy on the Road highlights how the Bharatiya Janata Party grew from strength to strength under the leadership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

 

  1. It takes us through the intricacies and complexities of the Indian political system and the election system.

 

  1. The book takes us briefly into the political sojourns and offices of some of India’s biggest names in politics from Indira Gandhi to Narendra Modi and everyone in between.

 

  1. It explores and tries to understand the perspective and the mentality of the different voters spread across different states in India.

 

  1. It takes us into Narendra Modi’s political journey and his fight to the top against spanning the years from 2014-2018.

 

  1. Democracy on the Road offers to provide the reader with a very objective overview of the election scenario leading up to the elections that are set to write a new chapter in India’s democratic and socialist history.

 

Democracy on the Road takes readers on a rollicking ride with Ruchir and his merry band of fellow writers as they talk to farmers, shopkeepers and CEOs from Rajasthan to Tamil Nadu, and interview leaders from Narendra Modi to Rahul Gandhi.

An Interview with the author of the ‘Discover India’ Series, Sonia Mehta

Posted on by Penguin India

Sonia Mehta is a children’s writer who believes that sparking off a child’s imagination opens up a world of adventure. She has been writing for children for over two decades. Her body of work is wide-ranging-she created one of India’s first dedicated children’s newspaper sections; conceptualized the Cadbury Bournvita Quiz Contest for TV; and runs Quadrum Solutions, a content company she co-founded. She is the author behind the amazing Discover India series.

Here we ask her a few questions about her research in putting together this series:

What is unique about the Discover India books?

It was an amazing discovery for me when I realized there are no books at all, on the states of India. So that starting point itself became a major differentiator. Children’s content has always been a focus and I also work on children’s educational books. So it’s all the more surprising that children in India today learn very little about India’s states. Their history and geography books cover India in a very generic manner. While India is so, so rich in its culture, diversity, language, food… But children are not exposed to that part. So the fact that there is a separate book on every Indian state, covering all aspects from history, to geography, to food, to architecture, to clothes, to language, to culture, to famous people from the state… and even to folk tales, is what makes these books different.

That brings me to Daadu Dolma,  Mishki and Pushka. Daadu Dolma is the ‘sutradhaar’ of the entire series. We’ve tried to develop a character that’s identifiable, lovable and fun. Mishki and Pushka are kids from another planet who are here to explore earth and India. The trio injects in a level of fun into the series that keeps it from being just an info book. That, I believe, makes this series unique.

The third thing I’ve tried to bring into the books is a level of interactivity. So the content is peppered with fun activities that engage the kids as they read. This blend of information and activity isn’t evident in other books on India.

And finally, something that makes these books different is the visual aspect. We’ve tried to stimulate the child’s imagination with colourful illustrations that help them visualize the nuances of every state.

Are you an avid traveller?

Oh yes! Very much so. I’ve always loved travelling, and as a child, because my father was in the Indian army, I grew up living in a different state every two years. Now, as an adult, and especially after writing these books, I’ve become even more aware of the wealth of culture we have in India. Our architecture was so advanced, as was our science. And I want as many children as possible to know this. And as far as my own travels go, I hope to see more and more of India.

What was the research process for each particular book like?

The research was a mix of travelling to as many of the states as possible coupled with intense online research. We also had local fact checkers in every state to make sure that I got the nuances of culture, language and food right. In every state, we were in touch with a local person, who guided us on prioritizing what to put in. You can’t imagine how much there is to write about India. I could have done 100 books and still not scratched the surface. So it was a complex exercise, given the complexity and diversity of our states.

Out of all these regions, discovering which one was the most fun experience for you?

Pure fun was Goa. It could be because I am a Goan. And also, Goa is different from the other states in many ways. Bringing out that difference was fun. But I have to say, that writing about the seven sisters was a revelation. The north-eastern states have a vibe and culture all their own. The tribal colour and culture made that experience also unique.

What would you advise to parents who want to travel with younger kids?

My advice to parents is that nothing widens a child’s horizons like reading and travel. Luckily we have so much to see and do in India. So before planning elaborate foreign trips, it’s a great idea to expose them to India’s diversity. While travelling, doing a little research on the place before you go there, and sharing it with the kids, is bound to enrich their experience. Showing them the books before the trip will help them recognize monuments and places – and also give them a context to all that they see.

The Discover India series will take you on a grand tour of every single one of our country’s states.

Get to Meet Real-Life Heroes in ‘Junior Lives’

Posted on by Penguin India

Meet the heroes who changed the world! Get to know more about their stories in the Junior Lives series by Sonia Mehta. Junior Lives is a series of illustrated books created for young readers to get to know our world heroes better –  the engaging biographies, peppered with little-known facts, takes the reader on a journey of understanding the story behind a great leader.

Here is the complete list that will leave you inspired:

Gautam Buddha
Gautama Buddha (Junior Lives)

Young Siddhartha renounced all worldly things in search of the ultimate truth. This is the powerful story of his self-discovery and his path to enlightenment as he went on to become one of the world’s greatest religious leaders-Gautama Buddha.

Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi (Junior Lives)

Once upon a time, a young boy swore never to lie. He felt strongly about injustice and wanted to change anything that was unfair. When he grew up, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi applied the very same principles to lead India to freedom, becoming an icon of non-violence and changing the fate of a people. This is the story of the making of the Mahatma, a simple man who taught the world that anything can be achieved through peace.

Shivaji Maharaj

Shivaji Maharaj (Junior Lives)

In the land of the Marathas, there was once a fearless young ruler called Shivaji. He was known for his bravery and effective war strategies. This young man went on to become Chhattrapati Shivaji Maharaj – one of India’s greatest kings, and a thorn in the side of the mighty Mughal Empire. The Maratha Empire that he established changed the course of India’s history, becoming a major military power.

Rani Lakshmibai

Rani Lakshmibai (Junior Lives)

The story of Lakshmibai is one of courage and innate female power. Find out how the tomboy Manikarnika grew up to be the famous ruler of Jhansi-a wise queen, a much-loved leader of her people and a brave soldier who fought fiercely for her kingdom and gave her life in battle.

Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa

Once upon a time, a young girl was taught by her mother that all people were her people. So Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu undertook an incredible journey from her home in Albania to Ireland, and finally, India, touching the lives of millions as she went. And somewhere along the way, she transformed into the beloved Mother Teresa, whose warmth and humanity moved the world.

A People’s Constitution – An Excerpt

Posted on by Penguin India

It has long been contended that the Indian Constitution of 1950, a document in English created by elite consensus, has had little influence on India’s greater population. Drawing upon the previously unexplored records of the Supreme Court of India, A People’s Constitution upends this narrative and shows how the Constitution actually transformed the daily lives of citizens in profound and lasting ways.

Rohit De examines four important cases that set legal precedents: a Parsi journalist’s contestation of new alcohol prohibition laws, Marwari petty traders’ challenge to the system of commodity control, Muslim butchers’ petition against cow protection laws and sex workers’ battle to protect their right to practice prostitution

Here is an exclusive excerpt from the introduction of the book!

In December 1950 Mohammed Yasin, a young Muslim vegetable vendor in the small town of Jalalabad in north India, was in distress. He had received notification that the town government was implementing a new set of bylaws licensing the sale of various commodities and was providing only one license for the sale of vegetables in the town area. This license had been issued to a Hindu merchant, granting him a virtual monopoly over the vegetable trade in Jalalabad, which forced Yasin and other vegetable vendors to sell their goods after paying the license holder a certain fee. Yasin petitioned the Supreme Court to issue a writ of mandamus directing the town committee not to prohibit the petitioner from carrying on his trade.

A writ of mandamus is an order issued by a superior court to compel a lower authority or government officer to perform mandatory or administrative duties correctly. Yasin’s lawyer argued that not only was the new regulation ultra vires (i.e., beyond the powers of the municipality), it also violated Yasin’s rights to a trade and an occupation, conferred by the Constitution of India.

As a vegetable vendor from a minor town, Yasin appears to be a nondescript bystander as the grand narratives of Indian history—independence, partition, elections, the integration of princely states—play out around him. Why should he be interesting to us today? Yasin is one of the first Indians to present himself before the new Indian Supreme Court as a rights-bearing citizen.

His problem and its solution both emerge from India’s new constitutional republican order and represent a phenomenon that is the subject of this book. Yasin’s constitutional adventure highlights three features, this book argues, that form the basis for Indian constitutionalism. First, the Constitution mattered as a limit to or a structure for daily living. Second, this constitutional engagement included large numbers of ordinary Indians, often from minorities or subaltern groups. Third, a significant number of these constitutional encounters were produced through the new Indian state’s attempt to regulate market relations.

India became independent at the stroke of midnight on August 15, 1947. Three years later the Constituent Assembly, whose members were nominated by elected provincial legislatures, promulgated a new constitution declaring the state to be a “sovereign democratic republic. ” This was a remarkable achievement for that time. The Indian Constitution was written over a period of four years by the Constituent Assembly. Dominated by the Congress Party, India’s leading nationalist political organization, the assembly sought to include a wide range of political opinions and represented diversity by sex, religion, caste, and tribe. This achievement is striking compared to other states that were decolonized. Indians wrote the Indian Constitution, unlike the people of most former British colonies, like Kenya, Malaysia, Ghana, and Sri Lanka, whose constitutions were written by British officials at Whitehall. Indian leaders were also able
to agree upon a constitution, unlike Israeli and Pakistani leaders, both of whom elected constituent assemblies at a similar time but were unable to reach agreement on a document.

The Indian Constitution is the longest surviving constitution in the postcolonial world, and it continues to dominate public life in India. Despite this, its endurance has received little attention from scholars. Although there are a handful of accounts of constitution-making and constitutional design, the processes through which a society comes to adopt a constitution still remain underexplored.

Exploring how the Indian Constitution of 1950 enfranchised the largest population in the world, A People’s Constitution considers the ways that ordinary citizens produced, through litigation, alternative ethical models of citizenship.

Seven Things You Didn’t Know About the 10th Chief Election Commissioner of India, T.N. Seshan

Posted on by Penguin India

The essays in the book, The Great March of Democracy cover a range of subjects, from the evolution of the Election Commission, the exciting story of the first electoral roll, election laws, the deepening of democratic institutions over the decades to the participation revolution ushered in by the Election Commission’s untiring and targeted efforts at voter education.

Here is a glance at T.N. Seshan, the 10th Chief Election Commissioner of India, taken from the essay –T.N. Seshan and the Election Commission by Christophe Jaffrelot:

  1. As the criminalization of Indian politics was affecting elections as never before in the late 1980s and the early 1990s, the Supreme Court initiated a new form of ‘judicial activism’. But the Election Commission contributed in its way to boosting the rule of law. The shift came with the appointment of T.N. Seshan at its helm in December 1990, where he would serve for six years.

  2. Often, Seshan would stagger voting to deploy additional forces and thus reduce the risks of booth capturing and violence near polling booths, which aimed at dissuading so-called hostile voters (e.g. Dalits who, it was feared, would not vote for their upper-caste candidates) from turning up.

  3. It is true that the 1991 elections were held in a particularly tense background—Hindu–Muslim clashes on the one hand, and caste conflicts on the other dominated the campaign. However, there was still a ‘Seshan effect’, as the press termed it. Seshan’s policy partly explains the higher voter turnout (+10 points in Uttar Pradesh): the security provided around polling stations encouraged a greater number of voters to cast their ballot, especially the Dalits, whom gangs were no longer in a position to intimidate.

  4. Seshan also waged war against the tendency of politicians to flout the model code of conduct, which they were supposed to abide by. Polling was suspended in a Madhya Pradesh constituency as a serving governor campaigned for his son, ultimately leading to his resignation.

  5. Seshan harried politicians by constraining them to limit their election expenditure. This policy was executed vigorously from April 1996, when the Supreme Court accordingly mandated the Election Commission, which then ordered political parties to submit accounts of their expenditure after the elections.

  6. T. N. Seshan’s popularity, especially in urban areas, stemmed from his efforts to bring an increasingly decried political class to heel. In 1994, a survey of 2240 people (1620 dwellers of the six largest Indian cities and 620 villagers) revealed that Seshan’s name was familiar among two-thirds of the citizens interviewed (30 per cent of the rural population), who felt that he was motivated to root out corruption rather than put himself in the limelight.

  7. The trajectory of the Election Commission under T.N. Seshan shows that the effectiveness of institutions is highly dependent upon the personalities at their helm.

The Great March Of Democracy celebrates seven decades of India’s vibrant democracy and the Election Commission’s excellence and rigour.

Meet The Author of ‘Twice upon a Time’, Payal Kapadia

Posted on by Penguin India

Payal grew up being any sort of girl she wanted to be, reading everything she could get her hands on and following her imagination wherever it took her. Her latest children’s book, Twice Upon A Time, is a riotously fresh retake on the tired old princess story.  Keya just happens to be a princess. Nyla just happens to be a tomboy. Both, as it turns out, just want to be themselves. When Princess Keya says, ‘I quit!’ and Nyla shows up to replace her, two worlds collide. Together, the girls ruffle dresses and feathers; break vases and traditions; fight dragons and boredom; grow roses and revolutions.

Here are a few things you should know about the vivacious author:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Boisterous, over the top and wickedly funny, this is the perfect princess book for girls who have outgrown princesses. Get your copy now!

Eight Things you need to know about Donald Trump’s Unconventional Presidency from Delusional Politics: Back to the Future

Posted on by Penguin India

Hardeep S. Puri’s forty years of professional life as a senior diplomat, India’s permanent representative to the UN, and now Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs in New Delhi, give him a unique vantage point to see the fault-lines in political narratives and the ‘delusional’ idiosyncrasies of politicians.

Many democratically elected leaders of the twenty-first century have displayed streaks of recklessness, megalomania, bizarre self-obsession and political views that are difficult to characterize. Delusional Politics studies the actions of these contemporary political leaders and covers Brexit, the election of Donald Trump, the rise of the BJP under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and decision-making with respect to global governance, terrorism and trade. It brings to light the fact that at the centre of delusional politics is perhaps the delusional politician itself.

 

Hardeep Puri explores in particular one of the more ‘unconventional presidencies’ of contemporary times-that of Donald Trump from his early career, to his presidential campaign and to the personal and political concerns that govern his somewhat unusual attitudes to America and its place in the world order.

Read on for eight things you need to about Donald Trump’s unconventional presidency.

The presidential aspirations that grew from a jibe

“It is far-fetched to assert that Trump’s pursuit of the US Presidency originated from a single night in the Washington Hilton hotel in 2011 over some one-liners. In an interview with the Washington Post during his presidential campaign, Trump stated, ‘There are many reasons I’m running, but that’s not one of them.’ But as Trump’s public persona slowly evolved into a treasure trove for entertainment and jest, his self-alleged thick skin grew lean. Stack upon stack of jeers and taunts ushered Trump towards his eventual realization: ‘Unless I actually ran, I wouldn’t be taken seriously.’”

 

His self-described ‘truthful hyperbole’

“In his book Trump: The Art of the Deal, Trump terms boisterous bragging of this sort ‘truthful hyperbole’. Trump dragged this into the Oval Office to serve no political or policy related purpose. Of course, the President’s own popularity is sought to be enhanced. Such efforts do not appear to effectively factor in the negative impact of botched attempts. Misleading the public is not entirely new to the presidency. Post-truth politics has been in play for quite some time.”

 

The slew of exaggerations and ‘alternative facts’ on both sides

“It is perhaps fitting that the first documented accounts of President Trump’s first 100 days in office are based on delusion and exaggeration. The President is known to have made exaggerated claims, whether pertaining to his business dealings or his personality, and the media too has published exaggerated stories of both his past and present. It would seem neither party is ready to shed the delusion and pull back on the hyperbole just yet.”

 

His reneging on the Obama-era Iran deal with no alternative in sight

“When viewed from this perspective, the withdrawal from the Iran deal was a corrective measure he took in the interest of the average American—a delusion he himself believed and fed his support base. He was correcting, he believed, a wrong committed by the ‘establishment’ and saving America from yet another international misadventure, similar to the interventions in Iraq, Libya, Syria, and Yemen. Moreover, the withdrawal was meant to pander to the strong Israeli lobby in the United States, which was steadfastly against the Iran deal but got little attention from President Obama. The delusional act of bringing domestic partisanship and one-upmanship to international negotiations, that too to an issue as grave as nuclear security, has had serious consequences.”

 

The strange competition with Kim Jong-un regarding ‘button sizes’!

“‘The following tweet from the personal account of the forty-fifth President of the United States is just one example of the flailing governance of nuclear security in the world: North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the ‘Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times.’ Will someone from his depleted and food-starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!’”

 

His complete dismissal of climate diplomacy or environmental considerations

“On 2 June 2017, Trump withdrew US support to the Paris Accord, claiming he was elected President of the citizens of Pittsburgh and not Paris. He made his contempt for climate action, global governance and multilateral diplomacy clear in one go. To win the presidential election, Trump had promised to bring back the jobs the coal miners had lost due to environmental regulations imposed by Obama. The pull-out from the Paris deal along with a host of domestic measures was therefore Trump’s way of delivering on his campaign promise. The fact, however, remains that these efforts have little to no impact and the jobs Trump tried to recreate are nowhere in sight. Like many of his decisions, this renunciation of the Paris Accord too is steeped in delusional thinking.”

 

His  dream team, filled with the most hawkish and anti-international individuals

“Each of these individuals had a common reputation that preceded them—Pompeo was a former member of the Tea Party, and known to have a hawkish worldview. He famously defended the CIA against the senate report that claimed that torture tactics were deployed during the Bush presidency. Gina Haspel, who replaced Pompeo as the head of the CIA, was herself accused of torturing suspects and destroying evidence. Neither of them, however, comes close to the hawkishness of John Bolton, who till day remains one of the few individuals who defends the American invasion of Iraq, and the intervention in Libya.”

 

His complete cognitive dissonance handling nuclear deals in Iran and North Korea

“Moreover, this ambiguity has set the precedent for future negotiations. Both Iran and North Korea will see the other as a benchmark. For Iran, a much watered-down (and vague) agreement with the United States sends the signal that to get Trump back on the table, it too needs to expand its nuclear capability, and in return, get a better deal than the one it signed with Obama. For North Korea, if Trump can renege on the Obama-era Iran deal, which was much more comprehensive than the bullet points they have agreed to, there is little value in taking the initiative forward, and in fact, their best play is to continue to retain a nuclear arsenal capable of reaching the United States. When viewed from this prism, the discontinuation of military exercises with South Korea is a win-win solution for Kim Jong-Un. He has demonstrated that he can build intercontinental ballistic missiles, buy time from the US (due to the vagueness of the bullet points) on the future course of action, and have South Korea and Japan on the back foot.”

Delusional Politics brings to light the fact that at the heart of delusional politics is perhaps the delusional politician.

Game India- An Excerpt

Posted on by Penguin India

India may widely be acknowledged as one of the fastest-growing major economies in the world, but how can this vast, diverse and heavily populated nation sustain growth prospects? Game India offers a decisive answer.

Through chapters, at once ambitious and engaging, it outlines seven key unrealized opportunities India can pursue to remain a leading player on the world economic superhighway.

Here is an excerpt from the book!

Everybody likes stories. They are what we grew up with, what we turn to when in doubt. Stories are the beginning of all thought. One of the triggers for this book too lies in a story, narrated to a large gathering by the late Nani Palkhivala — eminent jurist, management guru and tax consultant.

For those who were young in the 1980s, Nani Palkhivala was iconic. He was such a lofty legal luminary, he was almost an institution. But he was renowned for yet another unique contribution. Every year, about a week after the budget papers were presented to Parliament, he would deliver a much awaited, much-eulogized speech — his critique on the budget. This was a time when there were no private television networks in India. Doordarshan, the sole master of the airwaves, was reluctant to telecast views critical of government policy.

So those who wished to benefit from Palkhivala’s views had no choice but to attend his public discourse.

Palkhivala would pore over every clause and sub-clause of the budget and deliver his appraisal of the government’s plans and intentions. His views were revered; almost every corporate baron, tax consultant, finance manager from all over India— even students—thronged to listen to him. Such was his hold over people’s imagination that most flights from all major Indian cities to Mumbai (it was Bombay then) were filled to capacity a couple of days before and after the date that Palkhivala had chosen for the delivery of his evaluation. Palkhivala continued this ‘free’ contribution to the nation year after year till the late 1990s when age made him give up this practice. That he made a deep impression on me would be an understatement. I owe a great deal of my understanding of India’s economy as well as my vision for the country to his thoughts and analyses. That is why it is not surprising that the inspiration for this book comes from one of the ubiquitous tales he told in the course of one of his speeches, a story that is as relevant today as when he first narrated it.

When God decided to create man — a version goes — He made a clay image of Himself and then put it into the oven to bake. Impatient, yet excited about creating this creature, God took the clay model out of the oven rather quickly, for fear that it would get burnt. He was in for a shock. The creature was half-baked! Yet conscious that He couldn’t undo what He had already created, He breathed life into the clay model. And man was born. Not exactly as God might have wished him to be, but marvellous nonetheless.

So God gave his creative efforts a second chance. He made another clay model of Himself and put it into the oven to bake. Now, He told himself to be patient, to wait. Finally, after a great deal of time, He pulled the creature out. This time, the being was burnt ebony black—extremely beautiful, but still not quite what God had in mind. As before, the Lord imparted breath to this creature as well.

Then, God decided to make one final attempt. He crafted a third clay model of Himself. This time He took care that it would bake for neither too long nor too brief a period. At the precise moment when He believed that it was perfectly done, God extracted this model. Glowing a rich brown, it looked stunning—and exactly as God had hoped he would be!

So thrilled was God that He began bestowing qualities on His latest creation. ‘You shall be wise, creative, adventurous, hard-working . . .’ A few more adjectives were just waiting to trip off his tongue, but before he could utter them, the white and the black creatures rose in unison and shouted, ‘God, stop!’ God looked at them incredulously. Pointing accusing fingers, the two castigated Him roundly. ‘A God is supposed to be impartial. He has to be fair. He should bestow His gifts on all.’

Realization struck God. They were right. Instead of being balanced and just, which was His essential nature, He had got carried away. But, what could He do? He could not take back what He had already given. As He wondered and worried about just how to right this wrong, an idea struck him. ‘I know,’ God said, ‘if I cannot erase what I have already given the brown man, let me at least restrict him with a handicap.’ Then he broke into a twisted smile and softly murmured, ‘I shall give him the Indian government.’

Weaving together industry lore, keenly analyzed data, and one-on-one interviews with corporate moguls-from Verghese Kurien and the Pais of Manipal to Gautam Adani and Brij Mohan Munjal- Game India is essential reading for every Indian looking ahead.

error: Content is protected !!