History as a tool of power | Review of Vinoy Thomas’ Blackened, translated by Nandakumar K.

1 week, 3 days ago

Book Review l Life of the mind, Ajita and Ajivikas

A personal preface from the author on the Oulipo movement and the ouroborus that serves to confuse rather than illumine. They will meet Ajivika philosophers Makkhali Goshala, Purana Kassapa and Pakuda Kacchayana, the agnostic Sanjaya Belatthiputta, the 24th Tirthankara Mahavira and Gautama Buddha as characters in the story! Ajita is a trained Mimamsaka who, disillusioned with the self-serving, ritualistic face …

Buddha Ajita

2 weeks, 6 days ago

The life and work of K.K. Kochu – Review of ‘Dalithan: An Autobiography’

The Hindu

Writer and social activist K.K. Dalithan, a detailed picture of the personal, the political and the social, is, in fact, the perfect answer to Poykayil Appachan writing, “Not a single letter is seen on my race.” Authentic, empathetic Kochu’s work unlocks the life, history and organisational activities of the community right from the onset, against the flood-prone Madhuraveli, a land …

Social Life Political Dalit Pulaya Dalithan Kochu

3 weeks ago

New books on the shelves

The Hindu

Published : Mar 12, 2025 12:00 IST - 2 MINS READ Entitlement Rumaan Alam Bloomsbury India Rs. ___ India Inked: Elections in the World’s Largest Democracy Poonam Agarwal Bloomsbury India Rs.799 An award-winning journalist visits election war rooms to understand how electoral strategies are formulated, what works with voters on the ground, and what does not, in this study of …

India Book

4 weeks, 2 days ago

Book Review | ‘Eminent Distorians’ exposes the selective Marxist retelling of Bharat’s history

Firstpost

Utpal Kumar’s book challenges the ideological conditioning that views India’s historical trajectory as one of feudal stagnation and oppression until external ideas—particularly those rooted in socialism, Marxism, and even English systems—provided a more ‘just’ alternative In Eminent Distorians: Twists and Truths in Bharat’s History, Utpal Kumar embarks on a mission to challenge and deconstruct the established narratives that have long …

History Indian History Historical Indian Indigenous Book Bharat

1 month, 1 week ago

BOOK REVIEW | Anuradha Vijayakrishnan’s “One Day, One Morning” Examines Domestic Abuse and the Masks Families Wear

The Hindu

Published : Feb 20, 2025 14:52 IST - 4 MINS READ Anuradha Vijayakrishnan’s novella is set in a “little anthill of a village” where the gossip mill constantly churns. The story begins at Molamma’s neighbour Ammachi’s house, where the news of the morning—Molamma’s husband, Sridharan, has suddenly dropped dead at Georgettan’s tea shop—is being parsed with gusto. But as Ammachi’s …

House Village Villagers Sridharan Vijayakrishnan Molamma Families Wear

1 month, 2 weeks ago

Cracking the patriarchal prism

The Hindu

Recently, I was reading a judgment authored by Hon’ble Justice Manjula of the Madras High Court in Dr. Supraja vs State pertaining to sexual harassment of women at the workplace and how far the existing law is effective in handling this serious issue. The perspectives shared by Justice Manjula, Justice Nagarathna, and Ms. Seshadri illuminate the critical need for a …

Justice Women Gender Sexual Harassment Male Sexual Experiences

1 month, 2 weeks ago

Discover an unknown chapter of Indo-Korean history at this Chennai art-theatre show

The Hindu

How often does an art gallery turn into a stage, blurring the lines between memory and myth, fact and fiction, personal and collective histories? On a bright Tuesday morning, curator P and her zealous assistant guide their guests through a narrative that sits at the sweet spot between fact and fiction, a mammoth physical maze at the centre of which …

History India Chennai Room Korea Parvathi Cfi

1 month, 3 weeks ago

Book Review: English Translation of ‘Stepmother’ Captures Pudumaippittan’s Subtle and Understated Minimalism

The Hindu

Published : Feb 10, 2025 17:54 IST - 8 MINS READ Like many of his contemporaries and those who were to follow him, the Tamil writer Pudumaippittan —largely known for his short stories—wrote in a social realist mode. If the first wife is the real mother who represents the maternal semiotic from which the child is forever separated, Maragatham, I …

Relationship Death Translation English Child Tamil Mother

1 month, 3 weeks ago

Cheriya Manushyarum Valiya Lokavum: G. Aravindan’s Art and Legacy in a Landmark Book

The Hindu

Published : Feb 05, 2025 19:46 IST - 6 MINS READ Books can be beautiful for several different reasons: sometimes the content is so captivating that you forgive problems with production; on the other hand, a beautifully produced book is a joy just to behold. Cheriya Manushyarum Valiya Lokavum, a compilation of the eclectic work of G. Aravindan, a film …

Art India Kerala Work Book No Evil Aravindan

1 month, 4 weeks ago

Jeyarani’s ‘Sennilam’: Tamil Short Stories Challenge Caste Violence Through Revolutionary Fiction

The Hindu

Published : Feb 03, 2025 16:49 IST - 5 MINS READ What happens when the man you had a friendly conversation with wants to kill you over caste? Whatever your answers are, Jeyarani’s collection of short stories, tackling dilemmas such as these, is a refreshing read. Jeyarani’s work peaked when she wrote Manjal, a play based on the lives and …

Chennai Caste Writer Journalist Revolutionary Fiction Sennilam Jaathiyatravalin Kural

2 months ago

Spectres of Savarkar

New Indian Express

For some, the new spotlight on Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, who wrote one of the foundational texts of Hindutva politics, is an ideology’s ‘revenge’ on being a historical footnote for long. Veteran journalist Arun Shourie, who was a minister in the third BJP-led NDA government of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, has in his latest book, The New Icon: Savarkar and the Facts, …

Man Gandhi Savarkar

2 months, 1 week ago

The memoir of an expat explores Indonesia’s unique cultural mosaic

The Hindu

Light-hearted in tone and breezy in its narrative style, “Thank You/Terima Kasih”-A Memoir of an Indian Expatriate”, by Rishabhan, could hold a lesson or two on adapting to new cultural milieus, especially for a generation of youth migrating abroad. A refreshingly straight-from-the-heart account of the author’s extensive stay in Indonesia as an expatriate professional, the 185-page book also opens a …

India Indonesia Book

2 months, 1 week ago

INTERVIEW| Navigating the grey areas of history

New Indian Express

KOCHI: The secrets of the Itty Cora clan are carefully guarded, hidden beneath layers of history and imagination in the pages of Francis Itty Cora. It’s just a tale spiced with lies and anecdotes.” TD Ramakrishnan, the author, explains that history “serves merely as a possibility for storytelling.” A decade after its groundbreaking release, Ramakrishnan returns to the Itty Cora …

Cora Itty Itty Cora Francis Itty Cora

2 months, 2 weeks ago

The Hindu Lit for Life 2025: Characters from historical fiction shall not form the basis for authentic history, says novelist Vennila

The Hindu

Characters from historical fiction should not be taken out of context to form the basis of writing authentic history, said A. Vennila, writer, poet, and novelist, at The Hindu Lit for Life on Saturday. However, Kuyili has now become an historical figure, she has a place in Velu Nachiyar’s memorial, Ms. Vennila said while explaining how historical fiction shouldn’t be …

Fiction Historical Fiction Partner Lit Novel Mullaperiyar Vennila

2 months, 2 weeks ago

Nirmala Lakshman on a journey of discovery while working on The Tamils— A Portrait of a Community - The Hindu

The Hindu

When I was asked to work on my latest book, The Tamils: A Portrait Of A Community, I was overwhelmed at the thought of delving into such an expansive and complex subject. My publisher David Davidar at Aleph Book Company however suggested that I use chronology as a structure and this made my journey easier. People like distinguished epigraphist and …

Tamil Book Read

2 months, 2 weeks ago

Ira Mukhoty will delve into the writing process of her book at The Hindu Lit for Life

The Hindu

When I began my research for The Lion and the Lily, I had set out to write a book about the French East India Company in India in the 18th Century. I also loved stumbling upon the world of the begums and their khwajasaras — that liminal world which contributed to the social, political and cultural world of 18th century …

History India French Book European Mughal Lit

2 months, 3 weeks ago

Genre-bender: review of The Tamils — A Portrait of a Community by Nirmala Lakshman

The Hindu

For a work that is subtitled A Portrait of a Community, Nirmala Lakshman begins The Tamils on an unusual but arresting note — a pinch of prehistory. One suspects her decision to start her expansive journey in her extremely engaging new book lies at least partly in her desire to ground the history and culture of a people within a …

History Tamil Book Chola Tamils Nirmala Lakshman Community Lakshman

3 months, 1 week ago

M.T. Vasudevan Nair | No other writer captured Malayali life in such totality, says author Sarah Joseph

The Hindu

Vasudevan Nair was not just a writer; he was a master storyteller who captured the heart and soul of Malayali life with unmatched depth and clarity. His writings have offered an exceptional portrayal of Kerala’s history and culture, reflecting not only the spirit of the people but also the sweeping societal transformations over the years. The transformation of the traditional …

Kerala Malayalam Life Writer Malayali Malayali Life No Other Writer

3 months, 1 week ago

Book Review | Portrait of an open wound

Deccan Chronicle

In many ways, Sharankumar Limbale’s novel Sanatan is a history of the present, examining as it does the fate of several generations of a family belonging to the Mahar caste across parts of the 19th and 20th century — equal parts reclamative Dalit history and an account of the deep, enduring evil of caste violence in India. It has often …

Book Review Dalit Caste Novel Limbale

3 months, 2 weeks ago

Critical Race Theory Will Continue To Be Attacked — So Read These 8 Empowering Books By Black Authors

Huff Post

Black storytellers have historically been our balm and compass, given their ability to help us make sense of the world on a macro level while ensuring we remain conscious of critical elements within our community. As we approach 2025, critical race theory will continue to be attacked, and young peoples’ access to pivotal books about the evolution of Black identity …

Black History Read

3 months, 3 weeks ago

New books on the shelves

The Hindu

Published : Dec 11, 2024 12:00 IST - 2 MINS READ Malayali Memorial and Other Stories Unni R, translated by J. Devika Vintage Books Rs.599 Unni R’s world consists of the rural and peri-urban areas of Kottayam, with their humans, birds, beasts, spirits, Jesus, Satan, and inanimate objects. ___ Hindi Hindu Histories: Caste, Ayurveda, Travel, and Communism in Early Twentieth …

South India Hindi Book This Book Translated

4 months ago

Book Review| Weena Pun’s ‘Kancchi’: A Captivating Tale of a Mother’s Search for her Missing Daughter in Nepal

The Hindu

Published : Nov 27, 2024 10:28 IST - 5 MINS READ One dark November morning in 1995, Maiju surreptitiously escorts her 16-year-old daughter down the slippery, rain-drenched slopes of Torikhola in Nepal to help her catch a bus to her aunt’s house in Pokhara. “The age apsaras are when they are sent to lure wise old sanyasis out of their …

Life Nepal Maoists Pun Pokhara Kanchhi Maiju

4 months, 1 week ago

Unpacking a shifting identity

New Indian Express

HYDERABAD: In recent years, amidst an ideological battle, historian Manu S Pillai steps back centuries to trace the formation of the modern Hindu identity in his new book Gods, Guns & Missionaries: The Making of The Modern Hindu Identity. Armed with rigorous research and fascinating anecdotes, Pillai — who was on the jury for the recently-held Ramnath Goenka Sahithya Samman …

Hindus Pillai

4 months, 2 weeks ago

Book Review: Neha Dixit’s ‘The Many Lives of Syeda X’ is Uniquely Authentic and Eye-Opening in Portraying Working-Class Women

The Hindu

Published : Nov 13, 2024 09:33 IST - 7 MINS READ India has seen several monumental economic and political developments in the three decades since the 1990s. The Many Lives of Syeda X: The Story of an Unknown Indian By Neha Dixit Juggernaut Pages: 320 Price: Rs.799 Neha Dixit’s book is uniquely authentic and eye-opening. Syeda has to migrate, live, …

India Women Delhi Indian Work Hindu Muslim

4 months, 3 weeks ago

Birati Samuho’s feminist retellings bring Hidimba and Behula’s tales to life in Bengaluru theatre

The Hindu

Birati Samuho Performers Collective, a Kolkata-based troupe that aims to redefine folk narratives with modern sensibilities, brings two mythological tales to Bengaluru, each told from the perspective of its often-sidelined female protagonists. With Atho Hidimba Kotha and Bhasaili Re…, audiences will get to hear the unfiltered voices of Hidimba, a fierce tribal woman from the Mahabharata, and Behula, a devoted …

Bengaluru Bengal Mahabharata Titas Hidimba Samuho Bhasaili Re

5 months ago

Disparities in Deepavali depictions

New Indian Express

CHENNAI: Seeing the fierce battle between Rama and Tataka, the grey-haired sage Vishwamitra, believed that it was impossible for anyone other than Rama to defeat this ‘demoness’. The numerous retellings of epics like the Ramayana and Mahabharata provide multiple perspectives stemming from various ideologies. “The representation in animated movies like Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama, Ramayan — The King …

Indian Ramayana Rama

5 months, 1 week ago

A Brutal Ballad of Rural Maharashtra

Deccan Chronicle

Hurda is a novel that tackles the issue of gender and patriarchy in rural Maharashtra. It is a polyphonic narrative that jumps between different subplots, capturing the brutality of the village justice system and the harshness of life for women. The novel also offers a sharp critique of the modern-day economy of heartbreak.

Law Crime Social Issues Rural Life Mumbai

5 months, 1 week ago

A Journey Through the Rich Tapestry of Indian and South Asian Art

Live Mint

This article provides a comprehensive overview of B.N. Goswamy's latest book, 'Ruminations: 101 & More Short Essays on the Spirit of Indian Art'. The book explores the rich history of Indian and South Asian art, featuring evocative descriptions of the lost artisans' guilds of Europe, the dazzling embroideries in the Calico Museum, and the beauty of Tibetan sand mandalas. The …

Crime Art Biography Fiction

6 months, 1 week ago

An epic interrogation of enslavement

New Indian Express

Contemporising epics, the citadel every creative soul storms, only emphasises its timelessness. Here in context is the modern relevance of Ramayana which is the subject of Sri Lankan artist Priyantha Udagedara’s vibrant interrogation in his paintings. A large work of Hanuman carrying the sanjivani booti to save Lakshman features in his solo exhibition, titled Weathering Waves, on show at Exhibit320 …

Udagedara Epic Interrogation

6 months, 2 weeks ago

'Unpartitioned Time' book review: History as Eulogy

New Indian Express

This is a eulogy taken to an illogical extreme with a beautiful effect. In Unpartitioned Time: A Daughter’s Story, Malavika Rajkotia chronicles a gritty, painful yet sublime era and the many secrets it hides in its folds. There is history as history is taught in schools and colleges: of kings and statecraft, of the larger issues, of war, of Maharaja …

Partition His Life

6 months, 4 weeks ago

The Hindu on Books newsletter: The rich legacy of A.G. Noorani, talking to Rakhshanda Jalil and more

The Hindu

Welcome to this edition of The Hindu on Books Newsletter. What is at stake is the soul of India.” In reviews we read about Saurabh Kirpal’s new book, a thriller set in Ooty, a novel on the duality of city life, and talk to literary historian Rakhshanda Jalil about her new book on the rich literary tradition of Urdu poets. …

India Books Work Hindu Urdu Rakhshanda Jalil Book Love

7 months, 2 weeks ago

Films as representations of history & social reform

Hindustan Times

Maharaj, a Hindi film being streamed on Netflix, fictionalises a Gujarati docu-novel by Saurabh Shah that carries the same name. Both “semi-fictions” are constructed from existing documentary accounts and evidence of the now-famous Maharaj Libel Case of 1862 and the real-life story of the social reformer Karsandas Mulji. Even after Karsandas’s legal victory, Pushti Margi Vaishnava havelis kept operating as …

Film Mumbai Reform Bengali Hindi Hindu Pti

7 months, 2 weeks ago

Why Pa. Ranjith’s ‘Thangalaan’ is about rewriting and reclaiming Dalit history

The Hindu

The assertive and outspoken filmmaker Pa. Ranjith’s latest, Thangalaan, is one of the most awaited films; not just because it features a galaxy of stars including Vikram, Parvathy Thiruvothu, Daniel Caltagirone, Malavika Mohanan and others, but also because the film is based on the often-unheard and unexplored history of how the Dalits of Tamil Nadu mined and created the Kolar …

History Tamil Nadu Writing Dalits Dalit Dalit History Tamil

8 months, 1 week ago

Review: Making the ‘Woman’ by Sutapa Dutta and Shivangini Tandon

Hindustan Times

Discussions on gender often trigger an intense debate about whether it is tied to biology or is a social construct. At the outset, the editors state: “This collection critically examines and questions the notions and formations of women and gender binaries which have been historically shaped by multiple and competing actors, practices, institutions and discourses in 18th and 19th century …

India Women Social Indian Power Gender Identity Woman

8 months, 2 weeks ago

Review of ‘Parade’, the author’s new novel that challenges both gender norms and conventional storytelling - The Hindu

The Hindu

In a moving scene from the aboriginal chapter ‘The Stuntman’ in Rachel Cusk’s recent book, Parade, the female narrator is “hit forcibly in the head” by a strange woman, which the narrator later interprets as an artistic gesture. In a review of Parade in the New York Magazine, journalist Andrea Long Chu accuses Cusk of being a gender fundamentalist and …

Women Male Female Woman Write Novel Parade

8 months, 2 weeks ago

Reviews of Siddhartha Deb’s Twilight Prisoners, and Radha Kumar’s The Republic Relearnt: State of the nation

The Hindu

In recent weeks, two books throbbing with immediacy have caught the headlines. Then without a warning, he asks, “Had a great Hindu temple to Ram ever previously existed here?” His exploration leads him to the Supreme Court’s words in its Babri Masjid-Ramjanmabhoomi verdict where the court admitted, “There is no specific finding that the underlying structure was a temple dedicated …

India Gujarat Threat Hindu Muslim Kumar Deb

9 months, 4 weeks ago

The Hindu on Books newsletter: ‘Gujarat under Modi’, Janaki Bakhle on Savarkar and Hannah Ritchie on saving earth

The Hindu

Welcome to this edition of The Hindu on Books Newsletter. However, as he writes in Preface 2023, the legal advisers of publishers found the manuscript to be of “high risk” with its “unyielding view of Narendra Modi’s regime” in Gujarat as Chief Minister. In 2001, Jaffrelot called Gujarat “a laboratory for Hindu nationalism” and in 2010, Howard Spodek called it …

India World Gujarat Hindu Review Book Modi

10 months, 1 week ago

Review: A Natural History of Violence by Ankush Saikia

Hindustan Times

It is 2018, and the gruesome, cold-blooded murder of DCP Virender Bedi by his son Vikrant Bedi in their Delhi home sends shock waves through the capital. The middle class locality of Kalkaji in New Delhi was originally established to accommodate Partition refugees from Pakistan – people exactly like the family at the centre of Ankush Saikia’s A Natural History …

History Family Delhi Son His Father Bedi Saikia

11 months ago

Book Review: In Nirmala Pillai’s ’Secrets of Mango Rain’, empathy and acceptance heal the wounds inflicted by toxic patriarchs

The Hindu

Published : May 02, 2024 11:00 IST - 3 MINS READ Buried family secrets lie at the heart of this novel. Secrets of Mango Rain By Nirmala Pillai The Alcove Publishers Pages: 350 Price: Rs.375 Nirmala Pillai keenly examines relationships and familial bonds to ask the questions: To what extent can individual happiness be sacrificed to maintain family honour? Valsa’s …

Family Pillai Valsa Ammu Nirmala Pillai Unni Menon Mango Rain

11 months, 4 weeks ago

How people of color carry the burden of untold stories

LA Times

Book Review The Cemetery of Untold Stories By Julia Alvarez Algonquin Books: 256 pages, $28 If you buy books linked on our site, The Times may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookstores. Julia Alvarez’s warm and graceful latest title, “The Cemetery of Untold Stories,” her seventh adult work of fiction, circles around writers and stories that …

Book Mentor Cemetery Write Novel Dominican Alma

1 year ago

Portraits of courage

The Hindu

Losing a child, a beloved’s death, coping with a parent’s illness, cancer taking over life.everybody grapples with their personal demons and tragedies. “You will not find the stories of women I chose to tell, in the pages of history books, they may be living next door, they are all ordinary women who walk the tightrope of life with grit and …

Life Book Malini Rachna

1 year, 1 month ago

Review: Mikhail Bakhtin; A Critical Introduction by EV Ramakrishnan

Hindustan Times

In a post-print and post-truth era, the ever-expanding world of fiction shapes the human longing for creative fulfilment and emotional connection. Mikhail Bakhtin, philosopher and literary theorist Fiction is more than the nuanced elucidation of mundane reality; it captures the grotesque, the humorous, and human preoccupations too in all their richness and bawdiness. The novel’s pertinent and lesser-known aspects were …

Carnival Human Novel Ramakrishnan Ev Ramakrishnan Mikhail Bakhtin

1 year, 2 months ago

Author Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi on the protagonist of her novel, The Centre - The Hindu

The Hindu

Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi’s novel, The Centre, draws you in from the very first line, thrusting you straight into a world that steadily gets more dystopian. Siddiqi’s debut novel, while an effortless read, raises big questions around appropriation, identity, the immigrant experience and language privilege. Anisa’s desire to be a “real” translator, to be recognised by an establishment, reminds me a …

India Pakistan Centre Pakistani Novel Siddiqi

1 year, 2 months ago

The Hindu Lit Fest 2024 | What makes rooted fiction authentic

The Hindu

Stories don’t exist in a vacuum, but many authors brush political events under the carpet because they think people may get offended, said writer Abdullah Khan at The Hindu Lit Fest in Chennai on January 27. Speaking at the session titled “The World of Storyteller: The Power of Rooted Fiction”, Mr. Khan, the author of Patna Blues, and Tejaswi Apte-Rahm, …

History Khan Author

1 year, 2 months ago

Dalit History: Text and Context Reading and reconstructing Dalit history through Dalit non-fiction

The Hindu

In the session, Stalin Rajangam and G. Gurusamy construct and conceptualise Dalit history through Dalit non-fiction. His writings have contributed to Tamil Subaltern Studies, spotlighting the marginalised and Dalit history. He has won accolades such as the Sparrow Award for Literature and Vilakku Award, solidifying his impact on contemporary Tamil intellectual discourse and cultural awareness. His has written many books, …

Dalit Dalit History Tamil

1 year, 4 months ago

Children’s Special 2023: Reading various versions of the past

Live Mint

"Why?” That simple question from a child, repeated over and over as they try to make sense of the world, can drive one to frustration. “There is no denying that we need diverse tellings of history, especially in the present,” says Radhika Menon, publishing director of the 27-year-old independent children’s publishing house, Tulika Books. ‘Unknown Heroes Of India’s Freedom Struggle’ …

History India Adventure Children Books Book Tulika Books

1 year, 5 months ago

Nirala’s Singular Satire and India’s Independence Literature: A New Vision

The Quint

There is no doubt that Nirala not only had complete awareness in connection with the content of the novel but also its form and he had labelled Billesur Bakriha an amusing sketch not with reference to its form but in view of its narrative style, technique of the story and the splendor of saying. Nirala realised that ‘Until a novel …

Nirala

1 year, 5 months ago

Book Review | A Wounded Woman Speaks, a Bit too Artlessly

Deccan Chronicle

“You are right,” said the husband to his wife, “but all the same, keep your mouth shut,” goes a famous Frisian proverb. The paranoia of being judged without their knowledge and the trauma of being gaslit as also the pain of being labelled a spinster thus haunt several women, right from their adolescent years. In her memoir, Everything Changes, Sreemoyee …

1 year, 5 months ago

‘Sakina’s Kiss’ and a family man’s quest for certitudes

Live Mint

Vivek Shanbhag’s novel, Sakina’s Kiss,is a thriller from start to finish. The young blood boils at their meaningless life: “Your lives are so ordinary,” a sentiment echoed later in the novel by his uncle Ramana, a character who could be read as Venkat’s alter ego. Sakina’s Kiss vividly captures the story of the emerging “new man” who has had to …

Family India English Life Man Rekha Kannada

History as a tool of power | Review of Vinoy Thomas’ Blackened, translated by Nandakumar K.

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