The Picture Diary – My Poetry Book

In December 2021, I registered for Bookleaf Publishing’s ‘Write India Challenge’. As part of the challenge I had to write 1 poem a day for 21 days, and they would publish a book out of it. I decided to take part in the challenge, but I did not want to write 21 random poems and…

World Order by Henry Kissinger

I picked up this book to learn about Diplomacy and Foreign Relations. It was a fascinating read, and it provided me with many interesting insights into the world of Global Politics. I have read Deterring Democracy by Noam Chomsky, and in many ways, this book is the polar opposite of that book. This book elucidates…

India after Gandhi by Ramchandra Guha

'India after Gandhi' by Ramchandra Guha is an account of Indian history after Independence from colonial rule. It starts with topics like the integration of the princely states, and the mass migration of Hindus into India from Pakistan post-partition and concludes with the rise of the BJP as the pre-eminent party in Indian politics, displacing…

Deterring Democracy by Noam Chomsky

A small side note A couple of months ago, I was looking at books in a second-hand bookstore with a friend. There are quite a few sizeable second-hand book stores on MG Road in Bangalore, and I go there a few times every year. In the age of Google and e-books, exploring through stacks of…

Army and Nation by Steven I. Wilkinson

Army and Nation is a book focussed on the Indian army and its relationship with the civil leadership of India. The book mostly explores the ethnic composition of the Indian army and the early reforms carried out by the Congress after Independence. It also contrasts these two factors with the Pakistani army and the larger…

The Discovery of India by Jawaharlal Nehru

I recently finished reading ‘The Discovery of India’ written by the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru.  The book in the image above is my Dad’s book from around 30 years ago which made reading it a unique experience. The print was clean and only a five to six lines in the whole book…

The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V.E Schwab

This was the first contemporary fiction I read in a couple of years, on the recommendation of a friend. It did not disappoint. The Invisible Life of Addie Larue was tragically mystical and beautifully written. Thematically, it spoke to me and the characters were phenomenally deep and memorable. Two major aspects of this book stand…

Pakistan or the Partition of India by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar

This book written by B.R. Ambedkar analyses one of the most complex problems faced by India before independence. The question of partitioning India is such a divisive problem that it will always leave one side dissatisfied with the outcome. It has no simple solution and the questions it throws up are fundamental and uncomfortable. Some…

India’s Founding Moment : The Constitution of a Most Surprising Democracy by Madhav Khosla

I wanted to learn about the conception of the Indian Constitution. I found this book which explored the major predicaments faced by the constituent assembly and the thought process behind the structure of the constitution. It is an interesting book that explores the dilemmas faced by the founding fathers while writing a constitution for a…

Annihilation of Caste by B.R. Ambedkar

Annihilation of Caste is a thought provoking book which dissects Hinduism and lays out a sharp, unapologetic critique of it. There were sections of this book where I was laughing at how audacious the ideas were and how offensive the language would have been to a deeply religious Hindu. It is hard to believe that…