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Inked In India-Fountain Pens and a Story of Make a
The exchange of the reed pen for the fountain pen is part of India’s economic transition and is reflected in the attitudes of these two great leaders, Gandhi and Ambedkar.’ In the early 1900s, a Bengali doctor created the first Indian fountain pen in Varanasi. Despite this early start, foreign-made pens dominate the Indian market, with no notable Indian brand available to customers. Inked in India traces this journey of make and unmake, from a pre-Independence India with a strong manufacturing base for pens, nibs and ink, to the post-Independence economic policies which eroded that competitive advantage and led to economic churn and the exit of foreign firms from the country. Going beyond the nostalgia and lost sheen of fountain pens, it tackles economic transition and the impact of policy on local enterprise. Just as there has been exit, post-liberalization, there has been entry too, in what is often perceived to be a sunset sector. The book takes stock of what it will take to transform the unmake in India to make in India, so that Indian fountain pens have a global presence. The first-ever documentation of all known fountain pen, nib and ink manufacturers, Inked in India will be of great interest to fountain pen aficionados and economic enthusiasts alike.
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The Bhagavad Gita For Millennials
A millennial’s guide to the Bhagavad Gita, the foundational text on dharma. As Arjuna stands on the battlefield of the Great War of Kurukshetra, he finds himself surrounded by men he has known for years. He must wound, maim or kill them to earn what the Pandavas deserve. But how can he kill those in whose laps his childhood was spent, those gurus who taught him to hold his bow? As Arjuna faces this dilemma, Krishna, an avatara of Lord Vishnu, appears before him in his universal form. And thus begins a dialogue between them on what is right and what is wrong, on dharma and on the cycle of cause and consequence. One of the core Hindu scriptures, the Bhagavad Gita holds important lessons on how we can live our lives and fulfil our duties, but the millennials may consider it too ancient for their use or too complex for their understanding. In this book, Bibek Debroy recasts the Bhagavad Gita in a simple and cohesive form for millennials, so that its content and deeper meaning are not lost with the generations of our grandparents and parents.
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The Great Indian Railways
Following an experimental railway track at Chintadripet, in 1835, the battle for India's first railroad was fought bitterly between John Chapman's Great Indian Peninsular Railway and Rowland MacDonald Stephenson's East India Railway Company, which was merged with Dwarkanauth Tagore's Great Western of Bengal Railway. Even at the height of the Mutiny of 1857, Bahadur Shah Zafar promised Indian owned railway tracks for native merchants if Badshahi rule was restored in Delhi. From Jules Verne to Rudyard Kipling to Mark Twain to Rabindranath Tagore to Nirad C. Chaudhuri to R.K. Narayan and Ruskin Bond-the aura of Indian trains and railway stations have enchanted many writers and poets. With iconic cinematography from The Apu Trilogy, Aradhana, Sonar Kella, Sholay, Gandhi, Dil Se, Parineeta, Barfi, Gangs of Wasseypur, and numerous others, Indian cinema has paved the way for mythical railroads in the national psyche. The Great Indian Railways takes us on a historic adventure through many junctions of India's hidden railway legends, for the first time in a book replete with anecdotes from imperial politics, European and Indian accounts, the battlefronts of the Indian nationalist movement, Indian cinema, songs, advertisements, and much more, in an ever-expanding cultural biography of the Great Indian Railways. Dubbed as 'one of a kind' this awe-inspiring saga is 'compulsive reading.' 'In this fascinating cultural history, Arup K Chatterjee charts the extraordinary journey of the Indian Railways, from the laying of the very first sleeper to the first post-Independence bogey. It evokes our collective accumulation of those innumerable memories of platform chai and rail-gaadi stories, bringing alive through myriad voices and tales the biography of one of India's defining public institutions.' - Shashi Tharoor, Author, M.P., Lok Sabha 'The Great Indian Railways is a fascinating and well-researched cultural biography of the Indian Railways-those intricate arteries of the soul of India, as have been experienced, written, filmed, and dreamed. We cannot all travel by rail to know India, as Gandhiji did, but we can and should read this book!' - Tabish Khair, Author, Professor
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Getting India Back on Track : An Action Agenda for
Getting India Back on Track is a book for how Indian policymakers can help India return to the path of sustained economic growth and development. India is fallen behind from the amazing growth rates it enjoyed in the beginning of the 21st century. To make this happen, the government of India has to bring about a lot of reforms and reflect on its policy choices across a wide range of issues. This book coincides with the 2014 Indian elections to bring up a public debate on the reforms the new government should pursue in order for them to bring India back on the path of high growth. The book comprises of seventeen concise and focused memoranda, which will offer the readers a clear picture of India’s future. About the Authors Ashley J. Tellis is a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace which specializes in international security and Asian strategic issues. He was the senior advisor to the U. S. undersecretary of state for political affairs. He was also the senior advisor to the ambassador at the U.S. embassy in New Delhi. Bibek Debroy works as a professor at the Centre for Policy Research in New Delhi. Bibek has worked as a academician and for the government of India. He has been involved in several projects including the Legal Adjustments and Reforms for Globalising the Economy project and the Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor. Reece Trevor is working as a research assistant in the South Asia program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.