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Our Hindu Rashtra What It Is How We Got Here
India has taken so sharp a turn in recent years that the very centre has shifted considerably. What led to this swing? Is it possible to trace the path to this point? Is there a way back to the just, secular, inclusive vision of our Constitution-makers? This country has long been an outlier in its South Asian neighbourhood, with its inclusive Constitution and functioning democracy. The growth of Hindutva, in some sense, brings India in line with the other polities here. In Our Hindu Rashtra, writer and activist Aakar Patel peels back layer after layer of cause and effect through independent India’s history to understand how Hindutva came to gain such a hold on the country. He examines what it means for India that its laws and judiciary have been permeated by prejudice and bigotry, what the breach of fundamental rights portends in these circumstances, and what the all-round institutional collapse signifies for the future of Indians. Most importantly, Patel asks and answers that most important of questions: what possibilities exist for a return? Thought-provoking and pulling no punches, this book is an essential read for anyone who wishes to understand the nature of politics in India and, indeed, South Asia.
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Why I Write : Essays by Saadat Hasan Manto
One of the greatest raconteurs of 20th century, Saadat Hasan Manto declares that he was forced to write when his wife routinely demanded that he put bread on the table for the family. He doesn't attribute any genius to his skills as a writer and convinces his readers that the stories flowed even as he minded his daughters or tossed a salad. Equally, Manto treats his tryst with Bollywood with disdain and unmasks the cardboard lives of tinsel town when a horse is painted to double up for a zebra or multiple fans rotate to create a deluge. Two of Mantos favourite and recurring themes-women and Partition - find special mention as he brings to focus the bizarre morality in the context of feminine beauty and the futile presence of religiosity in the creation of a nation he was to adopt later in life. For the first time ever, this unique collection of non-fiction writing from the subcontinents greatest writer, translated by well known author and journalist, Aakar Patel showcases Saadat Hasan Mantos brilliance while dealing with lifes most mundane things-graveyards, bumming cigarettes, a film crew with motley characters from mythology and a sharp dissection of what ails the subcontinent even after 6 decades - Hindi or Urdu, vile politicians and the hopelessness of living under the shadow of fear. About the Author Aakar Patel has worked in the textile industry and in journalism. He has edited newspapers in English and Gujarati for the Dainik Bhaskar Group and for the Mid Day Group, where he also oversaw the Urdu daily, Inquilab. He writes columns for the Mint Lounge and Express Tribune, published from Pakistan.