Book Reviews

Swadeshi Steam, the iconic shipping line, was a symbol of doughty economic nationalism in the early 20th century. Its failure tells us much about the contradictions of the anti-colonial movement.

An analysis of Hindutva popular culture in the small towns of north India explores its performers, audiences, and the resources supporting it. Seemingly simple songs by ordinary people fuel powerful…

When foods become metaphors for human relationships, stories about eating reflect memories of bonding, care, and solidarity.

India’s foremost ecologist weaves a personal love letter to India’s biodiversity, through an eyewitness account of 80 years of ecological change. It explores the intricate connections between humans…

‘A spectrum of political and ideological positions, apparent in the arguments made and critiques offered’, are contained in the essays in this volume on the epics.

The complex pasts of the subcontinent come together usefully in a volume for the lay reader.

An elegant restatement of the need for appropriate policy to accelerate India’s development falls short of offering a detailed plan.

‘Development as Swaraj’ champions the untapped potential of the idea of swaraj as a different path to progress. Showcasing one example of a cooperative khadi unit, it criticises today’s development…

Prabir Purkayastha's memoirs and Sudha Bharadwaj's account of her time in Yerawada jail are reflections of two brave individuals who have spent their lives fighting for truth and justice,…

The rural and the urban have been seen as separate; one backward, the other a symbol of progress. Yet their fates are intimately linked.