Inside Indian Schools: The Enigma of Equity and Quality
By Vimala Ramachandran
The book is a detailed, reflective and granular narrative of Ramachandran’s travels to the schools in which some of the poorest and most marginalised children study. She takes us into the Indian classroom to unpack fundamental assumptions about equity, quality and education. Learning outcomes are not the only things or even the first things that we should be concerned about. Discrimination at school occurs at the intersections of different identities: social group and community; poverty; academic performance; disability; and not least of all, gender.
Read Uma Mahadevan-Dasgupta's review here
A Century Is Not Enough
By Sourav Ganguly
A decade after he folded his Test whites, Ganguly opens up about a journey from a nervous first-timer in the India-shade in 1992 to the swansong that stretched into a few seasons of the Indian Premier League. His book, A Century Is Not Enough, co-authored with senior sports writer Gautam Bhattacharya, throws light upon the self-belief that powered Ganguly. The pan-India hero from Bengal, makes his template obvious in the preface: “From the outside most people see the adulation and hero worship but what does not get seen is the mind within.” Over 254 pages, Ganguly deconstructs his playing days and there is candour and the obvious never-say-die spirit.
Here is K.C. Vijaya Kumar's review of the book
Ballot : Ten Episodes That Have Shaped India’s Democracy
By Rasheed Kidwai
Rasheed Kidwai’s Ballot picks 10 era-defining elections, from the early 1950s, when India was a nascent democracy to the 2014 general election, when after 30 years of coalition politics, India saw a single party majority government at the Centre. His list of key elections also touches on State polls, showing their relevance now. He examines, for instance, the dramatic rise of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in 1982-83 as a strong regional force in Andhra Pradesh that ended Congress dominance. Kidwai’s style is breezy, anecdotal and full of interesting witticisms. The best chapter, however, is the one dealing with the two United Progressive Alliance governments that governed India between 2004 and 2014, of which the author had a ringside view.
Check out Nistula Hebbar's review
The Wounds of the Dead
By Vikram Paralkar
Vikram Paralkar, an oncologist and researcher with the University of Pennsylvania who specialises in studying hematopoiesis, seems particularly well-suited for navigating wounds, physically and philosophically. The Wounds of the Dead is equal parts speculative fiction, medical drama, and a philosophical treatise on death. In its early going, The Wounds of the Dead can be a little frustrating. The characters, none of whom go by names, can seem lifeless. The surgeon is an archetypical jerk with a heart of gold. As the story progresses, however, Paralkar’s skill becomes more evident as the characters reveal themselves in believably low-key ways. However, it’s when the details of the afterlife come in sharper focus that the novel really crackles.
Here is Karthik Shankar's review of the thriller novel
Only Child
By Rhiannon Navin
Rhiannon Navin’s debut novel about a mass shooting in a school and its aftermath was released on February 6 this year, only a week before the tragic shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Navin’s success lies in portraying a devastation so complete that it cancels out the possibility of any consolation. And in the novel, much like with the Parkland shooting, a child turns out to be the moral compass and the conscience of a nation. The novel has been criticised for completely blanking out on the gun control debate — it doesn’t so much as mention the National Rifle Association, for example.
Read Saurya Sengupta's review of the book here
All the Worlds Between
Edited by K. Srilata and Fióna Bolge
All the Worlds Between is a collaborative poetry project between India and Ireland. The book is an engaging and earnest attempt to bring unusual poetic partnerships together. The project is ambitious and risky in many ways. However, like all great adventures, this is a risk worth experiencing. To the reader: don’t go looking for poems or poets neatly arranged according to themes. There is chaos in this collaboration and that’s what appeals. Understandably, not all strands are equally powerful. But out of the themes, the strands that explore, home, belonging and identity stand out.
Check out the review of the anthology by Anupama Raju here.
