The book in my hand

A weekly column on what celebrities are reading and planning to read.

Shyam Benegal

After having made a film on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, I just found myself reading Netaji: Living Dangerously by Kingshuk Nag, who forwarded the book to me. I think it is sound history packed in the book, and I liked it for not compromising on facts. Bose fascinated me as a subject for my film. The other book I have just started dipping into is Nidhi Dugar Kundalia’s The Lost Generation: Chronicling India's Dying Professions. She is chronicling how India is slowly losing professions which make the country unique and distinct. I am looking forward to reading this book.

(Shyam Benegal is one of India’s leading filmmakers. He is a recipient of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award)

Dipankar Gupta

Three books that impressed me are Triumph of the City (Edward Glaeser), The Creative City (Charles Landry) and The Second Machine Age (Erik Brynjolfsson, Andrew McAfee). The first makes a strong case for high-rises which have a smaller carbon footprint and are safer and convenient for citizens. The Creative City ranks cities according to the Bohemian Index, Cool Index and Gay Index — so if you tick on all three, you are in the right direction. The Second Machine Ageexamines everyday matters which computers cannot replace. I also finished reading The Lost Detective: Becoming Dashiell Hammett by Nathan Ward.

(Dipankar Gupta is a sociologist)