By John Cheeran How did Roger become Federer? This is the central question that New York Times’s sportswriter Christopher Clarey explores in his outstanding book, The Master, the Brilliant Career of Roger Federer (Published by Hachette India, Pages 421, Price Rs 799). This is a must-read for sports lovers and, also, for those who want
Editor | Culture Here is a delectable anthology of food writing exploring the histories and cultures of Muslim South Asia. Contributors include Nadeem Aslam, Rana Safvi, Tabish Khair, Annie Zaidi, Sarvat Hasin, Tarana Husain Khan, Sadaf Hussain, Rosie Dastgir, and others. The kitchen is often the heart of South Asian homes. Muslim South Asian kitchens,
Editor | History During the colonial period in India, European scholars, British officials, and elite Indian intellectuals—philologists, administrators, doctors, ethnologists, sociologists, and social critics—deployed ideas about sexuality to understand modern Indian society. In Indian Sex Life, Durba Mitra shows how deviant female sexuality, particularly the concept of the prostitute, became foundational to this knowledge project
Editor | History Did Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s wife, Ruttie, impact the creation of Pakistan? Did she have a posthumous influence on Pakistan’s polity? Does her legacy still affect Indo-Pak relations? Ruttie Jinnah was a fierce nationalist in her own right, and a proactive political companion to her husband. According to Jinnah’s contemporary political leader Sarojini
By Editor | Religion The one certainty in life, the one appointment which each of us will just have to face, is the one for which we do the least to prepare—death. From the lives and last days of the Buddha, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Ramana Maharshi, Gandhiji, Vinoba; from our religious texts; from the teachings of
(Book Review | Cricket 2.0, Inside The T20 Revolution) By John Cheeran Is T20, cricket or an altogether a different game, carved out from the rib cage of Test and ODI cricket? Yes, say Tim Wigmore and Freddie Wilde, considering the 13-year-old evolution of the newbie, in their meticulously researched and brilliantly argued book, Cricket
By John Cheeran If only religion could resolve men’s troubles. Now here is a film about a film that is in the making exclusively for a religious community—meeting all the safety standards of the sensitive community, unspoilt by the intrusion of other men, women or any other creatures. Totally halal. Oru Halal Love Story has
Book: Chandra Shekhar And The Six Months That Saved India | Author Roderick Matthews By John Cheeran When Chandra Shekhar stepped up to become India’s eighth prime minister on 10 November 1990, he was writing his political obituary. What had sustained the politics of this former Congressman was anti-Congressism, since 1977. Now, he was being
By A Correspondent New Delhi: As the Covid‐19 pandemic is exacting its toll on the global economy, forward‐looking organizations are moving past crisis management and positioning themselves to leap ahead when the worst is over. What should you and your organization be doing now to address today’s unprecedented challenges while laying the foundation needed to
Editor | Sport Why is Royal Challengers Bangalore one of the worst-performing teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL), despite having batsman like A.B. de Villiers and Chris Gayle, and being captained by Virat Kohli? On the other hand, why is Chennai Super Kings (CSK) one of the best-performing teams, despite boasting fewer superstars and
