Book Review Archives - Page 2 of 9

09 Sep

‘India will have to rethink its growth model in post-corona world’

New Delhi: Being shaped by the broad trends in the global environment caused by Covid-19, India will have to rethink its growth model as following the "post-1991 mantras" makes "little sense" with a greater emphasis needed on self-reliance. This is all the more so in a scenario where plurilateralism will increasingly replace multilateralism, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar writes in his new book, "The India Way – Strategies For An Uncertain World" that encompasses a wide canvas of issues. "India too will be shaped by the broad trends in the global environment that the coronavirus will intensify. But more than that,…

16 Jul

Yashwant Sinha laments steady erosion of Indian institutions

New Delhi: He has been a keen observer of the Indian scene for over five decades, the first 24 of them as a member of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and thereafter as a politician -- first with the Janata Party, then the Janata Dal and finally with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Along the way he became the first non-Congress Finance minister to present five regular budgets and two interim budgets. Now, as he contemplates the past after quitting the BJP last year, Yashwant Sinha laments the increasing politicisation of the bureaucracy and the steady erosion of Indian institutions. "Since…

10 May

Of transformation, Buddhist monks and Kaifi Azmi

New Delhi: This weekend, go through the fictional story of a woman with unexpected inheritances and the transformation that ensued; travel with a Buddhist monk who decided to venture out of his comfortable monkhood; and finally in the 100th year of Kaifi Azmis birth, read some of his greatest poems and 'nazms'. 1. Book: Small Days and Nights; Author: Tishani Doshi; Publisher: Bloomsbury; Price: Rs 499; Pages: 261 Written by Forward Prize-winning author Tishani Doshi, "Small Days and Nights" is the story of a woman caught in a moment of transformation, and the sacrifices we make to forge lives that have…

08 May

Jallianwala Bagh massacre changed Gandhi from “Empire loyalist” to opponent of British: Book

New Delhi: Mahatma Gandhi's maiden visit to the Punjab in the aftermath of Jallianwala Bagh massacre changed him from an "Empire loyalist" to the "implacable opponent" of the British rule, contends a book published on the occasion of the centenary anniversary of the incident. The book named 'Martyrdom to Freedom', which is edited by Rajesh Ramachandran, Editor of Tribune, has several chapters written by scholars, historians, and a former diplomat. In one of the chapters, historian Ramachandra Guha says Gandhi was shaken after officials behind the massacre were not punished despite him recommending that "both General (Reginald) Dyer, the Butcher of…

26 Apr

Of decluttering, translated cultures and business wisdom

New Delhi: Learn how outer order can spell peace for your inner calm and productivity; Read a translated love story that travelled from Persia to medieval Kashmir and eventually to the modern day; And finally, flick through the words of wisdom of some of the greatest business minds, including Azim Premji and J.R.D. Tata. The IANS Bookshelf has varied titles to offer this weekend. 1. Book: Outer Order Inner Calm; Author: Gretchen Rubin; Publisher: Hachette; Price: Rs 499; Pages: 216 A messy desk, crowded closet or jumbled-up handbag may seem like a trivial problem, yet getting control of the stuff of…

18 Jan

Is Xi-ism the new doctrine of Communism?

Book:Inside the Mind of Xi Jinping; Author: Francois Bougon; Publisher: Westland Publications; Pages: 181; Price: Rs 599 With Xi Jinping being named President of China for life, a new book explores whether a new doctrine called "Xi-ism" has been etched into Communist political theory.In "Inside the Mind of Xi Jinping", author Francois Bougon tries to explain that Xi-ism is "perhaps something similar to Maoism - that sinified version of Marxism-Leninism - that once appealed to so many Western youths". Bougon, an economics correspondent at French daily Le Monde who also served as the Beijing correspondent of Agence France-Presse, points out…

21 Dec

Modi obsessed with creating history everyday: Sinha

New Delhi: Modi is obsessed with creating history everyday and if he can become the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Timbuktu he would do so whether it is necessary and impactful or not, says former Union Minister Yashwant Sinha. There is one thing he has done which no Prime Minister has done before -- he has taken most of the existing government programmes and renamed them, so that the credit and glory accumulate to him, observes the former BJP leader in his book "India Unmade: How Modi Government Broke The Economy", a devastating essay on Modi and his government in…

20 Dec

Markets don’t repeat trends, they rhyme

Book: Mastering the Market Cycle; Author: Howard Marks, Publisher: Hachette India; Pages: 315; Price: Rs 699 In his new book "Mastering the market cycle", Howard Marks, one of the most successful investment managers, attempts to explain what makes and breaks the market and why economics and business never move in a straight line.Mark's client memos are widely read by professionals in the field. He previously wrote "The Most Important Thing", published in 2011, consisting of 20 investment insights. In "Mastering the Market Cycle", he focuses on investor behavior which, according to him, is the key to understanding the highs and…

14 Dec

When the story of your suffering is the best weapon you have

Book: The Last Girl; Author: Nadia Murad; Publisher: Vergo Press/Hachette India; Pages: 306; Price: Rs 499 She suffered at the hands of the Islamic State, was held captive as a sex slave, but went on to become a human rights campaigner and was awarded the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize jointly with Congolese Denis Mukwege. In her memoir, "The Last Girl", Nadia Murad recalls the dreadful sequence of events that led to her captivity and reflects on the life she has been leading thereafter. It is a painful story, of a life shattered all of a sudden, that left Murad with…

28 Nov

Emotions of an introvert – and a cricket legend

Title: 281 and Beyond; Author: V.V.S. Laxman with R. Kaushik; Publisher: Westland Sport; Pages: 309; Price: Rs 699 Autobiographies of sportspersons evoke curiosity among sports lovers and fans but when it is penned by someone who remained an introvert throughout his playing career, it is bound to heighten their curiosity. V.V.S. Laxman, who kept his distance from controversy, has laid bare various emotions he had gone through in his arduous journey to become one of the best batsmen India ever produced. Coming from a conservative, middle-class family in Hyderabad, Laxman never allowed his emotions to show, either on or off…