'Scorpion', not 'Shiva lingam', is Tharoor's subject
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Consider the "scorpion sitting on the Shiva lingam" (icon of Lord Shiva, one of the Hindu Trinity) metaphor, for instance. It appears on page 81 and is used to convey the dilemma of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) -- the BJP's ideological parent -- with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The comparison, in the first place, is not Tharoor's, but that of an unnamed RSS leader, quoted in an article that appeared in 2012, six years ago, in Caravan magazine.
A political theorist's act of resistance against his Partition ghost
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The author grew up in a small town in Assam and one of his father's friend, a retired railway employee, was a frequent visitor to their house. For reasons yet incomprehensible to the then young lad, this old man, and his politically sanctioned method, would cast a harrowing shadow on his upbringing.
A writer at peace with himself -- and nature -- in a broken world
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In the memoir, Bond wonders if his life would have been very different had his parents "not committed the mistakes and indiscretions that shaped their lives and mine and lives of my brother and sister". Here, those who have read his previous works would recall the not-so-successful marriage of Bond's parents -- Aubrey Bond and Edith Clarke.
One woman's incredible story of defiance
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Iranian journalist and activist Masih Alinejad's incredible story of fighting for what she believed in and how she founded a major movement for women around the world with the simple removal of her hijab, is captured in her aptly titled memoir, "The Wind In My Hair", out this month in India.
The long and difficult journey back home - or what was home
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It is this inexorable truth of life that former diplomat Prabhu Dayal portrays in his second work, a novella which is poignant and heart-wrenching but also showcases hope, and how kindness and generosity -- no matter how expressed -- can be encountered as often as cruelty and self-interest.
Understanding Gandhi, as the dissenter
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The first part of the book explores the formulation of disobedience throughout history by looking at and critically examining works by scholars and thinkers such as Henry David Thoreau, who was himself one of the greatest influences on Gandhi's practise of nonviolence and disobedience; George Woodlock, who declared that humanity would not be enslaved so long as men continued to disobey; and, among others, Greek-French philosopher Cornelius Castoriadis, best known for authoring "The Imaginary Institution of Society".
The mean, tough war machine and its complex course
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Their entire story, which dates from much before they first trundled on to the battlefield in World War I -- as this book shows -- hinges on the development and interplay of these attributes: Mobility, protection, firepower and communication.
Non-cooperation, revenge and WMDs in 1920s Calcutta
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Captain Sam Wyndham of the city CID finds himself tasked with dealing with all three matters in the third installment of Abir Mukherjee's thrilling and well-researched historical crime series.
Monkey business and more: Proving intelligence in animals
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Beginning with his own experiences of watching a female chimpanzee transport her bedding outside and an other one taught to raise an orphan - a time-consuming affair - say goodbye to the others before heading for her "duty", he however notes that there are still those who would question the mental capability of animals, despite the experiences and experiments of scientists studying the matter.
AI, analytics not the fiefdom of a few businesses
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On the face of it, only a few tech giants like Google, Apple, Facebook or Amazon seem to be ready to maximise the adoption of analytics and AI and reap their benefits.
