For those who carry the scars of Partition, more than seven decades after arbitrary lines scarred the subcontinent, home is still on the other side of the Padma river. They pine for those who were left behind as a great mass of humanity moved from the east to the west of Bengal to settle in Hindu-majority India. Where are they today in the land that was then east Bengal, which became East Pakistan in 1947, and then Bangladesh in 1971?According to an estimate from the Bangladesh Bur...

'When the house of history is on fire, journalists are often the first-responders, pulling victims away from the flames. Deep Halder is one of them.' - Amitava KumarIn 1978, around 1.5 lakh Hindu refugees, mostly belonging to the lower castes, settled in Marichjhapi an island in the Sundarbans, in West Bengal. By May 1979, the island was cleared of all refugees by Jyoti Basu's Left Front government. Most of the refugees were sent back to the central India camps they came from, but there we...

On 20 May 2011, Mamata Banerjee was sworn in as the first female chief minister of West Bengal, bringing an end to thirty-three years of CPI(M) rule. 'Poriborton!' screamed the morning papers, echoing Trinamool Congress's catchphrase for bringing in change. A decade later, amidst allegations against the TMC of political violence, syndicate rule and institutional corruption, the Bharatiya Janata Party has sent out a new war cry. Ahead of what promises to be a historic state Legislative Asse...

This is India's first English translation of Mamata Banerjee's memoirs. Based on her previous writings in Bengali, this succint account spans through her life, right from her youth to her political career. Her humble upbringing comes to the forefront as she expresses her innate desire to nurture her political career with her values. A journey into the life of one of India's most renowned politicians, this memoir is poignant and forthright account of her trials and tribulations, which have ...

'When a Gandhi dies, nobody is safe.''When a Gandhi dies, nobody is safe.' An assassination and a romance. A hijacking, several nuclear explosions and a religious experience ... just some of the ingredients in the latest tour de force from the bestselling author of the Carpet Wars. In the searing summer of 2004, Christopher Kremmer returns to India, a country in the grip of enormous and sometimes violent change. As a young reporter in the 1990s, he first encountered this ancient and...

The incredible story of what makes Narendra Modi a potential prime ministerial candidate. As he overcomes resistance from within his own party, from various factions of the Sangh Parivar and from his political opponents. A fascinating account of what it takes to be mass leader.

A journey into today's India through essays, photography, and more, shortlisted for a 2022 Edward Stanford Travel Writing Award.Since its earliest interactions with the West, India has been the object of a gross misinterpretation, a vague association with ideas of peace, spiritualism, the magic of the fakirs. Constantly reframed and mythologized by Westerners fleeing their supposedly rationalist societies, India continues to fascinate with its millennia-old history,...

Interest in India has never been greater. Here Shashi Tharoor, one of the subcontinent’s most respected writers and diplomats, offers precious insights into this complex, multifaceted land, which despite its dazzling diversity of languages, customs, and cultures remains-more than sixty years after its founding-the world’s largest democracy. He describes the vast changes that have transformed this once sleeping giant into a world leader in science and technology, a nation once poverty-stric...

The thirty-year-long civil war in Sri Lanka which ended in 2009 shook the island-nation. Now there is peace, rapid development - and a new government. But questions remain. What do Tamils and Sinhalese feel about their new country? What are their dreams for the future?Sri Lanka: The New Country is insightful and unusual reportage from the dispassionate eye of a foreign correspondent who covered the bloody conflict for two decades. It is anecdotal narrative at its best: about ordinary Sri L...

One of this century's greatest surprises has been the economic and social revolution in India. A country long characterized by such adjectives as 'timeless', 'spiritual' and 'backward' is now viewed through a new set of clichés: 'hi-tech', 'materialistic', 'go-getting'. But what is the real nature of this rapid change, and what are its roots?Patrick French has spent much of his life engaged with India, and his landmark new book is filled with the qualities that have won his writing...

In this amazing eBook you can find more than one hundred facts about the country of India. Separated into sections such as its geography, its landmarks, famous Indian figures from history and many more you will find some fascinating information inside! Whether you are planning on visiting India, working on a geography project or just want to know more about this beautiful country, this is an excellent addition to your bookshelf. Find the information you need, fast!

A level 4 Factfiles Oxford Bookworms Library graded reader. This version includes an audio book: listen to the story as you read. Written for Learners of English by Rowena Akinyemi. Who will speak for the poor? Who will listen to slaves, and those who have no rights? Who will work for a future where everyone is equal? Who will give up his house, job, and money to fight for people who are shut out by everyone else? ‘I will,’ said Mohandas Gandhi. And he began to fight in a way the world had...