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Books
]HT Picks; New Reads
Published on Mar 14, 2025 07:31 PM IST
On the reading list this week is an omnibus edition of Frank S Smythe’s writing that offers a view of early Himalayan exploration, a novel that looks at the very nature of love, and a collection of short stories that guides the reader to a greater understanding of the world
HT Team
Nirmala Lakshman: “We definitely are more accepting of people from outside”
Moving seamlessly from the past to the present and from the personal to the political, The Tamils, A Portrait of a Community demolishes stereotypes and celebrates the secular culture of Tamil Nadu
Published on Mar 14, 2025 07:29 PM IST
Aparna Karthikeyan
Review: Night in Delhi by Ranbir Sidhu
Contemporary noir with no interest in sanitising the messiness of life, Night in Delhi by Ranbir Sidhu follows an unnamed protagonist through the capital’s liminal spaces
Published on Mar 14, 2025 07:19 PM IST
Areeb Ahmad
Review: The Essential Ghalib by Anisur Rahman
Marked by a novel approach and presentation, Anisur Rahman’s ‘Essential Ghalib’ features 200 of the great poet’s verses in the Urdu original accompanied by Devnagri and Roman versions, a literal translation, and a fuller explanation
Updated on Mar 14, 2025 07:16 PM IST
Mahmood Farooqui
Report: Ami Arts Festival
From photography to exhibitions of Hindustani classical instruments, the festival celebrated self-expression in various forms
Published on Mar 13, 2025 12:59 PM IST
Of great poets and cursed books
The curious case of literary censorship in Urdu with special emphasis on the oeuvre of Mir Taqi Mir, one of the greatest poets of the language
Published on Mar 12, 2025 10:41 PM IST
Sadaf Fatima
Devashish Makhija: “I don’t hold back at all”
The maker of the critically acclaimed film ‘Joram’, on ‘Bewilderness’, his debut poetry collection and how different streams of his work influence each other.
Published on Mar 11, 2025 10:43 PM IST
Suhit Bombaywala
Review: ‘Swallowing The Sun’ by Lakshmi Murdeshwar Puri
Inspired by letters shared between the author’s parents, this debut novel set in the pre-Independence period features educated, empowered and independent women
Published on Mar 11, 2025 04:20 PM IST
Akankshya Abismruta
Jay Lemery: “Treating climate medicine as if it were a scam is horrible”
The co-author of ‘Enviromedics’ spoke about the field of climate medicine and the possible role that doctors can play within the debate on climate change
Published on Mar 10, 2025 04:18 PM IST
Review: The Rainbow Runners byDhrubajyoti Borah
Taking in the Brahmaputra plains and the verdant Himalayan ranges, this book by Dhrubajyoti Borah that the author has also translated from the original Assamese, presents the high cost of the violence experienced by the people of India’s northeast
Updated on Mar 07, 2025 10:50 PM IST
Thangkhanlal Ngaihte
Ira Mathur: “The dead do not leave us”
At the Jaipur Literature Festival, the author of ‘Love the Dark Days’, a memoir, recollects royal betrayals and a life far from her roots
Published on Mar 07, 2025 10:48 PM IST
Review: Learning From Silence by Pico Iyer
Pico Iyer’s latest book, which includes reflections drawn from three decades of retreats at a Benedictine monastery in California, is a call to engage more deeply with the world
Published on Mar 07, 2025 10:48 PM IST
Sanjay Sipahimalani
HT Picks; New Reads
On the reading list this week is an account of the imperial nature of World War 1 and its impact on anticolonial resistance in India, a book on Indian modernity, nationalism, and society as seen from the location of men in the home, and a sharp crime thriller with psychological depth
Published on Mar 07, 2025 10:48 PM IST
HT Team
Book Review: The Persians portrays Iran's rich history with dense prose
Author Sanam Mahloudji’s novel offers rich commentary on the identity and effects of the Iranian Revolution, but its demanding prose may turn off some readers.
Published on Mar 07, 2025 02:25 PM IST
Aadrika Sominder
Prakrit poetry for posterity
The Gatha Saptashati, an anthology of 700 poems on everything from nature and love to the general experiences of ordinary people, still enthrals
Published on Mar 07, 2025 11:01 AM IST
Emily Dickinson at work at home
No literary pilgrimage to Massachusetts can be complete without a visit to the Amherst home of one of the most important figures in American poetry
Published on Mar 06, 2025 03:35 PM IST
Teja Lele
Huma Qureshi – “Books can be an escape from the harsh truth of reality”
Writing became a natural calling during COVID, blending humor and gender fluidity in a narrative shaped by uncertainty. A second book is planned.
Updated on Mar 05, 2025 07:31 PM IST
Simar Bhasin
Review: A Touch of Salt by Anita Agnihotri
Translated from the original Bangla, this multigenerational story is an outstanding portrait of the salt makers of the Rann of Kutch
Published on Mar 05, 2025 07:30 PM IST
Lamat R Hasan
Twenty Years and Counting: The Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards
To mark its milestone anniversary, 10 remarkable plays nominated across 13 categories will be staged in New Delhi, followed by the awards ceremony.
Published on Mar 05, 2025 06:38 PM IST
Neha Kirpal
Matthieu Ricard: “Reducing all of Buddhism to mindfulness is far too simplistic”
A Vajrayana Buddhist monk of French heritage and a PhD in genetics, Matthieu Ricard is the author of ‘Notebooks of a Wandering Monk’. Here, he talks about mindfulness
Published on Mar 03, 2025 10:53 PM IST
Book Box: Why Handwriting (Still) Works
Handwriting assignments fostered authenticity and connection in students, enhancing creativity and learning, unlike digital submissions.
Updated on Mar 01, 2025 06:31 PM IST
HT Picks; New Reads
On the reading list this week is a detective story set in the Mughal era, a chronicle of the Urdu newspaper Pratap and its Hindi counterpart, Vir Pratap, and a book that discusses the melodic and rhythmic aspects of both Carnatic and Hindustani classical music
Published on Feb 28, 2025 11:50 PM IST
HT Team
Aakriti Mandhwani: “Dissent existed in the middlebrow”
The author of ‘Everyday Reading’ on the print culture that emerged in Hindi in the two decades after India’s independence that allowed for the articulation of alternatives to dominant national narratives
Published on Feb 28, 2025 11:49 PM IST
Syed Saad Ahmed
JLF 2025: Of Gaza, namaste etiquette and vanishing tents
While this year’s Jaipur Literature Festival had a diverse mix of eminent literary figures, Nobel laureates, and celebrities-turned-authors, it was the pro-Palestinian representation that made it stand out
Published on Feb 28, 2025 11:48 PM IST
Simar Bhasin
Review: Shooting Straight by Arjun Subramaniam
This military biography of Lt General Rostum K Nanavatty (Retd) presents his intellectual explorations and bold assertions about defence and security issues that continue to have a contemporary relevance
Published on Feb 28, 2025 11:45 PM IST
Sujan Chinoy
Review: Fang Si-Chi’s First Love Paradise by Lin Yi-Han
The novel presents the horrific interconnected stories of three women and exposes the amoral glob of public opinion.
Published on Feb 28, 2025 10:41 AM IST
Kartik Chauhan
Handmaid’s Tales
As a new era of political conservatism dawns, calls for restrictions on abortion have grown louder in some societies.
Updated on Feb 27, 2025 02:48 PM IST
Report: Shillong Literary Festival
The fourth edition of the festival, held at the city’s famous Ward’s Lake from 18 to 20 November 2024, celebrated regional voices from north east India
Published on Feb 26, 2025 04:46 PM IST
Goa’s Serendipity Arts Festival: pushing the boundaries of art
The latest edition of the festival featured diverse visual arts, theatre, dance and design projects in new, experimental and interactive formats
Published on Feb 25, 2025 08:00 PM IST
Riddhi Doshi
Review: Summer of Then by Rupleena Bose
With a protagonist who rages at the injustice of patriarchy and motherhood, this is a novel that captures the fears and ambitions of Indian middle-class women
Published on Feb 25, 2025 03:19 PM IST
Sharmistha Jha