Bibliofile

By Ladies’ Fingers

Journalist Tavleen Singh’s book Durbar is the hot topic of discussion in the Delhi cocktail circuit these days. Suddenly, the shelves are overflowing with books by women journalists. Seema Mustafa’s Azadi’s Daughter: Journey of a Liberal Muslim came out last month. On a similar theme is In Good Faith: A Journey in Search of an Unknown India by Outlook’s own Saba Naqvi. TV’s Barkha Dutt is giving the final touches to her This Unquiet Land: Dispatches from India’s Fault Lines. Mumbai-based writer Shabnam Minwalla’s delightful The Six Spellmakers of Dorabji Street is just out. Aarthi Ramachandran’s biography of Rahul Gandhi came out recently, and the grand lady of Delhi’s fourth estate, Malvika Singh, is said to be keying in her memoirs.

Terror Gateway

After the gripping Dongri to Dubai, on Dawood’s life and times, Hussain Zaidi has come up with Headley and I (HarperCollins), written with Rahul Bhatt (filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt’s son), whom Headley befriended. An editor working on the book says Headley used only cusswords to refer to the Indian security forces, which had to be left out. The striking-looking Headley—tall and big, red-faced, blond, one eye blue another brown—would land up at Gateway of India by boat at odd hours; not once was he stopped. Of course, these could be a terrorist bragging.

Jack Be Nimble

Seen at the back of a Delhi autorickshaw: ‘Lee Child—A New Jack Reacher Thriller, Get a Copy Now’. American thrillers have always been popular here but an ad for a bestseller on an auto is perhaps a first.