What India Is Reading

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Jaswant Singh, Cousins and Strangers by Chris Patten

This may be as close as he’ll ever get to an autobiography, but that’s only one chapter. The rest is a fascinating analysis of America, Britain and Europe in the 21st century. I’m also reading Mao—The Unknown Story by Jung Chang and Jon Halliday and A Writer at War by Vasily Grossman. This is a translation from Russian banned in the USSR. Grossman reported on the Red Army from 1941 to 1945 for the authorities, but still managed to write the most moving, brilliant account of war I’ve ever read.

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Shyam Benegal, Identity and Violence: The illusion of destiny by Amartya Sen

I read everything by Sen almost reflexively and although I roughly know what he’s going to say, I’m impressed with the way he contextualises. He has a marvellous way of looking at the world: urbane, civilised but most importantly, as a concerned individual. I’m also reading Sri Lanka: Voices from a War Zone by Nirupama Subramaniam, an exceptionally fine book, written with compassion. It’s an insight into what it is like for people living in internal exile and the character of the LTTE.

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E. Sreedharan, Srimad Bhagavatam

I’m reading Srimad Bhagavatam in Sanskrit, highly inspiring in both the message it conveys and how it helps in drawing from the age-old wisdom of the country. I also keep re-reading the Bhagwad Gita every morning. Although it loses something in translation, I’ve circulated an English version—Gita Makaranda by Swami Vidyaprakashnanda—to everyone at Delhi Metro.