Writing proposals is one thing, but getting writers to deliver books on time is one helluva job. Of the five chosen for New India Foundation's fellowships from the hundreds of hopefuls, only two are showing some progress. One of the five, TV anchor Rajdeep Sardesai, dropped out because he couldn't give the full-time commitment the foundation was asking. This year's awardees will be announced in November last week when the prize for the best book will also be given. Those in the running: A Space of her Own: Personal Narratives of Twelve Women (ed. by Leela Gulati and Jasodhara Bagchi); Janaki Nair's The Promise of the Metropolis: Bangalore's Twentieth Century; Humra Quraishi's Kashmir: The Untold Story; Subhadra Menon's No Place to Go: Stories of Hope and Despair from India's Ailing Health Sector; and One Hundred Years, One Hundred Voices: the Millworkers of Girgaum by Meena Menon and Neera Adarkar.
Another big boost for non-fiction is round the corner with Random House all set to hold its first board meeting in Delhi on November 24-25. All eyes are on head honcho and publishing legend Sonny Mehta, who will be in Delhi to set up the house.
