Mary Beard
Women & Power | Profile Books
Classicist, TV personality and feminist Mary Beard mines cultures high and low—literature, painting, ads, two-penny novels—as well as the stuff of public life (politics, economics and academia) to pin down the attitudes and assumptions at the root of misogyny, especially a continuing, age-old, male-dominated project of stifling female excellence. A stimulating read.
Ram Kamal Mukherjee
Sanjay Dutt: One Man, Many Lives | Rupa
The author considers Sanju Baba the most misunderstood man in Indian cinema and describes him as “a star kid who messed up, but eventually managed to set things right”. If that interests you, read the book to find out who he claims the “real” Sanjay Dutt is. Others might enjoy the Bollywood vignettes and yesteryear gossip.
Kiran Nirvan
21 Kesaris: The Untold Story of the Battle of Saragarhi | Bloomsbury
In the Battle of Saragarhi, 1897, 12 soldiers of the 36th Sikh regiment (now 4th Sikh) braved an onslaught of 10,000 Afghan warriors. The authors rely on colonial publications and information provided by members of 4th Sikh to relate the context, occurrences and aftermath of the battle. The concise account includes images, maps and biographical sketches of the soldiers.
