Kiran Nagarkar
The Arsonist | Juggernaut
Nagarkar’s last book is an inspired, contemporary retelling of the poet-saint Kabir’s life. ‘The Weaver’, the protagonist of the novel, is a rebel, a “man with more questions than answers” navigating a society beset by corruption, institutionalised hatred and environmental destruction. The author deftly weaves piquant observations on the state of the world and Kabir’s mystical poetry into the novel.
Shiromi Pinto
Plastic Emotions | Penguin
A debut novel inspired by the life of Minnette De Silva, a trailblazing architect from Sri Lanka who is hailed as a feminist icon. It explores the protagonist’s ambition and passion for her craft and her affair with Le Corbusier, the great modernist architect. The lush narrative, drifting from Colombo to London, Paris, Chandigarh and Kandy, is interspersed with epistolary exchanges between Minnette and Le Corbusier.
Sukanya Rahman
Dancing In The Family | Speaking Tiger
In the 1920s, Esther Luella became besotted with Indian dance and changed her name to Ragini Devi. As a fortune-teller predicted, her daughter Indrani Rahman’s fame would eclipse hers. Sukanya, Indrani’s child and a dancer too, chronicles the fascinating story of the “first family of Indian dance” across three generations. Equally interesting is the collection of photos dating back to 1893.
