BOOKS TO LOOK OUT FOR THIS WEEK

Buddha in Gandhara

Sunita Dwivedi

‘Buddha in Gandhara’ by Sunita Dwivedi presents the saga of ancient Buddhist cities of Gandhara—a region that extended from north-western Pakistan to eastern and north-eastern Afghanistan. The book tells stories of cities that once dotted the highroad connecting India with Central Asia and China. It traces the network of Asian trade routes that nourished these cities with goods, people and ideas. The book also puts a spotlight on the magnificent art of Gandhara that still clings to the ruins of these heritage cities and also those that are showcased in the museums of Asia and Europe.

5 Minutes

Vrinda Singh

‘5 Minutes’ gives you the analogous experience except everything happens in your imagination, that alternates between making you feel excited and exhilarated, happy and sad, disappointed and desperate, like in just 5 minutes. It comprises the author’s collection of various real-life incidents divided into 16 chapters which are fast-paced and grounded in reality. The author also portrays the existing discrimination of the females in this patriarchal society and the fight-back. This book will make you question- the cost we pay for falling in love, the sacrifices we make to keep our friendships upright or of being a responsible daughter. There’s a twist at the end.

Excess Baggage

Richa S. Mukherjee

‘Excess Baggage’ by Richa S. Mukherjee is the story of love, hope and discovery, coated in intense laughter. It depicts the story of an unconventional family, a mother and daughter who are constantly at loggerheads owing to the baggage of their painful past and the incongruent choices that they have made through life. When the quarrelling women unexpectedly become travel partners, they embark on a journey that will force them to revaluate their lives and relationships. In these uncertain and unnerving times, this book, armed with wanderlust, witticisms and warmth will leave you chortling with happiness.

Bleeding India: Four Aggressors, Thousand Cuts

Binay Kumar Singh

The book examines the conspiracies entered into by four forces inimical to India’s growth and civilisational ethos—comprising Communists, Islamic extremists, proselytising Christian missionaries and media-foreign NGO-human rights nexus—to inflict injuries on India. Taking into account some of the most important incidents like the activities of Popular Front of India (PFI), the issue of Rohingyas, Patthalgadi of Jharkhand and even blasts in Sri Lanka, it analyses various activities and ventures of the four groups, and draws a pattern between what seem like disparate events threatening India’s security and culture but have a connection, as all these four seem to have drawn a common minimum programme—to make India bleed.