Book Review: India's War - The Making of Modern South Asia, 1939-1945 by Srinath Raghavan

India's War: The Making of Modern South Asia, 1939-1945 by Srinath Raghavan

⭐⭐⭐⭐✰ Worth Reading

A French writer once asked: What made France a nation? He listed three factors – the French educational system, the French Army, and the French middle classes. In the Indian context, the Second World War served as a crucible for nation-making through different mechanisms. 

This is well documented in the book, India's War: The Making of Modern South Asia, 1939-1945. The book is an essential read for anyone interested in India’s involvement in World War II. Covering key wars and military operations, the book sheds light on the evolution of India's armed force & it’s the political, economic, monetary, and social impact on the nation.

The war mobilized over 2.5 million Indian soldiers between 1939 to 1945, and India underwent an extraordinary and irreversible change due to World War II. Hundreds of thousands of Indians suddenly found themselves in uniform, fighting in a global conflict. The book explains how the Indian Army evolved during World War II. Initially, the army was a colonial force serving British interests. But by the end of the war, the army had become a skilled and powerful fighting force. Indian soldiers fought in important battles across North Africa, Italy, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. When Srinath Raghavan covers legendary battles of Imphal & Kohima, he dives into the heart of the battles and shows his military chops.

During World War II, the Indian National Congress (INC) first fought against British rule with peaceful protests, led by Mahatma Gandhi. In 1942, they started the Quit India Movement, asking the British to leave India immediately. The Congress did not support the war unless they were consulted. Despite this, many Indian soldiers and workers—over two and a half million—joined the war effort. The author establishes how the rise of the Muslim League and de-mobilization of the army veterans post 1945 and heightened tensions between Hindu-Muslims eventually led to India’s Partition. The author deserves praise for explaining all this so well.

The book highlights the Indian National Army (INA)  took a different approach and led India’s fight for independence under Subhas Chandra Bose. The INA fought alongside Japan against the British to liberate India. The book’s detailed discussion of Burma Campaign also offers an interesting lens on how Bose’s vision of armed resistance gained traction among some sectors of Indian society, even though the INA faced defeat.

The British Raj, which controlled India, was more than just a colonial entity during World War II. The book shows how the British Raj functioned like a "mini empire" of its own and became a vital part of the British Empire's war strategy.  The book clearly explains the urgent demands of military modernization and the wartime governance. 

The book also explores lesser-known aspects of the war economy explaining the heavy economic exploitation by the British government and yet the foundation for future industrial growth in India after the war. The British used Indian resources (both manpower and materials) to support their war efforts. While industries grew to support the war, rural India continued to suffer from poverty, hunger, and inflation.

India served as a major base for U.S. operations, receiving machinery, munitions, textiles, steel production equipment, locomotives, and various supplies to support Allied forces in the Burma-China-India theater.  The book shows how industrialization leads to creation of new working-class in India.  The author highlights that the war put a lot of economic pressure on India and showed conflicts in British rule. This pushed different groups in India to come together with a shared hope for independence. 

At times, the dense historical detail in the book may challenge casual readers, but it rewards those seeking depth. Beyond recounting South Asian history, the book compels readers to reflect on the war efforts and political transformation of India.  The book stands out as a compelling account of World War II from Indian perspective, offering both historical depth and political economy insights.

Book Review: Among the Believers: An Islamic Journey

Among the Believers: An Islamic Journey by V. S. Naipaul

⭐⭐⭐⭐✰ Worth Reading

History bears out the proposition that political revolutions have always been preceded by social and religious revolutions.  In Bangladesh, a significant number of people have converted to Islam over centuries, particularly during the medieval period when the region was influenced by conquest of Muslim rulers and proselytization by Sufi saints.

Today, there has been the rapid rise of radicalism in Bangladesh with the ouster of ex-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the student protest.  The protest has now been hijacked by Islamic extremists. Over the years, there was a surge in madrasas, and this has led to growing religious fanaticism, with zealots aggressively pushing an Islamist agenda. With Islamist influence in power, Bangladesh is modifying national identity by erasing symbols of its secular past, including the removal of statues of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and attacking Hindu minority. 

The explanation about such rapid religious radicalism of Bangladesh or any more such converted societies is relevant to book published in 1981, Among the Believers: An Islamic Journey by the Nobel laureate V. S. Naipaul. The book is a controversial and critical travelogue in nature. The book describes a six-month journey across the Asian continent after the Iranian Revolution across Iran, Pakistan, Malaysia and Indonesia. These countries were originally Zoroastrian, Buddhist, Hindu and pagan. The history of these nations is built on conquest and conversion where a diverse and cutting-edge center of learning and trade during its time become engulfed by Islamic ideology. Through interviews and personal observations, Naipaul effort to understand societies conquered by Islam and the religious zeal gripping youth in these societies. The theme of the book is a study of capturing deep cultural and political shifts in the Muslim world post Iranian revolution. 

The author explains the crux of Islamic extremism as a form of ideological imperialism that denies the complex histories and cultures of converted peoples. The people who converted to Islam were encouraged to act like Arabs and follow their strict ways. The descendent of these converts started to forget and ignore their own rich history and culture. In the minds of these believers, being conquered by the Arabs and becoming like them is still seen as a way to be saved.

Naipaul observed that before 1979, there was two simultaneous spark of revolutions in Iran—communist and Islamic—both driven by utopianism. Naipaul visits Iran shortly after the success of Islamic Revolution. The revolution against Shah gained broad support to Ayatollah by promising a return to traditional values and social justice based on religion. After the revolution, Iran became an Islamic Republic, and communism lost influence in the country. Naipaul depicts a nation living through a dystopian dream. Although the official rhetoric had changed, the torture and executions didn't stop.  

Naipaul travels to Pakistan and make sweeping conclusion. He notes that Pakistan was born amid sectarian bloodshed and political chaos. Within a decade, the fragile democracy was overtaken by military rule, following the hanging of Pakistan’s prime minister in a coup three years earlier. Much attention in the book is drawn to the Muslim invasion of the Indian subcontinent, especially the Arab conquest of Sindh, which Naipaul describes as a foundational event shaping the collective psyche. Naipaul highlights how this narrative of conquest is seen by many in Pakistan and Bangladesh as a moment of salvation and religious dominance continues to fuel political Islam in contemporary Pakistan. 

Naipaul further travels to Malayasia and Indonesia situated in South-east Asia. Naipaul further describes Malaysia as a place where Islam initially blended easily with local customs and beliefs, creating a mixed or syncretic faith. However, this changed as missionaries arrived from Pakistan aiming to purify Islam and make it more orthodox. Many young Malays who studied abroad came back to their villages calling for stricter religious observance. 

Regarding Indonesia, Naipaul notes its history of cultural influence by Hinduism and Buddhism but highlights how youth movements sparked widespread Islamic conversions. Today, about 90% of Indonesians are Muslim. While Indonesia is constitutionally secular, religion plays a strong role the legal systems and the application of sharia law are common concerns.

Naipaul identifies Islam as a political and social system in ways other religions are not by delivering few strong messages. One, Islam’s message of equality often drew in poor and marginalized communities looking for dignity. Two, many converts saw Islam as a way to resist the dominance of traditional power. And three, by asking converts to reject their pre-Islamic past, the Islam turn them into more passionate believers than native Arabs themselves.

Jihad does not spring due to the lack of economic or social upliftment but their plain and simple aim of degrading the secular state and establishing sharia rule. Naipaul explains that Islamic extremism often arises among young people searching for identity, influenced by madarsa education and a desire for pure faith, yet it also creates conflict with ideas of modernity, culture, and politics. The brilliance of the book is in showing how extremism grew in some Islamic societies during the 1970s. Irrespective of personal expectations, this is no doubt an important book, but only as a starting point.  Highly recommended reading for the persons interested in Islamic societies. 

Book Review: Mera Dagistan by Rasul Gamzatov

My Dagestan (Мой Дагестан) (Avar: Дир Дагъистан) by Rasul Gamzatov.

The book was translated in English in 1970 by Julius Katzer and Dorian Rottenberg.

⭐⭐⭐⭐✰ Worth Reading

Let me speak of Dagestan—a rugged land along North Caucasus of Eastern Europe and the western shore of the Caspian Sea. The word Dagestan is of Turkish and Persian origin, directly translating to "land of the mountains".  The land has for centuries been a mosaic of peoples and languages: Avars, Dargins, Lezgins, Laks, Kumyks, and many others. The territory was annexed into the Russian Empire after protracted wars in the early nineteenth century.  By 1921, with the Red Army’s advance, the Dagestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic came into being. 

Soviet state enforced sweeping modernization in Dagestan, bringing it into line with Marxist-Leninist ideology while managing the religious sentiments. Arabic was replaced first by Latin, later by Cyrillic; schools sprang up, teaching not scripture but secular education. The writers urged to craft a modern national literature that must reflect Soviet ideals like progress, collective ownership, brotherhood and unity. A strange paradox took root—Islam receded under official suspicion, but ethnic and linguistic self-awareness unexpectedly thrived.

Out of this creative ferment emerged Rasul Gamzatov (1923–2003), the poet whom Dagestan now claims as its voice in the Avar language. Gamzatov’s literary voice reflects a deep connection to his roots, and his writings offer profound insights into the history, traditions, and people of Dagestan. His masterpiece, My Dagestan (1967), celebrates the Caucasian folklore and expresses a deep belonging to his native land. 

The book draws multiple anecdotes from lives of five personalities: Ahmed Khan Abu-Bakar – a prominent Soviet writer of the Dargin people, Gamzat Tsadasy – his father and a well-known folk poet, Abutalib Gafurovich Gafurov – a Lakian poet of Dagestan, Imam Shamil and Hadji Murad– legendary Avar leaders who symbolize the spiritual and military resistance of the North Caucasus.

Gamzatov’s narrative style is generous and warm. He took care to introduce the names and stories of Dagestani people, ensuring they were remembered. Through anecdotes, jokes, and verses, he painted vivid pictures of Dagestan’s natural beauty and cultural richness. His book is a unique literary work that blends poetry and prose, oral traditions, folklore and criticism, and gossip while functioning as both a cultural history of Dagestani poetry and a personal philosophical testament. 

Today, West is struggling to narrow down the essential characteristics of Muslim identity – is it primarily culture, religion, ethnicity? But cultures are heterogeneous and contradictory, highly porous, and deeply intertwined.  A key aspect of the book is the reflection of Dagestan’s cultural hybridity—where Soviet ideals, pre-Islamic (pagan) traditions, and Islamic values intersect and merge, creating a unique and layered cultural identity. In this book, Gamzatov demonstrated remarkable knowledge not only of Dagestani literature, but also of Soviet & North Caucasian literary traditions and personalities.

For readers seeking a poetic journey through history, poetry, and human connection of a distant land, this book is an unforgettable experience. For the readers seeking a profound understanding of culture of Soviet era Dagestan, this book is an invaluable resource. Rasul Gamzatov doesn’t just tell the story of Dagestan — he makes the readers feel like a part of it. 

*The poem, Zhuravli (english translation) by Rasul Gamzatov has become a well-known Soviet song.

Book Review: Bhutan: The Kingdom at the Centre of the World by Omair Ahmad

Bhutan: The Kingdom at the Centre of the World by Omair Ahmad

⭐⭐⭐⭐✰ Worth Reading

Despite the neighboring state of India, relatively limited number of books for common readers are available on Bhutan, a landlocked country in the Eastern Himalayas. This can be attributed to unique geography and isolation a policy of self-imposed isolation, which was successful in preserving its territorial integrity as a Himalayan kingdom. Bhutan is much less known in the U.S. and western hemisphere that too for its Buddhism and as a mystical, serene travel destination. Bhutan is slowly gaining popularity as a travel destination and the readers will know a surprising fact on reading the book connecting Bhutan with the 'Golden Gate Bridge' of San Francisco.

Omair Ahmad has written an insightful and beautiful book into the history of Bhutan, Druk Yul: Land of the Thunder Dragon. The book is beautifully researched, with the most relevant information and this book will be of particular interest to scholars, and students of the history & culture.  

The author dives into the transition of the Buddhist Kingdom from a vassal state of Tibet to a fully independent country. Bhutan's kings fought primarily against Tibetan invasions in the 17th century and later lost territory to British India in the 1864-65 Duar War. They also had border conflicts with Sikkim and internal power struggles before establishing the monarchy in 1907.

The author takes us into the intermingling journey of people living in the porous boundaries of Tibet, Nepal, Sikkim, British India, and Bhutan without getting into the complexity of the geopolitical wars.  Once the border of Bhutan was settled in the 1950s, history becomes more interesting with a variety of characters, annexation of Sikkim in India and the politics of the creation of an international profile of Bhutan monarchy. 

Since Bhutan is sandwiched between hungry empires, the country has learned to maintain a delicate balance and customers. between them. The book shows why Bhutan is so important to truly understanding the ongoing relationship between India and China that was proven in Doklam conflict in 2017.

The book doesn’t shy away from tough topics either, like the Nepali refugee crisis and Bhutan’s experiments with democracy. Through these incidents, you get a sense of how this small but significant Himalayan nation is carving out its own unique path amid big regional changes.

The books touch lightly on the effect of modern civilization on Buddhist traditions, culture & heritage. Bhutan has been doing a delicate balancing act between tradition and modernization. The book becomes more engaging with the personal travel experiences and observations of the author. Omair Ahmad has a very engaging style of writing, which helps the readers to race through the book. We should be thankful to Shetty for undertaking this rather difficult task and bringing out the output in such an easy and readable and referable format.

There’s no better way to experience the quiet paradise of Bhutan before touring than reading out this book. Read the book to know of nation with a mythic backdrop of Buddhism in which old traditional values struggle against stronger modern forces in the world.

Book Review: Twilight of the Elites: America After Meritocracy by Christopher L. Hayes

Twilight of the Elites: America After Meritocracy by Christopher L. Hayes

⭐⭐⭐⭐✰ Worth Reading

“To see what is in front of one’s nose is a constant struggle,” George Orwell famously observed. So, what is it that American liberals and conservatives have missed?

Twilight of the Elites: America After Meritocracy is a 2012 nonfiction book written by Christopher Hayes. The book Twilight of the Elites: America After Meritocracy by Christopher L. Hayes explores the crisis of authority in America, attributing it to the failures of the modern meritocracy. Hayes argues that since the 1960s, as more diverse groups rose to elite status through meritocratic means, a new elite emerged that is marked by increased social distance, corruption, and institutional failure. This elite, embraced inequality, leading to widespread distrust in key institutions such as government, corporate America, the media, and even sports organizations. 

Today, the children of these elites enjoy outsized returns on capital and, increasingly, the concentration of large fortunes in a few hands. With blue-collar jobs disappearing and unionization dwindling, lower rung workers’ incomes have declined. Yet, elite workers receive not just rising wages, but also hefty stock compensation. Highly paid workers tend to marry one another, closing another door to upward mobility. Those from poor neighborhoods are exceedingly unlikely to move up the income distribution ladder.

Let me delve into the process of merit, social mobilization and elite class conscription. A key question to consider when discussing class and social mobility concerns the social processes that determine how children find their places in the economic and professional hierarchy. In a purely meritocratic society, institutional mechanisms identify high achievers and reward them with desirable positions. 

In contrast, a purely plutocratic society allows the wealthy to use their resources to secure privileges for their children, ensuring that economic power remains within their families across generations. Elites have contributed to society and played by the rules. The problem is that the rules are often skewed in their favour. In other words, income inequality stems from systemic flaws produced by meritocracy. 

There's no shortage of books raising the questions when it comes to the failed meritocracy, disdain for elites, and reshaping of the social system. Christopher Hayes raises important questions: Can we ignore traits like Widom, Judgement, Empathy, and Ethical rigor in the search for merit? Why American leaders are out of touch with the masses?

Hayes introduces the concept of "fractal inequality," a pervasive insecurity among elites about their status, which fosters corrupt behavior. The book asserts that the meritocratic system, while promising opportunity, has produced leaders disconnected from the public and unable to govern effectively, culminating in a broader societal crisis. The political and corporate leaders have failed to transform the institutions looking after interest of the citizens. Now, expecting anything from them is like asking the Pope to become Protestant. 

The book covers topics like mistrust in the institutional authority, missing potential working-class leaders due to meritocratic system, and mythical level playing field. The book might have had more impact if it would have delved deep into race questions and, criminal justice policies on social mobility. The book is a must-read social commentary for those who want to understand failed relation between citizens, institutions, society, and the state.

A civilization in growth peers into the future to create institutions and framework suitable for that era, based on their present experience. Civilizations in decline, on the other hand, looks back to and derive inspiration from past glory to evade from the uncomfortable reality of the present. An entire generation of young Americans—burdened with education loans, facing stagnant or low-paying jobs, and priced out of the housing market—is beginning to realize that owning a home and raising a family may remain out of their reach. 

The young Americans have expressed this desire for social justice through the political process. This can be seen especially relevant amid Mamdani’s recent victory and social justice debates. Society is unprepared for what this disillusionment might trigger: when a generation feels it has no stake in the system, its instinct may not be to preserve it, but to watch it decline and collapse.

Book Review: Return of a King: The Battle for Afghanistan by William Dalrymple

Return of a King: The Battle for Afghanistan by William Dalrymple

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Highly Recommended

Despite the significant failures experienced in Vietnam, the idea of American exceptionalism remained deeply ingrained in the U.S. national psyche till 2000.  Then, 9/11 happened. A focused military-intelligence operation targeting the perpetrators of 9/11 could have addressed domestic demands for justice. Alas, Bush administration launched a large-scale ground invasion of Afghanistan. USA withdrew ultimately from war scarred land of Afghanistan, marking the end of a twenty-year military presence.  They couldn't capture and run a dummy Afghan government. Sounds familiar ! 

The aphorism “History does not repeat itself, but it often rhymes” is evident in these events when the United States withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021, echoing past foreign interventions in the country. The rapid collapse of Afghanistan’s government and swift Taliban resurgence after the U.S. exit underscore the complex consequences of such interventions, mirroring historical patterns seen in other empires’ engagements in the region. 

Afghan historian Mirza 'Ata' wrote after 1842, and his words remain equally true today: “It is certainly no easy thing to invade or govern the Kingdom of Khurasan.” Long before, Americans and Soviets, the British learned this lesson. The exodus of the British from Afghanistan in 1842 was another horror show under British Generals. It is a travesty that history remembers outsized egos and oversized ambitions, even in the graveyard of empires.  In this context, William Dalrymple's masterful retelling of Britain's greatest imperial disaster is a very important book. This is a story of the First Anglo-Afghan War, Britain's greatest defeat of the nineteenth century.

The narrative of the book centers on the lives of Afghan rulers Shah Shuja Durrani and Dost Mohammad Khan, who were ensnared in the imperial rivalry famously dubbed The Great Game as the American historian David Fromkin observed, "no matter how far-fetched" such a British interpretation might be.  In 1837-1838, Qajar Persia, supported by Russia, besieged the Afghan city of Herat, a crucial grain-producing region historically claimed by Persia; British intervention and Afghan defense prevented Persian capture, marking a key event in the Great Game power struggle.

In the late 1830s, the British feared Russian expansion into British India through Afghanistan and the rising Sikh power under Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Governor-General Lord Auckland saw Russian envoy Jan Prosper Witkiewicz’s Kabul mission and Dost Mohammad Khan’s dealings as a major threat. The British chose to back exiled Shah Shuja Durrani, allying with the Sikh Empire to restore him to power in Kabul. In 1838, while Lord Palmerston, John Hobhouse, and Lord Auckland orchestrated the invasion with the East India Company forces, Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s Dal Khalsa only marched in the ceremonial review but refrained from active combat beyond Peshawar. The book details on precursor events and the beginning of the First Anglo-Afghan War, which was fought to secure British India against perceived Russian and Islamic alliances.

The book explores further how the British presence in Afghanistan incited profound discontent, rooted in disregard for the tribal cultural norms and economic strain on local communities, inciting rebellion. The book offers a detailed account of the calamitous British withdrawal amid brutal reprisals, capturing a cycle of resistance and retaliation that remains relevant to today’s geopolitical context. All the major tribes—Achakzais, Ghilzais, Durrani, and Barakzais—are present in the story, highlighting the complex tapestry of Afghan politics and society.

Afghans understood their topography, religious aspirations, and social fabric far better than the British. The British strategy of territorial conquest to secure boundaries ignited costly conflicts, resulting in significant sacrifices of both innocent and guilty alike. The narrative begins with stories of diplomatic tension and political maneuvering, featuring characters embodying deceit, friendship, chivalry, incompetence, and brutality. The story ends with death, plunder, rape, survival, and retribution. Dalrymple’s portrayal places these characters—both British and Afghan—at the center, either as instruments or victims of the war. 

William Dalrymple’s book is lucidly written, although it sometimes digresses from the core narrative and adopts a chatty tone. However, this stylistic freedom is understandable given the painstaking research underpinning the study. Dalrymple draws extensively from Afghan sources, including Dari and Persian accounts, which enrich the narrative beyond the usual colonial perspective. This approach brings an intimate, nuanced view of the First Anglo-Afghan War, showcasing the voices and experiences often overlooked by traditional histories.

 

The great Palestinian, Edward W. Said’s observation resonates here: “Every empire, however, tells itself and the world that it is unlike all other empires, that its mission is not to plunder and control but to educate and liberate.”   Yet, history has repeatedly shown that empires and foreign military adventures often leave behind a place worse off than when they found it.

Book Review: Maus (Complete Part I and II) by Art Spiegelman

Maus (Complete Part I and II) by Art Spiegelman

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Highly Recommended

How difficult it is to write the review of a book acclaimed worldwide by critics? It is the only graphic novel to have won a Pulitzer Prize.  Between moral weight and artistic expression, one struggles to find words that do justice to a depiction of quiet lives being lived alongside a loud and brutal sweep of history.

"The struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting," - Milan Kundera 

“A human being survives by his ability to forget. Memory is always ready to blot out the bad and retain only the good.” - Varlam Shalamov

Both these quotes hold profound significance in understanding the dynamics of power struggles, history, and human agency. Yet some memories refuse oblivion; they persist through narrative as a warning and a plea to the humanity. This memory has been itched in a book touching the lives of many and showing all the importance of bearing witness through art. History has shown that it does not start with concentration camps or mass murder, or civil war or genocide. It always starts with words: stereotypes, cliches, tropes. The fight against dehumanization, therefore, also needs to start with words. Stories. This is where Spiegelman’s Maus stands—using the intimacy of storytelling to resist erasure of the unimaginable suffering.

Maus is a graphic novel in two parts and it’s autobiographical written by Art Spiegelman. Maus I: My Father Bleeds History tells the story of Vladek Spiegelman’s life in pre-war Poland and his survival through the Nazi ghettos and camps. Maus II: And Here My Troubles Began continues Vladek’s story with the death marches, liberation from Auschwitz and the aftershocks of war. Through his parents (Vladek and Anja’s) experiences, the author depicts the horrors of the Holocaust, trauma of the survivors and tortured relationship with his aging father.

Set against the devastated landscapes of wartime and postwar Europe, the story offers an unflinching portrayal of survival, resilience, and the generational legacy of the Holocaust, blending personal memory with historical narrative. Through Anja Spiegelman, Vladek's wife, exhibits a different kind of heroism marked by emotional resilience and mental stamina. The novel also explores the complicated nature of heroism by refusing to idealize its characters. Through Vladek’s character, Spiegelman captures both the ingenuity that ensured survival and the lingering psychological scars that shadow life long after liberation. 

In Maus, last part of the narrative unfolds in 1970 at Rego Park, New York, centering around Art Spiegelman’s strained relationship with his father, Vladek who is portrayed with flaws - difficult personality, frugality, and moments of bitterness. The most remarkable and unexpected page in the graphic novel was the reaction of Vladek with fear and racial slur towards a Black Man. Spiegelman portrays a painful irony: a Holocaust survivor, once persecuted himself, now exhibits prejudices similar to those that dehumanized him. Maus teaches the readers a critical lesson on how discrimination persists universally, transcending both time and place.

The graphic novel’s layered storytelling merges visuals and text to evoke a powerful emotional and intellectual response. Spiegelman’s minimalist black-and-white art style that contrasts innocence and brutality effectively. Through its first-person perspective and the seamless interplay of image and language, it offers a profound exploration of both the graphic novel form and Holocaust memory.

In Maus, the symbolic use of animal allegory- Jews as mice, Germans as cats, Poles as pigs, and the French as frogs—functions as a striking visual metaphor that exposes the constructed nature of racial and national identities. This also sparked criticism in Poland, where some readers perceive the depiction of Poles as pigs as perpetuating negative stereotypes and oversimplifying complex historical realities.

Beyond its artistic merit, “Maus” stands as an example of the power of art to document the genocide and offer commentary on the horrors of the Third Reich. The allure is not so much to do with history as it is to present human, where flawed ideas of racial supremacy lead to genocide as cautionary tales to the readers. Maus is an essential read that tackles both private memory and historical horror.

Book Review: The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan

The Silk Roads: A New History of the World by Peter Frankopan

⭐⭐⭐⭐✰ Worth Reading

“The age of empire and the rise of the west were built on the capacity to inflict violence on a major scale. The Enlightenment and the Age of Reason, the progression towards democracy, civil liberty and human rights, were not the result of an unseen chain linking back to Athens in antiquity or a natural state of affairs in Europe; they were the fruits of political, military and economic success in faraway continents.”

The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan challenges conventional Eurocentric narratives by revealing how global history, trade, and exchange formed the bedrock for the modern world.  This perspective challenges the notion of Western progress as an isolated or inevitable phenomenon, situating it instead within the interconnected histories of empire, trade, conquest, and genocide.  

The Silk Roads is a deceptive title for a profound book. While the title evokes images of ancient trade routes, the book encompasses far more. It places ancient global dynamics revealing the enduring interconnectedness of civilizations and the forces shaping our world. 

Initial chapters of the book focus on the origins of the Silk Road as ancient commercial and cultural networks. They further dwell into how religions, revolutionary ideas, alliances and beliefs traversed the Silk Road, shaping societies across continents. The book gives a glance on the rise of key cities like Minsk, Kyiv, and Novgorod adds a crucial dimension to The Silk Roads. Frankopan delves deeply into how "military might, careful administration, low taxes and religious tolerance created the bedrock of the Mongol Empire."

Peter Frankopan goes on to discuss the commerce that is against the concept of modern society i.e. the movement of enslaved peoples and the impact of slavery on societies. The word "slave" is historically derived from the ethnonym "Slav," referring to the Slavic peoples. In the 8th and 9th centuries when many Slavs were captured and enslaved by Byzantines, Avars, Germanic tribes, and other groups during medieval wars and raids, leading to their ethnonym becoming synonymous with "slave" in Europe. 

The book further analyses the fur trade, oil (black gold), agricultural trade, gold and silver trade’s influence on power, politics, and global economies.  This trade affected the rise and fall of empires fueled by Silk Road wealth and connectivity. The last chapters deal with the Silk Road’s role during modern geopolitical tensions and America’s involvement and via Silk Road-inspired connections. Silk Road was once world's nervous system with the strategic geolocation of the Countries of the Silk Roads (from the Western borders of China to the Mediterranean Sea) has a historical ring. The 21st Century Silk Roads is what BRI is all about.

The book is vast in scope, profound in insight, and deeply philosophical in its approach. It is not merely a must-read—it demands multiple readings. The immense canvas the author unfolds can be overwhelming, yet this remains one of the finest and most illuminating treatises ever written on the idea of the Silk Road.

Book Review: Ideas: A History of Thought and Invention, from Fire to Freud - Peter Watson

Ideas: A History of Thought and Invention, from Fire to Freud by Peter Watson

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Highly Recommended

The past is an inheritance, a gift and a burden. It can’t be shirked. You carry it everywhere. There’s nothing for it but to get to know it. - Jill Lepore

Crisis makes radical ideas relevant. Radical ideas inspire social movements. Social movements amplify crisis. In a crisis, shovel-ready ideas can win support quickly. History is full of deeply flawed ideas adapted rapidly by civilization and also burial ground of the ideas applied with the best of intentions. We must look at history and to understand that change never, ever, ever comes about in a brief period. It's the gradual accumulation of knowledge as ideas to historical change that lead to the historical changes.

All the current knowledge has been built on past insights, and a book is devoted for the cause. Ideas: A History of Thought and Invention, from Fire to Freud by Peter Watson, has covered the key intellectual milestones of humanity’s intellectual ascent. Central to the narrative is the theme that ideas—not war, politics, or economics—are the true drivers of history, which the author weaves with remarkable sensitivity. Watson crafts a sweeping intellectual history that traces how ideas evolve and have profound consequences. 

The book is a sweeping chronicle of how human beings have thought about the world and their place in it across cultures and centuries. The amount of knowledge condensed in a single book covering disciplines (science, philosophy, law, religion, the arts, music, economics, etc.), is astonishing! 

The reader will explore about the foundational scientific discoveries and their unexpected consequences. How great minds connect the dots across different ages and disciplines? Reader will delve into the major philosophical and religious movements that defined our ethical systems and societal structures, tracing thought from the earliest concepts of the soul to the complex theories of Freud.

Understanding how ideas evolved helps the reader appreciate the unique power of human thought and innovation. Watson’s methodology and narrative structure is exhausting for the reader as the book covers the depth and breadth of intellectual evolution. 

Reading the book is worth the effort. It's illuminating, but not without blind spots! The book is too Eurocentric, and it oversimplifies things for the experts. Peter Watson does acknowledge major non-Western civilizations (like China, India, and the Islamic world) and includes influential figures and concepts from them. However, their contributions are often subordinated to the narrative arc of Western intellectual development, especially from the Renaissance onward.

Bernard of Chartres, a medieval scholar, who said: "We are like dwarfs sitting on the shoulders of giants, so that we can see more than they, and things at a greater distance..." The phrase has come to symbolize intellectual progress built on the foundations laid by others. The trajectory of knowledge — from fire, to writing, to the internet — suggests that future breakthroughs will continue to reshape human life. Confidence in the knowledge that those before you have achieved wonderful things in past always help an individual or community to overcome doubt, hysteria and even conspiracy theories. Ultimately, the book is a celebration—and critique—of the complex history of ideas that shape our world.  

Book Review: Full Spectrum: India's Wars 1972–2020 - Arjun Subramaniam

Full Spectrum: India's Wars 1972–2020 - Arjun Subramaniam

⭐⭐⭐⭐✰ Worth Reading

In his book 'Assignment Colombo', J.N. Dixit argues in favour of India's strategic dilly-dallying, stating that adhering to absolute principles of morality is the safest and most non-controversial stance in foreign relations. This policy, however, rarely serves any purpose in the inherently amoral nature of international relations.  Today, national security and foreign policy of India have gradually represented the departure from the past. The story of evolving Indian stance in geopolitics can be usually understood at the level of the conflicts faced by India, while the primary bulwarks of defense—the role of military —get overlooked. Hence, "Full Spectrum: India's Wars 1972–2020" is a worth reading for a gripping exploration of wars and conflicts shedding light on strategies, operational steps, and political consequences. 

The book "Full Spectrum: India's Wars 1972–2020" by Arjun Subramaniam takes the story forward from the previous book India's Wars: A Military History, 1947-1971. The book offers the reader an account of wars, military operations, and security challenges in contemporary India over the past five decades. The book covers in detail on the Doklam standoff, Balakot Strike, Kargil war, Siachen conflict, Naga rebellion, Operation Blue Star, terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, and India's military action in Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Conventional wars have changed, and skirmishes are happening below the threshold of conventional structured war between nation-states. And the rise of non-conventional wars has led to Indian military either dealing with Hybrid war, cyber war, proxy war, border skirmishes, armed militancy, insurgency, and terrorism. 

The reading makes one realize that Indian military has also expanded its strategic horizon while dealing with the modus operandi of non-state actors.  The chapters of the book on India’s involvement with the LTTE in Sri Lanka, during the IPKF mission, makes for an interesting read. It shows how the Indian military faced a daring and locally supported adversary, and how this episode reshaped our military and foreign policy. Another insight from the book was that the absence of any active government machinery during insurgency in Punjab made Operation Bluestar more difficult. And compounded with it was often the fear and stigma of command failure, that prompted military leaders to persist with sub optimal operational plans.

The book features a gripping narrative but becomes dull in some places. These lapses in pacing make certain sections feel tedious, detracting from the overall impact.  Those who support the 'realist' argument of India's emergence as a potential global military power must read this book. The book is an invaluable resource for those interested in military studies, and the intricate interplay between war and political transformation.

In the end author asked for deep introspection within India's strategic community by sharing an old Thucydidian principle called the Melian Dialogue, which emerged during the Peloponnesian War prior to the siege of the island of Melios by Athens, which says: 'The strong will do what they can and the weak suffer what they must.'

Book Review: A Corner of a Foreign Field - Ramachandra Guha

A Corner of a Foreign Field: The Indian History of a British Sport - Ramachandra Guha

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Highly Recommended

Our inability to understand and tell sociological stories is one of the key reasons we are struggling with how to respond to social transitions. Without embedding social narratives, we miss understanding who benefitted, who was left behind, and what kind of society we were building. The idea that we could somehow eliminate casteist mindsets, religious differences, and racist discrimination by ignoring such identity question under the veil of secular cricket leads to formation of a veil of ignorance. 

Social history of Indian cricket suffers from one enormous disadvantage: that we as a people, have criminal indifference to written records. The history of Indian cricket is indeed amazing because it reveals much more than just scores and statistics. It reflects cultural exchanges, colonial legacies, social struggles, and identities across South Asia. The history of India, like that of any other country, has been a story of social inequities, exploitation of the common people, religious conflict, and so on. The history of the cricket in India is no exception to this.  

A Corner of a Foreign Field: The Indian History of a British Sport is a book depicting religious fault lines. A book talking about caste. A book talking about racism. Yet, the book is written for the lover of the game by a writer looking from the perspective of the history, sports, social transformation, and Indian Independence. The book is divided into four chapters—Race, Caste, Religion, and Nation—and features the experiences of the cricketers, politicians, and Maharajas making it an engaging and interesting read. The inherent values of cricket —fair play, competition, and endurance—resonated with the Indians under colonial rule thus attracting broad affection and embedding itself as a part of the national psyche.

The book captures the long journey of cricket in India—from its beginning as a game created by an alliance of imperial and Indian elites to becoming a sport for the masses. The book shows how Indians overcame the deeply rooted caste barriers in society and challenged the British notion of racial superiority in the game of cricket. Cricket tournaments like the Bombay Quadrangular and Bombay Pentangular were initially organized based on religious communities of Hindu, European, Muslim, and Parsees leading to widespread riots and political unrest. The book also ends with the origins of the Ranji Trophy and the formation of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Despite attempts to break free from the legacies of their forefathers and religious divisions, Indian history drags our cricketers towards a fate which led them in Independent India, as though along a river's course.

This book introduced me to Palwankar Baloo and his brothers, early Indian cricketers, and shared stories about famous players like C.K. Nayudu, Lala Amarnath, Vijay Hazare, and Vijay Merchant. The book delves us into first Test match of Indian cricket team in England, in 1932 symbolizing both achievement and aspiration for a modern nation. This is a must-read book capturing cricket history of India in an effortless and seamless manner

Book Review: Beyond A Boundary- C.L.R. James

Beyond A Boundary- C.L.R. James

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Highly Recommended

The essence at the core of culture, writes Byung-Chul Han, is ornamentation. Culture sits beyond functionality and usefulness. The ornament dimension, emancipated from any goal or use, is how life insists that it is more than survival. The book was written in an era when British have the illusion of the racial superiority even in the game of cricket while tradition and history of the game were part of the British culture.  

“Time would pass, old empires would fall and new ones take their place, the relations of countries and relations of classes had to change, before I discovered that it is not quality of goods and utility which matter, but movement, not where you are or what you have, but where you have come from, where you are going and the rate at which you are getting there."

This statement from C.L.R. James’s classic book shows role the game of cricket has played in the making of the history of Caribbean society. C.L.R. James, the historian and cricket writer, embarks on a biographical journey from 1910s to 1950s in West Indies, and England to prove the point. He invites us to look closely the complex ties between political struggles of decolonization through cricket and the long process of decolonizing his own mind from the gaze of the western civilization.  

Beyond a Boundary starts by focusing on wonder years of the writer in Trinidad and his observation on the intermingling of the race and class in the local cricket. During his teenage years, James became deeply engrossed in cricket and Literature which allowed him to examine Trinidad’s working class through the lens of sport. 

Two players he often highlighted in this context were Learie Constantine and W.G. Grace to argue that cricket is inseparable from the politics and social structures of its time. The idea of “leaving politics out of sports” is a topic of ongoing debate, but this book makes us aware that the injustice "beyond the boundary" ultimately impacts the cricket. The players are not islands of sportsmanship while being deeply engulfed into societal structures, systemic biases and burden of the history. 

The book also highlights the successful campaign for racial equality in West Indies cricket, including the appointment of Frank Worrell as the first black captain in 1960. Apointment of Frank Worrell as captain for the 1960–61 tour of Australia, West Indies cricket bid farewell to white leadership and entered a new era of black leadership and pride—one that inspired the Caribbean people and united them like never before.

The writer advocates cricket as an art form like Greek literature by observing the game not just as a sport, but as a craft with rhythm, beauty, and a narrative flow. The writer argues in the book that cricket was a form of resistance against colonial oppression, especially as Black players took on leading roles, challenging racial stereotypes and social barriers. 

The writer traveled to England and the exposure felt like awakening to him: Once the veil of the empire drops, he didn’t just “analyze” culture—he saw its webs working through you. From that point, C.L.R. James achieved a mental freedom, not only rejecting conditioning but also recognizing the interconnectedness of imperial power, cricket, culture, and resistance, which shaped his revolutionary outlook and deepened his commitment to black internationalism and Marxist theory.  

Today, C.L.R. James embodies a unique and compelling mixture of identities: a Marxist historian, an anglophile in initial years, a Black intellectual, and a passionate lover of cricket. The book is written through this multi-faceted perspective, that is as much about the identity, and struggle as it is about cricket.

Book Review: Time of Parting - Anton Donchev

Time of Parting - Anton Donchev (Alternate Reading)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Highly Recommended

A nation is shaped by its shared memories. In literature, we can see the elements that make up a collective memory—often rooted in a common pain —that influence national identity. Newly independent countries often seek a fresh start, breaking away from their historical past. Anton Donchev's Time of Parting (Bulgarian: Време разделно, Vreme razdelno) dives deep into a time when a nation, Bulgaria, survived by enduring humiliation under Ottoman rule.

The Balkans, including Bulgaria, were subjected to centuries of Ottoman rule starting in the late 14th century, which brought significant social and religious transformation. Catholic powers (Papacy and Habsburgs) were often perceived as foreign and adversarial.  The Ottoman conquest and the subsequent division between Catholic and Orthodox spheres of influence in the Balkans gave rise to opportunities for Muslims to act as a unifying force in a divided region. While many apologists dispute a direct connection between religious violence and radical Islam, the nuanced history of Bulgarian religious life under Ottoman rule shows that society experienced both pragmatic coexistence and adaptation, as well as periods of institutional discrimination and social unrest. 

Set during the Islamization of Bulgaria in the summer of 1668 particularly in the Rhodope Mountains, the story doesn't claim to be an exact historical record. Instead, it reflects how those events shaped Bulgarian culture and identity. The theme of being forced to choose a side resonated strongly with the dominant ideologies of the polarized world. The novel has sparked ongoing debates about how the Ottoman period and forced religious conversions are viewed in Bulgaria. With the changing political landscape, Time of Parting continues to be a highly discussed and impactful piece of literature.

The book explores a painful choice for a community: whether to hold on to their beliefs and die for them or convert to a foreign religion to stay alive. The narrative is told in parallel by two witnesses: the French nobleman called the Venetian, and the Bulgarian priest Aligorko. This dual narration provides a layered, nuanced view of the cultural, religious, and personal conflicts. As the tale culminates, the relentless campaign of forced Islamization breaks the spirit and unity of the Bulgarian Christian community. This finale reflects the larger historical tragedy of the era — the erasure of cultural heritage through brutal force.The heavy loss of life, culture, and dignity leaves a haunting legacy of division and sorrow.

The movie "Time of Violence" (Bulgarian: Време разделно) released in 1988 is based on the novel "Time of Parting" by Anton Donchev (Антон Дончев). The portrayal of historical events is considered by few as biased leading to debates over historical accuracy. The Hindi book "बेला विदा की" (Bela Vida Ki) is a rendition of "Time of Parting" authored by Vimlesh Kanti Verma and Dheera Verma.

Book Review: India's Wars: A Military History, 1947-1971 - Arjun Subramaniam

India's Wars: A Military History, 1947-1971 - Arjun Subramaniam

⭐⭐⭐⭐✰ Worth Reading

A new generation of Indians are rediscovering their military history, realizing that the popular narratives often fail to reflect the complexities of the truth. Today, India's military remains resource-constrained, overstretched, and increasingly aware of the dual-front threat posed by China and Pakistan. Its strategy and preparedness are shaped by a mix of historical conflicts, and contemporary geopolitical realities. 

For anyone genuinely interested in understanding the historical wars with our Pakistan and China, "India's Wars: A Military History, 1947-1971" by Arjun Subramaniam is an indispensable read.  The book offers a compelling examination of India’s military evolution post-independence, with detailed accounts of pivotal wars, including the Indo-Pak Wars (1947-48, 1965, and 1971) and the Sino-Indian War of 1962. Battles into contested regions like Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (referred to as Azad Kashmir by Pakistan), Gilgit-Baltistan, Arunachal Pradesh (claimed by China as South Tibet) are meticulously explored, often accompanied by maps to provide clarity. While the historical narrative may pose a challenge for casual readers, the book is rewarding for those seeking the intricacies of battlefield strategies and political decision-making.

I have few notable observations as a reader:

• The departure of the British left India with inadequately demarcated borders leading to the territorial disputes.
• India has reliance on idealism and restraint that clashed with the pragmatic, force-centric approaches of adversaries like China and Pakistan.
• Unfolding of events in China India 1962 war is tragic tale for the Indians. Tragedy presents situations in which there is a desperate urge to assign blame. In all this chain of events, failure of intelligence and political decision framework hurts most.
• India's limited intelligence-gathering capabilities and the "fog of war" resulted in critical decision-making dilemmas. These inadequacies were evident in moments of crisis, often amplifying the challenges faced during conflicts.
• India captured the strategically vital Haji Pir Pass during the 1965 war but returned it to Pakistan under the Tashkent Agreement, forfeiting a key advantage in controlling infiltration routes into Kashmir.  
• After the Bangladesh Liberation War, India released about 90,000 Pakistani prisoners of war without leveraging their return for a resolution on Kashmir or territorial securities, drawing criticism for missing a major bargaining chip.
• Post-1971 victory, India did not negotiate for the transfer of border enclaves or land on Bangladesh’s side that could have reduced the vulnerability of the Siliguri Corridor (“Chicken’s Neck”), leaving the Northeast perpetually exposed. The Siliguri Corridor remains at risk due to inadequate geopolitical leverage post-1971 and greater China-Bangladesh collaboration.

Subramaniam also highlights a hard-learned lesson for India: in international relations, realism often trumps idealism. It took nearly 25 years for Indian leadership to move beyond the non-violent and nonaligned ideals of the independence movement and adopt force as a legitimate instrument of statecraft. This shift is at the heart of India's modern military doctrine, making the book an essential resource for understanding the evolution of its strategic mindset.