Sparsh

Colonization reshaped political authority, economies, cultures, identities, borders, labour systems and the production of knowledge. Decolonization therefore cannot be understood only as the formal end of imperial rule. It also involves continuing debates over memory, identity, representation, inequality and power. This revised reading list brings together history, political thought, memoir, social criticism and selected literary works from India, Africa, Palestine, South America, the wider Latin American region and the United States, alongside other regions shaped by colonial and imperial systems. The books have been grouped thematically, with each title linked to its Goodreads page. Colonialism, Empire and Decolonisation: Direct Studies The Construction of Communalism in Colonial North India - Gyanendra Pandey Creating a New Medina: State Power, Islam, and the Quest for Pakistan in Late Colonial North India - Venkat Dhulipala The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine: A History of Settle...

रेलवे स्टेशनों पर ए एच व्हीलर की दुकानों ने कई पीढ़ियों को पाठक बनाया और किताबों को लोकप्रिय बनाया। दुकान के बाहर सजी बाल पत्रिकाओं के बीच में 'चंपक' दिख गई जो अब ए फोर साइज में छपती है। हमारे समय में यह किताब के आकार में छपती थी। इसके साथ याद आ गई पराग, नंदन, चंदामामा, लोटपोट, ट्विंकल और ढेर सारी कामिक्स सीरीज। इन पत्रिकाओं के साथ बीता बचपन यानी जीवन का स्वर्णिम युग। दिवाली—पर जब हम ट्रेन से यात्रा करते थे, पिता जी अक्सर हमें रास्ते में पढ़ने के लिए किताबें लाकर देते थे। वे आम तौर पर "चंपक" और "नंदन" जैसी किताबें खरीदना पसंद करते थे, क्योंकि उनमें कई छोटी-छोटी कहानियाँ होती थीं और एक के बाद एक पढ़ते-पढ़ते समय जल्दी कट जाता था। छोटी बहन चंपक की कहानियों से बहुत खुश रहती थी, जबकि मैं कॉमिक्स का दीवाना था और बार-बार उसी रोमांच का इंतज़ार करता था। एक बार मैंने हिंदी में He-Man की कॉमिक्स खरीद ली—ट्रेन की पूरी यात्रा में वह किताब मेरे साथ रही और मैं उसे बार-बार पढ़ता रहा। जब हमें बैठने की जगह मिली तो भी मेरी रुचि कम नहीं हुई; मैं लगातार कॉमिक्स में खोया रहा और व...

  1 971 – A Global History of the Creation of Bangladesh by Srinath Raghavan ⭐⭐⭐⭐✰ Worth Reading Srinath Raghavan’s 1971 reframes the creation of Bangladesh not simply as an inevitable regional conflict, but as a complex geopolitical event shaped by global trends, diplomatic isolation, and intense personal dynamics among world leaders. The book has a wide canvas, goes deep into history, and uses diplomatic records, political developments and military events to construct a coherent narrative. The author places the creation of Bangladesh within a wider global context, showing that regional wars are rarely shaped by regional actors alone.  When history is so often viewed through a narrow national lens, this book compels the reader to examine 1971 from multiple and sometimes conflicting perspectives. What emerges is not merely a military history, but an illuminating account of diplomacy, power, national interest and human suffering.  A Globalized Conflict Raghavan broadens t...

Fortress Series by C. J. Cherryh ⭐⭐⭐⭐✰ Worth Reading The five books in C. J. Cherryh’s Fortress series are: 1. Fortress in the Eye of Time (1995) 2. Fortress of Eagles (1998) 3. Fortress of Owls (1998) 4. Fortress of Dragons (2000) 5. Fortress of Ice (2006) The series follows Tristen, Cefwyn, and the political and supernatural conflicts surrounding them. C. J. Cherryh’s Fortress Series was my introduction to her work, and I found it remarkably intriguing. Cherryh is a true master of language, and she pulls no punches here. The vocabulary is sophisticated enough that I occasionally had to look up certain words, but this only added to the richness of the reading experience. In Fortress, the story does not arrive when the world needs it; the story arrives late, stepping into a world that was already moving, already aging, and already carrying the weight of everything that came before. The world feels older than the characters themselves, as though kingdoms, traditions, and rivalries e...