JOIN USSo now, here are a few of those books that you would like to keep on your table, when your kith and kin come home and savour brewed coffee.
Taste some:
New Delhi: Making of a Capital
Malvika Singh & Rudrangshu Mukherjee
Roli Books, pp 240, Rs 1,975
A veritable visual celebration of and a treatise to a city most South Indians love to hate. The authors (Mukherjee: a renowned historian and an eminent journalist; Singh: a known journalist-publisher) are the perfect pair to give a ringside view of the city’s chequered past. Savour that with the visual research by the inevitable
Pramod Kapoor.
Kishore Kumar:
Method in Madness
Derek Bose
Rupa & Co, pp 128, Rs 395
An impeccable movie-writer analyses the mad genius of Kishore Kumar — singer, actor, filmmaker, music composer and lyricist. But Kishore was also a miser, madman and troublemaker. Who exactly was he then? This book attempts to provide an answer with a well-rounded picture of his personality and rare pictures to supplement the text.
Islamic Art:
The Past and Modern
Nuzhat Kazmi
Roli Books, pp 144, Rs 695
Islamic art, not many Hindutva elements may agree though, has taken from other
cultural traditions and has also contributed to different social structures and visual languages of the world. This invaluable book looks at the artistic output of the Islamic civilisation from the time of its inception to its interpretations in the
contemporary world.
Occupying Silence
Devashish Makhija
Gallery Kanishka, pp 40, Rs 495
This is a rich collection of full-colour plates of graphic-verse pieces, interspersed with miniature vignettes of a life of creative confusion. The works provide an insight into an observant mind, which skilfully dissect the experiences, laying bare the other side of real vision. Makhija’s are daily occurrences in our common world viewed with a completely different perspective.
Royal Enfield:
The Legend Rides On
Pages 162, Price not mentioned
The Bullet is a legend and when it completes 50 years, it is a matter of celebration. The book meanders through many a highway and byway, while trying to answer pictorially why is it so loved by so many people globally, starting with the early days of the Enfield’s birth at the Redditch Works in England to the Enfield factory in Chennai, where it is assembled even today.
Sikkim:
The Hidden Fruitful Valley
Parvin Singh & Yishey Doma
Prakash Books, pp 90, Rs 1,295
Sikkim is a land of mystery and enviable charm. Any book on Sikkim will transport you to a land of bliss. The text by Yishey Doma supports rich photographs by Parvin Singh, a photographer who spent many years documenting the life, customs, people and the beautiful landscapes of this tiny state of India.
Tipu’s Tiger
Susan Stronge
Roli Books, pp 96, Rs 595
This eye-catching book narrates the tiger’s travels from India to elsewhere, explaining how it has inspired artists and authors, and frightened or entertained the public since its first appearance in England. It also discusses the intriguing meanings of the many tiger motifs on Tipu’s personal commissions.
The Indians: Interesting Aspects
Sumant Batra
Tara Press, pp 240, Rs 8,500
When there is a plethora of books on India (ahem!), this comes as a whiff of fresh air — a humble attempt to showcase the extraordinary spirit of the Indians and a few interesting facets culled out from the daily lives of people in this great country.