A curation of the choicest book releases of the month…
By Nichola Marie
The Hanuman Chalisa
Translated by: Vikram Seth
Publisher: Speaking Tiger Books
Price: ₹399
One of the best-loved hymns and poems of all time, ‘The Hanuman Chalisa’ of Tulsidas is recited by heart by millions — in times of joy or sorrow, success or distress, and when they are in need of courage. Its words and music are designed to lift the spirits of both the believer and non-believer. Vikram Seth — as acclaimed and popular a poet as he is a novelist — spent some years translating this beloved classic into English, in rhyme and metre. The result is a flawless translation that has the magical incantatory quality of the original Awadhi. Millions can now recite this first-ever literary translation of the Chalisa in English. This elegant bilingual edition has the original verses in Devanagari and Roman script alongside the English translations. A ‘book for a lifetime’, it features title calligraphy by Seth himself.
In his introduction, Seth alludes to Bhaskar, the precocious young mathematician in ‘A Suitable Boy’ who, as a child, loved to participate in the annual Ramlila in Brahmpur in his role as a monkey warrior. Seth dedicates this translation to Bhaskar, “who learned the poem before he was five, but who spent his fifties fighting the chauvinism and intolerance to which this and many other well-beloved religious texts and rituals have been put.”
Seth writes, “Nothing could be further from the humanity and inclusivity of the best of Hinduism than the self-aggrandisement and willful cruelty of those who use the religion in which — in the lottery of life — they happen to be born, in order to attack or demean others.”
He concludes with the wish that ‘The Hanuman Chalisa’ continue to “spread joy, expand imagination and give strength and solace to its many past and future readers.”
Take No. 2020: The Mother Of All Retakes
Author: Puneet Sikka
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Price: ₹254
A smoke-and-mirrors story dripping in acerbic humour and grief, Take No. 2020 is a story within a story. The paths of a motley bunch of strugglers collide; in the process, broken relationships give way to unexpected ones, projects are found and lost, and repressed pasts resurface in their shiny new lives. In the face of a real-life climax, each is forced to reckon if they’re the hero or villain of their own story.
India @100: Envisioning Tomorrow’s Economic Powerhouse
Author: Krishnamurthy Subramanian
Publisher: Rupa
Price: ₹995
A $55 trillion Indian economy rivalling the world’s largest in 2047, when India celebrates its centennial — audacious or achievable? With a bold vision grounded in Indian realities, India@100 argues that India is at an inflection point that cannot be ignored. The country can grow at 8% annually by reforming the economy zealously and doubling down on the sound policies implemented post 2014. Since 2007, when its GDP per capita was equal to India’s current level, China exploited its demographic dividend to grow at around 8% for about two decades. Similar growth for the next two decades will make India a $55 trillion economy by 2047, the author believes.
Bad Men: Bollywood’s Iconic Villains
Author: Roshmila Bhattacharya
Publisher: Rupa
Price: ₹395
Did you know that ‘Lion’ Ajit did not care for the ‘Lily, don’t be silly’ jokes, or that Simran’s bauji in ‘DDLJ’ was modelled on an old lion? This book is an attempt to not just decode the blackguards of Hindi cinema but also understand the men behind the monsters, through the author’s personal interactions with the actors as well as conversations with their family, friends and colleagues.
The Lion And The Lily: The Rise And Fall Of Awadh
Author: Ira Mukhoty
Publisher: Aleph Book Company
Price: ₹999
A nuanced, detailed and richly told account of the rise and fall of Awadh in the 18th century against the background of the international struggle between Britain and France. Mukhoty also brings to focus some of the most important figures of the period — the nawabs, East India Company officials, the powerful begums, elite eunuchs, soldiers and adventurers, and artists both Indian and European.
