November nonfiction: Six recently published books about triumphs and disagreements in Indian history
Bhagmati: Why Hyderabad’s Lost Queen Is The Soul of the City, Moupia Basu16th-century India. The Golconda Sultanate is under the dominion of the Qutb Shahis, whose reign is marked as much by grandeur and power as it is by political intrigue and cultural resurgence. Set against this backdrop, the remarkable love story of Mohammed Quli Qutb Shah, a legendary poet-king, and Bhagmati, a Hindu devadasi from Chinchlam, unfolds.The stories say that the moment Quli lays eyes on Bhagmati dancing at the Nagamalleswara temple, he becomes utterly captivated by her beauty. He even braves the treacherous flooding Musi river just to be by her side. In defiance of the prevailing societal norms, their love blossoms into a connection so profound that it ignites the conception of a new city, one we know today as Hyderabad.From the construction of the iconic Purana Pul bridge to the founding of Bhagnagar in Bhagmati’s honour, the story of Bhagmati and Mohammed Quli is one of the enduring power of love. The result of deep research as well as Moupia Basu’s passion for both Hyderabad and poetry, this book pays homage to not only the woman who continues to be the subject of endless debates, but also to the love story that keeps alive the intrinsic spirit of present-day Hyderabad. Ruminations: 101 and More Short Essays on the Spirit of Indian Art, BN GoswamyBN Goswamy (1933–2023), one of the most eminent art historians of our times, put India’s art on the global map. His lucid interpretation of art made the subject accessible to a wider audience. He was a master chronicler who offered “slight sketches of large subjects”.Ruminations, Goswamy’s last work, rues the vanishing traces of artisans’ guilds in Europe, celebrates the illustrations to La Fontaine’s fables produced in Lahore, opens a window to the Jain legend of Ilaputra who was driven to the edge of renunciation, explores the pioneering map of the world drawn by the Turkish admiral, Piri Reis, admires the dazzling range of embroideries in the Calico Museum, chronicles the ensigns of royalty that belong to the Mughal period, brings to light Timurid kitab-khanas, the Tibetan sand-mandalas and much more.This Too is India: Conversations on Diversity and Dissent, edited by Githa HariharanMost of the conversations in this book were published in their original form on the Indian Cultural Forum. Novelists, activists, historians, actors, musicians, translators – the voices are diverse and the conversations thoughtful, incisive, and wide-ranging. What is the truth about our society, culture, politics, and how do we hope to shape it in the future? Read Bama, Nayantara Sahgal, Romila Thapar, Shanta Gokhale, Volga, TM Krishna, Sanjana Kapoor, as they speak frankly about subjects ranging from caste and contested texts to the silences that surround dissent. A Rescue in Vienna: The Story of an Unlikely Saviour, Vinay GuptaWhen Vinay Gupta heard of the daring exploits of his grandfather, he embarked on a journey to uncover the truth. What he found was the exceptional tale of an unassuming yet enterprising man from Punjab who chose to help complete strangers in their most dire hour of need.The year is 1938 and Kundanlal, a machine tool manufacturer from Ludhiana, is in Vienna for surgery. As he is recovering, he befriends Lucy and Alfred Wachsler, a young Jewish couple about to have their first child. From them, Kundanlal learns of the changing political climate in Europe – the attacks against Jewish people and the Aryanisation of their businesses. As the owner of multiple factories, he finds himself in a unique position to help. Applying for visas on behalf of the Wachslers, Kundanlal sponsors them, along with four other Jewish families, providing proof of employment, financial backing and shelter. He starts new businesses to employ the men and builds homes for the families back home.When they arrive in Punjab, the families are forced to contend with the slow pace of life in small-town India, a stark contrast to cosmopolitan Vienna. But even this interlude is fleeting as the British round up all people of German descent – Jewish and Gentile alike – and ship them to internment camps across the country, echoing in a way the events in Europe.Bose: The Untold Story of an Inconvenient Nationalist, Chandrachur GhoseThere are not many Indian heroes whose lives have been as dramatic and adventurous as that of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. That, however, is an assessment of his life based on what is widely known about him. These often revolve around his resignation from the Indian Civil Service, joining the freedom movement, being exiled twice for over seven years, throwing a challenge to the Gandhian leadership in the Congress, taking up an extremist position against the British Raj, evading the famed intelligence network to travel to Europe and then to Southeast Asia, forming two Governments and raising two armies and then disappearing into the unknown. All this in a span of just two decades.Now, new information throws light on Bose’s intense political activities surrounding the revolutionary groups in Bengal, Punjab, Maharashtra and United Provinces, his efforts to bridge the increasing communal divide and his influence among the splintered political landscape; his outlook and relations with women; his plunge into the depths of spirituality; his penchant for covert operations and his efforts to engineer a rebellion among the Indian armed forces. With this new information, what appeared to be dramatic now becomes more intense with plots and subplots under one man’s single-minded focus on freeing the motherland and envisioning its development in a new era.Furthermore, one of the most sensitive issues that have prevented political parties and successive governments from talking much about Bose is his joining the Axis camp. While Jawaharlal Nehru and other prominent Congress leaders publicly denounced the move, the Communist Party of India went on to a prolonged vilification campaign. Sardar Patel issued instructions to Congress leaders to defend the INA soldiers without eulogizing their leader.Was Bose really a Nazi sympathiser? Knowing very well about the strong public opinion that existed among the political leadership and the intelligentsia in India against Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and imperial Japan, why did he risk his own political image by allying with the Axis powers?Bose: The Untold Story of an Inconvenient Nationalist opens a window to many hitherto untold and unknown stories of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.2024: The Election That Surprised India, Rajdeep SardesaiThis book brings to life the inside story of a dramatic period in Indian politics and society. Every twist and turn is revealed in an exciting narrative of the tumultuous events of our times. Unsparing and uncompromising, this is an unputdownable account of power politics, the main characters and their role in influencing the headlines of our times. Rajdeep Sardesai takes a deep dive into India’s most bruising and polarised political battle and the many stories that shaped an extraordinary election verdict.Information sourced from publishers.
