Winter reads: Books to read in winter 2021

I am Onir by Onir with Irene Dhar Malik

This is the memoir of the award-winning filmmaker Onir, whose directorial debut, My Brother... Nikhil (2005), broke new ground in LGBT representation on the Indian silver screen.

Onir shares his fascinating journey in this book, where he narrates deeply personal experiences, laying bare the struggles and triumphs that shaped him on his path to success. The book also offers exclusive behind-the-scenes views of the making of some of his most popular films.

Four Chapters (Char Adhyay) by Rabindranath Tagore

Rabindranath Tagore's last novel, and perhaps the most controversial, was Char Adhyay (1934). This new translation, intended for twenty-first-century readers, will bring Tagore's text to life in a contemporary idiom while evoking the flavour of the story's historical setting.

The Penguin Book of Modern

Indian Poetry - Edited by Jeet Thayil

The Penguin Books of Modern Indian Poets spans over seventy-five years of Indian poetry in English since Independence. It bears witness to the struggle between the desperate regimes of power and the new world clamouring to be born, documenting a movement's unlikely coming of age. Among the poets included are not only those who live in places other than Indian urban centres, but also in various parts of the world-writers who have never shared a stage together but have more in common than their far-flung locations would suggest. Bridging continents and generations, this volume seeks to expand the definition of "Indianness." An essential feature of this volume is a set of rare and remarkable portraits by Madhu Kapparath.

Let Me Hijack Your Mind by Alyque Padamsee

In this one-of-its-kind book by the late Alyque Padamsee, he invites us to re-examine and think afresh about some of our most deeply held beliefs, from love, marriage, terrorism, leadership, money, gender, faith, and education. Let Me Hijack Your Mind is Alyque's parting gift to Indians, exhorting them to throw out the old and embrace new ways of approaching everything, which will lead them towards a more exciting and contented life-and a better society and country.

Bose: The Untold Story - The Definitive Biography by Chandrachur Ghose

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, this definitive biography, will open a window to many hitherto untold and unknown stories of Subhas Chandra Bose.

Rebels Against the Raj by Guha, Ramachandra

Rebels Against the Raj tells the little-known story of seven people who chose to struggle for a country other than their own: foreigners to India who, in the late nineteenth century, arrived to join the freedom movement fighting for independence.

This book tells their stories, each rebel motivated by idealism and genuine sacrifice; each connected to Gandhi, though some as acolytes while others were endlessly infuriated by his views; each understanding they would likely face prison sentences for their resistance, and likely live and die in India; each one leaving a profound impact on the region in which they worked, their legacies continuing through the institutions they founded and the generations and individuals they inspired.

Tell Me How to Be by Neel Patel

By turns irreverent and tender, filled with the beats of '90s R&B, Tell Me How To Be is about our earliest betrayals and the cost of reconciliation. But most of all, it is the love story of a mother and son each trying to figure out how to be in the world.

A Little Book of India

As India completes 75 years of independence, we bring to you a slice of our beloved country in the words of our favourite author, Ruskin Bond. Drawing on his own memories and impressions of this unique land, he pays homage to the country that has been his home for 84 years.

Bond talks fondly about the diverse elements that make up this beautiful land-its rivers and forests, literature and culture, sights, sounds and colours.

A Little Book of India is an amalgamation of the physical and spiritual attributes of our homeland, and takes you on a journey filled with nostalgia and devotion.

Brief History of Life by Prosanta Chakrabarty

If you were looking forward to reading an absolutely engaging book on science, here it is. This book opens a window to 4 billion years of 8 million lives that we see on this planet. (IANS)