non-fiction - Comfortably Numb

Book review: The Many Lives of Syeda X

Living under the radar Veteran journalist, prize-winning `shoe-leather` writer of many articles which have caught the startled attention of the authorities and the public alike, Neha Dixit`s first book is everything one would expect from her: an excellent piece of reportage. There is no soft immersion involved here. We are almost immediately introduced to the…

Book review: The Cows of Bangalore by Shoba Narayan

For the love of cows A book about cows of India in this day and age? That kind of subject can either be an inspired one or plain minefield-walking. However, Shoba Narayan sticks to her set script and delivers an easy read that will delight cow-admirers as well as intrigue those who view…

Book review: Veerappan, Chasing the Brigand by K Vijay Kumar

Veerappan: Chasing the Brigand by K Vijay Kumar. Rupa Publications. I wanted this book to read like a thriller, the author states in his Acknowledgments. And that is exactly what Veerappan… reads like: a bracing, fast-paced thriller that keeps the reader hooked and happy. It could be described as a crackling good yarn except, as…

Book review: Koh-i-Noor by William Dalrymple and Anita Anand

This is more excerpts from than review of the book. Romancing this stone! Prosperity, long life, increase of wives and progeny and domestic animals, and the bringing home of a teeming harvest all attend on the use of a diamond well-marked in its points, clear in lustre and divested of bainful traits. …serpents, tigers and…