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Indians in London: Adventures of the imperial capital and the saga of Indian Independence

“Indians in London” is a scintillating adventure across the Thames, the Embankment, the Southwarks, Bloomsburys, Kensingtons, Piccadillys, Wembleys and Brick Lanes that saw a nation-a cultural, historical and literary revolution that redefined London over half a millennium of Indian migrations-reborn as independent India…reports Asian Lite News.

This is a chronicle of five-hundred years of Indian immigration to Britain as it explores the adventures of the imperial capital and how its saga fuelled the journey of Indian independence

In September 1600, Queen Elizabeth and London are made to believe that the East India Company will change England’s fortunes forever. With William Shakespeare’s death, the heart of Albion starts throbbing with four centuries of an extraordinary Indian settlement that author Arup K. Chatterjee unfolds in “Indians in London” (Bloomsbury).

In five acts that follow, we are taken past the churches destroyed by the fire of Pudding Lane; the late eighteenth-century curry houses in Mayfair and Marylebone; and the coming of Indian lascars, ayahs, delegates, students and lawyers in London.

From the baptism of Peter Pope (in the year Shakespeare died) to the death of Catherine of Bengal; the chronicles of Joseph Emin, Abu Taleb and Mirza Ihtishamuddin to Sake Dean Mahomet’s Hindoostane Coffee House; Gandhi’s experiments in Holborn to the recovery of the lost manuscript of Tagore’s Gitanjali in Baker Street; Jinnah’s trysts with Shakespeare to Nehru’s duels with destiny; Princess Sophia’s defiance of the royalty to Anand establishing the Progressive Writers’ Association in Soho; Aurobindo Ghose’s Victorian idylls to Subhas Chandra Bose’s interwar days; the four Indian politicians who sat at Westminster to the blood pacts for Pakistan; India in the shockwaves at Whitehall to India in the radiowaves at the BBC; the intrigues of India House and India League to hundreds of East Bengali restaurateurs seasoning curries and kebabs around Brick Lane the book details all this and more.

“Indians in London” is a scintillating adventure across the Thames, the Embankment, the Southwarks, Bloomsburys, Kensingtons, Piccadillys, Wembleys and Brick Lanes that saw a nation-a cultural, historical and literary revolution that redefined London over half a millennium of Indian migrations-reborn as independent India.

Arup K. Chatterjee is an Associate Professor at O.P. Jindal Global University. In 2014, he was a recipient of the Charles Wallace fellowship, to United Kingdom. His interests are in the history of British imperialism, politics and philosophy; British cultural and historical encounters with India; and colonial and postcolonial historiography of India; Vedanta and Nondualism; and Indian philosophy and psychoanalysis.

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The Custodian Of Trust: An Incredible Journey Of A Banker

“I am pretty excited to share my journey of 40 years with State Bank of India and offer glimpses of my personal life,” Rajnish Kumar said…reports Asian Lite News.

This is a highly anticipated account of some of the critical periods in the history of Indias financial sector by one of the countrys most talented and established banking professionals in the country, Rajnish Kumar, former Chairman of State Bank of India (SBI), Indias largest commercial bank.

“The Custodian of Trust” (Penguin) is the story of Rajnish Kumar’s incredible journey as a banker. Debuting as a writer with his memoir, Kumar shares his stories – from being a probationary officer in SBI to becoming its chairman in 2017 – capturing the many changes he witnessed in India’s banking sector during his career. Recounting his experiences about the aftermath of demonetization; challenges in YES Bank; the crisis in Jet Airways and NPAs, this book is anecdotal, engaging and thought- provoking, and will attract a wide spectrum of readers.

“I am pretty excited to share my journey of 40 years with State Bank of India and offer glimpses of my personal life,” Rajnish Kumar said.

“SBI is considered a proxy to the Indian Economy. In that sense, the book is also an account of the tremendous progress made by the country as well as the banking and financial system in the last four decades. The removal of poverty has been the biggest challenge and banks have played a critical role in the fight against poverty. There are many untold and unknown stories in the book, which I am sure readers will find interesting and inspirational,” he added.

Even before its official launch, “The Custodian of Trust” has received generous praise and endorsements from the stalwarts of India Inc. and the banking industry. Ratan Tata, Chairman Emeritus, Tata Sons, remarked that “this book is not just about the banking system of our country, but a chronicle of contemporary economic history”. Uday Kotak, CEO, Kotak Mahindra Bank, said about the book: “It has the potential to be a Bollywood blockbuster.”

Premanka Goswami, Executive Editor at Penguin Random House India, said: “Rajnish Kumar assumed the responsibility to lead the country’s biggest commercial bank at a critical time when India’s financial sector was going through a turmoil. ‘The Custodian of Trust’ opens a window to these times. We, at Penguin House Random House India, are excited to publish Kumar’s memoir.”

Rajnish Kumar joined SBI as a probationary officer in 1980. He served the bank in various capacities across the country and overseas. Prior to his appointment as Chairman, he was Managing Director (National Banking Group) at the bank overseeing the Retail business and Digital Banking. He was Chairman of the Indian Banks Association and served on the boards of many other companies while serving SBI.

Currently, he is a director on the boards of HSBC Asia Pacific, L&T Infotech Ltd and Lighthouse Communities Foundation. He is also an exclusive advisor to Kotak Investment Advisors Ltd and senior advisor to Baring Private Equity Asia Pvt Ltd.

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Delhi – A Soliloquy: Mukundan’s Rambling, Intimate Epic

“So I came back home, back on the banks of my beloved Mayyazhi river. Life here is exhilarating. But I miss a lot – Delhi’s Press Club, IIC and India Habitat Centre,” Mukundan said…writes Vishnu Makhijani

Back in the 1960s, the national capital was a “quiet and safe place” where women were not harmed and you could sleep on your terrace “without locking the main house door”. Then, “a nouveau riche class prospered” and outwardly, New Delhi today “is a beautiful city” but “beneath lies hunger, filth and diseases”.

Still, Malayalam author M. Mukundan is nostalgic about a city where he lived for 40 long years before moving back to his hometown of Mahe and this prompted him to write “Delhi – A Soliloquy”, translated by Fathima E.V. and Nandakumar K (Westland/Eka) that has been shortlisted for the Rs 25 lakh JCB Prize for Literature, India’s richest literary award.

“When I was in Delhi, I felt nostalgic about Mahe. Now it is the other way round – I’m nostalgic about Delhi. There’s no ideal place to live in, where you are that is your home,” Mukundan, four of whose works have been adapted for the big screen, told in an interview.

“In the early 60s when I arrived in Delhi, it was a quiet and safe place. There were villages within the city. After seeing a late night movie at the Race Course theatre, women and children would walk down to Lodhi Colony past midnight. No woman was harmed.

“In summer, we used to sleep on the charpoys spread out on the terraces of our houses without locking the main house door down below. It was a city anybody will dream of living. And then Delhi changed all of a sudden – a brutal, grotesque change.

“Factories and commercial establishments came up, attracting unemployed poor people from other states. Building mafias destroyed villages and fields and built ugly high-rise buildings. Poor people were pushed away to filthy slums where they led a wretched life of deprivation. Throwing away all values, a nouveau riche class prospered. Outwardly, Delhi is a beautiful city. But beneath lies hunger, filth and diseases,” Mukundan elaborated.

“The book is a rambling, intimate epic. It captures what it means to be a small person in a big capital. How the relentless wave of history impacts these marginal people who have come to Delhi in search for a better life. Mukundan has brought to life the very real characters in this book with great sincerity? All through the novel you are looking at the small things and through them understanding the big,” the JCB Jury said of the book.

Narrated by Sahadevan, a Keralite who moves to Delhi in his twenties, “Delhi: A Soliloquy” is the story of the changes and growth of the city with Sahadevan’s life as the backdrop. Journeying through life, he comes across immigrants scattered across the capital city, all struggling in their own ways. The book is about forging friendships, and finding his own people in a city he comes to call home.

“I lived in Delhi for nearly 40 years. For 36 years I worked in a Diplomatic Mission while the remaining four years I spent on wandering. My wanderlust always helps me in my creative pursuits. When I have a sense of belonging to a place, I feel like writing about it.

“I developed strong bonds with Delhi. That’s why I wanted very much to write about what I’ve experienced, I’ve seen or I’ve heard of in this city. Long ago I told myself that I should one day write a novel about this hypnotic city. And I wrote it, though many years later,” Mukundan elaborated.

Being a witness to the events he’s described in the book, “everything I had experienced I wove into the novel. Of course to avoid factual errors and anachronisms I had to check dates and names of places. That was a process that lingered all through the writing of the novel”.

It’s been almost 20 years since he moved back to Mahe. What has the transition been like?

After retiring in 2004 from the French Embassy, where he worked in the cultural section and for which he was honored by the French government, he said he didn’t want to leave Delhi immediately but the Kerala government nominated him as the president of its Sahitya Akademi.

“So I came back home, back on the banks of my beloved Mayyazhi river. Life here is exhilarating. But I miss a lot – Delhi’s Press Club, IIC and India Habitat Centre,” Mukundan said.

Speaking about his work in the French Embassy, he said he thoroughly enjoyed it.

“I was part of the French team that brought to India Picasso’s original works. I could meet and interact with a large number of French intellectuals such as the legendary Regis Debray and Jacques Derrida. I used to write speeches for the Ambassadors. At a time when there wasn’t Internet or Google, it was a tough job.

“Want to know what parting gift the Embassy gave me? Twenty-four bottles of wine, neatly packed in two cartons; all sorts of wine some costing a fortune,” Mukundum said.

There is also the insignia of Chevalier in the Order of Arts and Letters awarded to him in 1998.

As for his books that have been adapted for the big screen, Mukundan said only one came out very well – “God’s Mischief”.

“This was adapted from the novel by the same name. The director of the film Lenin Rajendran (a die-hard communist as his name suggests) and I wrote the scenario together. ‘God’s Mischief’ won the State Award for the best feature film. The worst was ‘Savithri’s Girdle’. I didn’t write the scenario for this. I only gave the producer the film rights. I could watch the film only for about 15 minutes and then I walked out of the theatre. To date, I haven’t seen the remaining part of the film. It was unbearable. Now I give film rights of my stories only if I could write the scenario myself. Such a film is now in the making – ‘The Autorikshaw Driver’s Wife’, based on my story by the same name. Shooting will begin next month,” Mukundan concluded.

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‘A Passage North’ in the final six of Booker shortlist

“A Passage North” begins with a message from out of the blue: a telephone call informing the protagonist, Krishan, that his grandmother’s caretaker, Rani, has died under unexpected circumstances – found at the bottom of a well in her village in the north, her neck broken by the fall…reports Asian Lite News.

Sri Lankan author Anuk Arudpragasam’s novel “A Passage North” (Penguin India) that transports the reader from Colombo to the war-torn Northern Province and lays bare the imprints of an islands past and the unattainable distances between who we are and what we seek, has moved to the shortlist for The Booker Prize 2021.

It’s a searing novel of longing, loss and the legacy of war, from the author of “The Story of a Brief Marriage”.

“A Passage North” begins with a message from out of the blue: a telephone call informing the protagonist, Krishan, that his grandmother’s caretaker, Rani, has died under unexpected circumstances – found at the bottom of a well in her village in the north, her neck broken by the fall.

The news arrives on the heels of an email from Anjum, an impassioned yet aloof activist Krishnan fell in love with years before while living in Delhi, stirring old memories and desires from a world he left behind.

As Krishan makes the long journey by train from Colombo into the devastated Northern Province for Rani’s funeral, so begins an astonishing passage into the innermost reaches of a country.

At once a powerful meditation on absence and longing, as well as an unsparing account of the legacy of Sri Lanka’s 30-year civil war, this procession to a pyre “at the end of the earth” lays bare the imprints of an island’s past and the unattainable distances between who we are and what we seek.

Written with precision and grace, the masterful novel is an attempt to come to terms with life in the wake of devastation, and a poignant memorial for those lost and those still alive.

Anuk Arudpragasam was born in Colombo and moved to the United States at the age of 18, where he attended Stanford and Columbia Universities. His first novel, “The Story of a Brief Marriage”, was translated into six languages, won the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature and was shortlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize. He currently divides his time between Sri Lanka and India.

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‘Devil’s Daughter’: An expression of identity

She says that while externally our problems may be different, but inside we all feel anxiety, nervousness, depression…writes Sukant Deepak.

Indrani’s surviving daughter Vidhie Mukerjea released her memoir Devil’s Daughter recently. In 2015, on the eve of her 18th birthday, everything changed for Vidhie Mukerjea, as her mother Indrani Mukerjea was arrested for allegedly murdering her daughter Sheena Bora. A few months later, media baron Peter Mukerjea met the same fate.

Vidhie went to Regent’s University London, and over the next few years, maintained a low profile in the media and ‘blocked’ the incident in her mind.

But with her recently released memoir ‘Devil’s Daughter’ (Westland Books), she assures that now she does not operate from a place of fear anymore as she breaks off layers of her conditioning and past trauma.

“Public scrutiny had its place in my mind as I have memories of how both my family and I were treated by the media. However, this book was merely an expression of who I am as person, an author, and an artist. It highlights my struggles, adventures, and essentially sharing who I am with the world in a raw and authentic form. I was incredibly nervous about having a public presence, but my narrative has given me confidence to be out there and speak about it,” she tells.

Vidhie recalls that writing ‘Devil’s Daughter’, which also talks about her anxiety and panic disorder, started as a cathartic release into her laptop with many moments of deep introspection, reliving her past, and going through diverse emotions.

“While also challenging preconceived notion many have about mental health being a taboo topic. Towards the end of writing the book I couldn’t stop thinking about various tough situations people are going through with Covid and otherwise, what their headspace was like at the time and realising finally we are all essentially going through the same thing internally,” Vidhie says.

She says that while externally our problems may be different, but inside we all feel anxiety, nervousness, depression.

“I wrote it so people felt they could relate to me and I to them.”

Stressing that once she started writing, there was no holding back, the author says that her story and journey began to empower her and her purpose.

“Of course, there were moments of doubt, but I was I was reassured by people close to me — my partner, friends and family,” she says.

For Vidhie, writing the book was also therapy. While for the first two years after her parents’ arrest, she was constantly escaping her reality, pretending things were entirely normal and that she was an anomaly and would not need to feel those things.

“The longer I deflected, the bigger the hit was. So yes, writing this was like months of intensive therapy for me,” she says.

Recalling the media trial that followed, she says it was not just awful and damaging but also draining. “They were ruthless and invasive. It haunts me still because I really kept wondering how people could behave like that. But you know, they tried to ruin us, and they almost did; but because of them I am so much better prepared today. When stuff like this happens, you call them out and hit back. Simple.”

Admitting that reliving the past while writing was scary sometimes, Vidhie says that there were days when she felt she would mentally collapse.

“I could not sleep, eat or talk. But I truly believe there is always a deeper lesson or truth to be found in any tough situation. After I went through these moments, I would come out of them feeling so relieved and content.”

Adding that it was “inevitable” for her to talk about her anxiety and panic attacks, she feels that we all want to live in a bubble, pretending all is bright eyed. “We are afraid to let people know we are hurting. I wanted to break that chain, life is about being raw and authentic and writing about it just felt incredible.”

When the author told her mother about the book, and gave her a brief disclaimer of what to expect, both discussed the context. “I kept pushing and delaying the conversation, but she was quite proud of me when I told her what I would be writing. Frankly, she gave me the last bit of confidence I needed.”

The author writes in the book that she does not understand her mother’s actions — “Of course, it’s nothing short of tough. But we all make blind decisions, and get lost. I hope to understand her more as time passes.”

Currently working on her next book on how to travel sustainably — backpacking, living in hostels, not having a fixed itinerary, discovering places on the go, cheap transport, immersing oneself in the culture, and understanding what it means to be a local, she adds, “It is about how exposing oneself to a diversity of experiences, people, and perspective can go on to broaden your horizons, and serve as a mechanism for self-reflection and discovery.”

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Exploring the complexity of human psyche

Asked how she conceptualises the story and the protagonists, who often tread in the grey area between ‘good’ and ‘bad’, Tandon told…writes Siddhi Jain.

In an engrossing new anthology of 13 contemporary short stories by debut author Bindu Tandon, titled ‘Of Beasts & Beauty’, what shines through the undertones of crime, conflicted relationships, power hierarchies and gender dynamics is the raw human experience that connects us all.

In the recently-released title, Tandon explores the complexity of human psyche and experience in the Indian context through powerful, intense storytelling that simultaneously packs a punch and provokes thought. The ‘shorts’ weave an intriguing narrative dramatizing the everyday Indian life. They are published by Rati Books, an imprint of Garuda Prakashan.

In the book, the author goes beyond the distinction of vice and virtue, and leaves this decision open-ended for the reader.

Asked how she conceptualises the story and the protagonists, who often tread in the grey area between ‘good’ and ‘bad’, Tandon told:

“As I unravel ‘behaviour’ — mine and that of others — I often find that it’s not just the deed, but also the ‘intent’ behind the act, that changes how I define the act. That is the ‘grey area’ you refer to. And in erasing or in not recognizing this distinction, I think we become hypocritical and we go down the slippery slope of labeling behaviour as good or bad. Do I believe that there should be ‘no consequences’? Not at all, we have to be ready to take the consequences of our actions.”

Tandon adds: “I want my reader to recognize people in their world in my stories. And find that dimension in them that might have eluded them in real life. I want my stories to bring alive the modern, flawed, beautiful young and old distinctly contemporary Indian, that is present in very few stories.

“These stories are about the wide world that interests me. Drawn from travels and a global perspective largely devoid of prejudice. I guess my desire to not judge, not condemn and not arrive at quick everyday conclusions, which is a part of me is revealing itself to you as ‘layered thought’.”

After being in the management of a leading media organisation and managing a publishing house, the Mumbai-based author continues her tryst with black ink on white paper in her first book of short stories.

“I want you to feel pain, exultation, agony, hate and joy, as you read these stories. Feel, viscerally, to the very core of your being, a common thread of humanity that runs through each of these 13 stories. Acts of violence make beasts of us all, whether you live in a big city or a small town or village. I have written to understand the hearts and the minds of people scarred by such acts, whether as victims, perpetrators or merely as innocent bystanders. I want you to decide who is a beast, and which act represents beauty,” says Bindu.

The author is also working on her first novel which she expects to complete by the end of 2021.

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‘Lost and Found at 35’: A real self-discovery tale

The 4 Ps — ‘Passion, Pursue, Process and Purpose’ makes for the book’s fundamentals. “A life if built on these 4 Ps guarantees the resilience to fight stress, traumas and tragedies,” says Jhamb…Ankit speaks with Siddhi Jain.

Writing on humans and their inner self is quite tough and difficult to explore. Interweaving light pick-me-ups throughout the story, author Ankit Jhamb in his new novel ‘Lost and Found at 35’, makes a strong case for positive psychology application in real life — via the tale of a 35-year-old man who turns his life around after a failed suicide attempt and self-discovery through interactions with six strangers, including a 100-year-old man, a little girl aged four, a war widow and a monk.

“A very large part of our ability to deal with depression, stress, anxiety depends upon being able to create a passionate lifestyle with purpose and discipline,” Jhamb tells.

He adds: “Hence, the book is dedicated to the cause of spreading the word on positive psychology. It talks about how if people find their passion, pursue it with discipline they insure their life from mental illness and various afflictions. I wanted to share the lessons, practice insights and tips to create your own daily routine and life in a way that increases the happiness index and the quality of one’s life.”

The 4 Ps — ‘Passion, Pursue, Process and Purpose’ makes for the book’s fundamentals. “A life if built on these 4 Ps guarantees the resilience to fight stress, traumas and tragedies,” says Jhamb.

‘Lost and Found at 35’ touches upon self-discovery through meaningful interactions and gradual turning around one’s life. Often, immersion in someone else’s story can reveal pearls of wisdom that one can apply in their own life.

What positive psychology lessons or pick-me-ups can readers hope to find in the book?

“Just having passion is not sufficient — you have to pursue it with discipline and then learn the art and craft of whatever your passion is. The ability to forgive shall lead to a lighter life and a more creative life. Enhance your life and your personality by building up a routine which is based on your strengths rather than weakness. A large part of our physiological and pathological issues are actually emotional problems manifesting through our bodies,” are some of the nuggets shared by Jhamb.

Finally, who should pick up the book? “Anyone!” exclaims the author.

“If you have some burning questions in life regarding your purpose, regarding your passion, happiness, fulfilment or just living a more peaceful, graceful life, go read the book. However people who continuously feel they are in the wrong job, struggle to answer the question “What are my passions” or find it tough to derive a sense of happiness from their work — they should definitely read the book,” he concludes.

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Rhea hopefully reading ‘Gitanjali ‘

Within minutes, her close friend Shibani Dandekar posted “love you” with a heart emoji. Rhea has not been very regular on social media after the death of her alleged boyfriend and Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput…reports Asian Lite News.

After the death of Sushant Singh all eyes were behind Rhea Chakrovorty. Bollywood actress Rhea Chakraborty took to Instagram to share a hope-filled message with her fans. She shared a picture of herself dressed in a yellow kurta, reading poet Rabindranath Tagore’s collection of poems, “Gitanjali”.

She wrote: “The question and the cry “Oh, where?” melt into tears of a thousand streams and deluge the world with the flood of the assurance, “I AM!” — Rabindranath Tagore, #keepingthefaith.”

Sushant Singh Rajput.

Within minutes, her close friend Shibani Dandekar posted “love you” with a heart emoji. Rhea has not been very regular on social media after the death of her alleged boyfriend and Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput.

She was accused by Sushant’s family for abetment to suicide and also siphoning off funds from the late actor. She was also named in the first Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) chargesheet along with her brother Showik in a drug-related probe into Sushant’s death case.

She was arrested last year and spent a month in Mumbai’s Byculla jail in September last year in a drug-related charge. Meanwhile, the actress is part of the film “Chehre” starring actors Amitabh Bachchan and Emraan Hashmi. This is her first film release after Sushant’s death.

The actress was missing from the first poster and teaser of the film, which sparked off rumours of her being ousted from the project. However, she is part of the trailer.

Directed by Rumy Jafry, “Chehre” also features Annu Kapoor, Raghubir Yadav, Krystle D’Souza and Raghubir Yadav.

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