Book Review: Our Moon Has Blood Clots by Rahul Pandita

Our Moon Has Blood Clots: The Exodus of the Kashmiri Pandits by Rahul Pandita

Our Moon Has Blood Clots - Goodreads

Our Moon Has Blood Clots - Complete Book at Internet Archive

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Highly Recommended

The best in me are my memories. Many people will come
to life in them, people who gave their blood while they
lived, and who will now give their example.

- Anton Donchev, Time of Parting

Rahul Pandita opens the book with an epigraph from a historical Bulgarian novel: Time of Parting. The epigraph highlights the theme of loss, forced displacement and cultural rupture - themes that resonate with Pandita’s own narrative of the ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri Pandits .

Kashmiri Pandits are among the oldest indigenous communities of the Kashmir Valley, with roots stretching back over two thousand years. For centuries, they lived in the Valley as custodians of its language, learning, and cultural traditions, deeply tied to the land they called home. Our Moon Has Blood Clots is a book about this community and their sudden exodus due to genocide. 

Kashmir is an enigma - a land of breathtaking beauty, layered histories, and enduring contradictions. Kashmir is a Russian doll of a story. It is a story of stories, each describing what is or what ought to be, none entirely.  For decades, narratives about Kashmir have often focused on Muslims as victims of state policies and conflict. What remains less discussed is the genocide of Kashmiri Pandits by some of their Muslim neighbors, terrorism created by Pakistan and the indifference of the Indian state. 

In the book, Pandita first recalls the attacks on Kashmiri Pandits in Baramulla and other areas during the 1947–48 invasion by Pakistan, when violence, looting, and killings forced many families to flee temporarily, even though a large number eventually returned to the Valley. That phase was marked by chaos of war and border invasion rather than targeted, sustained intimidation. 

Pandita then provides details of the 1990 exodus that was created by systematic threats, selective killings, and an atmosphere of fear created by militancy from within the Valley itself. Well-known Pandits - intellectuals, officials, judges and teachers were killed selectively, creating an atmosphere of fear.  Along with the Kashmiri Pandits, there were liberal & communist Muslims who were also hounded out of their homes terrorized by putting names on hit-lists. Kashmir was in the state of chaos and the collapse of governance.

Posters and pamphlets were stuck on doors of Kashmiri Pandits, or a 'friendly' neighbor dropping in asking them to leave because the majority would not be able to assure their safety. There were threatening slogans reportedly shouted in public spaces and broadcasted from loudspeakers. Slogans such as “Raliv, Galiv ya Chaliv” (convert, die, or leave meaning either leave Kashmir valley or convert to Islam, or die as infidels.) and “Asi gachhi Pakistan, Batav roas ta Batneiw saan” (we want Pakistan; Pandit women without Pandit men) accelerating the mass exodus of the community from the Valley. As a result, around 90–95% of the Kashmiri Pandit population fled the Valley, many overnight, leaving behind homes, jobs, temples, and ancestral property. Kashmiri Pandits never raised weapons yet became refugees in their own country.

Rahul Pandita, who was just 14 when he and his family were forced to leave their home in Srinagar. Kashmiri Pandits not only lost their livelihoods but were also forced to flee to Jammu, Delhi and other Indian cities in search of safety. Many lived in refugee camps or cramped rented rooms, where indifference and harsh treatment from locals and landlords further deepened their struggle. There were empty promises of official help by government. This forced displacement led to long-lasting marginalisation for the community to rebuild their lives.

In Our Moon Has Blood Clots, Rahul Pandita explores these lesser-told histories through shared and personal memories to speak about systematic violence in Kashmir, the sudden displacement and then long struggle to survive in exile. The book closes on a note of unresolved loss, trauma and quiet grief. Pandita ends the book by acknowledging that for most Kashmiri Pandits, return remains distant and uncertain, and what survives instead is longing for a lost homeland and memories of rituals, language, and everyday life that once existed.  Rather than expressing anger or hate in dramatic way, the memoir tries to rebuild a lost world by preserving the voices and lived experiences of an uprooted community. 

While Our Moon Has Blood Clots is often clubbed alongside trauma narratives from post-colonial or insurgency-affected regions, the story of the Kashmiri Pandits represents something uniquely alarming: in a country where Hindus are the majority, an entire Hindu community was forcibly displaced because of their religion, despite living in Kashmir for centuries. The principles of non-violence, secularism, and tolerance, foundational to the Indian republic, failed to protect them. 

The book is neither reclaiming history nor asking for a civilizational revival as there is no single starting point in the past that can be selectively returned to or glorified.  What does the story of the exodus of a minority community at midnight with family  members and a heart full of memories teach us? The instrumental use of literature, in this sense, is a precursor for awakening of a nation by offering a deeper understanding of its past. The old warning is always there: A nation that keeps one eye on the past is wise. A nation that keeps two eyes on the past is blind.  Through this book, Pandita shows how remembering and telling stories helps people make sense of pain and hold on to their identity.

Book Review: Snow by Orhan Pamuk

Snow (Kar) by Orhan Pamuk

Snow by Orhan Pamuk | Goodreads

⭐⭐⭐⭐✰ Worth Reading

By imagining through the eyes of others, we tap into the heart of their culture, circumstances, and surroundings. It makes our world a little more complete knowing that we share experiences, and celebrate differences, across a broad spectrum of possibility.  Orhan Pamuk, a Turkish novelist and recipient of the 2006 Nobel Prize in Literature, invites readers to explore the complex social and political landscape of Turkey in his novel Snow (Kar).

Set in the cold, far-off town of Kars situated near the Armenia, Georgia & Iran border, the novel follows Ka, a Turkish poet who returns to his country after twelve long years of exile in Germany. He comes back to Kars posing as a newspaper reporter, officially to cover local municipal elections and investigate the troubling suicides of young girls who wear headscarves. But beneath this professional reason lies a very personal one: Ka wants to meet İpek, the woman he has always loved, and hopes to convince her—now divorced—to leave everything behind and return with him to Germany. As snow falls on it for several days, the marginalized city becomes isolated between the snow and a military coup.

Orhan Pamuk steps straight into the uneasy world of politics and power, showing it as people in small towns often experience it—confusing, full of noise, and full of half-truths. Yet beyond politics, the heart of the novel lies in Ka himself: a poet weighed down by sadness and hope, fear and anger, moments of joy and deep collapse. Ka’s struggles in Kars evoke a Kafkaesque sense of alienation, absurdity, and loss of control amid political and social chaos. Even the small, cold city of Kars feels alive in the story, almost like a character itself, with its snow and loneliness reflecting isolation and despair. Symbols like the headscarf are not just religious—they also become political tools in these struggles. 

Orhan Pamuk depicts interwoven conflicts in Kars among secularists, Islamists, the military, and Kurdish communities adding a complex social landscape. The novel serves as a profound cultural and political reflection, offering multiple perspectives on societal tensions in the city and the country. The novel explores ideological conflicts — such as Islamism vs. secularism, tradition vs. modernity, and personal belief vs. state power — through layered, believable characters. And can we really call it a clash or is it more like these worlds living side by side. Everyone has their own beliefs and fights to make their voice heard. 

Written quietly and steadily, the story feels rooted in the loneliness, conflicts, and unspoken hopes of people living far from the country’s centres of power. All these themes are woven together skillfully into a story that keeps you reading and makes you think. Pamuk, with his Western-minded way of seeing things, writes from a Turkish setting, mixing Eastern traditions—Turkish, Persian, Arab—with European literary ideas. The novel’s conclusion raises important questions without giving easy answers. How does it portray the outcome of the struggle between Atatürkism and Islamism, and in what ways does the ending reflect the poet Ka’s challenge to belief in God?

I wholeheartedly recommend it. While reading the novel, I found myself contemplating how easily this book could be set in Kashmir. The atmosphere of isolation, political tension, competing ideologies, and the weight of faith and identity under pressure felt strikingly familiar. The snow, the curfews, the silenced voices, and the struggle between personal belief and state authority echo realities that transcend geography.

What good is a life if it trails behind work?

Howard Marks once said that “I became famous overnight after writing for 10 years.”

Mr. Raj Shamani shared a valuable insight that sometimes people who are less smart, less prepared, and less talented still succeed and achieve bigger things. He emphasized consistency as a key factor enabling such success despite lacking typical advantages like talent or preparation.  I got inspired by that short to write down this blog post. A truly self-aware person recognizes that their greatest strength lies not in constantly accumulating new skills, but in nurturing and deepening the qualities that already define their unique identity. By embracing and building upon what is innately mine, I can offer a piece of life to the readers and viewers. 

Hence, I am looking to work behind this YouTube Channel with imperfection and consistency. 

I am thrilled to reintroduce the What good is a life if it trails behind work? YouTube channel, a unique space that has been cultivating a rich archive of content for years. This channel is a heartfelt journey through varied worlds—from the magic of world cinema to the nostalgia of IT BHU campus days, the soul-stirring music of folk artists, the dynamics of Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), enchanting travelogues, impactful documentaries, and insightful book reviews.

The channel offers the following playlist - 

1. Ultimate World Cinema: Deep dives into films from across the globe with cinematic brilliance.
2. IT BHU Memories: Reliving the archive videos from ITBHU days. 
3. Rhythms & Ragas: Celebrating the timeless music and voices of Folk Artists
4. Farmer-Producer Organizations: Informative content on Farmer-Producer Organizations
5. Travelogue - स्मरण को पाथेय बनने दो: Snapshots from captivating journeys 
6.  Documentaries: Based on Social, cultural, and environmental themes. 
7.  Book Reviews - YouTube Shorts - honest book reviews in Hindi & English!
8. Poetry Renditions
9. Movie Reviews

This channel not only preserves memories and knowledge but also seeks to build a community of curious, thoughtful, and informed viewers.

Book Review: Deep Work by Cal Newport

Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport

Deep Work - Goodreads

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Highly Recommended

Wally Loins, a British practitioner of corporate identity and branding, recognized a great truth about the modern capitalist economy.  The most precious resource in a noisy, crowded market is people's attention. The second is that consumers are not just looking for utility in the things they buy. They are also looking for meaning. 

Today, streaming channels, social media and reels are present on the smartphone that draws away scarce personal resource: attention. And the network tools are developed by private companies, funded lavishly, and designed with behavioral nudges to capture our attention.  The consumer searching for the meaning, pleasure, escape from reality and utility has been caught in the maze of distractions. Information overload is getting exponentially worse and consist of four sub-problems that together add up to one big crisis - Content Shock, Echo Chambers, Constant Distraction and FOMO (Fear of Missing Out).

Excessive phone use correlates with lower dopamine synthesis capacity, particularly in social app users, impairing focus and motivation. Chronic exposure creates a deficit state where everyday tasks feel unrewarding without digital activity. The people are becoming digital addicts leading to an increasingly anxious, unhappy and lonely world. Rising anger and declining empathy has been documented across societies, with these emotional and mental health challenges. Hence, the distracted mind always ends up doing shallow work and there is cognitive decline from excessive low-quality screen time, including mental fog with shortened attention spans. In this scenario, deep work is a moat against other professional knowledge workers. 

The book, Deep Work focuses on one of the most valuable skills in our economy: complete attention. Simply put, this book argues that for a knowledge worker deep work, i.e., working (for hours) with intense concentration and without any distraction, will multiply the capacity to produce results in the age of social media. The importance of the old-school routine has been emphasized with smart task management techniques. 

Prof. Newport describes the deep work state as one of “diffused” attention, which stands in stark contrast to the intense concentration that deliberate practice demands. In other words, a scattered mind is almost the opposite of the deep, focused attention required to improve at challenging tasks.

The author highlights the Zeigarnik Effect as a barrier to focused productivity where the human mind has tendency to remember unfinished tasks (emails, notifications) more vividly than completed ones, creating mental tension that keeps them top-of-mind. The author suggests for scheduling "shutdown rituals" to mentally close these open loops, mimicking task completion to free cognitive resources and reduce recall interference. 

The key to developing a deep work habit is to move beyond good intentions and add routines and rituals to your working life designed to minimize the amount of your limited willpower necessary to transition into and maintain a state of unbroken concentration.

Deep Work harnesses focused bursts of concentration to build momentum, transforming fragmented attention into sustained productivity. Deep Work complements leisure recharge the brain by activating the default mode network, which boosts creativity, memory consolidation, and problem-solving.

I personally commit to giving reading my 100% undivided attention for half an hour each night. Results were good with a pilot-scale digital detox and have enhanced my productivity. At this point, there should be only one possible way to get the deep task done in time: working with great intensity no e-mail breaks, no doom‑scrolling and no repeated trips to the coffee machine. Wishing a happy reading experience to all my readers.

My Learnings are noted down here: Diary of a Rural Manager! Digital Well Being

Book Review: Hitch 22: A Memoir by Christopher Hitchens

Hitch-22 - Some Confessions and Contradictions: A Memoir - Christopher Hitchens

Hitch-22 - Goodreads

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Highly Recommended

One of the leading U.S. critics of the 20th century, Lionel Trilling noted long ago - "Intellectuals have tended to embrace an 'adversary culture’: standing against the state, against the market, against the establishment, against anything and everything but themselves. Conciliation and Compromise do not come naturally to them."

Christopher Hitchens exemplifies Lionel Trilling's "adversary culture" to an extreme degree, earning a 10/10 rating who relentlessly critiqued the power structures - British monarchy, U.S. imperialism in Vietnam, Islamic Fatwa on Salman Rushdie, Mother Teresa's piety, Henry Kissinger's realpolitik and post-9/11 "Islamofascism" - often aligning against consensus on both left and right.  Who was Christopher Hitchens? Christopher Hitchens (1949–2011) was a British American author, public intellectual and journalist known for his sharp polemics on politics, religion and culture. 

Hitch-22 stands as an exceptional memoir - topical, incisive, witty, and profoundly revealing - demanding your time and rewarding it richly. His memoir is more than a biography; it's an invitation to dive into the brilliant and controversial mind of Christopher Hitchens. Hitchens reflects upon the intricate tapestry of his life—the friendships forged and alliances fractured, the ideological battles fought and noble causes surrendered, the missteps taken and doubts that shadowed his convictions. The book is eminently readable, with many anecdotal details put in with figures like Bill Clinton, Margaret Thatcher, Martin Amis and others, illustrating his life and worldview.

The book opens with his memories of early childhood moving between locations like Malta, Scotland and later Portsmouth in England due to his father's career as a Royal Navy commander.  The book traces his stay at the boarding school in Cambridge, where he encountered strict religious indoctrination that he later associated with authoritarianism and rejected early on. 

Hitchens began his career as a foreign correspondent and journalist. The book covers Christopher Hitchens' travels to various global hotspots like Northern Ireland, Greece, Cyprus, Argentina, Portugal, Bosnia, Cuba, Prague (Czechoslovakia) and Afghanistan. to expose dictatorships and even to Athens (Greece) to claim his mother's body amid anti-junta demonstrations.​ These visits shaped his views on tyranny, exile and resistance.

The memoir clears mark his introduction into politics at Balliol College, Oxford through the radical left in the 1960s and 1970s, but over time he grew distant with much of the organized left. Hitchens chronicles his gradual break from the traditional left, starting with the Soviet crackdown in Czechoslovakia, the Rushdie fatwa in 1989, accelerating over Bosnia and culminating post-9/11 with Iraq support.  

In his memoirs, Christopher Hitchens frames the Satanic Verses fatwa episode as symbolic of a cultural and political conflict where parts of the left offered insufficient support against religious authoritarianism. The left in England was divided about fully championing Rushdie due to the delicate balance between free speech and respect for religious identity. In contrast, Hitchens and like-minded defenders emerged as vocal advocates for literary freedom against the threat of religious fanaticism.

The book details his longstanding support for Kurdish self-determination and autonomy against Saddam Hussein's regime. He recounts visits to Kurdish areas in the 1990s, witnessing atrocities like chemical attacks, which fueled his advocacy and later Iraq War stance.

Hitch-22 was Hitchens' last book, his autobiography, considered the best for those who align with his unapologetic views and his dismissal of faith-based arguments. Shortly after publishing of the book, he left the world due to esophageal cancer in 2011. But his autobiography, Hitch-22 offers a revealing glimpse into a turbulent and inspiring life. The book is testament to his encyclopedic intellect and unorthodox shifts across political spectrums while championing enlightenment value.

In this era, it is profoundly troubling that our society has abandoned the celebration of intellectualism. The right accommodates religious extremism through appeasement, while the left, paradoxically, has capitulated to unwittingly ended up pandering to the most regressive elements. For many citizens, the distinction between genuine intellectual inquiry and demeaning judgements has become impossibly blurred, making honest discourse increasingly difficult.

We seek inspiration from a memoir that boldly reflects the journey of a public intellectual navigating the complex realms of politics, religion, culture and human nature with courage and honesty. It embraces the fearless questioning of beliefs and challenges established norms, guided by principles like Hitchens's razor: "What can be asserted without evidence can also be dismissed without evidence." This wisdom calls for rigor and skepticisms in our pursuit of truth and understanding.

 * Slate magazine hosted Christopher Hitchens as a "Fighting Words" columnist from 2002 until his death in 2011, publishing his provocative essays on politics, religion and culture. 

Book Review: India's War - The Making of Modern South Asia, 1939-1945 by Srinath Raghavan

India's War: The Making of Modern South Asia, 1939-1945 by Srinath Raghavan

India's War | Goodreads

⭐⭐⭐⭐✰ Worth Reading

A French writer once asked: What made France a nation? He listed three factors – the French educational system, the French Army, and the French middle classes. In the Indian context, the Second World War served as a crucible for nation-making through different mechanisms. 

This is well documented in the book, India's War: The Making of Modern South Asia, 1939-1945. The book is an essential read for anyone interested in India’s involvement in World War II. Covering key wars and military operations, the book sheds light on the evolution of India's armed force & it’s the political, economic, monetary, and social impact on the nation.

The war mobilized over 2.5 million Indian soldiers between 1939 to 1945, and India underwent an extraordinary and irreversible change due to World War II. Hundreds of thousands of Indians suddenly found themselves in uniform, fighting in a global conflict. The book explains how the Indian Army evolved during World War II. Initially, the army was a colonial force serving British interests. But by the end of the war, the army had become a skilled and powerful fighting force. Indian soldiers fought in important battles across North Africa, Italy, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. When Srinath Raghavan covers legendary battles of Imphal & Kohima, he dives into the heart of the battles and shows his military chops.

During World War II, the Indian National Congress (INC) first fought against British rule with peaceful protests, led by Mahatma Gandhi. In 1942, they started the Quit India Movement, asking the British to leave India immediately. The Congress did not support the war unless they were consulted. Despite this, many Indian soldiers and workers—over two and a half million—joined the war effort. The author establishes how the rise of the Muslim League and de-mobilization of the army veterans post 1945 and heightened tensions between Hindu-Muslims eventually led to India’s Partition. The author deserves praise for explaining all this so well.

The book highlights the Indian National Army (INA)  took a different approach and led India’s fight for independence under Subhas Chandra Bose. The INA fought alongside Japan against the British to liberate India. The book’s detailed discussion of Burma Campaign also offers an interesting lens on how Bose’s vision of armed resistance gained traction among some sectors of Indian society, even though the INA faced defeat.

The British Raj, which controlled India, was more than just a colonial entity during World War II. The book shows how the British Raj functioned like a "mini empire" of its own and became a vital part of the British Empire's war strategy.  The book clearly explains the urgent demands of military modernization and the wartime governance. 

The book also explores lesser-known aspects of the war economy explaining the heavy economic exploitation by the British government and yet the foundation for future industrial growth in India after the war. The British used Indian resources (both manpower and materials) to support their war efforts. While industries grew to support the war, rural India continued to suffer from poverty, hunger, and inflation.

India served as a major base for U.S. operations, receiving machinery, munitions, textiles, steel production equipment, locomotives, and various supplies to support Allied forces in the Burma-China-India theater.  The book shows how industrialization leads to creation of new working-class in India.  The author highlights that the war put a lot of economic pressure on India and showed conflicts in British rule. This pushed different groups in India to come together with a shared hope for independence. 

At times, the dense historical detail in the book may challenge casual readers, but it rewards those seeking depth. Beyond recounting South Asian history, the book compels readers to reflect on the war efforts and political transformation of India.  The book stands out as a compelling account of World War II from Indian perspective, offering both historical depth and political economy insights.

Book Review: Among the Believers: An Islamic Journey

Among the Believers: An Islamic Journey by V. S. Naipaul

Among the Believers: An Islamic Journey | Goodreads

⭐⭐⭐⭐✰ Worth Reading

History bears out the proposition that political revolutions have always been preceded by social and religious revolutions.  In Bangladesh, a significant number of people have converted to Islam over centuries, particularly during the medieval period when the region was influenced by conquest of Muslim rulers and proselytization by Sufi saints.

Today, there has been the rapid rise of radicalism in Bangladesh with the ouster of ex-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the student protest.  The protest has now been hijacked by Islamic extremists. Over the years, there was a surge in madrasas, and this has led to growing religious fanaticism, with zealots aggressively pushing an Islamist agenda. With Islamist influence in power, Bangladesh is modifying national identity by erasing symbols of its secular past, including the removal of statues of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and attacking Hindu minority. 

The explanation about such rapid religious radicalism of Bangladesh or any more such converted societies is relevant to book published in 1981, Among the Believers: An Islamic Journey by the Nobel laureate V. S. Naipaul. The book is a controversial and critical travelogue in nature. The book describes a six-month journey across the Asian continent after the Iranian Revolution across Iran, Pakistan, Malaysia and Indonesia. These countries were originally Zoroastrian, Buddhist, Hindu and pagan. The history of these nations is built on conquest and conversion where a diverse and cutting-edge center of learning and trade during its time become engulfed by Islamic ideology. Through interviews and personal observations, Naipaul effort to understand societies conquered by Islam and the religious zeal gripping youth in these societies. The theme of the book is a study of capturing deep cultural and political shifts in the Muslim world post Iranian revolution. 

The author explains the crux of Islamic extremism as a form of ideological imperialism that denies the complex histories and cultures of converted peoples. The people who converted to Islam were encouraged to act like Arabs and follow their strict ways. The descendent of these converts started to forget and ignore their own rich history and culture. In the minds of these believers, being conquered by the Arabs and becoming like them is still seen as a way to be saved.

Naipaul observed that before 1979, there was two simultaneous spark of revolutions in Iran—communist and Islamic—both driven by utopianism. Naipaul visits Iran shortly after the success of Islamic Revolution. The revolution against Shah gained broad support to Ayatollah by promising a return to traditional values and social justice based on religion. After the revolution, Iran became an Islamic Republic, and communism lost influence in the country. Naipaul depicts a nation living through a dystopian dream. Although the official rhetoric had changed, the torture and executions didn't stop.  

Naipaul travels to Pakistan and make sweeping conclusion. He notes that Pakistan was born amid sectarian bloodshed and political chaos. Within a decade, the fragile democracy was overtaken by military rule, following the hanging of Pakistan’s prime minister in a coup three years earlier. Much attention in the book is drawn to the Muslim invasion of the Indian subcontinent, especially the Arab conquest of Sindh, which Naipaul describes as a foundational event shaping the collective psyche. Naipaul highlights how this narrative of conquest is seen by many in Pakistan and Bangladesh as a moment of salvation and religious dominance continues to fuel political Islam in contemporary Pakistan. 

Naipaul further travels to Malayasia and Indonesia situated in South-east Asia. Naipaul further describes Malaysia as a place where Islam initially blended easily with local customs and beliefs, creating a mixed or syncretic faith. However, this changed as missionaries arrived from Pakistan aiming to purify Islam and make it more orthodox. Many young Malays who studied abroad came back to their villages calling for stricter religious observance. 

Regarding Indonesia, Naipaul notes its history of cultural influence by Hinduism and Buddhism but highlights how youth movements sparked widespread Islamic conversions. Today, about 90% of Indonesians are Muslim. While Indonesia is constitutionally secular, religion plays a strong role the legal systems and the application of sharia law are common concerns.

Naipaul identifies Islam as a political and social system in ways other religions are not by delivering few strong messages. One, Islam’s message of equality often drew in poor and marginalized communities looking for dignity. Two, many converts saw Islam as a way to resist the dominance of traditional power. And three, by asking converts to reject their pre-Islamic past, the Islam turn them into more passionate believers than native Arabs themselves.

Jihad does not spring due to the lack of economic or social upliftment but their plain and simple aim of degrading the secular state and establishing sharia rule. Naipaul explains that Islamic extremism often arises among young people searching for identity, influenced by madarsa education and a desire for pure faith, yet it also creates conflict with ideas of modernity, culture, and politics. The brilliance of the book is in showing how extremism grew in some Islamic societies during the 1970s. Irrespective of personal expectations, this is no doubt an important book, but only as a starting point.  Highly recommended reading for the persons interested in Islamic societies. 

Book Review: Mera Dagistan by Rasul Gamzatov

My Dagestan (Мой Дагестан) (Avar: Дир Дагъистан) by Rasul Gamzatov.

The book was translated in English in 1970 by Julius Katzer and Dorian Rottenberg.

⭐⭐⭐⭐✰ Worth Reading

Let me speak of Dagestan—a rugged land along North Caucasus of Eastern Europe and the western shore of the Caspian Sea. The word Dagestan is of Turkish and Persian origin, directly translating to "land of the mountains".  The land has for centuries been a mosaic of peoples and languages: Avars, Dargins, Lezgins, Laks, Kumyks, and many others. The territory was annexed into the Russian Empire after protracted wars in the early nineteenth century.  By 1921, with the Red Army’s advance, the Dagestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic came into being. 

Soviet state enforced sweeping modernization in Dagestan, bringing it into line with Marxist-Leninist ideology while managing the religious sentiments. Arabic was replaced first by Latin, later by Cyrillic; schools sprang up, teaching not scripture but secular education. The writers urged to craft a modern national literature that must reflect Soviet ideals like progress, collective ownership, brotherhood and unity. A strange paradox took root—Islam receded under official suspicion, but ethnic and linguistic self-awareness unexpectedly thrived.

Out of this creative ferment emerged Rasul Gamzatov (1923–2003), the poet whom Dagestan now claims as its voice in the Avar language. Gamzatov’s literary voice reflects a deep connection to his roots, and his writings offer profound insights into the history, traditions, and people of Dagestan. His masterpiece, My Dagestan (1967), celebrates the Caucasian folklore and expresses a deep belonging to his native land. 

The book draws multiple anecdotes from lives of five personalities: Ahmed Khan Abu-Bakar – a prominent Soviet writer of the Dargin people, Gamzat Tsadasy – his father and a well-known folk poet, Abutalib Gafurovich Gafurov – a Lakian poet of Dagestan, Imam Shamil and Hadji Murad– legendary Avar leaders who symbolize the spiritual and military resistance of the North Caucasus.

Gamzatov’s narrative style is generous and warm. He took care to introduce the names and stories of Dagestani people, ensuring they were remembered. Through anecdotes, jokes, and verses, he painted vivid pictures of Dagestan’s natural beauty and cultural richness. His book is a unique literary work that blends poetry and prose, oral traditions, folklore and criticism, and gossip while functioning as both a cultural history of Dagestani poetry and a personal philosophical testament. 

Today, West is struggling to narrow down the essential characteristics of Muslim identity – is it primarily culture, religion, ethnicity? But cultures are heterogeneous and contradictory, highly porous, and deeply intertwined.  A key aspect of the book is the reflection of Dagestan’s cultural hybridity—where Soviet ideals, pre-Islamic (pagan) traditions, and Islamic values intersect and merge, creating a unique and layered cultural identity. In this book, Gamzatov demonstrated remarkable knowledge not only of Dagestani literature, but also of Soviet & North Caucasian literary traditions and personalities.

For readers seeking a poetic journey through history, poetry, and human connection of a distant land, this book is an unforgettable experience. For the readers seeking a profound understanding of culture of Soviet era Dagestan, this book is an invaluable resource. Rasul Gamzatov doesn’t just tell the story of Dagestan — he makes the readers feel like a part of it. 

*The poem, Zhuravli (english translation) by Rasul Gamzatov has become a well-known Soviet song.

Book Review: Bhutan: The Kingdom at the Centre of the World by Omair Ahmad

Bhutan: The Kingdom at the Centre of the World by Omair Ahmad

Bhutan: The Kingdom at the Centre of the World | Goodreads

⭐⭐⭐⭐✰ Worth Reading

Despite the neighboring state of India, relatively limited number of books for common readers are available on Bhutan, a landlocked country in the Eastern Himalayas. This can be attributed to unique geography and isolation a policy of self-imposed isolation, which was successful in preserving its territorial integrity as a Himalayan kingdom. Bhutan is much less known in the U.S. and western hemisphere that too for its Buddhism and as a mystical, serene travel destination. Bhutan is slowly gaining popularity as a travel destination and the readers will know a surprising fact on reading the book connecting Bhutan with the 'Golden Gate Bridge' of San Francisco.

Omair Ahmad has written an insightful and beautiful book into the history of Bhutan, Druk Yul: Land of the Thunder Dragon. The book is beautifully researched, with the most relevant information and this book will be of particular interest to scholars, and students of the history & culture.  

The author dives into the transition of the Buddhist Kingdom from a vassal state of Tibet to a fully independent country. Bhutan's kings fought primarily against Tibetan invasions in the 17th century and later lost territory to British India in the 1864-65 Duar War. They also had border conflicts with Sikkim and internal power struggles before establishing the monarchy in 1907.

The author takes us into the intermingling journey of people living in the porous boundaries of Tibet, Nepal, Sikkim, British India, and Bhutan without getting into the complexity of the geopolitical wars.  Once the border of Bhutan was settled in the 1950s, history becomes more interesting with a variety of characters, annexation of Sikkim in India and the politics of the creation of an international profile of Bhutan monarchy. 

Since Bhutan is sandwiched between hungry empires, the country has learned to maintain a delicate balance and customers. between them. The book shows why Bhutan is so important to truly understanding the ongoing relationship between India and China that was proven in Doklam conflict in 2017.

The book doesn’t shy away from tough topics either, like the Nepali refugee crisis and Bhutan’s experiments with democracy. Through these incidents, you get a sense of how this small but significant Himalayan nation is carving out its own unique path amid big regional changes.

The books touch lightly on the effect of modern civilization on Buddhist traditions, culture & heritage. Bhutan has been doing a delicate balancing act between tradition and modernization. The book becomes more engaging with the personal travel experiences and observations of the author. Omair Ahmad has a very engaging style of writing, which helps the readers to race through the book. We should be thankful to Shetty for undertaking this rather difficult task and bringing out the output in such an easy and readable and referable format.

There’s no better way to experience the quiet paradise of Bhutan before touring than reading out this book. Read the book to know of nation with a mythic backdrop of Buddhism in which old traditional values struggle against stronger modern forces in the world.

Book Review: Twilight of the Elites: America After Meritocracy by Christopher L. Hayes

Twilight of the Elites: America After Meritocracy by Christopher L. Hayes

⭐⭐⭐⭐✰ Worth Reading

“To see what is in front of one’s nose is a constant struggle,” George Orwell famously observed. So, what is it that American liberals and conservatives have missed?

Twilight of the Elites: America After Meritocracy is a 2012 nonfiction book written by Christopher Hayes. The book Twilight of the Elites: America After Meritocracy by Christopher L. Hayes explores the crisis of authority in America, attributing it to the failures of the modern meritocracy. Hayes argues that since the 1960s, as more diverse groups rose to elite status through meritocratic means, a new elite emerged that is marked by increased social distance, corruption, and institutional failure. This elite, embraced inequality, leading to widespread distrust in key institutions such as government, corporate America, the media, and even sports organizations. 

Today, the children of these elites enjoy outsized returns on capital and, increasingly, the concentration of large fortunes in a few hands. With blue-collar jobs disappearing and unionization dwindling, lower rung workers’ incomes have declined. Yet, elite workers receive not just rising wages, but also hefty stock compensation. Highly paid workers tend to marry one another, closing another door to upward mobility. Those from poor neighborhoods are exceedingly unlikely to move up the income distribution ladder.

Let me delve into the process of merit, social mobilization and elite class conscription. A key question to consider when discussing class and social mobility concerns the social processes that determine how children find their places in the economic and professional hierarchy. In a purely meritocratic society, institutional mechanisms identify high achievers and reward them with desirable positions. 

In contrast, a purely plutocratic society allows the wealthy to use their resources to secure privileges for their children, ensuring that economic power remains within their families across generations. Elites have contributed to society and played by the rules. The problem is that the rules are often skewed in their favour. In other words, income inequality stems from systemic flaws produced by meritocracy. 

There's no shortage of books raising the questions when it comes to the failed meritocracy, disdain for elites, and reshaping of the social system. Christopher Hayes raises important questions: Can we ignore traits like Widom, Judgement, Empathy, and Ethical rigor in the search for merit? Why American leaders are out of touch with the masses?

Hayes introduces the concept of "fractal inequality," a pervasive insecurity among elites about their status, which fosters corrupt behavior. The book asserts that the meritocratic system, while promising opportunity, has produced leaders disconnected from the public and unable to govern effectively, culminating in a broader societal crisis. The political and corporate leaders have failed to transform the institutions looking after interest of the citizens. Now, expecting anything from them is like asking the Pope to become Protestant. 

The book covers topics like mistrust in the institutional authority, missing potential working-class leaders due to meritocratic system, and mythical level playing field. The book might have had more impact if it would have delved deep into race questions and, criminal justice policies on social mobility. The book is a must-read social commentary for those who want to understand failed relation between citizens, institutions, society, and the state.

A civilization in growth peers into the future to create institutions and framework suitable for that era, based on their present experience. Civilizations in decline, on the other hand, looks back to and derive inspiration from past glory to evade from the uncomfortable reality of the present. An entire generation of young Americans—burdened with education loans, facing stagnant or low-paying jobs, and priced out of the housing market—is beginning to realize that owning a home and raising a family may remain out of their reach. 

The young Americans have expressed this desire for social justice through the political process. This can be seen especially relevant amid Mamdani’s recent victory and social justice debates. Society is unprepared for what this disillusionment might trigger: when a generation feels it has no stake in the system, its instinct may not be to preserve it, but to watch it decline and collapse.

Book Review: Return of a King: The Battle for Afghanistan by William Dalrymple

Return of a King: The Battle for Afghanistan by William Dalrymple

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Highly Recommended

Despite the significant failures experienced in Vietnam, the idea of American exceptionalism remained deeply ingrained in the U.S. national psyche till 2000. Then, 9/11 happened. A focused military-intelligence operation targeting the perpetrators of 9/11 could have addressed domestic demands for justice. Alas, Bush administration launched a large-scale ground invasion of Afghanistan. 

USA withdrew ultimately from war scarred land of Afghanistan, marking the end of a twenty-year military presence. They couldn't capture and run a dummy Afghan government. Sounds familiar ! 

The aphorism “History does not repeat itself, but it often rhymes” is evident in these events when the United States withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021, echoing past foreign interventions in the country. The rapid collapse of Afghanistan’s government and swift Taliban resurgence after the U.S. exit underscore the complex consequences of such interventions, mirroring historical patterns seen in other empires’ engagements in the region. 

Afghan historian Mirza 'Ata' wrote after 1842, and his words remain equally true today: “It is certainly no easy thing to invade or govern the Kingdom of Khurasan.” Long before, Americans and Soviets, the British learned this lesson. The exodus of the British from Afghanistan in 1842 was another horror show under British Generals. It is a travesty that history remembers outsized egos and oversized ambitions, even in the graveyard of empires.  In this context, William Dalrymple's masterful retelling of Britain's greatest imperial disaster is a very important book. This is a story of the First Anglo-Afghan War, Britain's greatest defeat of the nineteenth century.

The narrative of the book centers on the lives of Afghan rulers Shah Shuja Durrani and Dost Mohammad Khan, who were ensnared in the imperial rivalry famously dubbed The Great Game as the American historian David Fromkin observed, "no matter how far-fetched" such a British interpretation might be.  In 1837-1838, Qajar Persia, supported by Russia, besieged the Afghan city of Herat, a crucial grain-producing region historically claimed by Persia; British intervention and Afghan defense prevented Persian capture, marking a key event in the Great Game power struggle.

In the late 1830s, the British feared Russian expansion into British India through Afghanistan and the rising Sikh power under Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Governor-General Lord Auckland saw Russian envoy Jan Prosper Witkiewicz’s Kabul mission and Dost Mohammad Khan’s dealings as a major threat. The British chose to back exiled Shah Shuja Durrani, allying with the Sikh Empire to restore him to power in Kabul. In 1838, while Lord Palmerston, John Hobhouse, and Lord Auckland orchestrated the invasion with the East India Company forces, Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s Dal Khalsa only marched in the ceremonial review but refrained from active combat beyond Peshawar. The book details on precursor events and the beginning of the First Anglo-Afghan War, which was fought to secure British India against perceived Russian and Islamic alliances.

The book explores further how the British presence in Afghanistan incited profound discontent, rooted in disregard for the tribal cultural norms and economic strain on local communities, inciting rebellion. The book offers a detailed account of the calamitous British withdrawal amid brutal reprisals, capturing a cycle of resistance and retaliation that remains relevant to today’s geopolitical context. All the major tribes - Achakzais, Ghilzais, Durrani, and Barakzais - are present in the story, highlighting the complex tapestry of Afghan politics and society.

Afghans understood their topography, religious aspirations, and social fabric far better than the British. The British strategy of territorial conquest to secure boundaries ignited costly conflicts, resulting in significant sacrifices of both innocent and guilty alike. The narrative begins with stories of diplomatic tension and political maneuvering, featuring characters embodying deceit, friendship, chivalry, incompetence, and brutality. The story ends with death, plunder, rape, survival, and retribution. Dalrymple’s portrayal places these characters - both British and Afghan at the center, either as instruments or victims of the war. 

William Dalrymple’s book is lucidly written, although it sometimes digresses from the core narrative and adopts a chatty tone. However, this stylistic freedom is understandable given the painstaking research underpinning the study. Dalrymple draws extensively from Afghan sources, including Dari and Persian accounts, which enrich the narrative beyond the usual colonial perspective. This approach brings an intimate, nuanced view of the First Anglo-Afghan War, showcasing the voices and experiences often overlooked by traditional histories.

 

The great Palestinian, Edward W. Said’s observation resonates here: “Every empire, however, tells itself and the world that it is unlike all other empires, that its mission is not to plunder and control but to educate and liberate.” Yet, history has repeatedly shown that empires and foreign military adventures often leave behind a place worse off than when they found it.

Book Review: The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan

The Silk Roads: A New History of the World by Peter Frankopan

⭐⭐⭐⭐✰ Worth Reading

“The age of empire and the rise of the west were built on the capacity to inflict violence on a major scale. The Enlightenment and the Age of Reason, the progression towards democracy, civil liberty and human rights, were not the result of an unseen chain linking back to Athens in antiquity or a natural state of affairs in Europe; they were the fruits of political, military and economic success in faraway continents.”

The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan challenges conventional Eurocentric narratives by revealing how global history, trade, and exchange formed the bedrock for the modern world.  This perspective challenges the notion of Western progress as an isolated or inevitable phenomenon, situating it instead within the interconnected histories of empire, trade, conquest, and genocide.  

The Silk Roads is a deceptive title for a profound book. While the title evokes images of ancient trade routes, the book encompasses far more. It places ancient global dynamics revealing the enduring interconnectedness of civilizations and the forces shaping our world. 

Initial chapters of the book focus on the origins of the Silk Road as ancient commercial and cultural networks. They further dwell into how religions, revolutionary ideas, alliances and beliefs traversed the Silk Road, shaping societies across continents. The book gives a glance on the rise of key cities like Minsk, Kyiv, and Novgorod adds a crucial dimension to The Silk Roads. Frankopan delves deeply into how "military might, careful administration, low taxes and religious tolerance created the bedrock of the Mongol Empire."

Peter Frankopan goes on to discuss the commerce that is against the concept of modern society i.e. the movement of enslaved peoples and the impact of slavery on societies. The word "slave" is historically derived from the ethnonym "Slav," referring to the Slavic peoples. In the 8th and 9th centuries when many Slavs were captured and enslaved by Byzantines, Avars, Germanic tribes, and other groups during medieval wars and raids, leading to their ethnonym becoming synonymous with "slave" in Europe. 

The book further analyses the fur trade, oil (black gold), agricultural trade, gold and silver trade’s influence on power, politics, and global economies.  This trade affected the rise and fall of empires fueled by Silk Road wealth and connectivity. The last chapters deal with the Silk Road’s role during modern geopolitical tensions and America’s involvement and via Silk Road-inspired connections. Silk Road was once world's nervous system with the strategic geolocation of the Countries of the Silk Roads (from the Western borders of China to the Mediterranean Sea) has a historical ring. The 21st Century Silk Roads is what BRI is all about.

The book is vast in scope, profound in insight, and deeply philosophical in its approach. It is not merely a must-read—it demands multiple readings. The immense canvas the author unfolds can be overwhelming, yet this remains one of the finest and most illuminating treatises ever written on the idea of the Silk Road.

Book Review: Full Spectrum: India's Wars 1972–2020 - Arjun Subramaniam

Full Spectrum: India's Wars 1972–2020 - Arjun Subramaniam

⭐⭐⭐⭐✰ Worth Reading

In his book 'Assignment Colombo', J.N. Dixit argues in favour of India's strategic dilly-dallying, stating that adhering to absolute principles of morality is the safest and most non-controversial stance in foreign relations. This policy, however, rarely serves any purpose in the inherently amoral nature of international relations.  Today, national security and foreign policy of India have gradually represented the departure from the past. The story of evolving Indian stance in geopolitics can be usually understood at the level of the conflicts faced by India, while the primary bulwarks of defense—the role of military —get overlooked. Hence, "Full Spectrum: India's Wars 1972–2020" is a worth reading for a gripping exploration of wars and conflicts shedding light on strategies, operational steps, and political consequences. 

The book "Full Spectrum: India's Wars 1972–2020" by Arjun Subramaniam takes the story forward from the previous book India's Wars: A Military History, 1947-1971. The book offers the reader an account of wars, military operations, and security challenges in contemporary India over the past five decades. The book covers in detail on the Doklam standoff, Balakot Strike, Kargil war, Siachen conflict, Naga rebellion, Operation Blue Star, terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, and India's military action in Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Conventional wars have changed, and skirmishes are happening below the threshold of conventional structured war between nation-states. And the rise of non-conventional wars has led to Indian military either dealing with Hybrid war, cyber war, proxy war, border skirmishes, armed militancy, insurgency, and terrorism. 

The reading makes one realize that Indian military has also expanded its strategic horizon while dealing with the modus operandi of non-state actors.  The chapters of the book on India’s involvement with the LTTE in Sri Lanka, during the IPKF mission, makes for an interesting read. It shows how the Indian military faced a daring and locally supported adversary, and how this episode reshaped our military and foreign policy. Another insight from the book was that the absence of any active government machinery during insurgency in Punjab made Operation Bluestar more difficult. And compounded with it was often the fear and stigma of command failure, that prompted military leaders to persist with sub optimal operational plans.

The book features a gripping narrative but becomes dull in some places. These lapses in pacing make certain sections feel tedious, detracting from the overall impact.  Those who support the 'realist' argument of India's emergence as a potential global military power must read this book. The book is an invaluable resource for those interested in military studies, and the intricate interplay between war and political transformation.

In the end author asked for deep introspection within India's strategic community by sharing an old Thucydidian principle called the Melian Dialogue, which emerged during the Peloponnesian War prior to the siege of the island of Melios by Athens, which says: 'The strong will do what they can and the weak suffer what they must.'

Book Review: A Corner of a Foreign Field - Ramachandra Guha

A Corner of a Foreign Field: The Indian History of a British Sport - Ramachandra Guha

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Highly Recommended

Our inability to understand and tell sociological stories is one of the key reasons we are struggling with how to respond to social transitions. Without embedding social narratives, we miss understanding who benefitted, who was left behind, and what kind of society we were building. The idea that we could somehow eliminate casteist mindsets, religious differences, and racist discrimination by ignoring such identity question under the veil of secular cricket leads to formation of a veil of ignorance. 

Social history of Indian cricket suffers from one enormous disadvantage: that we as a people, have criminal indifference to written records. The history of Indian cricket is indeed amazing because it reveals much more than just scores and statistics. It reflects cultural exchanges, colonial legacies, social struggles, and identities across South Asia. The history of India, like that of any other country, has been a story of social inequities, exploitation of the common people, religious conflict, and so on. The history of the cricket in India is no exception to this.  

A Corner of a Foreign Field: The Indian History of a British Sport is a book depicting religious fault lines. A book talking about caste. A book talking about racism. Yet, the book is written for the lover of the game by a writer looking from the perspective of the history, sports, social transformation, and Indian Independence. The book is divided into four chapters—Race, Caste, Religion, and Nation—and features the experiences of the cricketers, politicians, and Maharajas making it an engaging and interesting read. The inherent values of cricket —fair play, competition, and endurance—resonated with the Indians under colonial rule thus attracting broad affection and embedding itself as a part of the national psyche.

The book captures the long journey of cricket in India—from its beginning as a game created by an alliance of imperial and Indian elites to becoming a sport for the masses. The book shows how Indians overcame the deeply rooted caste barriers in society and challenged the British notion of racial superiority in the game of cricket. Cricket tournaments like the Bombay Quadrangular and Bombay Pentangular were initially organized based on religious communities of Hindu, European, Muslim, and Parsees leading to widespread riots and political unrest. The book also ends with the origins of the Ranji Trophy and the formation of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Despite attempts to break free from the legacies of their forefathers and religious divisions, Indian history drags our cricketers towards a fate which led them in Independent India, as though along a river's course.

This book introduced me to Palwankar Baloo and his brothers, early Indian cricketers, and shared stories about famous players like C.K. Nayudu, Lala Amarnath, Vijay Hazare, and Vijay Merchant. The book delves us into first Test match of Indian cricket team in England, in 1932 symbolizing both achievement and aspiration for a modern nation. This is a must-read book capturing cricket history of India in an effortless and seamless manner