The Best Books We Read In 2015
If you’ve been reading our articles, we recommend you read these books too (if you haven’t already done so).
The eve of a brand new year is as much about looking ahead as it’s about looking back. We take stock of what we did through the 365 days that just went past, and silently vow to do so much better in the coming 365. (Well, except maybe those that have had such sweet success that they might as well sleep through the next year; we are not fond of those types).
The same set of emotions governs us when it comes to books: what did we read over the last one year, and what are we going to read next. But because we are dealing with books and reading, there is a somewhat more troublesome and annoying subset every one of us has to deal with: Did I read enough? Did I read the ‘right’ books? Was I able to keep abreast of whatever is roiling the world of ideas and opinions? Did I manage to finish any one of the classics I always claim I’ve read but actually haven’t? As we said, these are annoying and troublesome questions.
Here at Swarajya, we’ve beaten the yearend blues to compile a list that might help you in addressing some of the questions above. If you’ve been reading our articles, we recommend you read these books too (if you haven’t already done so).
1) Why India Is Not A Great Power (Yet) by Bharat Karnad
With a note of seeming warning in the title, this seems an odd book to begin with. But if the end of a year is about taking a long, honest look at the where, why and how we tend to fall short, then there cannot be a better place to start than Karnad’s book. The book acts as a primer of the shortcomings and lopsided ideas that have marred decision-making in various sectors of government, and then suggests ways one can redress them.
2) The Emergency: A Personal History by Coomi Kapoor
Anniversaries, as a rule, tend to inspire a rush of titles. The 40th anniversary of the Emergency – the gravest crisis to India’s democratic ethos – was an exception, but that is not the only reason Coomi Kapoor’s book is included here. It is a treasure trove of anecdotes from an individual who was part of the press corps, the institution that bore the brunt of the Emergency’s excesses, and an invaluable chronicling of the times, especially for the youth who were not around then to see the events unfold.
3) The Calling of History: Sir Jadunath Sarkar and his Empire of Truth by Dipesh Chakrabarty
Dipesh Chakrabarty resurrects historian Sir Jadunath Sarkar from the margins, using the material from the correspondences between him and his friend and collaborator Rao Bahadur GS Sardesai, and Sarkar’s five-volume history of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. This book is significant for anyone interested in the origins of systematic historical research in India, as well as to understand how the criticism and condescension by the Allahabad school of history eventually eclipsed Sarkar’s contributions.
4) Rearming Hinduism by Vamsee Juluri
An intellectual and philosophical argument to counter the calumnies spread against Hindu beliefs and practices by western academics and media as well as members of the Indian left, or what Vamsee Juluri refers to as ‘Hinduphobia’. In an easy and approachable style, the writer delineates the civilisational roots of this ancient religion, and how it impacts the ordinary day-to-day existence of Indians.
5) The Raj at War: A People’s History of India’s Second World War by Yasmin Khan
2015 was the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. Yasmin Khan looks at how the war impacted the lives of Indians, all two and a half million of them (soldiers, sailors and non-combatants) who offered their services. The war was not just about far-flung theatres: we learn that the average Indian sepoy wanted more Lux soaps but fewer Bengali gramophone records, that medical treatment got tiered with the best arranged for British military officers while the Indian civilian population scrounged at the bottom and how the preparation for aerial bombing led to panic in urban areas.
6) Rebooting India: Realising a Billion Aspirations by Nandan Nilekani & Viral Shah
Based on their experiences in launching Aadhar, Nilekani and Shah offer low-cost technology-based solutions to some of the most intransigent problems facing India: from speedy delivery of justice to mending the social safety net to transitioning to a paperless banking experience. In a geographically disparate and culturally diverse country, technology can prove to be the great leveller, the book contends. Provided, of course, the government adopts the methods and mentality of a start-up.
7) The Turn of the Tortoise: The Challenge and Promise of India’s Future By TN Ninan
Penguin says: It is said of India that it is the country of the future—and will remain so In The Turn of the Tortoise, the distinguished journalist T.N. Ninan addresses a range of contemporary questions as only he can—looking at why the economy lost steam, the emerging trends in politics, the Chinese shadow over India, and the relationship between the state and the citizen.
He asks whether manufacturing can be made a success story, what is the size of the neo-middle class, who really is the aam aadmi, and if it is possible to put an end to extreme poverty now. And, finally—what are the fears that should keep us awake at night? This wide-ranging book is an attempt to understand, through data and analyses, where India stands today, why it has emerged the way it has, and what the next ten years might bring. For anyone interested in India and its future, this is essential and enlightening reading.
8) Fools, Frauds and Firebrands: Thinkers of the New Left. Roger Scruton
In his seminal 1985 book Thinkers of the New Left, writer-academic Roger Scruton had analysed the grip left-wing ideologues have on intellectual discourse, with specific focus on front-ranking Marxist writers and philosophers. In Fools, Frauds and Firebrands: Thinkers of the New Left (2015), Scruton revisits the issue, which retains as much contemporary relevance as ever. Scruton shows how Leftist intellectuals have consistently chosen empty rhetoric over careful analysis, and blatant nonsense over respectable logic.
9) Half A Billion Rising: The Emergence Of The Indian Woman, Anirudha Dutta
A phenomenal and inspiring study of the growing empowerment of women in India over the last decade. India is home to 17% of all women in the world.
Sandipan Deb: Half A Billion Rising combines extensive ground reportage with keen analyses of statistical data, and a worldview that sweeps across space and time, to document the trend that has the potential to transform India’s destiny in the 21st century: the changing roles, boundaries, aspirations and status of Indian women.
10) Islam and the Future of Tolerance: A dialogue By Sam Harris and Maajid Nawaz
From the publisher: In this dialogue between a famous atheist and a former radical, Sam Harris and Maajid Nawaz invite you to join an urgently needed conversation: Is Islam a religion of peace or war? Is it amenable to reform? Why do so many Muslims seem drawn to extremism? The authors demonstrate how two people with very different views can find common ground.