| Book Title: | The New BJP: Modi and the Making of the World’s Largest Political Party |
| Author/s: | Nalin Mehta |
| Abstract: | Nalin Mehta’s new book, The New BJP: Modi and the Making of the World’s Largest Political Party, seeks to answer a key question that virtually all analysts of Indian politics have been asked: why does Narendra Modi’s party keep winning the elections? This question truly represents a puzzle, considering the numerous crises that India has faced since Modi became prime minister in 2014, including a faltering economy, high unemployment, the aftermath of demonetisation and the COVID-19 pandemic. |
| Book Review : | Art of Winning Indian Elections |
| Reviewer/s: | Diego Maiorano |
| Date: | 22 April 2022 |
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| Book Title: | Whole Numbers and Half Truths: What Data Can and Cannot Tell Us About Modern India |
| Author/s: | Rukmini S |
| Abstract: | Fuelled by a surge of migration to cities, India’s growth appears to be defined by urbanisation and by its growing and prosperous middle class. It is also defined by progressive and liberal young Indians, who vote beyond the constraints of identity, and paradoxically, by an unchecked population explosion and rising crimes against women. However, data-journalism pioneer Rukmini S draws on nearly two decades of on-ground reporting experience to piece together a picture quite different from the prevailing narrative. By combing through a mountain of data available on India – which unfortunately continues to remain opaque, hard to access and harder yet to read – Ms Rukmini marshals this information alongside probing interviews with experts and ordinary citizens, to see what the numbers can tell us about India. As she interrogates how data works, and how the push and pull of social and political forces affect it, she creates a blueprint to understand the changes of the last few years and the ones to come. |
| Book Review : | Whole Numbers and Half Truths |
| Reviewer/s: | Dr Diego Maiorano, Dr Sneha Annavarapu, Dr Karthik Nachiappan (Moderator) |
| Video Interview: |
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| Date: | 22 February 2022 |
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| Book Title: | Kathmandu Dilemma: Resetting India-Nepal Ties |
| Author/s: | Ranjit Rae |
| Abstract: | The first two decades of the new millennium have witnessed a dramatic socio-political transformation in Nepal. A violent Maoist insurgency ended peacefully and a new constitution abolished the monarchy and established a secular federal democratic republic. Nevertheless, political stability and a peace dividend have both remained elusive. Nepal is also being buffeted by changing geopolitics, including the US-China contestation for influence and the uneasy relationship between India and China. As a close neighbour, India has been deeply associated with the seminal changes in Nepal, and the bilateral relationship has seen many twists and turns. Partly a memoir, this book examines India’s perspective on these developments, in the context of the civilisational and economic underpinnings of the India-Nepal relationship, as well as issues that continue to prevent this relationship from exploiting its full potential. |
| Book Review : | Kathmandu Dilemma: Resetting India-Nepal Ties |
| Reviewer/s: | Kosh Raj Koirala |
| Video Interview: |
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| Date: | 12 February 2022 |
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| Book Title: | China’s Civilian Army: The Making of Wolf Warrior Diplomacy |
| Author/s: | Peter Martin |
| Abstract: | China's Civilian Army charts China's transformation from an isolated and impoverished communist state to a global superpower from the perspective of those on the front line: China's diplomats. Little is known or understood about the inner workings of the Chinese government as the country bursts onto the world stage, as the world's second largest economy and an emerging military superpower. China's diplomats embody its battle between insecurity and self-confidence, internally and externally. Drawing for the first time on the memoirs of more than a hundred retired diplomats as well as author Peter Martin's first-hand reporting as a journalist in Beijing, this book blends history with current events to tease out enduring lessons about the kind of power China is set to become. |
| Book Review : | China’s Civilian Army: The Making of Wolf Warrior Diplomacy |
| Reviewer/s: | John Vater |
| Video Interview: |
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| Date: | 28 January 2022 |
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| Book Title: | All Roads Lead North: Nepal’s Turn to China |
| Author/s: | Amish Raj Mulmi |
| Abstract: | All Roads Lead North weaves insights from centuries of history to on-the-ground reporting along Nepal’s borders to present the Himalayan nation’s long-standing relationships with its neighbours. Importantly, Amish Raj Mulmi explains that the 2015 Nepal blockade was one of the major turning points in the changing equations of Nepal with its neighbours while the Kalapani territory dispute in 2020 worsened Kathmandu’s relations with India. The book provides a deep dive into Nepal-China and Nepal-Tibet historical economic and cultural relations based on Himalayan trade and Buddhism, showing that Kathmandu did not turn northwards overnight. In recent years, with China’s growing ambitions in the subcontinent as well as globally, Nepal has now found itself a primary bilateral partner that will help foster development and modernity in the country. Overall, All Roads Lead North provides a compelling narrative on a small country’s foreign relations, even as it often finds itself caught between two neighbourhood giants. |
| Book Review : | All Roads Lead North: Nepal’s Turn to China |
| Reviewer/s: | John Vater |
| Video Interview: |
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| Date: | 14 January 2022 |
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