Madhur Srivastava
Explorer | Traveler | Book Worm | Writer | Photographer
Mughal Empire
The Last Mughal
William Darlrymple
The last ruler of an empire is always unfortunate, and in most cases already helpless, hoping for one more generation to survive. This book is a story of Bahadur Shah Zafar and his reign, which didn't extend beyond his fort. A mutiny that he didn't start or approve, but ended his empire with the British win.
Politics and Legal History
How Prime Ministers Decide
Neerja Chowdhury
Decision making from Indian Prime Ministers are expected to visionary and well-thoughtout. In this book, veteral journalist Neerja Chowdhury reveals how various important decisions made by the top leader of India were self-preserving and arbritary in nature. Its all about politics!
A People's Contitution
Rohit De
Laws in India are designed such that everyone is a law-breaker, but what if they effect your livelihood, by extension your communities. This book reveals fascinating cases where citizens turned to the Supreme Court when Government and new laws were against them.
History
Biography
British Empire
The Anarchy
William Dalrymple
British came to India for trade and ended up colonizing it. It was not the British government, but its East India Company with the help of Indian money lenders who overthrew the local rulers. This book tells the tale of how India was conquered by British, piece by piece, with some luck.
Return of a King
William Dalrymple
Afghanistan has been graveyard for superpowers; be it Britain, Soviet Union, or USA. This book tells the tale of disastrous invasion of Afghanistan by the British East India Company, which ended up reinstating the King that the invasion was suppose to overthrown.
Rebels Against the Raj
Ramachandra Guha
Indians fighting against British rule is expected, but there were some non-natives who called India their motherland, and joined the fellow Indians in the stuggle for freedom. In this book, leading Indian scholar Ramachandra Guha walks through the life of such individuals.
Indian Partition
Partition Voices
Kavita Puri
During the Indian freedom struggle, nobody thought that the sub-continent will be divided into India and Pakistan. With them, the two provinces of Punjab and Bengal were also divided. This created unprecedented violence, bloodshed and migrations of million souls. This book is a story of several families of that time.
Indian Summer
Alex Von Tunzelmann
If British conquering India was dramatic, then they leaving the sub-continent was no less so, if not more. British ruled by direct control and alliances with Indepedent states, and planned to leave a single country. They ended up with two, India and Pakistan, which later became three with the independence of Bangladesh.
