Reading India

There is nothing more satisfying than a cup of your favourite hot beverage and a book to curl up with. This Independence Day happens to be a Sunday and perhaps the best way to appreciate the concept of freedom is to trace its evolution through the tumult of the 1857 Mutiny through the hail of Inquilab to the unfurling of the Tricolour. Freedom doesn’t come with one act of glory and there are several books that help one relive the forgotten chapters.

What has held India together, this country with a vast and conflicting cultural fibre, for 60-odd years? How does it sustain its democracy? If such issues make you curious, then pick Lord Meghnad Desai’s The Rediscovery of India (Rs 699). The author rewinds to the encounter between the east and west in the 15th century and discusses culture, politics, the Nehru-Gandhi ideology right up to 21st century India, connecting the past with the present.

For those more fond of the visual than the written word, History in the Making (Rs 5,000) is a fabulous book to take home. Filled with pictures taken by photojournalist Kulwant Roy that capture a changing India, right from the struggle for independence to the signing of the Indian constitution, the book is a peep into the changing course of the country’s history. Compiled by Roy’s close acquaintance Aditya Arya, History in the Making with its collection of rare photographs is for keeps.

Full report here Indian Express

New prize richer than Asian Booker

You know the publishing industry has arrived when it boasts a lucrative, international prize. A new prize for South Asian Literature, instituted in January this year, is open for entries. The prize money is not a sum to sneeze at: $50,000. The reward is considerably bigger than what the Man Asia Literary Prize (or Asian Booker) offers: $30,000.

The award will “recognize writers of any ethnicity writing about South Asia and its diaspora”. You need not belong to South Asia, only write on it. “The prize has porous literary borders,” observes Namita Gokhale, director of the Jaipur Literature Festival, “the world we are living in is the world of the internet. You shouldn’t need a passport to write a book, to win a prize.”

Its global scope is evident from the advisory board that includes Lord Meghnad Desai, journalist Tina Brown, Michael Worton of University College, London, writer Nayantara Sehgal, writer-publisher Urvashi Butalia, publisher-turned-literary agent David Godwin and journalist MJ Akbar. They will select the five-member jury to be in place by end April, with April 24 as last date for entries. Named DSC Prize for South Asian Literature, the prize is being sponsored by construction company DSC Limited, who also fund the Lit Fest.

Full report here Times of India 

India Unbound

 Lord Meghnad Desai wears criticism with style. His latest book The Rediscovery of India has been written off as best read by ‘philistines’, professional historians have declared that he knows no ‘history’, but Desai swallows the outrage with a healthy pinch of salt, and humour. 

“There has been a lot of re-writing of history. It’s always fair to interpret historical facts and form your opinions on nation building,” says Desai, in Kolkata for an event organized by an entrepreneurs’ body. “Only when Bal Thackeray rubs a Shah Rukh Khan the wrong way, that this generation wakes up to contemplating India as a nation. It’s then that the youngsters feel violated and solemnly declare that Mumbai belongs to all Indians. How many know that the issue is probably as old as pre-Independence India?” says Desai. 

The book, published by Penguin, questions among other things the popular tendency to define India as a single entity almost as a retaliatory statement against hostile nations. ‘Indians appear to have lost a unity of identity, except when it concerns an external enemy’, he writes. “Within itself, India has a lot of definitions. Popular history has been mostly divided between the royal court stories of north India which includes the Mughal and Pathan rulers and the Hindutva story which traces the origin of Indians to the Hindus, the Aryans. Where is south India, where is North East in the narrative?” he asks. Something, that Desai feels, is reason enough for a reconsideration of Indian history. And when the Centre and state administrations are being driven up the wall by the demand for separate linguistic territories, Desai declares that there’s no need to feel threatened by linguistic differences.  

Full report here The Indian Express

Jaipur fest names committee for fiction prize

After weeks of anticipation DSC Ltd on Tuesday, March 23, announced the Advisory Committee for the recently launched DSC Prize for South Asian Literature, which now opens up the registration procedure for entries. The first winner of this prestigious US $50,000 prize will be announced in January, 2011. The prize aims to commemorate fiction writers from across the globe writing about South Asia or its people.

The Advisory Committee of the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature comprises reputed personalities from the world of literature. It represents a wide canvas of experience and a judicious mix in terms of gender, geographies and expertise. The 10-member committee includes:

    * David Godwin, publisher and literary agent (UK)
    * Lord Meghnad Desai, eminent writer and Professor Emeritus, London School of Economics (India, UK)
    * Michael Worton, Vice Provost, University College London (UK)
    * MJ Akbar, distinguished editor and author (India)
    * Nayantara Sahgal, author (India)
    * Surina Narula, businesswoman and fundraiser (NRI,UK)
    * Senath Walter Perera, specialist on Sri Lankan writing in English (Sri Lanka)
    * Tina Brown, Editor and founder of the Daily Beast (US)
    * Urvashi Butalia,  publisher and cofounder of Kali for Women (India)
    * William Dalrymple, author (UK)

Sharing his point of view, Mr Manhad Narula, Director DSC and Member of the DSC Prize Steering Committee said “The setting up of the Advisory Committee is a step forward to recognise the immense pool of talent writing about the South Asian region through the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature. We hope that our efforts will encourage new and emerging writers to showcase their work and further enrich the literary heritage of the South Asian region. We would like to thank all the eminent advisory committee members for their assistance in supporting our efforts.

On the occasion Urvashi Butalia, Member Advisory Committee, the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature said “It is a privilege to be associated with a prize which aims to recognise the contribution to South Asian literature. Apart from guiding the prize process, the key role of the Advisory Committee will be to nominate and help select the Judging Panel. We are looking forward to participation from the writers and publishers. We also believe that this prize will help in setting a benchmark for South Asian Literature.”

The judging panel will comprise persons of eminence in literature, arts and culture. The winner will be announced on the final day of the DSC Jaipur Literature Festival in January, 2011.

Full details of the Advisory Committee are available on the website www.dscprize.com. It also outlines the registration procedure whereby publishers can log on to the website and download the entry form for their entries to reach the DSC Prize Secretariat by April 24, 2010.

Publishing industry growing at 30 pc every year

Describing country's publishing industry as vibrant, the Indian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Shiv Shankar Mukherjee said it is growing at an impressive rate of 30 per cent every year, according to a PTI report.

"We come out with about 70,000 titles every year," Mukherjee said at a reception he hosted at India House in the honour of leading writers and publishers on the eve of the three-day London Book Fair, which focuses on India at the Earl's Court.
Prominent among those present on the occassion included economist and author Lord Meghnad Desai, playwright, actor and filmamaker Girish Karnad, Bollywood actress Shabana Azmi and her lyricist husband Javed Akhtar, Information Technology czar and author Nandan Nilekani and author Vikram Seth.

The High Commissioner noted that 30 per cent of titles brought out in India were in English and the rest in Indian languages. "There is tremendous amount of talent in our country," he said.
Over 50 authors and 90 publishing houses from India are participating in the Book Fair.

Mukherjee, while launching a Amit Gupta's latest book Indian by Choice, said "it was a personal pleasure to launch Amit's book as he was my deputy when I was heading the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) in New Delhi."

Amartya Sen's book next for Allen Lane

Allen Lane, which is currently Penguin India's top imprint for non fiction books, saw its second release in the form of NR Narayana Murthy's A Better India, A Better World on April 20 in Delhi.
The next book to be released by Allen Lane India will be Amartya Sen's book, which will be launched in August.
Other Indian authors who are lined up to be published in the Allen Lane include Meghnad Desai, APJ Abdul Kalam, Gurcharan Das and Pavan K Varma.
Named after Penguin's foudner, the imprint was fouded in 1967 to showcase Penguin's premier publishing.