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"This book is an attempt to understand a city through its roads. It explores the origins and development of three important roads of Calcutta (now renamed as Kolkata) from the pre-British colonial era to the postcolonial period. Spanning a period of four centuries, these three roads, Bagbazar Street in the north, Theatre Road in the centre, and Rashbehari Avenue in the south, register the contours of urbanization and the changes in the socio-cultural profile of the residents. The author locates this history within a broader theoretical framework with the help of which one can analyse the role of roads in urbanization, which are determined and influenced by the various political, economic, and socio-cultural impulses. The narrative traces the rise of Calcutta from a fledgling town to a giant metropolis through the history of these roads, and approaches the present era, when these roads have reached a cul-de-sac where their further expansion is restricted by territorial limits and environmental constraints. But the roads are still needed to meet the gargantuan appetite of urbanization, which is leading to the expansion of present-day Kolkata beyond its north-eastern borders. Here, the development of commercial-cum-residential complexes in the area known as the New Town, is Kolkatas first step in its ambition to graduate from a metropolis to a megalopolis. The book ends with a discussion on the changing character of roads in this New Town in the era of globalization."

"Millions in India have long been obsessed with the vicissitudes of the Nehru-Gandhi familys fate. Inextricably linked to the ups and downs of their lives was the future of the nation itself. It was Jawaharlal Nehrus leadership that guided India onto the world stage as a modern nation. Despite the varied scholarship of Nehruvian studies, one important aspect, the experiences of the Nehrus in prison during the national movement, has received only scant consideration. This book addresses that omission by highlighting the significance of prison time in shaping the lives of the members of this illustrious family. For Motilal and Jawaharlal Nehru, Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, and Krishna Hutheesing, among others, serving prison time was much more than just a marker of participation in the Independence movement. The grim walls of jail provided the place and time to the Nehrus to reflect on and give direction to the nationalist struggle. Such important literary works as Glimpses of World History and The Discovery of India, which remain timeless in their appeal, were crafted in gaol. In tracing the intellectual biography of the Nehru-Gandhi family, this book documents the ethos of an entire era during the colonial period."

"Taking a cue from the story of Trishanku-the mythological king who aspired to reach heaven while still alive-Deepak Kumar builds a compelling narrative on the state of contemporary India. Much like Trishanku, who only succeeded in being stuck in limbo between heaven and earth, India appears to be oscillating at the crossroads of modernity and tradition; development and corruption; and diversity and communalism. The Trishanku Nation presents a provocative account of a country marked by its contradictions and seamlessly combines everyday social history with academic insights. All through its civilizational progress India has defied simple categorizations. This suppleness has been its greatest strength and, to a large extent, also responsible for its myriad problems. This volume dwells on this predicament of post-Independence India. Based on memory, both historical and personal, it begins with the depiction of life in a mofussil town and moves on to examine closely issues of caste, religion, communalism, governance, corruption, education, science, culture, and so forth, as seen in the last five decades. Presented with rare verve and wit, and by using the lens of personal experiences, these rumblings help unfurl layers of life in the Indian subcontinent."

"With a vibrant history of art and architecture, the city of Baroda is a much-sought-after destination for art education. Much of this could be credited to Sayajirao Gaekwad III, the maharaja of the erstwhile princely state of Baroda, and his art collecting practice that shaped Barodas modern art and craft institutions and industries. It was during his reign that the renowned artist Raja Ravi Varma, Sankheda lacquered wares, and the famed Patan patola debuted on the national and international trail of exhibitions. With the help of rare archival data, back-room surveys, and exhaustive research, Fashioning a National Art discusses how a native prince not only patronized and collected the local arts but also mediated a cross-cultural dialogue between the European and indigenous art techniques. A scientific and progressive thinker, Sayajirao encouraged Barodas alternative experiments in art, craft, and even design. The book also unravels him in a scarcely documented role: a lender of the royal collection to regional and international exhibitions. Additionally, it not only traces the history of elite patrons, famous artists, and European sculptors such as Augusto Felici, but also delves into the stories of subalterns such as master craftsman Neelakandan Asari, wood-worker Keshav Mistry, and others."

"She came into the world in the year 1577, to the howling accompaniment of a ferocious winter storm. As the daughter of starving refugees fleeing violent persecution in Persia, her fateful birth in a roadside tent sparked a miraculous reversal of family fortune, culminating in her father's introduction to the court of Emperor Akbar. She is called Mehrunnisa, the Sun of Women. This is her story."."Growing up on the fringes of Emperor Akbar's opulent palace grounds, Mehrunnisa blossoms into a sapphire-eyed child blessed with a precocious intelligence, luminous beauty, and a powerful ambition far surpassing the bounds of her family's station. Mehrunnisa first encounters young Prince Salim on his wedding day. In that instant, even as a royal gala swirls around her in celebration of the future emperor's first marriage, Mehrunnisa foresees the path of her own destiny. One day, she decides with uncompromising surety, she too will become Salim's wife. She is all of eight years old - and wholly unaware of the great price she and her family will pay for this dream."