Balasaraswati: Her Art and Life
Douglas M. Knight Jr
Tranquebar
Generously illustrated with rare historical photographs, this is the first complete biography of T Balasaraswati, a Bharata Natyam dancer and musician from South India who is known as one of the greatest performing artistes of the 20th century. Known as a passionate revolutionary and an entirely modern artiste, her life offers an extraordinary view of the enigmatic matrilineal devadasi community and traditional artistic practice from which modern South Indian dance styles have emerged. The book outlines her life and her reflections on the process of making dance and music.

The Asocial Networking
Dhiraj Kumar
Leadstart Publishing
Even as our world shrinks into a global village, this unusual book looks at the newfound obsession called ‘the asocial networking’ that’s driving people of all classes, countries and age groups into a new social order. The book highlights the irony of our times where we would rather see ourselves socialising with the help of gadgets when we could actually step forward and socialise with the person standing next to us. The author wittily discusses the vulnerabilities and weaknesses that are often reflected in the way people socialise on the web and takes the reader on a mind-boggling tour of the virtual world of social networking.

Calcutta Exile – a novel
Bunny Suraiya
Harper Collins
Set in Kolkata just after partition, the novel is about four families caught in the whirlpool of turmoil and uncertainty that eventually changed millions of lives forever. This was the time when the city’s social and cultural mosaic included Indians, the British and Anglo-Indians. Through the stories of these four families, Bunny Suraiya in her debut novel evokes the Victorian charm of a bygone era. The vivid description of life in old-world ‘Calcutta’ and detailed settings makes this book a must read.

A Shot at History: My Obsessive Journey to Olympic Gold
Abhinav Bindra, Rohit Brijnath
Harper Sport
The book narrates the remarkable story of a boy who’d wake up at 3 am to practice at his range at home if an idea struck him. The boy grew on to become the first Indian to win an individual Olympic gold, and the first Indian to win gold at the World Championships. Abhinav Bindra, as we know him pens his story along with sportswriter Rohit Brijnath to give us a glimpse of all the trials, errors, defeats and jubilations that he endured in to emerge as one of the finest sportsmen in India.

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