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This book tries to explore the aspirations and anxieties of Muslim lives in rural and urban Bengal, enmeshed in religious sensibilities, class, sexuality and the tussle between tradition and modernity. The 19 stories delve into the inner courtyards of the community that chose to live on the western side of the Bengal border after the Partition.
Hostile Homelands by Azad Essa. Westland. Pages 262. Rs 599
India once called Zionism racism, but author Azad Essa argues that the State of Israel has become a cornerstone of India’s foreign policy. This book puts India’s relationship with Israel in its historical context, looking at the origins of Zionism and Hindutva; India’s changing position on Palestine; and the countries’ growing military-industrial relationship from the 1990s.
Haadsaa by Vish Dhamija. Bloomsbury. Pages 243. Rs 450
Anushka Khan wakes up in the hospital, beaten and bruised, her body overrun with prescription drugs and alcohol. A privileged South Delhi wife, her husband, Nawab Akbar Khan, is missing, suspected of murdering their friend. What really happened that hot July night?
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