Farrukh Dhondy

Hawk and Hyena is a short memoir of Charles Sobhraj, the infamous serial killer, written by Farrukh Dhondy. Farrukh Dhondy is not an unfamiliar name in the literary, journalistic, television and film industries and he is known for his writings across several genres including biographies, children’s literature, novels, screenplays and more.


Reviewed by: Ann Susan Aleyas
Naina Gupta

Dark Rainbow, a debut novel by a young author, Naina Gupta, an Indian native who currently lives in Dubai, is a fantasy grounded in reality, loaded with humour and sarcasm. It delves into the psyche of the protagonist Ernaline Volkov, 16, as she wanders around the locales of New York city trying to unearth secrets about her mother, Dalia Volkov.


Reviewed by: Somya Charan Pahadi
Vani Tripathi Tikoo Illustrated by Rupak Neogy

Here’s a question for you to mull over—why can’t elephants be red? Why not, indeed! Everything is possible in the multi-coloured fantasy world of a child.


Reviewed by: Deepa Agarwal
Vrushal T. Ghoble

In the wake of the Arab uprising in 2011, the West Asian region faces immense uncertainty due to the lack of a democratic structure, authoritarian rules, sectarian divisions, economic crisis, tribal and military polarization, and foreign state interventions. Being a rentier state, the region of West Asia experienced an immense geopolitical shift contesting the definition of regional power, especially between Saudi, Iran, Turkey, and others.


Reviewed by: Azeemah Saleem
Bikash Nath and Biraj Jyoti Kalita

The discovery of tea in Assam and the growth of tea plantation as commercial commodity have added a new dimension in the socio-economic landscape of Assam. The establishment of the tea industry in Assam, in which the British had monopoly, reflected the imperial mastery over colonial land and its inhabitants. The new industrial setup by the British transformed not only the economy but altered the whole demography of Assam as shown by the biggest human migration in Indian history in search of labour for tea plantations.


Reviewed by: Nidhi Gogoi
V. Murali

V Murali is a veteran who has spent his entire career in manufacturing, dabbling across various roles, and mastering a critical few, which have shaped him into a leader with a proven track record of a string of successes in business. Here, in the book Hop on Hop off, which comes across as his professional journal, he shares the recipe of those successes, from which scores of manufacturing professionals can draw vital lessons on making a turnaround when necessary.


Reviewed by: Shilpi Suman