Young Adults-History
By Sathnam Sanghera
To some such a clinical approach may appear the best method to navigate their way through Britain’s culture wars involving Brexit, immigration, and racism, etc. But the point also is that the debate about Empire in Britain today is not so much about the past as it is about contemporary issues that face the country, and it is often not easy to be clinical about them—especially for those from former British colonies living in Britain today.
By Devdutt Pattanaik. Illustrated by Devdutt Pattanaik
Pattanaik interprets a particular Harappan seal as a woman trying to prevent warriors from attacking each other, and assumes that it is a depiction of a myth which indicates a lack of drive for violence. And since myths are supposed to unravel the deep structures of our minds, he argues that Indians were peace loving while violence was the fate of Egyptians and Mesopotamians! Historians are wary of such generalizations.
By Swati Sengupta
The Movement gradually acquired political flavour, initially attempting to develop a collective Oraon identity, and later, anti-British and anti-missionary stances and participation. The Tana Bhagat Movement has many facets. It can be read as ‘peasant consciousness’ (Singh, 1988), tribal insurgent consciousness marked by economic reasons (Chaudhury, 1989), a class struggle and ongoing power dispute between landlords and begari workers (Mohaptra, 1991)
By Mallika Ravikumar
The author masterfully brings the key players of India’s unification to life, allowing us to see beyond their titles and into their fears and motivations. Rather than painting the rajas as mere obstacles, we feel their deep sense of betrayal by the British and growing distrust of Congress—emotions that simmer beneath their political decisions.
By P. Sainath. Illustrated by various artists
The book is a wonderful introduction to the lives of various freedom fighters, especially at a time when the ideas of freedom and independence are much debated. Many of them have passed away owing to natural causes in the last few years; many living into their late nineties and some even past hundred
By Tanushree Podder
In this book we learn something of the history of battalions, of the movement of forces, of wartime strategies and the reasoning behind tactics employed in times of conflict. We also come to understand how decisions in wartime are made keeping in mind our strengths and weaknesses
By Ashwin Prabhu. Photographs by Nithya V.
Prabhu encourages them to form their own opinions and interpretations, and support their ideas with evidence from the artwork itself. He illustrates this while talking about ‘a tapasvin…and a god’ from the mammoth rock face. He describes the sculpture–man standing on one leg, arms aloft, fingers locked.
By Yemuna Sunny. Illustrated by Kanak Shashi
Sunny’s text highlights the transformation of Jharkhand from ‘the land of forests and rivers’ to ‘a land of industries and mines’ (p. 8), and raises critical questions for young minds to rethink the very nature of development, land rights, ecological challenges, environmental sustainability and social justice.