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HT Picks; New Reads
This week’s list of interesting reads includes a cookbook inspired by the culinary genius of a well travelled lawyer, a memoir that pays homage to the author’s childhood and to his mother, an exploration of the stars who are creating acceptability for Hindutva’s core beliefs through popular culture
A Marwari food trail
Bapu’s Curries takes the reader on a journey through a Marwadi household, weddings in the family, and tales about traditional recipes. The book is inspired by the culinary genius of a well travelled lawyer, who is passionate about cooking and experimenting in the kitchen. His passion for the delicateness of ingredients has culminated in amazing plates of food and it is these recipes that his daughter, Shreeparna Khaitan, and her friend, Surbhi Anand, have showcased to the world in this volume.*
Evoking the landscape of Kadallur and its people
MT, as he is popularly known, is one of the most illustrious writers and film-makers from modern Kerala. His life’s work has won him the Jnanpith Award, the Sahitya Akademi Award, the National Film Award and the Padma Bhushan, among others. MT grew up in the village of Kudallur in Kerala and his writings constantly evoke the landscape of the years he spent there. Many of the characters in his stories are based on people who lived in this region and the stories themselves often retell incidents that happened there. The memoirs as well as the stories in this volume were chosen by MT himself. They pay homage to his childhood, his craft and most importantly, his Amma, whose restful presence they beautifully and poignantly capture.*
Inserting Hindutva into popular culture
Can a poem spark a riot? Can a book divide a people?Away from the gaze of mainstream urban media, across India’s dusty, sleepy towns, a brand of popular culture is quietly seizing the imagination of millions, on the Internet and off it. From catchy songs with acerbic lyrics to poetry recited in kavi sammelans to social media influencers shaping opinions with their brand of “breaking news” to books rescripting historical events, “Hindutva Pop” or H-Pop is steadily creating acceptability for Hindutva’s core beliefs. By cleverly inserting Hindutva into popular culture, H-Pop normalizes Islamophobia, demonizes minorities and vilifies its critics each day, without ever making headlines. What makes H-Pop so popular? Who are its stars and its audience? Who is pouring in the money, the effort and the resources to produce and broadcast it? What kind of an India is it trying to create? These are some of the questions that award-winning independent journalist Kunal Purohit explores in this riveting investigative book as he travels through India, profiling some of H-Pop’s most prolific and popular creators. He interrogates whether the creators are driven by ideology or commerce, and what motivates the audience to consume their daily dose of bigotry. In doing so, Purohit uncovers the face of a New India.*
*All copy from book flap.
