HT Picks; New Reads

This week’s pick of interesting reads includes a tragicomic tale that’s astute in its understanding of human relationships, an account of Mizoram’s political history with its longest-serving chief minister at its heart, and a volume of classic supernatural stories set in colonial India

A story of family and migration

On the reading list this week is a tragicomic tale set in Mangalore and the Gulf, an account of Mizoram’s political history over the past century, and supernatural stories set in colonial India. (Kapil Narang)

180pp, ₹499; Westland (A tragicomic tale that’s astute in its understanding of human relationships)

Joachim Coutinho’s life in Mangalore is in a rut: a ne’er-do-well father, a mother and sister to provide for, never enough money, and dreams of being an actor in starry Bollywood which are going nowhere. He sets his sights on Bahrain and a job he hopes will improve his situation. Life in the Gulf, however, proves to be harder still. He’s lonely, and lives with a constant sense of inadequacy. But hey, he’s a ‘success’ story now, and a brave face is what he must put on.Back in Mangalore, Joachim’s nephew, Darrel Serrao, looks on with envy. He wants everything his uncle has: a loving family, a good job and a life of plenty in a foreign land. Surely, if Joachim can do it, so can he.Building incrementally, conversation by conversation, observation upon observation, You Envy the Coutinhos tells a story of family and migration, ambition and disillusionment. This is a tragicomic tale, as gloriously dramatic as the culture it is steeped in, and astute in its understanding of human relationships.

Tracing Mizoram’s journey

412pp, ₹799; Westland (An account of Mizoram’s political history over the past century with its longest-serving chief minister at its heart)

Mizoram, a land shaped by the heavy-handed interference of the British, forged in the shadows of AFSPA, toughened by adversity and conflict. Over several decades, this state has steered through revolutionary fervour and a high-stakes transition to arrive at a hard-won peace, followed by a challenging road to development. But how did it achieve this?Researcher, author and journalist Sanjoy Hazarika delivers the definitive account of Mizoram’s political history over the past century. At the heart of it is Lal Thanhawla, or Pu Hawla, Mizoram’s longest-serving chief minister, who has walked many a political tightrope within the state to improve the prospects of his fellow Mizos. Hazarika masterfully outlines Lal Thanhawla’s sophisticated dance of diplomacy and networking with major political stakeholders, highlighting his bold, often controversial decisions to unlock the resources needed for the young, developing region.From the battlefield to the ballot box, from Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi to Manmohan Singh and Narendra Modi, and the cut-throat rivalry between Laldenga’s Mizo National Front, the Congress and the People’s Conference, the book carefully traces Mizoram’s rocky road towards peace and stability.Based on hundreds of interviews conducted over two years and through access to rare archival material, Hazarika’s Lal Thanhawla is a study of resilience, of the cost of progress, and an unflinching portrayal of the game of chess that continues to define the unique politics of the Northeast.

Not-so-plain tales from the Raj

335pp, ₹499; Speaking Tiger (Classic supernatural stories set in colonial India)

The first in a series of stories from the Raj, which brings to you supernatural tales set in British India, where bungalows, dâk houses, railway lines, jungle outposts and everyday objects become the sites of inexplicable — and often terrifying — encounters.When empire settles in for the night, the ghosts begin to speak.In the bungalows, dâk houses, hill stations, jungle roads and cantonments of British India, the dark carries footsteps in empty rooms, voices from the next chamber, omens of death, cursed objects, restless animals, buried crimes and memories that refuse to stay buried.The Raj in Ghostly Light gathers classic supernatural stories from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, by writers including Rudyard Kipling, Alice Perrin, BM Croker, Flora Annie Steel, Arthur Conan Doyle, S. Mukerji and others. These are tales of hauntings, madness, fever, guilt and dread — and of the anxieties beneath imperial confidence.Atmospheric, unsettling and richly evocative, this collection opens a door into the shadowed rooms of the Raj, where every verandah has a whisper and the past is never quite past.*

*All copy from book flap.