Anatomy of survival

Flesh is a rags-to-riches story about a young Hungarian named István. Not too much thinking about himself and his life, the youngster lives an impulsive lifestyle through a series of unexpected mental jobs. Eventually the youngster lands a rich married life in London, with some degree of contentment. During the course of time, a virginal fifteen-year-old enters on a relationship with a married forty-two-year woman. A fight with her husband leads him to juvenile detention and a stretch serving in the military, leading to what seems like an experience with resilience. 

To get a credible sense of his craft, one may need to know David better as a writer. David Szalay is known as a restrained realist fiction with a decidedly international flavor, who shot him into fame for his All That Man Is, which was shortlisted for the Booker prize in 2016. Despite the Booker shortlisting, he had published six books but has never quite hit the literary mainstream. Szalay subject matter may look deceptively pedestrian, but he makes it read seemingly big – sex, mortality, money, jobs.

The Booker Prize winner novel by Szalay deals with the nature of István’s pliability, and in a way reveals his naivety. But the protagonist is seemingly alienated from his own bizarre desires and wonders if the character is going through some kind of psychological disorder – marked by clumsy, violating sexual encounters – or has erotic or material desires beyond his control. As the title of the story suggests, Istvan exists in a body that has scars on it and is alive without demanding anything. Thereby, Flesh deals with motion more than emotion. This makes it a difficult narrative that Szalay acknowledges, it wasn’t easy to write as there was immense pressure to cope up with motion-emotion dilemma.

This is an amazing story of a man at odds with himself - estranged from and by the circumstances. However, towards later part of the story the protagonist works as private security and ends up becoming a chauffeur for an elite family in London. As luck would have it, he becomes part of their life, and their exclusive lifestyle. Entering into an affair with the young wife in the household, Istvan ended up marrying her. Life comes full circle with his stepson demanding a life which is under his control.  

Flesh is difficult to read but is a highly engaging and moving book. This is a book about how men may be judged, either for their loneliness or their masculinity. It is an interesting experimentation in style of writing, with its bare-bones prose and the determined turning away from its characters’ inner lives. Neither he nor the novelist tells us that he feels through the many momentous happenings in his life. The narrative gaze in the book is resolutely fixed at the level of the flesh.

At literary level, the ongoing tension between expression and access is clearly evident in the story. The Booker is the ‘leading literary award’, the longlist, shortlist, and the award process have the power to transform writers’ career and the book reach. Nevertheless, questions of diversity, readability, and gatekeeping persist. Larger question remains: when attention spans diminish and people are scrolling, does the award still matter? 

There is something incredibly compelling that the reader returns to this story so often. The story continues to pervade its psychological, social and emotional aspects. Szalay reaffirms that István exists in a body: but lack the courage to articulate his desires verbally. However, István seems most energized during the period of his life he spends at war. When István is asked how it felt to be in the army, to shoot a gun to make people die, he says ‘it's okay’. Does trauma on the battlefield make him realize the immensity of death? 

One could argue that this illustrates the numbing effects of early trauma, or when it is more about the body rather than the mind. It is true that the narrative is at its most vividly analytical when it comes to sex. In the early days of his relationship with his employer’s wife, István notices that the feeling of transgression is intensified but by he doesn’t find her particularly attractive. The writer emphasizes István’s inability to feel. At the end, the reader may feel a little for István, despite all he’d been through.

Flesh is absolutely worth the time – a compelling, unobvious novel by an intriguingly restless writer. This is also a novel about the big question - when the numbing strangeness of being alive is felt and realized.

Flesh 
by David Szalay
Jonathan Cape
Extent: 368, Price: Rs. 899.

First published in Deccan Herald on Dec 7, 2025.

When blind faith becomes a trap

Despite the shadow of financial hardship, a small family with two children tried to create moments of joy. Born to disabled parents, the children found happiness in the little things — simple joys of early childhood and the comfort of shared laughter...

This moving memoir is an unflinching account of how blind faith almost always triumphs over science. It narrates how, in the absence of credible resources and structural support, a family is pulled into the makeshift universe of a self-proclaimed god...

It became a daily struggle to define oneself, to find a purpose that felt real. Over time, the endless chanting of mantras and the repetition of rituals dulled into monotony, draining both energy and hope. Seventeen years under the godman’s shadow shrank their world. Life turned into a long deception — marked by fear, illness, and the absence of accountability. No one was answerable, and that absence of justice became the hardest truth to accept.

The Cost of a Promised Afterlife is, at its heart, a consequence of misplaced trust in a man who prized obedience over well-being. As the book rightly observes, “In a country where cults preside over the cultural, social, and political lives of millions, the writer makes a brave beginning in studying this new religious movement.” 

Told through the eyes of the youngest member of the family, this account is both tender and terrifying. It is impossible to turn away from such an intimate portrait of vulnerability — a family trapped in the whirlpool of organized religiosity, desperately seeking meaning amid manipulation. The story is charged with tension, empathy, and deep compassion, exposing the sinister modern phenomenon of the spiritual business.

When the family faced the death of its matriarch, they were too fragile and too paralysed to trust science. The medically dormant tumor was instead declared a “divine sign,” a sacred proof of spiritual redemption. Rampal’s chilling promise echoed: “All your sorrows will be eliminated hereafter.” The house became a sanctum of fear dressed as faith.

Cults rarely demand instant perfection — they demand unwavering commitment. Rampal was no different. What began as gentle guidance soon hardened into blind loyalty.

The clichés of devotion took over daily life. The lines between faith and duty blurred until nothing was normal. Cracks began to appear in their beliefs, in their bonds, in their once-lovely family. At just 13, the writer was used as a human shield during a violent clash between Rampal’s followers and a rival sect.

Life’s beauty was stolen too soon. With Rampal now serving a life sentence, the family struggles to rebuild, to rediscover a sense of normalcy that feels foreign. For the writer, the pain lingers quietly. She sits by the window for hours, the trees outside her only confidants — silent witnesses to years of suffering. Despite years of sacrifice — falling at the guru’s feet, isolating themselves, obeying his diktats — there was nothing good left to salvage.

Through this raw, personal account, Mehra raises an urgent question that echoes far beyond her own life: why, even in an era of reason and information, do human societies continue to fall prey to such deceit? The roots of this malaise lie deep. When the natural world was once unknown, myth replaced understanding. Saints and godmen became symbols of moral and metaphysical authority. Blind faith, born of ignorance, ossified into social tradition, and then migrated seamlessly into culture and politics. 

Should we continue to live with it, to normalize this cycle of exploitation as part of our cultural fabric? The Cost of a Promised Afterlife is a brave, unguarded, and essential story, a call for awareness and accountability. It confronts the impunity of self-proclaimed godmen and the systems that enable them. It is hard to look away from this testimony of pain, faith, and awakening.

The Cost of a Promised Afterlife 

by Priyamvada Mehra

Simon&Schuster, New Delhi. 

Extent: 305, Price: Rs. 699.

First published in Deccan Herald on Oct 26, 2025.

When water becomes both the lifeline and a faultline

Do rivers have stories to tell? As he prepared to map the Chenab, “a river of diplomacy enshrined in the Indus Waters Treaty”, Danesh Rana was reminded of a Bashir Badr couplet: “Agar fursat mile paani ki tahriron ko padh lena, har ek dariya haazaron saal ka afsana likhta hai. (If you get the time, do read the writing of the water. Every river writes a tale of thousand years.)”

In his memoir and travelogue, The Dark Coloured Waters (Juggernaut), Rana, who has served as an IPS officer in the erstwhile State of Jammu & Kashmir, profiles the river with the help of myths, legends, anecdotes and photographs, including one of the highest railway bridge in the world in Reasi district. He also describes the state of the river post-Pahalgam massacre when India suspended the Indus Water Treaty, brokered by the World Bank in 1960.

“A day after the suspension of the treaty, the sluices at Baghlihar and Salal Hydroelectric Projects were closed,” he writes. Soon, the water receded rapidly, “turning the roar of the river to a whimper,” and people began to walk across the river.

Is it possible to halt or divert rivers? Rivers are the proverbial natural arteries of ecological systems. They are also worshipped, navigated and dammed. From the ancient ecosystems of Egypt to the sinking cities of Shanghai, rivers are valued differently. No wonder, some of our major river systems are also drying, and ultimately dying. Despite such ambiguity, rivers have remained intertwined with humanity.

Water history

A river determines water history in any region, seasonal variation in its flow being the prime determinant. With the bulk of water in the system coming from rainfall and snow melt in the mountains, a river finally flows to the sea to complete its essential hydrological cycle. Of all rivers that have tried to complete the hydrological cycle, the story of the Indus basin stands as one of modern history’s great stories of large-scale environmental transformation. It is also a story of changing relationships between society and the state.

In 2015, Prof. David Gilmartin of North Carolina State University argued that a large-scale environmental history of the Indus basin was yet to be written (Blood and Water, University of California Press). The Indus basin’s history has long been the subject of historical attention. Although a largely arid region, the Indus basin became one of the globe’s most heavily irrigated river basins. Though the flow in the river in the six months from October to March is just 16% of the total annual flow, floods in the summer months have been historically significant.

It is claimed that the Indus basin supplies 80% of the water for Pakistan’s irrigated agriculture – that it employs nearly two-thirds of the labor force and generates a quarter of the national GDP. Such linear relationship has been climatically challenged. Triggered by extremely heavy rains, the July-August 2010 Indus floods affected some 20 million people; 2 million homes were destroyed, 1.6 million head of livestock died and the economic losses amounted to $43 billion. Though the consensus was that it was a-once-in-a- hundred years event, the fact remains that thanks to rapid global warming, a greater climatic uncertainty surely looms.

Floods and irrigation

No message is more powerfully conveyed by the floods’ damage than that massive human development has vastly increased the system’s vulnerability. Together with this, large-scale irrigation projects have become a tool to dominate nature. Erik P. Eckholm had noted in the 1970s that “the greater irrigation works in modern times had come to dramatise the dangers inherent in efforts to expand large-scale control over nature without sufficient attention to the ‘ecological requisites’ of nature itself.”

The Indus basin is not bereft of such transformation or vulnerability, and it is in this light that the river ought to be studied. The Indus Water Treaty was a shared heritage between India and Pakistan, till its suspension in April 2025. Consequently, the future of the water-sharing treaty between upper riparian India and lower riparian Pakistan remains shrouded in mystery (Trial by Water, Penguin, 2025). As per the treaty, the water of the five rivers of Punjab used to flow into the Indus. It may not in future. All these rivers show similar patterns of flow, and their vicissitudes have dictated much of the basin’s hydrogeography. However, all this is going to change if river water is diverted (over time) by the upper riparian state.

At this moment, is it apposite to delineate the fundamental hydrogeography of the Indus basin and its complex flow patterns? How water becomes both a lifeline and a faultline in the contested south-Asian landscape is the lingering question. Under the changing situation, can the river be allowed to flow its course to fulfil its ecological and hydrological obligations of flowing back to the sea to complete the hydrological cycle?

Mounting stress

However, to focus solely on bilateral tensions is to miss the larger picture. “The Indus Basin must be seen as a single, interconnected whole – its challenges not confined to legal frameworks or diplomatic flashpoints but rooted in deeper ecological struggles”. With the basin now confronting surging water demand, climate shocks and mounting water stress, the stakes are only intensifying in the future. Can this decades-old treaty evolve to meet a new era of crisis, rekindling its role as a platform for cooperation?

Rivers themselves have always had their own logic: their natural beauties, their floods, droughts, their tendency to silt up, their changes of course, tipping points and disappearances (Seven Rivers, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2025). Rivers have shaped our lives, just as we have shaped theirs. Changing hydro dynamics of the Indus river offers a view of the world where the person and the river, or the person and nature, are seen in relation to each other. Love, grief, and hope flow through the river.

First published in The Hindu on Oct 30, 2025.

The year that it was

Of the 80 Bollywood films released in 1975, only some 15 or 30 reflected the hopes, fears and complexities of the time the society was grappling with. Yet it is considered a landmark year, an evocative, and richly layered transformative year in cinema. But can one calendar year mirror the socio-political and emotional pulse of a changing India? Did ‘angry young man’ reflect the post-emergency disillusionment of the time? Was the genre fusion story telling taken center-stage in telling the uncomfortable truths?

The year was undoubtedly rich in story ideas, courageous scripts and unforgettable artistry. A powerful lineup of films — Sholay, Deewaar, Chupke Chupke, Julie, Aandhi, Nishant — justified the year as a landmark in storytelling, genre fusion, and marketing. The year also brought a remarkable cinematic spectrum by achieving a beautiful balance between commercial hits and artistic milestones. What sets this book apart is its attention to the lesser-discussed but equally vital parallel cinema films - like Nishant, Aandhi, and Mausam.  In his scholarly insights, the author brings the industry's willingness to grapple with uncomfortable truths—be it political disillusionment, patriarchal oppression, or emotional vulnerability. 

In all, 1975: The Year That Transformed Bollywood is an insightful read for film lovers, historians, and anyone curious about the intersection of art, society, and cultural evolution. This period marked a dark chapter in country’s democratic history. The Emergency had far-reaching impacts on all aspects of the society, but its notable impact was on landmark films. The book not only reaffirms the significance of the political tumultuous year but also gently nudges the readers to appreciate and explore the kind of cinema that left a lasting legacy. For films, the year was but a blessing in disguise.

A music enthusiast and a passionate cinephile, Pratik Majumdar contends that 1975 was a turning year in film-making era that reflected the complexities and hopes of an entire generation. In doing so, Majumdar rewinds the reels for the reader to immerse in a time when Bollywood was not only bold but beautiful, and no less brimming with unforgettable stories. Each of the thirty films that have been explored for their narrative strength but also for distinct treatment by the director. From groundbreaking blockbusters to nuanced dramas, directors showcased their creative prowess to have a lasting impact.

Five decades later, many of the stories still hold relevance. It will forever be celebrated for its landmark films for variety and experimentation. In terms of sheer diversity and creative output, the year not only rejuvenated story telling but created space to experiment to suit the evolving tastes of the audience. Perhaps the greatest testament to the year under reference is that it brought the leading actors closer to its audience. 

1975: The year That Transformed Bollywood opens a window into an era where every line of dialogue echoed across time and every frame was musically steeped in passion. 

1975: The Year That Transformed Bollywood 
by Pratik Majumdar
Hachette, New Delhi. 
Extent: 197, Price: Rs. 499.

First published in The Hindu.

A lowdown on the telecom wars

A phone in every Indian’s hand has been an amazing fairy tale. From a single phone in a colony to a mobile phone in every hand has transformed life and livelihood like never before. Not without reason is the telecom sector considered the poster child of the transformation in India, which has replaced the government monopoly with the fledgling private sector.

But former journalist and author Deepali Gupta makes it clear that the story of a phone in every Indian’s hand is a tale of bitter business rivalries and inept government handling, with a whole lot of support actors.

Through analytical storytelling, Gupta brings to light the spirit of innovation in the high-stakes competition that defines the telecom sector. With data and information, the author has woven an absorbing story with a lot of drama and suspense. However, the evolution of the state-controlled monopoly into a private sector oligopoly has its own set of nuances.

The National Telecom Policy of 1999 separated the men from the boys in fueling the telecom war. This led to the rise and fall of many entrepreneurs and one amongst them was Sunil Mittal, who emerged as the champion of champions. This was also the time when the cellular market had started exploding, adding challenges with the information technology equipment and infrastructure.

It is a fascinating account of the evolution of the telecom industry. Though it is based on information available in the public domain, it is a vivid account of the stiff competition between lead players — Tata, Birla, Reliance, Bharati — to capture a lion’s share of the country’s billion voices. It reads like a Wild West story — with corporate rivalries amidst emerging government policies — generating policies in favor of the private sector.

The voluminous book follows a chronological order, which covers all that which contributed to the process of evolution of the telecom industry.

It was in the late 1980s that the country had established the Telecom Commission to guide the Department of Telecommunications, to take forward the setting up of a single service provider for the entire country. It took nearly two years for the government to realize that the country had empty coffers.

But selling a stake nationally to a new private competitor was not considered even a remote possibility. However, the department was learning on the fly to make exemptions and inclusions in rolling out the process.

The political challenges, spectrum scams and the policy reforms were formidable. The voluminous book provides an insightful look into the complexities of the sector.

So much has happened in the telecom sector but what the consumers get to know is the outcome but not the how and why of how it came about. For instance, both Airtel and Reliance Jio have increased call rates at the cost of value-added services

What seems a small increase in monthly expenditure for an ordinary consumer may translate into significant profit for the service provider. What gets counted is the success story of the service provider, at a cost to the unsuspecting consumers.

Given the fledgling consumer base, the gradual increase in cost towards telecom services may seem a genuine concern.

However, the price of mobile telephony and data services in the country are the lowest, without any state subsidy. With AI on the anvil, the sector is likely to face new challenges.

Even if it does, the sector continues to be a business success story.

No doubt, the consumer-interest stories would add a new chapter to the telecom story. Airtel’s famously composed jingle by the music maestro AR Rahman would have got a new tune. The cancellation of licenses, involvement of politicians, and the subsequent series of investigations were all intriguing.

In the first two decades (1995-2015), multiple companies from India and abroad lay claim to a piece of the turf; this gave way later to the powerful few. This part is dealt in detail and is a must-read, as it goes beyond the data to capture human stories that shaped the sector.

Perhaps no one could have dealt with the subject like Gupta. She followed the ins and outs, ups and downs of developments to bring alive the telecom sector. It has all the ingredients of an intriguing story — corporate rivalries, intriguing practices, government policies — which remained dynamic and not uniform. Fast paced and expertly written, Telecom Wars is a primer on a subject.

Elsewhere in the world, too, telecom has been a natural monopoly of the state. But replacing a reluctant government monopoly with private entrepreneurs has been challenging. The book deals with the dos and don’ts of facilitating such a change.

The review was first published in the HinduBusinessLine on October, 6, 2025. 

Why me? But why would it not be me?

Reading books have never been an escape for me. Books instead give me a company - during a flight, in a waiting lounge and in the privacy of a clean toilet. I never feel lonely in the company of a book, however, it encourages solitude for me to attain personal space and tranquility. Books have helped me visit new places, meet unknown people, and travel to bygone era in history. Books should be valued as much because each book, each story, and each character has something to teach its reader. Each book is unique, and each book has something different to offer you and something different to teach the reader. 

Collecting books has been a habit for long, however, reading them got value-addition to the collection during the past two decades only. It has continued ever since, resulting in serious space constraint for housing books. Bookshelves have continued to expand at the cost of shrinking wardrobe. Simply put, books are proud possession, and a new book is added to my personal library every week. It is a typical middle-class home in which books can be found in every room. The only condition being that the books found in one room do not get replaced, as space is not easy to be found elsewhere. 

The first thing I noticed as I got back to my senses after being hit by a paralytic attack was a book titled One Medicine. The author of the book Dr, Matt Morgan concluded that the most time we spend with animals is when they are in our plate and suggested that learning how animals survive and thrive be brought into our circle of concerns. My cognitive ability to comprehend more than a printed page was grossly restricted. Luckily, the book took a fascinating dive into the physiology of the animal kingdom which let me know that the female kangaroos have three vaginas for different purposes – two for having sex and one for giving birth. It came to me as a surprise.  

It has been a year of recovery for me during which I got to meet many relatives and numerous friends. The relatives and friends continued visiting me, but towards later part of the year their numbers shrunk. Rightfully so, as much of it was replaced by convenient phone calls and video chats. It worked no less. But books maintained their incoming regularity – a book once every week. Since virtual books were neither my choice nor compulsion, I got a chance to get as many as 55 new books in little more than 10 genres. Books have been comforting and transformative.   

A devastating accident in Rome in 2022, did leave the noted writer Hanif Kureishi paralyzed but not without any dent on his creative zeal. In Shattered, he records his daily ordeal with rare insights from hospital beds in different hospitals, and questions: Why me? Rarely it ever gets a credible answer. Why it would not be you? Though we would like to be acknowledged for our exceptional qualities, it is our ordinariness that comes to the surface most of the times. And this is what leaves us wondering ‘who else but not me’. Though we may be important to one another, according to Kafka, we are not much more than nothing in the universe. 

The self, howsoever exceptional, is as best an illusion. Didn’t the Buddha, argued thousands of years ago, that our belief in self is the root cause of most of our sufferings? Poring over ancient Buddhist texts, Jay L. Garfield, Maria Heim and Robert H. Sharf teamed together to dismantle notion of the self in their book How To Lose Yourself. Such books listen and make us forget our trouble. Need it be said that books smell great, they are reliable, they are informative, and they’re always there when you need them. 

As one gets exposed to books one learns so much that is both distinctive and fascinating, as well as enriching and exhaustive. If nothing, it helps reflect upon new perspectives and ideas. Once considered an indulgence befitting only the elite, this Italian invention has evolved into one of the most popular mass-market food products ever developed. In Ice Cream: A Global History, journalist Laura B. Weiss takes the reader on a fascinating journey through the ages to tell the lively story of how this delicious dessert became a global sensation. With artificial intelligence occupying center-stage in all that we speculate, The Co-Intelligence Revolution envisions a future in which human ingenuity and artificial intelligence work as powerful allies to co-create ground-breaking innovations and transformed institutions. Citing the case of beauty giant L’Oreal, Venkat Ramaswamy and Krishnan Narayanan provide insights on how artificial intelligence engages as co-worker and coach in generating new processes and products. 

The books on diverse topics become an essential fodder (for me) to keep the cognitive faculty meaningfully engaged. It has been a quarter century of collecting, reading and generating book reviews. As many as 26 books out 55 were reviewed during the year and published in reputed newspapers. The yearly assessment by the neurosurgeon revealed that the progress has been overtly satisfactory. Even in the medical exigency the positive approach towards life has worked its way forward, according to the doctor. Books have played a major role in keeping the cognitive aspect pepped up. 

First published in the Hindustan Times.

An icon who evolved as an institution

Legends are born once in lifetime and so was Dilip Kumar, an icon who evolved as an institution. Vaijantimala, his co-star in seven hugely successful films, had once remarked, ‘The icon’s influence on each generation has been such that there is a Dilip Kumar in every successful actor in Indian cinema’. In the world of cinematic artistry there exists the trail-blazing legacy called ‘method acting’, pioneered by none other than the man who became cinema.  

Dilip Kumar’s method acting brought about a revolutionary change in the portrayal of characters on screen, and with it the very art of film acting. The unforgettable classics such as Devdas (1955), Gunga Jamuna (1961) and Mughal-e-Azam (1960) depict the layers of emotions he continues to evoke in the viewers. Even in the provocative Jab pyar kiya to darna kya number one learns that there could be immense power in silence by the stillness and composure of the character of Prince Salim. His silence was perceived to be more powerful, conveyed a lot more than words. Dilip Kumar’s magic on screen remains undeniable – a legacy that continues to enchant countless millions.

Although the discipline of method acting is attributed to the Russian visionary Konstantin Stainslavsky, Dilip Kumar developed his method as an antithesis to the widely followed classical acting. The method as well as the characters he portrayed carried a strong social bearing. His method was rooted in a kind of cultural rediscovery that helped the character acquire the ability to observe the peculiarities and happenings in society. Employing such cultural memory, Dilip Kumar was able to locate his character in a definite sociocultural milieu. 

Considered the ‘tragedy king’ on screen, Dilip Kumar’s profound commitment to his roles and his deep involvement with the character he portrayed led to serious psychological issues for which he had to consult a psychiatrist in England. The advice given to him was to switch to comic roles. And he did such switch-over with aplomb and poise. In Ram aur Shyam (1967) and Gopi (1970), to name only a few, he displayed his comic sense in well-designed structuring of emotions entirely on a different plane. 

Through the luminous prism of only fifty-seven films, film buff Ashok Chopra could construct Dilip Kumar’s cinematic reach that remains profound, timeless and unparalleled. The Man Who Became Cinema intricately observes the manner in which diverse cinematic characterization as the timeless legacy was interpreted and achieved. Exploring each of his cinematic characters intricately grouped in six different categories – film by film and frame by frame – the author develops an understanding on how Dilip Kumar exhibited his formidable capacity to innovate and improvise.   

Chopra could also unearth the innovative development referred to as the ‘visual verbal personality composite’, through the complex mechanism by which film dialogues were delivered. Dilip Kumar was the only actor to have integrated audio and visual in a scene. What finally gets conveyed to the viewer is not the words and their meanings, but a strange modulation of the sounds of these words by the emotions being conveyed. The author found that was an altogether new cinematic approach.

Such expressions are whispered by the actor when he teases the actress, plays with her and embraces her. In the romantic scene in Aadmi (1968), Dilip Kumar treated his beloved as the beauty and voice of nature. The nuances of this blending of verbal with visual was unique to his style of acting, There is so much to his method that each cinematic frame reveals only a part of it. In his mediation with the audience, Dilip Kumar becomes a memorable vehicle for an intense emotional experience. Such is his method and its range that he lets his co-actors and viewers get cinematic clarity in different roles. 

No wonder many of his films are considered masterpieces to be seen and studied. Before director Ramesh Sippy started work on his film Saagar (1985), actor Kamal Haasan was asked to see Dilip Kumar’s Gunga Jamuna. ‘There are several nuances that every actor should compulsorily watch to understand the meaning of subtlety,’ asserts Kamal Haasan. While it is not easy for every actor to achieve the brilliance that he could but is it what every actor should aspire. It comes as no surprise that Dilip Kumar has not been the most imitated actor, but his acting method is intensely examined and studied. The Man Who Became Cinema is a must-read for film buffs to celebrate the timeless legacy of the cinematic enigma Dilip Kumar.

The Man Who Became Cinema: Dilip Kumar 
by Ashok Chopra
Penguin Ebury Press, New Delhi. 
Extent: 334, Price: Rs. 799.

First published as Premium article in Hindustan Times on September 19, 2025.

A language that refuses to be caged

Renu Behl, author of the story on gender discrimination Draupadi has woken up, reminds the reader that Urdu was and continues to be the language of the land of the five rivers. This is one of the sixteen short stories written by non-muslims in the volume Whose Urdu Is It Anyway, collated to support the argument that religion is not connected to language. And if language gets yoked to a religion, in this case Urdu with Muslim, it does no good to either the language or the religion. 

Ever since Urdu got adopted the official language of Pakistan, it has been considered the language of muslims, or to be more precise, the language of Indian.muslims. But that seems erroneous because Urdu was born out of the cultural hybridization in the Indian subcontinent during 18th century. What we know as Urdu today can be traced back to Turkish, Arabic, and Persian influence, all of which arrived in the country through waves of trade and conquests. It became the preferred language by the masses. 

But identifying Urdu with muslims has political implications although there is no empirical evidence in favor of this relationship. Can language belong to a religion, or can a geographical claim be laid over a language?  Literary historian Rakhshanda Jalil explores the question through sixteen carefully selected Urdu short stories by non-muslim writers to help bust stereotypes and misconceptions. Any attempt at identifying a language with religion is fraught with a cruel denial of heritage.  

Stories by the well-known non-muslim writers, to name a few, like Krishan Chander, Rajinder Singh Bedi, Kanhaiyalal Kapoor, Devendar Issar, Ramanand Sagar, and Gulzar speak of glorious diversity of issues in different tones and tenors. The idea of objectively selecting these stories affirm the ‘idea of India’, showcasing that Urdu as a language is alive and that it does not belong to muslims only. Including these short stories, there is a vast treasure of Urdu literature that can still reach the nooks and crannies of popular imagination. 

Whose Urdu Is It Anyway? is a loaded query on a hybrid language that borrowed words from many languages - mostly from Persian – and became the elite lingua franca of medieval India. The evolution of ‘rekhta’ acknowledges Urdu as a hybrid language and seeks to popularize it. Interestingly, such is the trend that there are more people who intend pursuing it orally than those who may pursue it as written language. Urdu following is growing irrespective of its religious identity it locates in the heart of Hindustan.   

Do handful of stories address the question on so-called proprietorship over the language? Rakhshanda Jalil has tried to be objective in selecting stories that remain representative of the time and the people. Most narratives haven’t missed the small person who lived on the margins of public consciousness in eking out a living, and when gender indiscrimination was more of a norm than exception. While most stories are located in the early years after independence when a new kind of nativism was being talked about, and when the fledgling nation was grappling with issues of identity and nationhood. It reminds us starkly of the present times when a similar surge of hyper-nationalism is being witnessed. 

The collection of short stories by non-muslim writers represent the region to which they belong, and not their religion. That’s why muslims in Kerala speak malyalam whereas those in Bengal feel at home in bengali. Not without reason, Urdu is and continues to be language in Punjab. As a region and not as a state. That is why Urdu as a language is not confined to a religion. ‘It belongs to whoever is willing to embrace it and in their capable hands, it is willing to be molded like pliable clay.’

Rakhshanda Jalil leaves the reader take his/her time for the essence of these stories to sink in. After all, Urdu has evolved as a language by the people. It does not belong to any state or religion.  

Whose Urdu is it anyway?
by Rakhshanda Jalil
Simon&Schuster, New Delhi. 
Extent: 180, Price. Rs. 499.

First published in Deccan Herald on September 14, 2025

Wood wide-web

It is easy to think of trees as passive entity with limited mobility, the essential green in the biodiversity of life. That irrespective of its limited specific feature it generates environmental benefits like air cleaning, flood moderation, and carbon dioxide sequestration. But there is a general tendency to take the trees for granted for their environmental and aesthetic values. It is so despite any of 73,000 tree species evolved over 400 million years carry common ecological narrative. Amongst many environmental services on offer, the amazing property of trees is that they can not only bring water down, from the sky, but can sent it back up as transpiration.  

But to assume that trees have only one role that too above ground is to belittle their existence. Conversely, it is amazing how trees have done more as blind explorers beneath the soil to communicate and cooperation not only with themselves but with other species too? It is only in recent times that this awesome creativity of nature is getting revealed. In the process trees have emerged themselves as the original terraformers, breaking down barren rock to create soil, channeling water into rivers, and releasing oxygen into an atmosphere previously inhospitable to complex life. Without trees, the earth would have literally been desert.

This hasn’t been a passive process in itself. Trees have, over millennia, exerted control over fundamental elements – water, air, fire, and the very ground beneath. Element by element, trees have learned to control water, air, fire and the ground beneath, as well as fungi, plants, animals, and even people, shaping them according to their ‘tree-ish’ agenda. According to tree researcher Harriet Rix (The Genius of Trees, 2025, Bodley Head) trees are not victims of change but agents of change in a grand ecological narrative. These are undoubtedly leading actors in the great drama of life on earth. 

Recent scientific research has illuminated the intricate relationships trees maintain with their surroundings. For better part of almost 400 million years, trees have been some of the largest organisms on dry land. They have woven the world into a place of great beauty and extraordinary brilliance. While early research highlights the interesting exchange of resources through what is often dubbed the ‘wood wide web’ – some interpretations have ventured into anthropomorphism and human-like emotions being transmitted to trees. How have trees done this is perhaps the most amazing? 

Do trees have consciousness, intelligence or our leafy friends have feelings? The early work of Suzanne Simard (Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest, 2021, Allen Lane) is worth mentioning here wherein she gives anthropomorphic claims that trees ‘talk’ or ‘love’ to one another. It is like putting a nurturing mammalian face on to the giants of the forest to unfold the complexities of a system. The arboreal history also reveals how these passive organisms fundamentally reshaped the planet. Billions of years ago, as it is known today, these early plants embarked on an evolutionary journey culminating in the majestic trees that dominate landscapes worldwide.

Trees are more than what they may seem to the naked human eyes. Recent research has enlisted the role of trees in shaping the crucial elements of the ecosystem viz., water, air, soil, plants, animals. Although all elements are equally important, but trees have an endearing effect on rainfall and waterflows above and below them. Such is its importance that trees are known to have developed into trees to gain power over water. The anatomy of trees evolved is more tightly engineered than a human body, because rather than moving to avoid drought and flood the trees control their own environment to counter the emerging situation.  

Above the ground, trees are rainmakers and below ground, their roots collect and redistribute water. And in between, the tree can control and use the water within itself. Much like how humans pluck an apple, crush it hard to eat it and bend it plant the core, trees also go through these processes to direct water across the earth. But the core question remains: does water enable the trees or do the trees enable the water? A little bit of both and when the climate change is around them, trees tend to outflank the change by getting better at shaping water.  

There is so much that is now known about trees. Trees are almost godlike, using their wizardry to transform the earth from a stony, storm-ravaged wasteland into a place where life could thrive. They broke barren rock into soil, canalized flood waters into rivers, pumped oxygen into the atmosphere, and turned the desert green. The pinnacle of tree water-engineering comes with the mangroves, which undoubtedly balances out the need for water with the need for air in turning trees to be nothing less than the genius. It’s nothing short of a genius that trees can seed clouds, generate rain and expand their own habitats. 

This is why, scientists argue that we find the smell of wood so comforting and like to press our noses between the pages of books. A little over fifty species of trees constitute ‘divine’ trees, the relationship we have with trees based on our faiths and traditions. Some of these trees are believed to have originated from body parts of the god, the rudraksha tree is believed to have formed from the tears of Lord Shiva. Sacred: The Mysticism, Science, Recipes and Rituals (Ebury 2025) does not investigate such divine ante descents but reflects on the value that are so ascribed. Why are these trees considered invaluable? What is the scientific basis of such a belief? 

An acclaimed author on wellness, who connect traditions with contemporary living, Vasudha Rai delves deep into the science of it. The science of this subject, within the precinct of botany, has been dealt with during past few years but has yet to emerge as an independent subject of scientific enquiry in itself. However, blending spiritual wisdom with scientific research provides new insights on our symbiotic relationships with these trees. It helps reinforce our relationship that views trees beyond the manifestation of the divine. 

What makes divine botany interesting is the manner in which it outlines ancient mysticism, modern science, and enlists recipes to build the narrative that helps reconnect with trees.  Exploring and reviving this subject is not without reason. It is about revisiting our reverence for the green cover which has reached such a crescendo that we are devoted to the intangible god but do not respect tangible manifestations of the divine. 

In reality, every plant must be seen as sacred because every plant species supports some bacteria, insects, bees, birds and mammals. Come to think of it, every plant is anything but divine. According to ancient scriptures, every leaf and blade of grass, branch and the trunk is home to nature spirits. There is an ancient tale in which a guru asks his disciple to go into the forest and find a plant that has no use. The disciple comes back empty-handed because he couldn’t find a single plant that had no use.  

First published in The Hindu as premium article on Sept 11, 2025.     

Whose Urdu is it anyway?

Historian Audrey Truschke argues that any attempt at identifying a language with religion, and its subsequent delinking, is fraught with a cruel denial of heritage. And as long as language gets yoked to a religion, in this case Urdu and Islam, neither does the language grows nor it gets understood in its entirety. 

A supple and expressive language, Urdu was born out of the cultural hybridization in the Indian subcontinent during 18th century. What we know as Urdu today can be traced back to Turkish, Arabic, and Persian influences, all of which arrived in the country through waves of trade and conquests. It became the preferred language for poets and writers who used its elegance and smart diction not only in literature but in performing arts too. 

But urdu is seen today as a muslim language, moreso as it is the official national language of Pakistan. Identifying urdu with muslims has political implications although there is no empirical evidence to support urdu and muslims are mutually exclusive. Can language belong to a religion, or can a geographical claim be laid over a language?  Literary historian Rakhshanda Jalil explores the question through sixteen carefully selected urdu short stories by non-muslim writers that help in busting stereotypes and persistent misconceptions.  

Stories by well-known progressive writers like Krishan Chander and Rajinder Singh Bedi and film writers like Ramanand Sagar and Gulzar speak of glorious diversity of issues in different tones and tenors. The idea of carefully selecting these stories affirm the ‘idea of India’, showcasing that urdu as a language is alive and that it does not belong to muslims only. Including these short stories, there is a vast treasure of urdu literature that can still reach the nooks and crannies of popular imagination. 

Whose Urdu Is It Anyway? is a loaded query on a hybrid language that borrowed words from many languages - mostly from Persian – and became the elite lingua franca of medieval India. And it acquired different names over its evolution: Hindavi, Hindi, Urdu or Rekhta. Curiously, there are more who intend communicating orally than those who may pursue it as written language. If the annual ‘rekhta’ congregation is any indication, it has s following that is growing irrespective of its religious identity. It locates urdu in the heart of Hindustan.   

Do handful of stories address the question on so-called proprietorship over the language? Rakhshanda Jalil has tried to be objective in selecting stories that remain representative of the time and the people. Most narratives haven’t missed the small person who lived on the margins of public consciousness in eking out a living, and when gender indiscrimination was more of a norm than exception. While most stories are located in the early years after independence when a new kind of nativism was being talked about, and when the fledgling nation was grappling with issues of identity and nationhood. It reminds us starkly of the present times when a similar surge of hyper-nationalism is being witnessed. 

The collection of short stories by non-muslim writers represent the region to which they belong, and not their religion. That’s why muslims in Kerala speak malayalam whereas those in Bengal feel at home in bengali. Not without reason, urdu is and continues to be language in Punjab. As a region and not as a state. That is why urdu as a language is not confined to a religion. ‘It belongs to whoever is willing to embrace it and in their capable hands, it is willing to be molded like pliable clay.’

Rakhshanda Jalil leaves the reader take his/her choice for the essence of these stories to sink in. After all, urdu has evolved as a language by the people. It does not belong to any state or religion.  

Whose Urdu is it anyway?
by Rakhshanda Jalil
Simon&Schuster, New Delhi. 
Extent: 180, Price. Rs. 499.

First published in New Indian Express

Unlike none-other

Ever since Hanif Kureishi had a devastating fall while holidaying in Rome in 2022, the accident did leave the noted writer paralyzed but not without causing any dent on his creative zeal. Physical tragedy did rob him of his muscular abilities, but it could not dilute the essence to express himself. The outcome is an eclectic memoir, a daily diary dictated by him to his immediate family members. These hospital dispatches have been suitably edited and meticulously expanded into a book, a daily account of pain and less immersed in gratitude, humility and love. 

Shattered is a diary of life in pieces, recorded with rare insights from hospital beds in different hospitals. Deprived of newpapers, music, and the rest of regular stuff, he had to stretch his imagination beyond uninteresting hospital beds and the bland walls. Although he had slowed down in life, then well into his late sixties, Kureishi has never found himself so busy. In the company of doctors and nurses, and peeping fellow patients, there was an odyssey of a medical system that he had to live through. Seeing little escape from it, he had to reinvent the writer in him. Unable to type or to hold a pen, he began to dictate the words formed in his head to his family members.

“People say when you’re about to die your life passes before your eyes, but for me it wasn’t the past but the future that I thought about”. The accident was a physical tragedy, but it had unique emotional outcomes worth sharing with others. It made him start over as a person, and as a writer, who began to take himself seriously. The conversational energy of his voice unburdens thoughts, lends no-hold barred tone a narrative that is both reflective and imaginative. Scattered is powerful and absorbing memoir that uses personal calamity to inspire others under similar condition. 

The book is packed with pain and humor, confessions and revelations, as well as wit and wisdom. Kureishi hasn’t been shy on narrating ruminations on bodily functions and bowel movements. In equal measure one notices pity and sympathetic vibes from Gregor Samsa, and realize the presence of Franz Kafka in dealing with realism and absurdity. Shattered is an absorbing and engaging readings on Kureishi’s reflections on life and his interactions with fellow patients. An identity that is seemingly been redrawn.  

What seems like a pause in routine life is also an opportunity to try something new, things one has never done before. "You may be afraid of presenting something personal to the world, but you can never anticipate how others will receive it.” Kureishi’s vulnerability is as evident as his courage to wriggle out of it through his writing. The aim of creative writing, reminiscences the author, is to give pleasure because the writing work is not a therapy but an entertainment for the reader. Quite right, writing finally wants to cheer up its readers.  

Kureishi raises an old cliché: Why me? Rarely it ever gets a credible answer. Who would ever think of responding: Why not you? Why would you think it would not be you? Though we would like to be acknowledged for our exceptional qualities, it is our ordinariness that often gets noticed most of the times. If this is the case, then it favors ‘who else but not me’. Though we may be important to one another, according to Kafka we are not much more than nothing in the universe. Interrogating our character alone is crucial for self-determination.

Shattered is both imaginative and reflective, revisiting the past from a futuristic perspective. It helps give up the standardized view of the world for a more complex one, which includes hitherto unmet people. Much like writing, this calls for working on oneself every day. This is what Kureishi has been through in this difficulty journey towards an impossible life. That there is life amidst despair, is indeed a possibility.

A disabled life in an able-bodied world is definitely another matter, and a different world in itself. It makes one feel one’s identity slipping away, as if becoming someone else. In a world that has both shrunk and expanded, it calls for doing new things every day. Shattered will change the way one connects with life. 

Shattered 
by Hanif Kureishi
Hamish Hamiltan, New Delhi 
Extent: 327, Price: Rs. 999.

First published in Hindustan Times.

Is capitalism on its last breath?

It may be hard to imagine that capitalism has outlived its relevance. No one can argue it better than Yanis Varoukakis, the former Finance Minister of Greece, who experienced the transition while negotiating his country’s debt crises with the European Union. Responding to his daughter’s compelling question ‘why is there so much inequality’ resulted in a slim volume entitled Talking to My Daughter: A Brief History of Capitalism which is a precursor to the book under reference. Capitalism’s two pillars, markets and profits, have mutated into cloud capital and cloud rent. Digital platforms are markets in themselves, and their primary function is to extract rent. 

The mutation may seem subtle, but its impact is profound. Cloud capital doesn’t necessarily labor to bring a commodity to market but receives a significant portion of what the consumers pay for it. With every click and scroll, the consumer pays rent to access what is on offer at those digital platforms. Varoufakis argues that cloud capital no longer focuses on growth, value and profit, but instead on rent extraction and control. Further, cloud capital reduces consumers into fragments of data, identifies them as a pack of choices, and manipulates them through algorithms. This reshaping of our lives may seem transformative, but it is no less exploitative and an imminent threat to our social co-existence. 

Called cloudalists, the sphere of influence of the new capitalists extends to nearly every facet of our app-powered daily life. Such is the influence, according to Varoufakis, we are reduced as products with our incessant clicks and searches generate profit for massive corporations; our data too is a product that gets bought and sold, and on top of it those who control the platforms have direct control over us, reducing us as digital pigmies. Need it be said that our capacity to stay focused has been compromised. Under such changing scenario, algorithms reinforce patriarchal stereotypes and hate-mongers for optimizing capital flow. 

TechnoFeudalism is about the historical journey in which humans not only transformed matter by taking control of technology but got transformed in return too. Ancient Greek poet Hesoid had summed it up by saying that iron hardened not only our ploughs but also our souls. Marx had described our condition under capitalism as one of alienation, under technofeudalism we no longer own our minds. Under technofeudalism, elaborates Varoufakis, a new class draws power from owning cloud capital whose tentacles entangle everyone. The author leaves the reader with the choice - accept either the world resembling Star Trek, where machines help us improve ourselves, or like The Matrix in which we are the fuel that empowers machines.  

It is not easy to read this book, but the narrative is insightful and empowering. Getting slowly sucked into the world of technofeudalism, the compelling question remains: will the new-age capitalism leave space and scope for freedom and democracy? The answer lies in capturing all that has changed since Mad Men implanted longings into our subconscious. It has since then been replaced by Alexa taking charge, spinning us out of control into something that we can neither fathom nor regulate. The rules of game are indeed threatening 

Technofeudalism is all about authority and control, it erects strong barrier to being questioned. By giving fewer opportunities for people to come together, it incapacitates people to organize and forge alliances for representation. The challenge is how to represent ourselves when what seemed labor to be paid and work to be executed is anything but a rent seeking feudalism that subsists on high-tech form of serfdom. The emerging technofeudalism is indeed global, and its power truly global. This book is not about technology but about the treatment meted to capitalism and therefore to us through screen-based, cloud-linked devices. 

TechnoFeudalism 
by Yanis Varoufakis
BodleyHead/Vintage
Extent: 281, Price: Rs. 531.

First published in Deccan Herald.

The Man Who Became Cinema

Legends are not born, but made, is an adage that seems apt for Dilip Kumar. He was an icon, who evolved as an institution. Vaijantimala, his co-star in seven hugely successful films, once remarked: “The icon’s influence on each generation has been such that there is a Dilip Kumar in every successful actor in Indian cinema”. Dilip Kumar is also credited to being the one who introduced method acting to Indian cinema — a foundation for which was first laid by Konstantin Stanislavski (Russian theatre practitioner) and popularized later by American acting coach and actor Lee Strasberg.

Dilip Kumar’s method acting brought about a revolutionary change in the portrayal of characters on screen, and with it the very art of film acting. The unforgettable classics such as Devdas (1955), Gunga Jamuna (1961) and Mughal-e-Azam (1960) depict the layers of emotions he continues to evoke in the viewers. Even in the provocative Jab pyar kiya to darna kya number one learns that there could be immense power in silence as conveyed by the character of Prince Salim. Dilip Kumar’s magic on screen remains undeniable — a legacy that continues to enchant countless fans.

He developed his method of acting as an antithesis to the widely followed classical acting technique. Dilip Kumar’s method as well as the characters he portrayed carried a strong social bearing. His method was rooted in a kind of cultural re-discovery that helped the character acquire the ability to observe the peculiarities and happenings in society.

Famously known as ‘tragedy king’ on screen, Dilip Kumar’s commitment to his roles and his deep involvement with the characters he portrayed, believed to have led to serious psychological issues for which he had to consult a psychiatrist in England. The advice given to him was to switch to comic roles, which he did with aplomb and poise. In Ram aur Shyam (1967) and Gopi (1970) to name only a few, he displayed his sense and timing for comedy as well.  

All these facts and more are captured in the book, The Man Who Became Cinema, written by “film buff” Ashok Chopra. Published by Penguin Random House, the book deconstructs Dilip Kumar’s cinematic reach and unparalleled timelessness through the prism of 57 films. It explores each of his cinematic characters intricately grouped under six categories — film-by-film, frame-by-frame. The author develops an understanding of how Dilip Kumar exhibited his formidable capacity to innovate and improvise. 

Ashok also speaks about the actor’s ‘visual verbal personality composite’, a complex mechanism by which his film dialogues were delivered. Dilip Kumar is said to be the only actor to have integrated audio and visual into a scene, as in, what finally gets conveyed to the viewer are not the words, but a strange modulation of the sound of these words with emotions. This was employed by the actor, particularly in romantic scenes.

His films are considered masterpieces — to be seen and studied. According to Ashok, before director Ramesh Sippy started work on his film Saagar (1985), he asked Kamal Haasan to watch Dilip Kumar’s Ganga Jamuna. “There are several nuances that every actor should compulsorily watch — to understand the meaning of subtlety,” said Kamal.  It comes as no surprise that Dilip is not an actor who is imitated much, but his acting method is examined and studied. And The Man Who Became Cinema helps with that.

The Man Who Became Cinema: Dilip Kumar 
by Ashok Chopra
Penguin Ebury Press, New Delhi. 
Extent: 334, Price: Rs. 799.

This article inspired by this book first appeared in The Hindu on Aug 1, 2025.

Clawing back from the abyss

What is often considered an end to life is, at times, a humble start to a new beginning. At least this happened with two-time Oscar nominee Jeremy Renner, 54, who after being crushed under 14,000-pound snowplough on new year day in 2023 that literally didn’t leave a major bone intact, talked to people two-days later to convey that ‘he was not yet gone’. The second-most googled person that year had an impressive filmography, a bomb technician in The Hurt Locker and a bank robber in The Town.  

Survival after such crushing accident guides one to re-assess life, and to rewire one’s mind to adapt change. It wasn’t easy for Renner to write; his memoir My Next Breath carries blistering details about the accident and the aftermath. The memoir is a testament to the human spirit and its unending desire to endure and transform. But it is not written in a traditional sense, it is a three-part painful story about living, almost dying and recovering. It has reflections on life already lived, and the prospects that lie ahead. 

Someone asked Renner if surviving had made him better or a different person. ‘I have more physical limitations on my body as an instrument, but my new life is way more deeply rooted in the art of emotions.’ In a school essay, his 11-year-old daughter Ava, summed up her proudest moment when she was picked up by her father from the school. Ava was the fuel for Renner’s recovery. It was bouts of positive energy all around that made pretty much anything possible, though not too long ago he was almost dead. 

Renner’s memoir captures the essence of life and profound transformation, a delicate interplay between redemption and renewal. No experience need be wasted, reminisces Renner. Everything that happens to us can be stored as information so that when disaster strikes, one doesn’t curl up and stop breathing. No wonder, the memoir is titled My Next Breath. Whenever disaster of any kind strikes, the focus should be on breath or to find a position in which breathing is possible. It is only breathing that makes things possible and doable.

Renner has signaled his return to what he knows best – acting and singing. Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery will be out towards the end of 2025. Says he, ‘I do love my job, but not at the cost of what has real value in life.’ It is an inspiring memoir that has many experiences that will leave profound impact on life.  Renner sums up his feelings: ‘I’ve noticed that I’m just cherishing moments more, savoring experiences more deeply, and expressing gratitude all the time’. Perhaps some readers might think that’s too simple a philosophy, but isn’t life as simple as that after all?   

After having gone through near-death moments, one ends up searching beauty of life. To Renner, the beauty comes from being connected. ‘We’re all connected in a divinity of love, which one can God. It helps us to stay vulnerable and yet being loved.’ 

My Next Breath 
by Jeremy Renner
Simon&Schuster, New Delhi. 
Extent: 206, Price: Rs. 999.

First published in Deccan Herald on July 13, 2025.

Harnessing creative energies of human intelligence and AI

Whether or not artificial intelligence will outsmart human ingenuity has been rested in favor of co-intelligence where both will collaborate in ways never imagined. The new technological revolution is in the future, a visionary road map which will shape our co-existence by reshaping our co-existence. As things stand, artificial intelligence will augment human ingenuity rather than replace it. The Co-Intelligence Revolution is an insightful guide to navigate the frontiers where human ingenuity meets artificial intelligence, it envisions a future in which they are not only powerful allies but collaborate to co-create ground-breaking innovations and transformed institutions. It engages with artificial intelligence as co-worker, co-teacher and coach. 

It is an interesting playbook that draws from numerous real-world case studies to illustrate how co-intelligence demonstrates a paradigm shift in expanding the role and reach of traditional and emerging institutions. The book presents artificial intelligence not just a tool but as a vital partner in the process of co-creation. With over a hundred compelling examples from different ecosystems— from L’Oréal’s inclusive beauty platforms to digital expansion of public finance, citizen-services, and education—the book illustrates how co-intelligent enterprises will unlock their potential across private, public and plural sectors.

Overs last few years, L’Oreal, the 115-year-old global leader in the beauty business has moved from its earlier focus on ‘beauty for all’ to now stress on ‘beauty for each’. Highly personalized beauty routines are delivered through sophisticated cutting-edge technologies, providing skin and skin-care diagnostics to receive personalized recommendations. To achieve such results, the global leader has leveraged over ten large language models to apply neural network techniques that processes lots of data. As a result, L’Oreal is now speaking a new language that leverages tech-intensity to create new life-experiences through its co-intelligence platforms. 

There are several cases where co-creation is pitched to increase efficiency and output. Venkat Ramaswamy and Krishnan Narayanan clearly explain evolving role of artificial intelligence in breaking down complex concepts in an accessible way. In the new realm of co-intelligence, organizations have to craft co-intelligence architectures powered by platforms for sharing digitalized infrastructure. It may be easy read for companies who wish to have AI drive future of their business. There are number of cases where industries are embracing AI as a collaborative partner. Even institutions like the University of Michigan are doing trailblazing work on promoting AI literacy and providing AI access. Its AI services attract an average of 15,000 users a day, and thousands are using these services. If its ten-year vision is anything to go by, the university aim is to develop future-proof educational models. 

The Co-Intelligence Revolution is a latest phase of the industrial revolution, it is the creative synergy between human intelligence and machine intelligence, where AI augments and amplifies human capabilities. And this revolution is technologically driven by electronic neural networks fed with vast amounts of data and put to work with accelerated computing, in a form of AI factory. However, a crucial question is regarding the security and sustainability of AI systems. Unlike in the past, co-intelligence enterprises in the anthropocene must grapple with the reality that their actions may significantly influence the very systems on which they rely.

Venkat and Krishnan have written an insightful guide which suggests that value creation will lead to collaborative experiences co-created by companies and customers. They argue compellingly that AI must be embraced as a strategic partner rather than a mere tool, and that they present several cases where it is made possible. They have painstakingly put together a road map for a better future – one that AI serves humanity, not the other way around. For example, Jugal Bandi, which refers to a duet between musicians, is actually helping multiple language users access information about 20,000 government programs in native languages, regardless of the source language of the information. The rapid diffusion and democratization of AI capabilities is undoubtly remarkable but there is every reason to believe that much more needs to be done.

Despite initial success with several cases, the authors tend to agree that no single example could possibly exemplify the trend. By their own admission, the examples are being used as thinking props. Nevertheless, The Co-Intelligence Revolution remains a clarion call to action in co-creating a new world of possibilities.  

The Co-Intelligence Revolution 
by Venkat Ramaswamy & Krishnan Narayanan
Penguin Business, New Delhi.
Extent: 414, Price: Rs. 999.

First published in Hindu BusinessLine on July 11, 2025 

Enriched legacy

Laali Mausi would always hug Ajit and call him her son. Other villagers would gather around to dissuade her from calling the stranger her son. Ajit was invited by the villagers to relieve them of the ongoing menace of decoits. When she’s finally been coaxed away, Ajit discovers the truth: Mausi’s son was kidnapped and taken away by dacoits eighteen years ago. This touching sequence in the film connects the past with the present. Who acted as Laali Mausi in the 1971 film Mera Gaon Mera Desh? No one could respond but the film director Raj Khosla himself, who took care to inform us that the actress was none other than Purnima. The reviewer of this biography has fond memories of this incident. Raj was behind some of the finest films of the times, Woh Kaun Thi?(1964) and Do Raaste (1969), and endearing soundtracks like Lag ja gale and Jhumka gira re.

Raj’s legacy has been ever enriching. Five decades in filmmaking is indeed a long innings, but he didn’t get featured in media like others. But his films and songs continue to touch lives every single day. Every tribute to Lata Mangeshkar, when she passed away in 2022, featured the song lag ja gale which remains the definitive love song ever since it was created in 1960s. Such memorable songs and disparate films can only come from the stable of a director who not only loved his work but created the genre of his cinema. Raj undoubtedly had an enviable filmmaking career by any standards.

Mentored by the iconic Guru Dutt, Raj has often been dubbed the Alfred Hitchcock of Indian films. Rightly so, as he traversed diverse genres but infused suspense in a way that kept the audience on tenterhooks. Like his contemporaries, Raj looked to Hollywood for inspiration. The stylization and aesthetics of those films were seamlessly blended with local morality and sensibilities. The QR codes supplement many of such narratives, songs and scenes from the film. First ever, these codes give scenic beauty to the textual narration.

The biography is well-researched; it is about the life of a filmmaker Raj Khosla but reads as the history in the making of some of the magical movies. It is a search for cinematic legacy by Amborish Roychoudhury. Legacy has it that Raj made taut thrillers, family dramas, timeless romances, and action spectacles. In the process, he had also perfected the art of making engaging thrillers with an emotional core. The world knows and celebrates the Sadhana trilogy of Who Kaun Thi?, Mera Saaya, and Anita. Suspense was considered the hallmark of his cinema. 

It is interesting how Waheeda Rehman got inducted into a creatively stimulating group led by Guru Dutt. Her dancing skills and fluency in Urdu stood Waheeda in a good nick. On being introduced to Raj, her unusual name caught the usual attention. ‘You have a long name, we must change to for the screen’, Raj had commented. It was the meeting of two headstrong, proud people who didn’t see eye to eye in certain aspects. She was all of 17 but had no intention of changing her name even at the cost of losing out. Had C.I.D (1956) not been Guru Dutt’s production, Raj may not have directed the film. That they never ever worked remains history.  

One of the abiding legacies that Raj carried forward was his love for folk songs. The folksy rustic song he used to hum was jhumka gira re, Bareilly ke bazar mein  Although the song has its history, Raj enacted its history yet again. Regardless of its origins, jhumka gira re continues to be exclusively attached to Mera Saaya (1966). Across the length and breadth of the country, the city of Bareilly came to be inextricably associated with the song. Now, the city has firmed its jhumka on a roadside plaza. Raj went through his life on his own terms and yet contributed immensely through the art and science of making cinema.

Raj Khosla: The Authorized Biography reveals the life and challenges of an accomplished director. Few filmmakers have demonstrated such versatility and command over their craft. The authors lend him his rightful place among the greats of Indian cinema.

Raj Khosla: The Authorized Biography 
by Amborish Roychoudhury, with Anita Khosla and Uma Khosla Kapoor
Hachette, New Delhi. 
Extent: 334, Price: Rs. 799.

First published in Outlook on July 6, 2025.