Bookstrapping: Five books tapping on the theme of Hindustan

If you haven’t heard the pop tune ‘Bharat Ka Bachcha Bachcha, Jai Shri Raam Bolega,” you’re living under a rock!

Its time to herald the definitive arrival of an all new category in Indian publishing; Books of Hindustan! And they’re written by well-loved authors like Amish Tripathi who tackled scepticism towards idol worship in his recent book with Bhavana Roy, Idols- ‘Unearthing the Power of Murti Puja’.

And while we as a culture, are most ready to be reminded of all the reasons why Lord Rama is revered in the country, the sentiment of ‘pride in our roots’ has gripped the entire entertainment industry. Can publishing be left behind? Instead of our regular review, here are five books that capitalise on this theme. H-Pop : The secretive world of Hindutva pop stars by Kunal Purohit Can the K-Pop stars make way for the H Pop stars? Music is a business and there’s nothing wrong with it. Three young singers, Kavi Singh, Kamal Agney and Sandeep Deo are in the throes of H-pop, now defined as Hindutva-Pop, taking Gods away from Bhajans and inserting them into pop culture. Having built a fan base, are they selling music or ideology, seems to be the question that the author is asking.

The Final Farewell: Understanding the Last Rites and Rituals of India's Major Faiths by Minakshi Dewan

A sombre subject handled sensitively. Author Minakshi Dewan explores the latent misogyny and caste-based discrimination that plague the last rites, across various faiths in the country? She also takes a look at the economic and environmental costs of saying that final goodbye!

Teachings from the Ramayana on Family & Life this Diwali by Shantanu Gupta

Shantanu Gupta is the biographer of Yogi Adityanath and also founder of The Ramayana School. Picking up from his experience as a teacher, he offers an interactive edition, which includes sections for readers to take notes in and reflect on their reading experience. The essence of the book is twenty-five stories from the Ramayana and how they can help us to effectively deal with challenges in life itself!

Nandi’s charge: The Battle of Vathapi (Book 1) by Arun Krishnan

This is the first of a trilogy that is set in 7th century CE South India between two great kingdoms- the Chalukyas and the Pallavas- promises to trigger fresh interest in this period of our nations’ history. The Memoirs of Valmiki Rao by Lindsay Pereira

The book offers a contemporary retelling of the Ramayana, set against a Mumbai burning post the demolition of the Babri masjid. The author is not new to this genre, having written ‘Gods and Ends’ before. He explores the subject sensitively and examines how such a massive incident changed equations between friends, families and neighbours.