October nonfiction: A new book by Ramchandra Guha and five other works on India’s cultural legacy

This is what publishers are saying about their new books this month.

Speaking with Nature: The Origins of Indian Environmentalism, Ramachandra Guha

By the canons of orthodox social science, countries like India are not supposed to have an environmental consciousness. They are, as it were, “too poor to be green”. In this book, Ramachandra Guha challenges this narrative by revealing a virtually unknown prehistory of the global movement set far outside Europe or America. Long before the publication of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring and well before climate change gained currency as a term, ten remarkable individuals wrote with deep insight about the dangers of environmental abuse from within an Indian context.

In strikingly contemporary language, Rabindranath Tagore, Radhakamal Mukerjee, JC Kumarappa, Patrick Geddes, Albert and Gabrielle Howard, Mira, Verrier Elwin, KM Munshi and M Krishnan wrote about the forest and the wild, soil and water, urbanisation and industrialisation. Positing the idea of what Guha calls “livelihood environmentalism” in contrast to the “full-stomach environmentalism” of the affluent world, these writers, activists and scientists played a pioneering role in shaping global conversations about humanity’s relationship with nature.

Iconoclast: A Reflective Biography of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, Anand Teltumbde

Anand Teltumbde delves into the life of Ambedkar, situating him within the dynamic context of his time. He explores the complexities of Ambedkar’s persona, offering a nuanced portrait that challenges conventional perceptions. Interspersed with poignant photographs, this biography paints a vivid picture of Ambedkar as a visionary and as a human, and above all as an iconoclast driven by a relentless pursuit of social justice and equality. From his tireless advocacy for the Dalit community to his visionary ideals of liberty, equality and fraternity, Ambedkar’s legacy reverberates through the ages, inspiring generations to strive for a more just society.

With a new understanding of Ambedkar’s philosophy, Teltumbde extends the narrative beyond the confines of history, examining Ambedkar’s enduring impact on contemporary India. Iconoclast is a masterful tribute to a towering figure in modern history, offering profound insights into the epic struggle for social emancipation and the quest for a truly inclusive society.

India: A Linguistic Civilization, GN Devy

GN Devy lays bare the mysteries and intricacies of India’s linguistic past, present, and future. The evolution of language is set against the larger historical canvas of human progress and gives due weight to the influences of migration, agriculture, newer patterns of settlement, formation of religious sects, cultural resistance, and centuries of British colonisation on the shaping of our linguistic heritage. The book also engages with language, identity, and political consciousness, and underscores the significance of collective responsibility in preserving endangered languages of indigenous and marginalised communities.

The author studies memory and oral practices as tools of linguistic creativity and as essential components of Indian knowledge and learning systems that have been overshadowed by the written word. He addresses the battle between technological advancement and dialogue and diversity and explores pathways to prevent the loss of both unclassified dialects and minor languages as well as the literary and philosophical traditions of major ones.

From The King’s Table to Street Food: A Food History of Delhi, Pushpesh Pant

Who is an “asli Dilliwala” and what is his cuisine? To answer this question, Pushpesh Pant, a food historian, takes us on a culinary journey from the Mahabharata’s Indraprastha – the first city of Delhi – to the present day, through the Sultanate, the Mughal Empire and the British Raj.

On this fascinating food trip, we savour the rich qormas and kebabs of Shahjahanabad and the Shepherd’s Pie and mutton cutlets of “angrezon ki Dilli”, with a light snack in between of papri or undiya, washed down with bael ka sherbet in a good Baniya home. But that is not all.

As Delhi’s population grew to include migrants from across the country, so did its culinary repertoire. The Dilliwala of today is as likely to enjoy Calcutta-style street food – chops, cutlets, puchka and jhaalmuri – in the south Delhi colony of CR Park, as he is to relish a berry pulao and dhansak at the Parsi Anjuman. And what better tiffin than idli-dosa-sambar from the South Indian outlets that dot the city? From a city identified largely with Punjabi and Mughlai food – butter chicken and biryani – Delhi is now a melting pot of cuisines ranging from Kashmiri, Bengali and Bihari, to Andhra, Naga and “Indian-Chinese”.

Pushpesh Pant also tracks the growth of the city’s restaurant culture, from wayside dhabas and McDonald’s to high-end restaurants that can compete with the best in the world – justifying its claim to being a global food capital where virtually every cuisine can be found, including Japanese, Thai, Mediterranean and Korean.

Drawing on a wealth of historical records and literary sources, Pushpesh Pant writes an anecdotal account of the life and food habits of each period of Delhi’s history.

Cities Rethought: A New Urban Disposition, Gautam Bhan, Michael Keith, Susan Parnell, and Edgar Pieterse

In a world of disruptions and seemingly endless complexity, cities have become – perhaps more than ever – central to thinking about the future of humanity. Yet rarely has the study of cities been more fragmented among different silos of expertise, diverse genres of scholarship, and widening chasms between theory and practice. How can we do better?

Cities Rethought suggests that we need to remake the way we see and know cities in order to rethink how we act and intervene within them. To this end, it offers the contours of a new urban disposition. This disposition, articulated through its normative, analytical and operational elements, offers an opportunity for scholars, practitioners and citizens alike to approach the complexity of cities anew, and find ways to rethink both scholarly analyses as well as modes of practice.

India on the Move: When Jai Shree Ram Met Bharat Mata Ki Jai, Marya Shakil and Narendra Nath Mishra

Things start to heat up in the national capital when protests erupt on the campus of JNU against the protestors of the judicial hanging of Afzal Guru and Maqbool Bhat. Very soon the students would go from being research scholars to “jihadis”, “violent communists” and “anti-nationals” resulting in the larger questions of a true nationalist.

Slogans like Bharat mata ki jai and Jai Shri Ram, which were traditionally used to express reverence to the nation and a salutation to Lord Rama respectively, have been appropriated as political slogans. Whilst until now, Bharat Mata ki Jai and Jai Shree Ram ran parallel in the country's political discourse, today they lead the same way. On one hand, there are those who view patriotism and nationalism as synonymous with blind obedience and conformity. On the other, those who believe in a more inclusive and diverse India, where dissent and criticism are essential components of a thriving and functioning democracy.

This book attempts to view events following the JNU event, the farmers’ protest, the Balakot strikes and the subsequent unravelling of deep fissures within us.