Nehru’s First Recruits

Nehru’s First Recruits
by Kallol Bhattacherjee.
HarperCollins. Pages 376. Rs 699

Ambassadors have tales to tell, believes Kallol Bhattacherjee, and he uses their stories to tell the tale of an India which was just rising from the ashes of war, famine and communal strife. This book presents the foundational history of India’s diplomatic corps, as it shaped under Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

Against the Grain
by Pankaj Mishra.
Penguin Random House. Pages 297. Rs 399

AR Rahman, Uday Kotak, Nandan Nilekani and many more… Pankaj Mishra skilfully retraces the journeys of these bold outliers, delving into their experiences of hope, disillusionment, victory, defeat, joy and pain. Drawing from interviews on Mishra’s podcast Outliers, the book portrays how some of India’s most prominent figures confront the challenges of life.