Bibliofile

Noted economist Lord Meghnad Desai, now teaching at the London School of Economics, also has an unusual passion: he is a devoted fan of actor Dilip Kumar, not only having watched all his films but watched some of them at least 17 times. A walking encyclopaedia on Dilip Kumar—songs, reviews, the works—Lord Meghnad has just written an unusual book on the matinee idol: Dilip Kumar in the Life of India. In the book, to be brought out soon by Roli Books, Desai combines his two ruling passions, exploring the political and economic changes in India through the life and career of the thespian.

Three years after his death, the autobiography of famous cricketer Lala Amarnath is about to be released by Rupa, with his son filling in the unfinished portions. Considering the many controversies Amarnath was involved in both on and off the field, the autobiography is certainly worth bringing out from the family archives. Amarnath was equally famous for his impish sense of humour. A sample: Besieged batsman Harold Gimblett asked him after a perfect delivery: "Don’t you ever bowl a half-volley?" The ‘stormy petrel of Indian cricket’ replied: "Oh yes. I bowled one in 1940."