Bibliofile

Vinay Sitapati’s biography of P.V. Narasimha Rao and rumours about the next big book on political intrigue

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Anglo-Indians in 1940s
The Anglo-Indians Of Mhow

There was a time in the 40s when many Anglo-Indian families moved to Mhow. Most of them worked as railways personnel. But now, most of the families have moved abroad

Denzil Lobo
Anglo-Indians In Whitefield: Preserving The Present

Established as an Anglo-Indian village in 1800s, Whitefield in Bengaluru is now an IT hub. However, in some lanes, one can still find ‘Little Gem’ and ‘Perfect Peace’—names of houses of Anglo-Indian families

Anisha Reddy
A Novel On Anglo-Indians
The Story of McCluskieganj

Journalist Vikas Kumar Jha first visited McCluskieganj in 1990 to write a story for a magazine. But he fell in love with the unique Anglo-Indian town and ended up writing a novel that has won many awards and accolades

Vikas Kumar Jha
McCluskieganj
Heterotopia

A world within a world is running out of time. But the voices of McCluskieganj’s past continue to resonate within its ruins, even as development takes over

Chinki Sinha
Opinion
The Future Of Anglo-Indians In India

Where are Anglo-Indians, as a community, heading? What does the future hold for them? Will they be around or would they be relegated to the pages of history books?

Harry Maclure

Outlook Web Desk

Delhi truly is a city of political junkies. The hall at India International Centre was packed like a newspaper front page for the launch of Vinay Sitapati’s biography of our least-written- about prime minister—Half Lion: How P.V. Narasimha Rao Transformed India. Most were journalists, with a sprinkling of former bureaucrats, politicians and power-brokers, with the likes of Sanjaya Baru, Suman Dubey, Mani Shankar Aiyar, Pawan Varma, Mrinal Pande, Vinod Dua, Tarun Das and Aman Nath. And everyone was hanging on to every word of what Arjun Singh told Digvijay Singh about Sonia Gandhi, which Sharad Pawar overheard and passed on to Amar Nath Varma, which he whispered to Madhav Rao Scindia, and such Congress intrigue. It was also an unusual book launch, where the author played moderator. The venerable Natwar Singh was a hoot—he seemed to remember every detail of selecting Rajiv Gandhi’s successor. He also summed up Narasimha Rao aptly: “He had all the qualities of a true prime minister, he didn’t trust anyone, he listened more than he talked and he was always ambiguous”.