Abhinav Agarwal  

Here are a few notable reads that author Abhinav Agarwal has gone through in 2019 and 2018. As we come to the beginning of a new decade, a reader is always ready to embark on a journey through books. Here are a few picks that you can choose to read, whether you have read them already or not.
 

In 'Words on books', a fortnightly newsletter on books from the Indic Book Club, curated by Abhinav Agarwal. The latest edition throws light on 5 books — 'The man who saved India', 'Hindu Terror', 'Caste as social capital', 'When a tree shook Delhli', and 'Awakening Bharat mata'

Like A Girl by Aparna Jain raises questions about the author's ideology, agenda and grasp of facts. Questions about the narrative being built and rigour of the editorial process that neither asked questions nor insisted on answers. This book was written in a parallel universe in which facts don't matter, questionable people are deemed role models, and toxic agendas are noble pursuit.

The author of 'Flight of Deities and Rebirth of Temples' has done an outstanding job in sourcing her facts, and in putting them together into a cogent, coherent presentation. While Meenakshi Jain admits that the organisation of the book into chapters based on geography is unsatisfactory, I am not sure if any other organisation would have been significantly better

Woven around the dramatic chase across the world to bring down the most prolific and high-profile trafficker of temple idols, this book captures the tale of avaricious museums, apathetic governments, honest policemen, and avid bloggers. 

Sengupta's book also sheds light on the most subtle, multi-layered and vexatious relationship between three key figures of the Indian freedom struggle — Sardar Patel, Pandit Nehru, and Mahatma Gandhi