Pratap Bhanu Mehta

3 weeks ago | foreignaffairs.com | Pratap Bhanu Mehta |Arati Kumar-Rao

This bookis a beautifully written, evocative journey through India’s coastlines, rivers, glaciers, deserts, and cities. The desecration of India’s natural landscapes is heartbreaking. Its legendary rivers are dying. Construction projects and subsequent landslides have marred its mountain ranges. Its glaciers are shrinking. Induced by climate change and poor urban planning, floods grow ever more frequent. Sixty-three percent of the coastline in the southwestern state of Kerala has eroded.

2 months ago | foreignaffairs.com | William Dalrymple |Pratap Bhanu Mehta

This enchanting work of ancient history offers an important backdrop to understanding contemporary India. Dalrymple recovers a period that lasted from around 250 BC until roughly the eighth century, when India could plausibly be considered the center of the world. Indian goods flowed west; during much of this period, India was Rome’s largest trading partner. The imprint of Indian art, architecture, and literary imagination shaped Southeast Asia.