HT Picks; New Reads

This week’s pick of interesting reads includes an excavation of khayal’s history, an intimate look at the life of a young woman taking charge of her destiny, and essays that celebrate Ritwik Ghatak on his centenary

A musical detective story

On the reading list this week is a book on khayal’s history, a memoir by a young Nobel laureate, and essays that celebrate Ritwik Ghatak on his centenary (Akash Shrivastav)

466pp, ₹899; Context (An excavation of khayal’s history and a meditation on its aesthetics and contemporary practice)

On a winter evening in 2016, Sumana Ramanan casually attends a private Hindustani music performance in South Mumbai. The singer, a man in his early seventies, specialises in khayal, one of the Indian subcontinent’s most scintillating music genres, the very name of which means ‘imagination’. Astounded by what she hears, Ramanan sets off on a mission to solve the mystery of the missing maestro: for, although a student of khayal, a regular concertgoer and a writer on music, she has never heard him before.

In this musical detective story, Ramanan unravels the secret of the life, art and milieu of the singer, Arun Kashalkar. He performs on the fringes of the mainstream Hindustani music ecosystem in Mumbai, which has been the epicentre of the art form since the early twentieth century. He is one of the most accomplished and charismatic figures in a wider underground scene that has been preserving this music in its most vibrant colours.

After joining Kashalkar’s large student community, Ramanan grapples with his intricate and rhythm-infused style while exploring answers to fundamental questions about the nature of the mainstream and the reasons for the rise of an underground culture. The Secret Master is thus also an excavation of khayal’s history and a meditation on its aesthetics and contemporary practice.*

A deeply personal testament

307pp, ₹699; Hachette (An intimate look at the life of a young woman taking charge of her destiny)

Thrust onto the public stage at 15 years old after the Taliban’s brutal attack on her life, Malala quickly became an international icon known for bravery and resilience. But away from the cameras and crowds, she spent years struggling to find her place in an unfamiliar world. Now, for the first time ever, Malala takes readers beyond the headlines in Finding My Way-– a vulnerable, surprising memoir that buzzes with authenticity, sharp humour and tenderness.

Finding My Way is a story of friendship and first love, of anxiety and self-discovery, of trying to stay true to yourself when everyone wants to tell you who you are. In it, Malala traces her path from high school loner to reckless college student to a young woman at peace with her past. Through candid, often messy moments like nearly failing exams, getting ghosted and meeting the love of her life, Malala reminds us that real role models aren’t perfect – they’re human.

In this astonishing memoir, Malala reintroduces herself to the world, sharing how she navigated life as someone whose darkest moments threatened to define her – while seeking the freedom to find out who she truly is. Finding My Way is an intimate look at the life of a young woman taking charge of her destiny - and a deeply personal testament to the strength it takes to be unapologetically yourself.*

The cloud-capped star

488pp, Rs899; Westland (These essays by collaborators, family, and academics celebrate Ghatak on his centenary.)

Ritwik Ghatak died a broken, ravaged man. Almost every film he made failed at the box office at the time –-if they were released at all –-and his life and family were in a shambles, his partitioned Bengal was no closer to healing, no rapprochement with the left parties was in sight. But Safdar Hashmi describes the day he died, 6 February 1976, thus: hundreds of people thronged the hospital he lay in, and as the funeral procession began in the afternoon, thousands joined in, singing all the way to the burning ghat.

If he wasn’t feted in his time, Ghatak’s relevance has only grown globally since: the bold innovations of his humanist cinema, the depth of his engagement with the lives of the people and his uncompromising vision for true revolution steeped in the history and culture of the land. And all the while, the mystique that had always surrounded him only swirled more fiercely.

Unflinching and even ruthless, alcoholic and irresponsible, an irrepressible genius, a master of the craft of film-making and a relentless innovator: these 50 essays – by his collaborators and family, academics who study him and writers who admire him – celebrate Ghatak on his centenary through reflections and expressions of love.*

*All copy from book flap.