Naseeruddin Shah is not a star in box-office terms. But in the firmament of Indian actors he shines bright.

How does one understand or explain recurring, gruesome communal violence in India? Ward Berenschot, author of Riot Politics: Hindu-Muslim Violence and the Indian State, identifies six different approaches to the study of communal violence: Primordial (focus on the capacity of ethnicity to shape one’s perception of the world and one’s place in it), ideological (role of communal ideology in spreading hatred, instigating violence), instrumentalist (communal violence as a political strategy to serve the interests of elites), social-constructivist (communal identities and conflicts are not primordial but fluid and contingent, constructed by important individuals or groups in certain historical and political contexts), socio-psychological (riots occur because they serve various psychological needs of the rioters) and relational (focus on the changing patterns of intercommunal and intra-communal social interaction to explain recurring Hindu-Muslim conflict).

Most accounts of pregnancy would follow the opening lines of Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” And Lalita Iyer brings her experience as a journalist and magazine editor to put the zip and pep into talking about a condition that despite its flounce and cute appeal, can be quite a downer.

The land of Kodagu or Coorg — the source of the river Cauvery — with its lush hills, forest streams and plentiful wildlife and flora has been home to the Kodavas, as well as a number of forest-dwelling tribes, since time immemorial.

Never Go Back is Lee Child’s latest suspense thriller overflowing with action and a mysterious, meandering plot that is sure to keep readers on the edge of their seat. This novel, which is part of a series featuring the popular character Jack Reacher, is the writer’s 18th work.

As I read this true-life story (I really could not figure out where the author fictionalised it, so seamless it was) I remembered a few young couples I met six months ago in a secret shelter run by an NGO in Delhi. Very young, frightened but overjoyed to be together, hiding from their families yet missing them — any one of them could have met the fate of Manoj and Babli.

Before Sania Mirza (tennis), Saina Nehwal (badminton), Joshna Chinappa and Deepika Pallikal (both squash), there was Nirupama Vaidyanathan (now Nirupama Sanjeev), a trailblazer, the first Indian woman travelling sports pro.

This is no ordinary journey. Originating from different places and travelling in diverse directions, the destinations are divine in nature. 108 Shades of Divinity provides an insight into 108 sacred places of nine religions.

It casts a spell on me. It always has. Mumbai — that unique juxtaposition of dreams and reality, of wealth and ambitions, seething with vibrant forces, the modern and traditional Indian experience in perfect harmony...

I didn’t know quite what to expect when I picked up Irish writer Ciaran Collins’ first novel, The Gamal. To start with, the name sounded interesting — what on earth is a gamal? And when I turned to the blurb on the back cover, things seemed even more intriguing.