Future Foreword

/6 min read
Memoirs, histories and environmental treatises that look both back and ahead
Future Foreword

WILD FICTIONS by Amitav Ghosh (4th Estate)

An exploration of lan­guage to literature, cli­mate change to travel. The essays provide a roadm­ap for mending our rela­tionships and re-establish­ing equilibrium with our changing environments.

HOPE: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY by Pope Francis (Viking)

The first autobiography to be published by a sitting pope. Beginning in the ear­ly years of the 20th centu­ry, Pope Francis tells the story of his life from his childhood in Buenos Aires to his calling and his papa­cy to the present day, while reflecting on controversial questions from global con­flicts to the future of the Church.

SOURCE CODE: MY BEGINNINGS by Bill Gates (Knopf)

The story of how Bill Gates became who he is today: his childhood, his early passions and pursuits. It's the story of his struggles to fit in and his discovery of a world of coding and computers in the dawn of a new era.

THE CONSTITUTION OF INDIA: A SHORT HISTORY by Shashi Tharoor (Aleph)

This book is the first in the 'Essence of India' se­ries. Each book will be a concise look at a quintes­sential aspect of India. Tharoor will provide a short, vital account of the Indian Constitution.

THE NEW WORLD: 21ST CENTURY GLOBAL ORDER AND INDIA by Ram Madhav (Rupa)

What will be the con­tours and characteris­tics of the emerging new world order? Who will be the main players? Madhav examines these questions and provides some answers.

STARSTRUCK: ASTROLOGY IN THE MUGHAL EMPIRE by MJ Akbar (Bloomsbury)

This book unveils the Mughal emperors' deep-rooted connection to astrology, intertwined with Indian traditions. Through detailed chap­ters on emperors such as Akbar, Jahangir, and Aurangzeb, Akbar reveals how astrology influenced their reigns, triumphs, and declines.

THE TRUE LAND OF PROMISE: ESSAYS ON FREEDOM, IDENTITY AND POLITICS by Pratap Bhanu Mehta (Juggernaut)

Mehta's first popular book in nearly three dec­ades is an anthology of his writing.

MOTHER MARY COMES TO ME by Arundhati Roy (PRHI)

Roy's first work of mem­oir, chronicles how the author became the per­son and the writer she is, shaped by circumstance, but above all by her com­plex relationship to her mother she describes as 'my shelter and my storm'.

STAINED AT SUNRISE: A PERSONAL HISTORY OF INDEPENDENT INDIA by Gopalkrishna Gandhi (Aleph)

A memoir, and history of India after Independence begins with Gandhi's memories at the age of four of the assassina­tion of his grandfather, Mahatma Gandhi. It then expands into numerous encounters with eminent personalities, as well as insights into key events of modern Indian history.

WHY THE POOR DON'T KILL US: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF INDIANS by Manu Joseph (Aleph)

In his first non-fiction book, Joseph casts a caus­tic eye on Indian society today. He explores the deepening gulf between rich and poor, scorns the insincere pronounce­ments of politicians and liberals, and offers insights into the contra­dictions and absurdities that define India in the 21st century.

THE CELL AND THE SOUL: A PRISON MEMOIR by Anand Teltumbde (Bloomsbury)

The human rights activ­ist's prison diary reflects upon the many events that culminated with his imprisonment between 2018 and 2022.

HOW INDIA SCALED MT G 20 by Amitabh Kant (Rupa)

A rare, behind-the-scenes look at the negotiations, manoeuvring, and back­room diplomacy that de­fined India's G20 presidency.

THE HIMALAYA IN TWELVE PIECES by Anuradha Roy (Hachette)

An exploration of the mountains that focuses on living within a rural community on the edge of a high forest. This is travel with a difference: it is about discovering a new place and making it your own.

ANOTHER DAY IN LANDOUR: LOOKING OUT FROM MY WINDOW by Ruskin Bond (HarperCollins)

Drawn from his journal written over the past two years, Bond de­scribes the small and big joys that surround him from the blooming of a flower to the changing of seasons.

LORDS OF EARTH AND SEA: A HISTORY OF THE CHOLA EMPIRE by Anirudh Kanisetti (Juggernaut)

The first full-length his­tory of the Cholas in English in several dec­ades, this book is both se­rious and entertaining. It is based on thousands of inscriptions and hun­dreds of secondary sourc­es—from the author of Lords of the Deccan.

THE WORLD AFTER GAZA by Pankaj Mishra (Juggernaut)

Mishra reckons with the fundamental questions posed by our present cri­sis—about whether some lives matter more than others, why identity pol­itics built around memo­ries of suffering is being widely embraced and why racial antagonisms are in­tensifying amid a far-right surge in the West.

GANDHI, TRUTH, AND NONVIOLENCE: THE POLITICS OF ENGAGEMENT IN POST-TRUTH TIMES edited by Vinay Lal (Oxford University Press)

The anthology presents a diverse array of essays delv­ing into Gandhi's political activities, ethical beliefs, and philosophical stance.

EMPTY VESSEL by Ian Kumekawa (Hachette)

A history of the world economy over the last 50 years told through the life of a single ship, from a young historian. This is the story of globalism in one boat.

INDIRA GANDHI AND THE YEARS THAT TRANSFORMED INDIA by Srinath Raghavan (PRHI)

Raghavan tells the story of Indira Gandhi's political career and the momentous changes that India experienced under her leadership and the last­ing consequences.

SEARCHES: SELFHOOD IN THE DIGITAL AGE by Vauhini Vara (Pantheon)

A personal exploration of how technology compa­nies have both fulfilled and exploited the human desire for understanding and connection.

BEGUM SAMRU: A BIOGRAPHY by Ira Mukhoty (PRHI)

The beguiling story of Begum Samru a widowed ex-courtesan and convert to Catholicism who would command a troop of Jat brigades, and would ride into battle to save the life and honour of a grateful Mughal emperor.

AFTER NATIONS by Rana Dasgupta (PRHI)

The book argues that the nation-state system is ob­solete and dangerous, and that it needs to be reformed to address the challenges of the 21st century.

STUDENTS ETCHED IN MEMORY by Perumal Murugan, translated by V Iswarya (PRHI)

A collection of 40 essays which reveals another fac­et of the novelist and short story writer's work—as a teacher, mentor and keen observer of young minds.

IS A RIVER ALIVE? by Robert Macfarlane (Hamish Hamilton)

The Underland's author returns with a winding exploration of the world's rivers, visiting an Ecuadorian cloud for­est and lagoons in south­ern India. He makes a case that rivers are living enti­ties worthy of rights.

REIMAGINING PARADISE: JAMMU AND KASHMIR by Ashish Sharma (Bloomsbury)

This photo book captures India's northernmost re­gion, blending its ethereal landscapes with stories of progress and resilience.

DINING WITH STARS: BOLLYWOOD STARS IN THEIR OWN WORDS by Anupama Chopra (Bloomsbury)

Chopra puts together the best of her interviews along with an opening es­say on the business, culture, and soft power of Bollywood in the world today.

INDIA THROUGH ICONIC MAPS by Deepti Anand and Sanghamitra Chatterjee (Roli Books)

With more than 250 maps this book highlights the hidden layers of a map and traces a unique car­tographical history of the Indian subcontinent.

MOTHERHOOD! by Diksha Basu (Simon & Schuster)

A funny, honest, and sometimes difficult look at the expe­rience of modern parent­hood told through a personal lens.

PHANTOM WARRIORS: INDIA'S SECRET TIBETAN ARMY by Tenzing G Tethong and Tendzin Choegyal (Roli Books)

Retired members of a 'se­cret' force made up wholly of Tibetan refugees in India go on the record for the first time to talk about taking up arms despite their Buddhist beliefs, of their disappoint­ments for not being recog­nised, and more.

FRAMING PORTRAITS, BINDING ALBUMS: FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHS IN INDIA edited by Shilpi Goswami and Suryanandini Narain (Zubaan)

An anthology that re­moves family photo­graphs from their private and domestic locations into public discourse and academic scrutiny.

WHEN EVERYONE KNOWS THAT EVERYONE KNOWS: COMMON KNOWLEDGE AND THE SCIENCE OF HARMONY, HYPOCRISY AND OUTRAGE by Steven Pinker (Allen Lane)

A study of the logic and psychology of common knowledge.