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As India celebrates the 50th anniversary of the 1971 war, decorated war veteran Maj Gen Ian Cardozo feels true stories of grit from the war need to reach a wider audience, especially the young generation that has been disconnected with this glorious chapter of history. Through his new book, he wants people to know what happened during those turbulent December days and who were the men who won the war for India and helped in the liberation of Bangladesh. Based on personal accounts, recorded interviews and historical facts, the prolific author has tried to make the stories easy reads, avoiding military terminology and detailed descriptions of the operations.

Journalist Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay has extensively written on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid conflict and tracked the political and electoral emergence of the BJP and its allies from that period. His latest work, ‘The Demolition and the Verdict’, finds its genesis in the 2019 SC verdict. It looks at the key moments in the Ram Janmabhoomi agitation, the personalities who shaped it, the complexities surrounding the legal dispute over the shrine from 1885 onward, LK Advani’s rath yatra to the demolition in 1992, et al. He gives a detailed analysis of how temple politics secured support for the Hindu nationalistic idea and its long-term implications for the country. The book is, interestingly, dedicated to those who have died in the name of religion.