Dera Sacha Sauda and Gurmeet RAM Rahim
Dera Sacha Sauda and Gurmeet RAM Rahim

Author: Anurag Tripathi

Publisher: Penguin Enterprise

Published: 2018-04-15

Total Pages: 216

ISBN-13: 9780143442400

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A journalist's account of investigating Gurmeet Ram Rahim and his empire of exploitation How did a nondescript young man from a farming family become the head of a quasi-religious sect with a million followers willing to die and kill for their 'Pitaji'? The story of the rise of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insan of the wildly popular Dera Sacha Sauda is anything but ordinary. It allegedly involved sexual exploitation, forced castrations, private militias, illegal trade in arms and opium, and land grab on an untold scale-until the self-styled godman was convicted for one of his many crimes in August 2017. The book opens with an anonymous letter which led to the first-ever journalistic investigation, in 2007-Tehelka's Operation Jhootha Sauda-into the reported criminal activities at the Dera. In the years that followed, the author continued to document the lonely battles for justice against the influential godman who had the might of the Dera's machinery and manpower behind him. This book is as much about the grit and determination of ordinary citizens fighting power systems as it is about the difficulty of investigating crimes committed by the rich and powerful in India today.

Militant and Migrant
Militant and Migrant

Author: Radhika Chopra

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2012-03-12

Total Pages: 173

ISBN-13: 1136704353

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This book explores the links between militancy and migration, two movements that transformed the socio-political landscape of late 20th-century Punjab. Re-analysing existing writings and drawing on fieldwork and local history archives, it presents a different framework to analyse the politics and social history of Punjab.

In the Name of the People
In the Name of the People

Author: K R Narayanan

Publisher: Penguin UK

Published: 2011-10-17

Total Pages: 435

ISBN-13: 8184755244

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K.R. Narayanan’s life graph reflects in many ways the fruition of the promise of ‘equality of status and opportunity’ that the Constitution guaranteed every citizen; from humble beginnings in a remote village to a distinguished career as an academician, diplomat, politician and, finally, India’s first Dalit President, Narayanan embodied modern India’s indomitable spirit. As President, as diplomat and as a citizen of India, Narayanan believed strongly in the ideas and principles that the nation was built upon—nationalism, democracy, economic progress, religious tolerance and social justice—and these found memorable expression in his speeches and writings over the years. In the Name of the People brings together Narayanan’s most important writings spanning five decades, from his first published article in 1954 to the Republic Day speech of 2000. In these pieces, he covers a diverse range of topics, from Indo–US ties and India–China relations to human development, Islam in India and women in politics; from the benefits of the parliamentary system and the need to build democracy from the grassroots to the role of education and technology in development and the importance of a sustainable environment. Also included are personalized accounts of Ambedkar, Gandhi and Nehru, and a good representation of Narayanan’s key presidential speeches. Informed, perceptive and well-argued, the pieces in In the Name of the People constitute one of our greatest statesmen’s reflections on independent India, and are especially striking in their continued relevance to the life of the nation.

Gunning for the Godman
Gunning for the Godman

Author: Ajay Lamba

Publisher: Harper Collins

Published: 2020-09-05

Total Pages: 248

ISBN-13: 9353578590

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SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE.Notorious godman Asaram Bapu, aka Asumal Sirumalani Harpalani, serves life imprisonment in the Central Jail Jodhpur. He was convicted for the rape of a minor and also has murder charges against him.Gunning for the Godman is the no-holds-barred, first-hand account of how Ajay Lamba, then DCP Jodhpur (West), landed the case and got a team of dedicated officers together. It is the story of how, foiling the Baba's many attempts to get away scot-free, they arrested him in a matter of only ten days, and how they assiduously saw the victim and her family through a four-year long trial. This, despite the countless threats to not only the girl and her family, but also to DCP Lamba's own family and team.A testimony to unrelenting courage, this story of a dynamic police officer's pursuit of justice is a lesson for these troubled times.*** DISCLAIMER: As on the date of publication of this book, the appeal of Sanchita Gupta@Shilpi against the order of conviction passed by the Special Court (POCSO) Jodhpur, is pending before the Hon'ble Rajasthan High Court. The sentence awarded to Sanchita Gupta@Shilpi has been suspended during the pendency of the appeal.

God of Sin
God of Sin

Author: Ushinor Majumdar

Publisher: Penguin Enterprise

Published: 2018

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 9780143443131

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For decades, Asaram Bapu presided over a politically influential empire built on blind faith. Along with his son and heir, Narayan Sai, he has now become an example of everything that is wrong with self-styled godmen and the cults they spawn. The two stand accused of sexual assaults on vulnerable devotees, land grabbing, money laundering, intimidation, exploitative black magic rituals and the horrific murder of witnesses who testified against them. Politically, Asaram Bapu held significant boroughs of influence across north India and the Hindi belt, and there are photos of him with almost every known political leader throughout the 1990s and 2000s, till his arrest in a sexual assault case in 2013. Asaram originated the business model of branding goods and selling them to followers, using faith as a marketing tool-which other godmen emulated to great success. His commercial empire, now being investigated by economic offences agencies, was built on unaccounted donations, loans given on hefty rates of interest, investments in dubious companies, money laundering and dodgy real estate deals. God of Sin pieces together Asaram's journey to spiritual godhood, his fall from grace and the long and arduous road to bring him to justice.

Beyond Religion in India and Pakistan
Beyond Religion in India and Pakistan

Author: Virinder S. Kalra

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2019-12-12

Total Pages: 241

ISBN-13: 1350041769

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Drawing on insights from theoretical engagements with borders and subalternity, Beyond Religion in India and Pakistan suggests new frameworks for understanding religious boundaries in South Asia. It looks at the ways in which social categories and structures constitute the bordering logics inherent within enactments of these boundaries, and positions hegemony and resistance through popular religion as an important indication of wider developments of political and social change. The book also shows how borders are continually being maintained through violence at national, community and individual levels. By exploring selected sites and expressions of piety including shrines, texts, practices and movements, Virinder S. Kalra and Navtej K. Purewal argue that the popular religion of Punjab should neither be limited to a polarised picture between formal, institutional religion, nor the 'enchanted universe' of rituals, saints, shrines and village deities. Instead, the book presents a picture of 'religion' as a realm of movement, mobilization, resistance and power in which gender and caste are connate of what comes to be known as 'religious'. Through extensive ethnographic research, the authors explore the reality of the complex, dynamic and contested relations that characterize everyday material and religious lives on the ground. Ultimately, the book highlights how popular religion challenges the borders and boundaries of religious and communal categories, nationalism and theological frameworks while simultaneously reflecting gender/caste society.

The Future of India
The Future of India

Author: Bimal Jalan

Publisher: Penguin UK

Published: 2006-06-02

Total Pages: 232

ISBN-13: 9351181642

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As Recently As A Decade Ago, The Prospect Of India Becoming A Developed Country Any Time Soon Seemed A Distant Possibility. Since Then, However, There Has Been A Sea Change In Our Own And The World&Rsquo;S Perception About Our Future. What Explains This Rising Tide Of Optimism? And How Far Is It Justified? In The Future Of India, Bimal Jalan, Former Governor Of The Reserve Bank Of India, Takes Up The Formidable Challenge Of Examining The Nuts And Bolts Of This Proposition. In His Thought-Provoking, Clear-Sighted Analysis, He Argues That It Is The Interface Between Politics, Economics And Governance, And Their Combined Effect On The Functioning Of Our Democracy, Which Will Largely Determine India&Rsquo;S Future. An Understanding Of This Interface Will Help Explain The Swings In India&Rsquo;S Political And Economic Fortunes Over The Past Decades, And Why The Promise Has Been Belied. In The Light Of Experience, Argues Jalan, There Is No Certainty That The Present Euphoria Will Last Unless There Is The Political Will To Seize The New Opportunities That Are Available. He Proceeds To Suggest Steps That Can Be Taken To Smoothen Our Path To Progress: Ways To Strengthen Parliament And The Judiciary; A Series Of Political Reforms That Would, Among Other Things, See Greater Accountability Among Ministers; And Effective Ways To Curb Corruption And Enhance Fiscal Viability. In All These There Is An Emphasis On The Pragmatic, Born Of Jalan&Rsquo;S Experience As An Administrator, Economist And Member Of Parliament. Contemporary And Topical, The Future Of India: Politics, Economics And Governance, Perhaps More Than Any Other Book On The Subject, Shows Just How A Future Close Enough To Be Seen Need Not Forever Remain Elusive To The Grasp.

You’re Trending in My Dreams
You’re Trending in My Dreams

Author: Sudeep Nagarkar

Publisher: Random House India

Published: 2017-11-22

Total Pages: 151

ISBN-13: 8184007337

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Four friends . . . four lives . . . one decision Four college students, who couldn’t be more different from each other, move into a flat in Mumbai. Varun is sloppy yet lovable, Ahana is gutsy and reckless, Malvika is the group’s selfie queen and Garima is the reserved one. Yet, all four get along like a house on fire. Although each of them is battling personal demons, their commitment to the friendship they build over time binds them. However, things take a turbulent turn when one of the four is caught in a mess. Will they stick together or fall apart? You’re Trending in My Dreams is a true story that will rearm your faith in the magic of love and friendship.

Aarushi
Aarushi

Author: Avirook Sen

Publisher: Penguin UK

Published: 2015-07-05

Total Pages: 295

ISBN-13: 8184750811

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The murders that gripped the nation Seven years ago a teenage girl, Aarushi Talwar, was found murdered in her bedroom in Noida, a middle-class suburb of Delhi. The body of the prime suspect—the family servant, Hemraj—was discovered a day later. Who had committed the double murders, and why? Within weeks, Aarushi’s parents, the Talwars, were accused; four years later, they went on trial and were convicted. But did they do it? Avirook Sen attended the trial, accessed important documents and interviewed all the players—from Aarushi’s friends to Hemraj’s old boss, from the investigators to the forensic scientists—to write a meticulous and chilling book that reads like a thriller but also tells a story that is horrifyingly true. Aarushi is the definitive account of a sensational crime, and the investigation and trial that followed.

Religious Practice and Democracy in India
Religious Practice and Democracy in India

Author: Pradeep K. Chhibber

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2014-07-17

Total Pages: 217

ISBN-13: 1139952560

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This book demonstrates the close relationship between religion and democracy in India. Religious practice creates ties among citizens that can generate positive and democratic political outcomes. In pursuing this line of inquiry the book questions a dominant strand in some contemporary social sciences - that a religious denomination (Catholic, Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, and so on) is sufficient to explain the relationship between religion and politics or that religion and democracy are antithetical to each other. The book makes a strong case for studying religious practice and placing that practice in the panoply of other social practices and showing that religious practice is positively associated with democracy.