Buddhist monks and devotees praying to the holy Piprahwa relics in Room 8, Buddhist section, National Museum (New Delhi) Courtesy: Sifra Lentin
11 June 2026

Book Review: The Buddha at Piprahwa

The holy relics of Buddha Shakyamuni, part of the relics originally excavated in 1898 from the Piprahwa Stupa in the Terai region of northern Uttar Pradesh, were repatriated to India in 2025 after 127 years. Marg magazine’s volume 77 (2) is a deep dive into the history, Buddhist cultural landscape, colonial archaeology and museology, and Buddhism’s veneration of these relics.

AP517-519 00_Cover.indd Courtesy: Routledge
7 May 2026

India and the Rebalancing of Asia

In this book, C. Raja Mohan analyses Asia’s shifting political, economic, military, and technological balance, with particular focus on U.S.-China and India-China relations. He argues that India’s rise from a middle power to an emerging great power will require stronger hard power, diplomatic creativity, economic vitality, and domestic consensus. Yet, amid tensions over tariffs, Russian oil, Gaza, and the U.S.-Iran conflict, India’s strategic path remains challenging.

61XgnQBhwiL._SY425_ Courtesy: Amazon India
27 November 2025

Indo-Pacific Strategic Churn: Challenges and State Responses

Rajiv Bhatia explains how this book brings together perspectives on the geostrategy, geopolitics, and geoeconomics of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Edited by Chintamani Mohapatra, it features 16 essays by experienced yet young academics. It highlights how the world changed after 2020, the ‘Age of Polycrisis’, COVID-19, conflicts in West Asia and Europe, and other global flashpoints. The book offers analysis that seeks to reposition the Indo-Pacific as vital to India’s strategic interests.

61mEzQVAteL (1) Courtesy: Amazon India
4 September 2025

The New World: 21st Century Global Order and India

In this book, author Ram Madhav refers to “order” not simply in terms of politics and power, but as the outcome of inventions, industries, and ideologies that have shaped human civilisation. He blends the lens of an Indian scholar with that of a seasoned politician, tracing turning points in history and highlighting the roles of non-state actors, technological revolutions, and the moral and ethical dimensions of order.

91RL+JMb+lS._UF1000,1000_QL80_ (1) Courtesy: Amazon India
17 July 2025

The case that shook the empire

This book follows the O’Dwyer vs. Nair libel case which brought the Jallianwala Bagh massacre of 1919 to public life, and spurred India’s nationalist movement. Through the case, it recounts the life of Sir Chettur Sankaran Nair who was a critic of Gandhi but also of the British government and publicly held Michael O’Dwyer, lieutenant governor of Punjab, responsible for the massacre.

51bArRGu4TL Courtesy:
1 August 2024

His Majesty’s Headhunters: The Siege of Kohima that Shaped World History

A timely book on the Naga contribution to Allied victory in the Second World War is a necessary documentation. Northeast India was the eastern flank of the British empire where the battles of Kohima and Imphal stopped Japan’s invasion into India. While western historical narratives are being reiterated during the war’s 80th anniversary, the role and sacrifice of the Nagas is a neglected but important counterpoint.

handbook Courtesy:
27 June 2024

The Routledge Handbook of South Asia: Region, Security and Connectivity

The authors convincingly analyse the bewildering diversity, size and scale of the challenges of South Asia in a volume that is a rare treasure for those interested in deciphering the history, ethnic identities, colonial legacy, political economy, environmental risks, and geopolitical dynamics of the region.

WhyBharatMatters Courtesy: Rupa Publications India Pvt Ltd.
18 April 2024

Why Bharat Matters

Dr. S. Jaishankar’s new book creates an environment for an open and equal dialogue, which must continue between Indian and Russian diplomats, experts, representatives of business and public organisations. He is a visionary and an intellectual; his book is an example of next-generation Indian soft power, at the intersection of the challenges of the future and the legacy of the past.

crosswinds Courtesy: Amazon India
14 March 2024

Crosswinds: Nehru, Zhou and the Anglo-American Competition over China

In his new book, former Indian Foreign Secretary and Ambassador to China, Vijay Gokhale analyzes how newly independent India navigated Anglo-American competition and the Cold War ideologies of China in the 1940s and 1950s. The author focuses on key events from the recognition of the Peoples’ Republic of China to the two Taiwan Straits crises. His insights of the period resonate with today's U.S.-China rivalry, and highlights India's evolving role in the Indo-Pacific.

Anger mgmt Courtesy: Amazon India
22 February 2024

Anger Management: The Troubled Diplomatic Relationship between India and Pakistan

A new book on India-Pakistan relations by former High Commissioner Ajay Bisaria, brings his practitioners’ knowledge to the fraught bilateral. He reiterates that the determining factor is still Pakistan’s quest for identity based on territory and security, and the paranoia of the Pakistani army. The book contains fascinating insights about his predecessors’ suggested solutions and lays out three scenarios for the future.