‘A pioneering and long-awaited book … a delightful read’ –Hindustan Times ‘The first detailed history of India’s Olympic experience … a valuable addition to contemporary knowledge’–India Today When and how did the Olympic movement take root in India? Who were the early players and why did they appropriate Olympic sport to further their political ambitions? In most accounts of Olympic history across the world, India's Olympic journey is a mere footnote. Olympics: The India Story sets that right. Drawing on previously unused archival sources, it demonstrates that India was an important strategic outpost in the Olympic family. It explores why the Indian elite became obsessed with the Olympic ideal at the turn of the twentieth century and how this relates to India’s quest for a meaningful role on the international stage. First published to critical acclaim in 2008, this revised edition includes a new, incisive chapter on India’s medal prospects at the London Olympics, thus bringing India’s Olympic story up-to-date.

From one of India's best-known sports journalists, a fascinating exploration of cricket—India's most popular sport—packed with lively anecdotes and never-before-seen photographs. Eleven Gods and a Billion Indians takes you behind the scenes of India's most popular sport—going from early tours in 1886 to the more contemporary IPL, offering a complete understanding of the evolution of the game both on and off the field. Featuring material that has never-been-released, this book sheds new light on cases like Monkeygate, the suspension of Lalit Modi, match-fixing scandals, and more. Weaving together personal interviews, photographs, and letters, Eleven Gods and a Billion Indians unflinchingly asks the questions that need answering, among them: Has internal conflict impacted the on- field performance of the Indian cricket team? Did some icons fail the country and the sport by trying to conceal important facts during the...

Feluda - every Bengali wants to be him, emulate his mannerisms, think like him and solve crimes like him. He continues to be loved by one and all even as he turns fifty. Feluda @ 50 seeks to explore why. What makes Feluda tick? What is it that every Indian, at home and in the diaspora, loves about this man? Why is it that every Feluda film continues to run to packed houses for weeks and months on end and is a kind of lifeline to the Bengali film industry? The book seeks to delve deep into why Satyajit Ray created Feluda in the way he did, keeping him cocooned from the contemporary politics of the times and never allowing him to have a love interest. It dissects the importance of Feluda's sidekicks - Topshe and Lalmohan-babu - and is a must read for every Feluda fan across the world.