Books on the Road

Since the beginning of my journey, I have bought many books in Nepal and India where books are relatively cheap.  More importantly, many of the books I bought are on topics specific to Nepal and India and may not be found elsewhere.  I have posted most back to Singapore.  Have read the following books, either completely or substantially (- ok, I speed-read during long road journeys or at night. Also skipped a few chapters or paragraphs here or there):

 

-           Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by John Perkins: fairly left wing book about a conspiracy among American MNCs to control the world.  Interesting but I have my reservations.

-          Crisis of Identity in Nepal  by Prakash A. Raj: I learned a lot about the current crisis in Nepal and what it meant for Nepal as an independent country once known as "peaceful" and being Hindu.

-          Forget Kathmandu : An Elegy for Democracy by Manjushree Thapa: Excellent book on Nepal's history and how its government and politicians have messed things up.

-          Planet India: How the Fastest Growing Democracy Is Transforming America and the World by Mira Kamdar: Upbeat book about the rise of India

-          The Last Moghul by William Darlymple: Excellent but very sad book about the destruction of the once glorious Moghul civilization in India. If this had happened after WWII, the British would have been persecuted in the International War Crimes Tribunal.

-          Indian Princes and Their States – B.N. Ramusack: Interesting academic work about the princely states of India and how they were run

-          Lives of the Indian Princes by Sharada Dwivedi and Charles Allen: The juicy stories of Indian princes

-          Snapshots of Indo-Portuguese History – II – Rise & Demise of Estado da India, by Vasco Pinho: Easy to read story of the old Portuguese Empire in India, and how they lost it

-          Of Umbrellas, Goddesses & Dreams: Essays on Goan cultue & society by Robert S Newman: Collection of interesting easy-to-read papers about the cultural mix that is Goan society

-          India's Northeast Resurgent  by B.G. Verghese: Very detailed, informative book about the political problems, issues and opportunities facing India's northeast states

-          Nagaland – Art,Crafts & People by Nagaland Handloom & Handicrafts Development Corporation: Coffee table book about Nagaland and its art

-          The Idea of India by Sunil Khilnani – started reading this best seller about India as a Nation-State