Review: Return of a King: The Battle for Afghanistan

Return of a King: The Battle for Afghanistan by William Dalrymple
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Hooter: Afghan jalebi - in a book form

There is a reason why it is known as the graveyard of empires and that moniker stays true even in contemporary history with the recent most US withdrawal. Going back in history - Afghanistan in its eerily beautiful yet fragmented terrain is a patchwork of tribes that owe allegiance and loyalty to self. Anyone governing over the region has usually paid for the honor of ruling over these tribes and those who haven't , have paid the price of that.

One of the biggest debacles of the British army part of the Great Game is documented here as Shah Shuja, Dost Mohammed Khan and Ranjit Singh become some of the biggest players in this Central Asia drama as Britain tries to protect its golden goose India from Russian interests. From British spies to gruesome Afghani sibling rivalry, the book introduces a lot of characters through the pages of history. A Britisher's affair with an Afghan woman was enough to turn a country to hate the British and change the tidings of war. This is one piece of literature that does give Ranjit Singh some limelight in the annals of history.

William Dalrymple continues to impress with his research and attention to detail covering the storied history of this region. He has tapped into Shah Shuja's autobiography, Indian, Russian, British and Afghani archives to provide a multi nodal viewpoint of the conflicts in the region and hence you'd see changing shades of characterisation of the main players through the journey of the book.

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Review: Pugmarks and Carbon Footprints

Pugmarks and Carbon Footprints by Rohan Chakravarty
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Hooter: "Drawing" attention to world around us

In a sharp, witty style of cartoon strips that rely heavily on word play and incisor sharp insights, Rohan Chakravarty makes this an extremely informative collection of flora and fauna around us whilst touching upon relevant current affairs that look to endanger these fellow survivors on our planet.

Highly critical of the government at times, highly informational on the types of Indian fauna we have at play in the country makes for a light and easy read. If I could temper down the political messaging and some PG18 jokes, this would have been a brilliant way to engage kids on the climate change and other relevant issues they should be aware about as they inherit this planet from us.

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