Telling tales: Books that should be in your reading list
(NOTE: This article was originally published in the India Today issue dated June 23, 2025)TELLING TALESThis is the reissue of a seminal text by the Indologist Wendy Doniger which was first published in 1988 by the University of Chicago Press. Rather than dwelling on specific myths and tales, for which she is of course much admired and loved, in The Cave of Echoes, Doniger puts the very act of storytelling front and centre. This is a book that deals 'with stories about stories—metastories, or, more specifically, metamyths'. It draws on storytelling traditions from around the world, including Hindu and Greek mythology, Biblical parables, and even modern acts of mythmaking a la Woody Allen and soap operas to illustrate how myths help cultures define themselves. Doniger considers it less a collection of essays and more a 'tapestry of threads' or 'sutras'. Drawing connections across cultures and timespans, she gives us much to ponder about.advertisementCHARTING THE PAST
Based on an exhibition of rare maps of Udaipur and Mewar held at the City Palace Museum in Udaipur, this catalogue brings together maps and miniatures from medieval to modern times. Most prominent are riveting archival photos of Mewar, including an album documenting the construction of railways in the princely state.CASTING A SHADOW
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Set to hit Indian bookstores by June-end, this groundbreaking study of Dalit lives examines how caste and caste-based discrimination are experienced around the world. Based on 10 years of research, it spans 15 countries and trains its lens on everything, from 19th-century indentured labourers in the Caribbean to modern-day migrant workers in the Middle East.KEEPING THE FAITH
This new anthology of queer writing from South Asia focuses on the fraught intersection of queerness and faith. Addressing identity and belonging through poetry, memoir and flash fiction, it brings together 24 LGBTQIA+ writers who conjure up worlds which are either fantastical or painfully real.—Compiled by Amit DixitSubscribe to India Today Magazine- Ends
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