History writing, especially of the subcontinent during the colonial era, is filled with preconception and misconception. Colonial historiography stripped Hinduism of its Hindu-ness and India of Bharat. Colonial historicity, according to the author, is merely descriptive and random interpretations of myths rather than engaging with the idea of mythmaking. Decolonizing Hinduism is an attempt to address that. In the book, the author places ecology, astronomy and timescale (yuga cycle) at the heart of the Hindu belief system.

These important dimensions of Hinduism are not taught in our history classes. Instead, perceptions about Hinduism are limited to polytheism, idol worship and caste system. The book tries to rescue Hinduism from these biases and give voice to a uniquely indigenous version of Hinduism. He does so by demystifying the deeper concepts of Hinduism and history with allegories drawn from modern technological innovation in the field of capitalist economy, artificial intelligence, quantum physics, block chain, etc., to make them interesting.

Reclaiming Bharatavarsha is a collection of topical and exploratory essays organized around three broad themes. The first explores various facets of classical Bharatavarsha, which is defined as India before the advent of alien Islamic invaders and British colonisation. The second delves into the condition of an India under successive alien regimes. The impact of these regimes on our culture and society is contrasted with the conditions prevailing in the preceding classical era. The third studies the imprint of these bouts of foreign rule on contemporary national life. The three themes taken separately are complementary, and together they offer a scope for comparative analyses of the politics, culture, society, customs, and literature of different eras in the life of this ancient land.

From selected episodes drawn from the Puranas and the Mahabharata to the sacred history of the banana, from the 17th-century Bengali arrack to woke cinema, from the 1962 war with China to hair dyes, the book offers an eclectic mix of atypical essays, the narratives of which are filled with rare anecdotes and vivid details, all of which are backed by scholarly research.

The book also has a contemporary context—the unprecedented transformation of India over the last decade. A major outcome of this transformation is the surge in interest for recovering India’s national and civilizational past. This collective resurgence is an expression of cultural self-confidence, which had fallen by the wayside for centuries. Reclaiming Bharatavarsha is a humble addition to this national endeavour.

Rearming Hinduism is a handbook for intellectual resistance. Within its pages, Vamsee Juluri delivers a sharp and comprehensive examination of Hinduphobia pervasive in contemporary academia, media, and popular culture. Juluri not only exposes the Hinduphobic narrative’s denial of the profound truths and beauty within Hindu philosophy but also challenges its disregard for the inherent integrity and sacredness of the natural world. This book fearlessly dismantles prevalent misconceptions about nature, history, and ancient civilizations propagated by modern media while debunking Hinduphobic myths surrounding Aryans, invasions, and ritual practices. Through this critique, Rearming Hinduism draws connections between Hinduphobia and a culture marked by exploitation and self-destruction, suggesting that a revitalized Hindu perspective may offer a potent counterforce. It urges readers to envision the present through the lens of timeless principles, thereby uplifting our understanding of our land, time, and the enduring values of sanatana dharma.

Whispers from the Past is an overture to the history and culture of classical Kashmir, which for over a thousand years was one of the most creative places in the world. Through the book, the author hopes to acquaint the reader with Kashmir’s contributions to art and aesthetics, including drama, music, painting, sculpture, sciences, yoga, tantra, literature, and philosophy. The region’s culture was premised on the idea that universal consciousness binds humanity together, and knowing this at the individual’s level is fundamental to self-understanding and for creative growth. Classical Kashmiri artists appreciated great art not merely from its inherent cleverness points of view but for its capacity to inspire audiences to the source of creativity itself, and this entailed devotion to excellence and a robust tradition of criticism. The book explores the currents of intellectual life and the lives of prominent royals, writers, and sages, showing how Kashmiri scholars and travellers came to influence not only southern regions but also far-away lands beyond the Himalayas. It showcases Kashmir’s famed storytelling tradition through abridged tales from the Panchatantra, Kathā-sarit-sāgara, and Yoga Vāsiṣṭha, the last of which is arguably the greatest book of imagination and wisdom ever written on the conundrums of consciousness with unequalled clarity. Kashmiri aesthetics and the search for meaning in life resonate with modern sensibility

My Freedom of Expression is a collection of 22 articles published in recent years mostly by the Statesman newspaper. The anthology—varied in its themes ranging from Indic civilization to democracy, scientific temper to religious bigotry and identity to governance—is an exploration of what holds India back to become a global leader. The author picked some of contemporary’s most contentious topics, such as global warming, scientific marvels, the mysteries of life and the universe, cultural and religious superstitions, illusions and prejudices in the practise of science, and the importance of religion in society, and dissected them one by one with a rationalist knife. So what his writings essentially do is show a mirror to society. By being both accessible and arresting at once, the book deserves a place in everyone’s library.