An Intermedial Retrospective-review of “Indian Renaissance: The Modi Decade”

 

Indian Rennaissance: The Modi Decade. Edited by Aishwarya Pandit

Between 1989 and 1998 India saw five General Elections and six Prime Ministers. In the twenty years from 2004 to 2024, India saw two coalitions govern in ten-year stints each. While the UPA coalition was led by the Congress party, but which didn’t have a majority in the Lok Sabha, from 2014 to 2024 the NDA was led by the BJP which commanded an absolute majority in both terms. It was led by Narendra Modi, who was the undisputed leader of the party, unlike the UPA’s Manmohan Singh, who was described by Sanjay Baru as an ‘accidental prime minister’. 

Ten years is a long enough period to take a pause and do a retrospective of sorts. The book, Indian Renaissance: The Modi Decade, edited by Aishwarya Pandit from the Jindal Global Law School, attempts to do just that, with essays from twenty-six people, an Introduction by Aishwarya Pandit, and a Foreword by Ms. Nirmala Sitharaman, the country’s Finance Minister. 

The Hanuman Chalisa, translated by Vikram Seth

The Hanuman Chalisa: Tr. Vikram Seth

Ego gratification or a labour of love?

When Vikram Seth, praised as the ‘best writer of his generation’ by The Times, and author of A Suitable Boy, called ‘the most prodigious work of the latter half of [the twentieth] century’ by, again, The Times, pens a translation of the Hanuman Chalisa, one of the most famous and revered works of 16th century CE Hindu poet, Goswami Tulsidas, one cannot but get a copy. 

 Apart from penning Ramcharitmanas, a retelling of the story of Lord Rama, Tulsidas' other famous work is Hanuman Chalisa, a collection of 40 verses in praise of Hanuman. Hanuman is considered both an avatar of Lord Shiva as well as the son of the wind God, Vayu. He was also a great devotee of Lord Rama.