Books

In early and medieval India, identities were deeply local and fragmented along the lines of region, caste, tribe, language and kinship. Even widely shared cultural practices and texts suggest commonality only among elites, not the broader population.
By
Romila Thapar
Namit Arora and Romila Thapar on how identities in early and medieval India were formed, contested, and why a shared sense of “Indianness” may be a colonial-era development
Two young schoolboys with backpacks stand at a bookstall, flipping through illustrated books, while other children and adults browse shelves filled with books in the background.
From Panchayat-era moralism to donor-driven publishing, and today a rising crop of local initiatives, the shifts in Nepal’s children’s literature reflect the difficult history of the country itself
Year in review: Ten great book reviews of 2025
By
The Editors
A selection of Himal’s most-read book reviews of the year
People in rickshaws and bikes waiting in the Delhi traffic
By
Sohel Sarkar
Four new books spotlight mobility in post-liberalisation cities across India and Pakistan, showing how everyday movement, inequality and aspiration shape urban citizenship beyond “world-class” infrast ...
Arundhati Roy rests her chin on her hand and looks directly at the camera. She is seated indoors in front of shelves filled with multiple copies of 'The God of Small Things', whose covers are blurred in the background.
By
Supriya Nair
‘Mother Mary Comes To Me’, Arundhati Roy’s memoir of love, loyalty and the larger-than-life Mrs Roy, puts into perspective a whole career of writing about the problem of belonging
A member of the hijra community dances at a religious procession in Maharashtra, wearing a bright green and red sari. Drummers surround them and celebrate in the street. A yellow signboard with Marathi text is visible in the background under a clear blue sky.
By
Rahul Rao
Four new books open up debate on why same-sex marriage has come to anchor queer politics in India, and how the notions and politics of Southasian queer life shift across local, diasporic and transnati ...
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Himal Southasian
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