An Indian Affair is a tale of love, sex and sadness, as two couples get caught up in a love tryst, then face the consequences.

Danna Agmon's gripping microhistory is a vivid guide to the "Nayiniyappa Affair" in the French colony of Pondicherry, India. The surprising and shifting fates of Nayiniyappa and his family form the basis of this story of global mobilization, which is replete with merchants, missionaries, local brokers, government administrators, and even the French royal family. Agmon's compelling account draws readers into the social, economic, religious, and political interactions that defined the European colonial experience in India and elsewhere. Her portrayal of imperial sovereignty in France's colonies as it played out in the life of one beleaguered family allows readers to witness interactions between colonial officials and locals. Thanks to generous funding from Virginia Tech and its participation in TOME, the ebook editions of this book are available as Open Access volumes from Cornell Open (cornellpress.cornell.edu/cornell-open) and other repositories.

A fresh perspective on Britain`s relationship with India, this work suggest that far from being an imperialist objective, it seems the footholds on which india was established as a colony happened by accident rather than by design. This book examines India both before the Raj and throughout. It attempts to show that the British were actually more influenced by India and their traditions than the other way around.

“An impressive debut . . . Vibrant and exuberantly romantic, Affair is chock full of details that reflect India’s social and cultural flux.”—NPR.org Mili Rathod hasn’t seen her husband in twenty years—not since she was promised to him at the age of four. Yet marriage has allowed Mili a freedom rarely given to girls in her village. Her grandmother has even allowed her to leave India and study in America for eight months, all to make her the perfect modern wife. Which is exactly what Mili longs to be—if her husband would just come and claim her. Bollywood’s favorite director, Samir Rathod, has come to Michigan to secure a divorce for his older brother. Persuading a naïve village girl to sign the papers should be easy for someone with Samir’s tabloid-famous charm. But Mili is neither a fool nor a gold-digger. Open-hearted yet complex, she’s trying to reconcile her independence with cherished traditions. And before he can stop himself, Samir is immersed in Mili’s life—cooking her dal and rotis, escorting her to her roommate’s elaborate Indian wedding, and wondering where his loyalties and happiness lie. Heartfelt, witty, and thoroughly engaging, Sonali Dev’s debut is both a vivid exploration of modern India and a deeply honest story of love, in all its diversity. “Deeply-felt emotions that will keep readers turning the pages.”—Susan Elizabeth Phillips, New York Times-bestselling author “Debut author Sonali Dev writes a beautiful love story in A Bollywood Affair . . . One of the best romances I’ve read this year.”—USA Today

For thousands of people, the automobile has been, andyet remains an object of pleasure, pride, status, sports, excitement, emotion and passion. The automobile has been the most important invention of the twentieth century. Not only has it given the hoi polloi freedom, mobility and liberty, it has changed our lifestyle, the way we live and interact, the way we work, the kind of jobs that we do, and has led to an evolution of our cultures. It has changed the cities, the countryside, the way they are conceived, designed and constructed, the way our houses and apartment blocks are configured, as well as the technology involved therein. Post-independence, the automobile played a very important role in India's industrial growth, as well as a hero in many Bollywood movies. The automobile is yet transforming India, as it connects the remotest corners of our vast nation, providing mobility, freedom and jobs to millions. It has acted as an emancipator for women in many parts of the nation, allowing them to go to school and university, commute to work and to the marketplace. With the help of this book, Gautam Sen has traced the history of the automobile in India and the way it has shaped the economy and society here. He has also talked about the evolution of races and bikes in Asia. The riveting story told in the most fascinating anecdotal tone, this book is filled with well-researched facts and details for the lovers of automobiles. The pictures in the book, too, are gorgeous and rare.

Roger Bell (1905-1959) was a civil servant in British India during the most tumultuous period in its history, and was directly involved in not only the fascinating workings of the administration, but also its eventual transfer of power upon Indian Independence in 1947. His nearly two decades in Orissa and Madras Provinces saw the rise of Gandhi, the “flap” caused by World War II, corruption, riots, panther attacks, and Englishmen whose eccentricities were only exceeded by those of the local Rajas and Maharajas. Bell’s handwritten memoirs lay forgotten for decades in a trunk in his family home in Tasmania until rediscovered by his daughter, Alexandra. They are finally published here, 56 years after his death (and 70 years after his Orissa District Gazetteer), providing a fascinating insight into this pivotal period of India’s history. Anybody with an interest in this time, the history of the British Empire, or simply good old-fashioned adventure, will certainly enjoy reading this eloquent and engaging first-hand account.

Hindi cinema, ever since Independence, has revolved almost entirely around issues of sex and money. This may seem odd given the conservative taste of the times. But that we do not 'see' sex does not hide just how much sex there is in the cinema. As for money, a nagging theme is the impact of money - or the lack of it - on sex. Sanjay Suri argues that Hindi cinema was an unlikely offspring of the Father of the Nation - the product of Gandhi's celibacy and austerity. His heroic retreat from wealth and sexuality was written into the cinema and then elaborately filmed shot by shot. Suri draws on numerous examples - from Mother India to Do Bigha Zameen; Shree 420 to Pyaasa; Sahib, Bibi aur Ghulam to Guide; and Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge to Lage Raho Munnabhai - to show how cinema was made within well-defined moral fences that were built with dos and don'ts about sex and money. A Gandhian Affair is a history of India through the preoccupations of its cinema.