Political biography of M.G. Ramachandran, 1917-1987, a former chief minister of Tamil Nadu.

The Image Trap analyses the phenomenon of M.G. Ramachandran (MGR), the legendary film star-cum-politician of Tamil Nadu, as a modern-day political myth. This book offers fascinating details about the extent to which MGR was successful in creating a stereotypical cinematic persona, and what repercussions it had on Tamil Nadu. Delineating the cultural elements that were meticulously mobilised to constitute MGR’s on-screen image, it analyses the popularity he enjoyed among the poor whose interests he constantly violated. This is done by means of what Pandian termed as constructed biographies which are popular narratives that ingeniously present the cinematic as real. It brings out the interface and interplay between the media and political processes. A blend of essay writing, political rhetoric and scholarship, the book features the complete filmography of MGR and is a must for understanding the contemporary politics of the state.

Marudur Gopalan Ramachandran, or MGR-founder of the AIADMK founder and three-time chief minister, Bharat Ratna recipient-dominated Tamil Nadu's stratosphere for four decades. In this richly detailed biography of the man often called vathiyar or teacher, R. Kannan traces MGR's life from his early poverty-ridden years-a Class Three dropout-to his rise as a matinee idol, before becoming a politician of repute. He examines MGR's lifelong association with mentor Annadurai and other Dravidian cultural icons, and his tumultuous political friendship with Kalaignar Karunanidhi and Jayalalithaa, his cine heroine and political protégé. The book dissects MGR's years in power: His early administration, the legendary midday meal scheme launched in 1982 that fed 92 lakh schoolchildren, his well-intentioned farm subsidies and freebies that strained the exchequer, his largesse to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, as well as his unabashed sponsorship of liquor barons and private medical and engineering colleges that aided the transformation of the state, but also fuelled corruption. Honest and insightful, MGR provides a portrait of a warm larger-than-life figure, whose legacy has left an indelible stamp on Dravidian politics.

The book captures the life and times of ' puratchi thalaivi' Jayalalithaa who through sheer will and determination rose to become the chief minister of Tamil Nadu in 1991. Under her leadership the AIADMK came to power four times: 1991,2001,2011 and 2016. Her death on December 5, 2016 was sudden. For many, Jaya was a cult figure, who remained an enigma all her life. She could garner votes and pull crowds on the basis of her charismatic appeal, which she had cultivated during her initial years as a movie star. Known as the 'Iron Lady' of Tamil Nadu, her autocratic style brooked no dissent from her party whose members fawned over wish with slavish displays of obedience. Hailing from the celluloid world, Jaya's life story runs like a screenplay. She excelled in two fields: films and politics. She was introduced to films by her mother and to politcs by her mentor and the AIADMK founder M.G.Ramachandran , himself a super star. From filmdom to politics, her life remains an interesting subject of study. She was known as 'Amma'( mother) to her voters , and though a Brahmin, her appeal transcended caste, language and creed. She pioneered welfare schemes and portrayed herself as the champion of poor by introducing schemes to provide cheap food, medicines, cement and even mineral water. The book portrays the ups and downs in her life, her legal and political battles and her political dominance in Tamil Nadu. Jaya may be dead, but she has ensured that her legend lives on. She was an empress when alive, and continues to reign from the afterlife.

A finalist for World Magazine's Book of the Year! Scholars, journalists, and even politicians uphold Muslim-ruled medieval Spain—"al-Andalus"—as a multicultural paradise, a place where Muslims, Christians, and Jews lived in harmony. There is only one problem with this widely accepted account: it is a myth. In this groundbreaking book, Northwestern University scholar Darío Fernández-Morera tells the full story of Islamic Spain. The Myth of the Andalusian Paradise shines light on hidden history by drawing on an abundance of primary sources that scholars have ignored, as well as archaeological evidence only recently unearthed. This supposed beacon of peaceful coexistence began, of course, with the Islamic Caliphate's conquest of Spain. Far from a land of religious tolerance, Islamic Spain was marked by religious and therefore cultural repression in all areas of life and the marginalization of Christians and other groups—all this in the service of social control by autocratic rulers and a class of religious authorities. The Myth of the Andalusian Paradise provides a desperately needed reassessment of medieval Spain. As professors, politicians, and pundits continue to celebrate Islamic Spain for its "multiculturalism" and "diversity," Fernández-Morera sets the historical record straight—showing that a politically useful myth is a myth nonetheless.

Pandora's Daughters looks at eight prominent women leaders in modern India who have achieved great power in the male-dominated world of Indian politics, examining their traits and personalities, tactics and manoeuvres, strengths and disadvantages and analysing the reasons for their success. With her years of experience in covering national politics, Shankar combines rigorous research and invaluable insight to make Pandora's Daughters essential reading for all who wish to understand politics in India today.

The basis for the Major Motion Picture Mr. Holmes starring Ian McKellen and Laura Linney and directed by Bill Condon. It is 1947, and the long-retired Sherlock Holmes, now 93, lives in a remote Sussex farmhouse with his housekeeper and her young son. He tends to his bees, writes in his journal, and grapples with the diminishing powers of his mind. But in the twilight of his life, as people continue to look to him for answers, Holmes revisits a case that may provide him with answers of his own to questions he didn’t even know he was asking–about life, about love, and about the limits of the mind’s ability to know. A novel of exceptional grace and literary sensitivity, A Slight Trick of the Mind is a brilliant imagining of our greatest fictional detective and a stunning inquiry into the mysteries of human connection.

This book is a pioneering work about the growing domestic influences on India’s foreign policy with the increasing number of powerful chief ministers asserting at the state level. It investigates how and why in a coalition era with a globally integrated Indian economy, managing a parliamentary coalition and also working with Chief Ministers from the opposition-ruled States is increasingly becoming difficult and a challenge to Prime Ministers. The study explores particularly the concerns of Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Northeastern states, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and other border states and the issues pertaining to Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar. Most of the disputes with the neighbouring countries have been on water sharing, land and security, which impinge on the state. The study shows that there is a case for institutionalising the process of consultation and involvement of these States in foreign or security policy, trade and investment and people to people contact in the changing scenario.