Reviews of some of the books and movies we've come across, mostly with Indian or South Asian themes or those by Indian authors, both non-fiction and fiction. We've seen the films and read the books listed; therefore these reviews are purely personal opinions and not sourced from elsewhere.
Recently added entries will be marked with [NEW] for about a month.

Indian films / movies


Gandhi Richard Attenborough Richard Attenborough's epic tale of the life of Mahatma Gandhi... more...		Bandit Queen Shekhar Kapur Directed by Shekhar Kapur, this gritty and controversial film was... more...
Salaam Bombay Mira Nair The story of a young boy who ends up living rough in the slums of... more...		East is east Damien O'Donnell Nothing at all to do with India, this excellent film plays around the... more...
My son the fanatic Udayan Prasad Pakistani immigrant Pervez (Om Puri), not exactly satisfied with... more...

Indian books : non-fiction


Being Indian - The truth about why the 21st century will be India's by Pavan K. Varma A highly instructive and enjoyable book, exploring the endless... more...		Karma Cola by Gita Mehta Gita Mehta’s fabulous book is simultaneously funny and shocking... more...
Snakes and ladders by Gita Mehta Another sideways look at India by Gita Mehta, exploring the myriad... more...		No Full Stops in India by Mark Tully While lacking some of the cutting wit of Gita Mehta, Mark Tully's book... more...
The heart of India by Mark Tully Tully's latest offering is a collection of ten fictional stories that depict... more...		Kullu: Himalayan Abode of the Divine by Dilaram Shabab For an area with such a rich and colourful heritage, there are... more...
Kulu, The end of the habitable world by Penelope Chetwode As the daughter of the 1930s British Commander-in-Chief in India... more...		Unveiling India by Anees Jung Anees Jung is one of India's best known women journalists. She... more...
Seven Sisters - Among the women of South Asia by Anees Jung This book came about partly through the United Nations Fund... more...		May you be the mother of a hundred sons by Elisabeth Bumiller Written by Elisabeth Bumiller, this is a collection of stories and essays... more...
City of Djinns, a year in Delhi by William Dalrymple As complex as is India's capital Delhi, as multi-faceted is its... more...		Travels on my elephant by Mark Shand Not everybody would be able to afford this unusual mode of... more...
Devi-Devatas - The gods and goddesses of India by Subhadra Sen Gupta 200 pages of Hindu gods and goddesses; their evolution, their... more...		Hindu Mythology by W.J. Wilkins First published in 1882, this tome is an authoritative and exhaustive ... more...
Caste, its twentieth century avatar by various writers / essayists edited and introduced by M.N.Srinivas, is a collection of... more...		Teach yourself Hindi by Rupert Snell & S. Weightmann A course in understanding, speaking and writing Hindi (tapes available... more...

Indian books : fiction


The god of small things by Arundhaty Roy This winning title in the 1997 Booker Prize is a superb novel set in... more...		A suitable boy by Vikram Seth A 1300 page tome by Vikram Seth - well and truly a pukka family saga... more...
After 50 years by PV Dhamija A political novel following India from Independence till today. Told... more...		Azadi by Chaman Nahal Chaman Nahal's "Azadi" (meaning independence) starts out in the... more...
Train to Pakistan by Khushwant Singh This classic novel about Partition by the famous Sikh writer, journalist... more...		I shall not hear the nightingale by Khushwant Singh Based in Amritsar in the last years before Independence, this novel... more...
A married woman by Manju Kapur Set in Delhi against the political and social backlash from the Ayodhya... more...		A Himalayan Love Story by Namita Gokhale This novel trails the lives of Parvati and Mukul, both of whom grow up... more...
The Sari shop by Rupa Bajwa Conjuring up the lively atmosphere of the bazaar lanes in Amritsar's... more...		Baumgartner's Bombay by Anita Desai Anita Desai's novel tells the story of a German Jew who flees the... more...
Life of Pi by Yann Martel The Booker Prize winning "Life of Pi" is a highly imaginative tale... more...		Are you experienced? by William Sutcliffe This incredibly funny satire has become a cult-classic amongst... more...
The inscrutable Americans by Mathur Anurag An extremely funny and readable novel about an Indian boy sent... more...		Just the facts, Madamji by Sharmila Kantha Ramji, bored with his stagnant accounting job at the dusty branch... more...
Coolie by Mulk Raj Anand Mulk Raj Anand's novel, set and published in pre-independence... more...		A handful of rice by Kamala Markandaya Kamala Markandaya's novel tells the tale of Ravi, a peasant boy who... more...
Swami and his friends by R.K. Narayan Written in 1932, but only published three years later, "Swami and his... more...		A passage to India by EM Forster EM Forster's final novel was written and set at the time of British... more...

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	neoncarrot is an online personal travelogue of our travel experiences, life in India, backpacking life and chai drinking in the Kulu Valley (also known as the Valley of the Gods) in the Indian Himalaya. The site contains travelling tips and hints, articles and essays, photo galleries, an online journal / weblog and some vital Indian statistics.

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