Rs. 599 240 pp HardcoverISBN: 978-93-82951-34-6 6.25” × 9.5”

THE BOOK

Re-Imagine: India–UK Cultural Relations in the 21st Century emerged out of a project of the same name carried out by the British Council in India in collaboration with partners Counterpoint, UK, King’s India Institute, London and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR). It attempts to understand the current relationship between India and the UK and what it may look like in the future.

Two hundred years of shared history had a period of recess when neither country invested actively in building a contemporary relationship. The past offers a strong platform for rebuilding a new relationship, but this has to be done by recognising the cultural nuances and current ambitions of both nations.

The book is a compilation of essays by authors in India and UK edited by Shrabani Basu. It draws on historical anecdotes, personal history and current policies to reflect on a special relationship between the two countries forged on a common love for cricket, curry, parliamentary democracy and the English language and how it can be taken forward gainfully in the decades to come. Each writer discusses in their inimitable style topics critical to the evolving relationship between India and the UK.

Tracing people to people links, unravelling family history, exploring the attitude of media and youth in both countries, linking the development of arts, science, language, trade and business, the authors explore myriad facets of the history of this relationship and their contemporary ramifications in each country and internationally.

The book is essential reading for all those who are interested in the special relationship between India and the UK.

THE EDITOR

SHRABANI BASU is an author and journalist. She is the author of Victoria & Abdul: The True Story of the Queen’s Closest Confidante (2010), Spy Princess: The Life of Noor Inayat Khan (2006) and Curry: The Story of the Nation’s Favourite Dish (1999/2003). In 2010 she set up the Noor Inayat Khan Memorial Trust and her efforts were instrumental in the bust of Noor Inayat Khan being unveiled in Gordon Square in London by HRH The Princess Royal.

CONTENTS

IntroductionShrabani Basu

My Family and IndiaMike King

Reporting IndiaPhillip Knightley

English Vinglish: A Far Cry from MimicryIndrajit Hazra

Looking for Shakespeare in Mumbai and Delhi Tom Bird

May a Million Firefiles Rise Sanjoy Roy

Growing up under the Umbrella of Indian Cinema Nasreen Munni Kabir

Geek IndiaPradeep Kar

Are Books for KeepsSita Brahmachari

Science as an Agent of TransformationK. Vijay Raghavan

How Jamini Roy Found a Home in Baker StreetNirmalya Kumar

Education and TerrorismJ.E. Spence

The Y Factor: India’s Generation NextMihir Sharma

Young Brittannia: Living on the EdgeKapil Komireddi

The BBC and India in the Twenty-first CenturyWilliam Crawley and David Page

Engaging India: Reconnecting through Trade and InvestmentJo Johnson

CONTRIBUTORS

MIKE KING worked as an investigator on abduction, fraud and asset recovery cases around the world. Since 2006, he has spent much time researching his family’s Indian history.PHILLIP KNIGHTLEY AM, was a special correspondent for The Sunday Times for twenty years (1965-85) and one of the leaders of its Insight investigative team.INDRAJIT HAZRA is a novelist and journalist. He is a columnist for various publications, including Hindustan Times where he writes ‘Red Herring’ every Sunday.TOM BIRD is the Executive Producer at Shakespeare’s Globe. In 2012 he directed the Globe to Globe Festival.SANJOY K. ROY is the Managing Director of Teamwork Films and Teamwork Productions which he established in 1989. NASREEN MUNNI KABIR is a renowned documentary filmmaker and author of twelve books on Hindi films.PRADEEP KAR is founder, chairman and managing director of Microland, India’s leading provider of outsourced IT infrastructure management services. SITA BRAHMACHARI is a writer whose artistic and academic work has explored cultural diversity and representation within the Arts.K. VIJAY RAGHAVAN is a developmental biologist whose interests are in understanding the mechanisms underlying the formation of nerve circuits and development of animal behaviour.NIRMALYA KUMAR was headhunted by the Tata Group and joined them as Head of Strategy from 1 August 2013. He is Professor of Marketing and Director of Aditya Birla India Centre at London Business School. JACK E. SPENCE, OBE, teaches in the Department of War Studies, King’s College London.He has specialised in a Post-Graduate course on Diplomacy.MIHIR S. SHARMA is a writer, policy analyst and journalist. He is currently editor of the opinion pages of Business Standard, India’s most respected financial daily. KAPIL KOMIREDDI, a journalist, has written from South Asia, Eastern Europe and the Middle East.WILLIAM CRAWLEY AND DAVID PAGE are Senior Fellows at the Institute of Common- wealth Studies, University of London, and Co-Directors of the Media South Asia Project (www.mediasouthasia.org). JO JOHNSON was elected as the Member of Parliament for Orpington in May 2010. He currently serves as Head of Policy Unit at No 10.

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