PARADOXES OF PAKISTAN: A GLIMPSE - Belkacem Belmekki & Michel Naumann (2022)

India and Pakistan have been at loggerheads for 75 years since their independence. Being an Indian, I have very little understanding of the neighbouring country. There is a general perception that Pakistan is a failed state. There are some signs of success in fields like sports, but overall the state is in economic turmoil. What led to such a state of the country? Reading this book clarified some of that. The book has three parts:

1. History before Pakistan - A glance of Indian history till the British era.
2. History of the founding fathers - Gives an insight into the Sayid Ahmed Khan, Mohammed Iqbal, and Mohammed Ali Jinnah.
3. History of Pakistan - Post-independence history of Pakistan. 

The state is based on fear and is not on a positive sentiment of success. Hence, the focus has always been on saving the government than developing the nation for the people. The overall country has spent all its energy on militancy and in-fightings. While Indian governments focused on national development efforts within the framework of the constitution, Pakistan's leading politicians were busy keeping the military happy and using or being used by them. Under a hundred pages but will not be an easy read, for it will make you think and assimilate. 

Tharoorosauraus - Shashi Tharoor (2020)

What amazes me most is when you have managed to scrape through the understanding of languages; someone has mastered them beyond humans. That is my understanding of Shashi Tharoor's mastery of the language. About 50 words, some very much in regular vocabulary, some from Tharoorobulary (my amateurish authorism), have been explained thread-bare; their etymology, alternate usage, who said it, etc. It is fun reading the book.  Yet what worries me is whether I learnt the nuances enough to apply them in real life. 

Almost unputdownable. Yet, do not gulp more than you can chew to make the learning persistent.