Tavleen Singh’s latest book compiles contemporary history

“I want to read this and pitch it to certain people,” said Bhatt in his characteristic forceful style, citing his reason for reading it. “I learnt as a reader and a layman what a riot is; and (also) that we learn nothing from our mistakes. It (the riots) had a state of approval and support and there is a danger and a nightmare of it recurring again,” he said.

Bhatt set the stage for the book’s launch by reading an article from the book from the section, ‘second decade—1998-2002’. Bhatt and actor-activist Shabana Azmi read chapters from the book. Singh’s book is a compilation of her widely read columns in major newspapers and magazines. The articles, written in Singh’s characteristic irreverent style, are hard-hitting chronicles of the political history of the country and present a harsh picture of the self serving ways of politicians, bureaucrats, the religious divide, missed opportunities and misplaced priorities.

Singh was relieved that in the last six years there have been no major riots, except for the one in Indore recently which she

... contd.