Review: The Other Country – Dispatches from the Mofussil

Book: The Other Country – Dispatches from the Mofussil
Author: Mrinal Pande
Publisher: Penguin India
Price: Rs 350

Veteran journalist Mrinal Pande’s book could very well be compared to a train journey through the Indian heartland. The book, which brings together a wide-ranging selection of essays by Pande, traverses many little Indias bustling in the country.

The book has been divided into four broad categories. Through her essays, Pande  writes incisively on issues such as survival of regional languages, role of media, water problem, and Indian women in cities and villages. Being a scribe, Pande has travelled to the remote corners that has given her an insight into what ails urban and rural India. The book is a must-read to understand the paradox called India.