{"product_id":"butter-chicken-in-ludhiana","title":"Butter Chicken In Ludhiana by Pankaj Mishra","description":"\u003cp data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"328\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"95\"\u003e Book Summary: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-start=\"95\" data-end=\"98\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"relative -mx-px my-[-0.2rem] rounded px-px py-[0.2rem] transition-colors duration-100 ease-in-out\"\u003ePublished in 1995, \u003cem data-start=\"19\" data-end=\"47\"\u003eButter Chicken in Ludhiana\u003c\/em\u003e is a witty, insightful travelogue that captures India’s rapid social transformation during the post-liberalisation era\u003c\/span\u003e. \u003cspan class=\"relative -mx-px my-[-0.2rem] rounded px-px py-[0.2rem] transition-colors duration-100 ease-in-out\"\u003eAlthough the title mentions Ludhiana, Mishra never visits the city—the phrase comes from a snippet of overheard conversation about butter chicken, which inspired the book’s evocative title\u003c\/span\u003e. \u003cspan class=\"relative -mx-px my-[-0.2rem] rounded px-px py-[0.2rem] transition-colors duration-100 ease-in-out\"\u003eTraveling in ordinary buses, trains, and modest lodgings, Mishra documents life in dozens of small towns—from Ambala and Udaipur to Murshidabad and Kottayam—as he observes the rise of the aspirational middle class, aggressive consumer culture, and yawning inequalities\u003c\/span\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"330\" data-end=\"564\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"relative -mx-px my-[-0.2rem] rounded px-px py-[0.2rem] transition-colors duration-100 ease-in-out\"\u003eThrough humorous and sometimes biting portraits—such as a convent-educated young woman aiming for beauty pageants, shopkeepers planning London holidays, or residents grappling with caste and television’s influence—the book explores cultural anxieties amid newfound materialism and modernity\u003c\/span\u003e. \u003cspan class=\"relative -mx-px my-[-0.2rem] rounded px-px py-[0.2rem] transition-colors duration-100 ease-in-out\"\u003eCritics laud Mishra’s sharp prose and nuanced observations, even as some note the narrative occasionally feels scattered or adopts an overly negative or snobbish tone\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"relative -mx-px my-[-0.2rem] rounded px-px py-[0.2rem] transition-colors duration-100 ease-in-out\"\u003eOverall, the book remains a contemporary classic and essential reading for understanding small‑town India’s complex embrace of modern life\u003c\/span\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"571\" data-end=\"855\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"571\" data-end=\"610\"\u003eAbout the Author – \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-start=\"610\" data-end=\"613\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"relative -mx-px my-[-0.2rem] rounded px-px py-[0.2rem] transition-colors duration-100 ease-in-out\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePankaj Mishra\u003c\/strong\u003e, born in Jhansi in 1969, is an acclaimed essayist, novelist, and cultural critic. After earning degrees from Allahabad University and Jawaharlal Nehru University, he launched his literary career in the early 1990s with \u003cem data-start=\"233\" data-end=\"261\"\u003eButter Chicken in Ludhiana\u003c\/em\u003e—a book that immediately established him as a keen observer of contemporary India\u003c\/span\u003e. \u003cspan class=\"relative -mx-px my-[-0.2rem] rounded px-px py-[0.2rem] transition-colors duration-100 ease-in-out\"\u003eHis later works—including \u003cem data-start=\"26\" data-end=\"41\"\u003eThe Romantics\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem data-start=\"43\" data-end=\"64\"\u003eAn End to Suffering\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem data-start=\"66\" data-end=\"91\"\u003eTemptations of the West\u003c\/em\u003e, and the widely praised political history \u003cem data-start=\"134\" data-end=\"160\"\u003eFrom the Ruins of Empire\u003c\/em\u003e—blend deep historical insight with incisive social commentary\u003c\/span\u003e. \u003cspan class=\"relative -mx-px my-[-0.2rem] rounded px-px py-[0.2rem] transition-colors duration-100 ease-in-out\"\u003eMishra writes regularly for publications like \u003cem data-start=\"46\" data-end=\"62\"\u003eThe New Yorker\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem data-start=\"64\" data-end=\"78\"\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem data-start=\"80\" data-end=\"110\"\u003eThe New York Review of Books\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem data-start=\"116\" data-end=\"144\"\u003eThe London Review of Books\u003c\/em\u003e. He splits his time between India and London and has received numerous honours, including the Yale Windham‑Campbell Prize and fellowship in the Royal Society of Literature\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Best of Used books","offers":[{"title":"Used","offer_id":44276843118849,"sku":"25Q3RF2DE-Used","price":150.0,"currency_code":"INR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0421\/4299\/0495\/products\/ButterChickenInLudhiana.jpg?v=1627230578","url":"https:\/\/bestofusedbooks.com\/products\/butter-chicken-in-ludhiana","provider":"Best Of Used Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}