{"product_id":"the-purveyors-of-destiny-rare-books","title":"The Purveyors of Destiny [RARE BOOKS]","description":"\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eIn 1853 Karl Marx predicted the Indian Railways would foster the growth of parallel industries 'not immediately connected with the railways.' But the most successful industry-which Marx could not possibly have dreamed of-was that of cultural representations of the railways, which began even before the railways, themselves. From Rudyard Kipling to Mark Twain to R.K. Narayan to Ruskin Bond-the aura of Indian trains and railway stations have enchanted many.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eWhat imperialism made opulent, nationalism embraced a swadeshi tool, Partition turned into theaters of the macabre, and the nation's destiny marked for its favorite foster child, came to embody the portable architecture of India's modernity. And, what with iconic railway cinematography from \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAradhana\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e (1969), \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eSonar Kella\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e (1974), \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eGandhi\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e (1982), \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eDil Se\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e (1997), or \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eParineeta\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e (2005), Indian cinema has forged mythical railroads in the national psyche.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe Purveyors of Destiny\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003ebrings together all these elements together, for the first time, in a book replete with anecdotes from colonial and Indian accounts, the battlefronts of the Indian nationalist movement, Indian cinema, advertisements, and much more, in an ever expanding cultural biography of the Great Indian Railways.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e'In this fascinating cultural history, Arup K Chatterjee charts the extraordinary journey of the Indian Railways, from the laying of the very first sleeper to the first post-Independence bogey. It evokes our collective accumulation of those innumerable memories of platform chai and rail-gaadi stories, bringing alive through myriad voices and tales the biography of one of India's defining public institutions.'\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e– Shashi Tharoor, Author, M.P., Lok Sabha\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e'The Purveyors of Destiny is a fascinating and well-researched cultural biography of the Indian Railways-those intricate arteries of the soul of India, as have been experienced, written, filmed, and dreamed. We cannot all travel by rail to know India, as Gandhiji did, but we can and should read this book!'\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e– Tabish Khair, Author, Professor\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e'Drawing on an impressive repertoire of literature and film, this elegantly crafted biography of the railways takes us on a riveting journey through the cultural history of the Indian nation, from the 1850s to the present. Written with wit and verve, it is a delight to read.'\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e– Sugata Bose, Author, Professor, M.P., Lok Sabha\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e'A deeply engaging work that comfortably straddles, and masters, the worlds of academic research and modern nonfiction, offering countless delightful gems of India's railway legends and narratives for the curious reader. Crafted with great skill and a keen understanding of modern culture from the region and beyond…a remarkable achievement!'\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e– Kaushik Barua, Author\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e'…a wonderfully eclectic account of the Indian Railways and the vital place they occupy in our cultural history, with memorable moments and motifs from literature, cinema and other elements of our collective imagination. A great train journey, replete with all of the essentials from garam chai and A.H. Wheeler to historic arrivals and departures…'\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e– Stephen Alter, Author\u003c\/span\u003e","brand":"Best of Used books","offers":[{"title":"Used","offer_id":44354984050945,"sku":"2W282THQ9-Used","price":599.0,"currency_code":"INR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0421\/4299\/0495\/files\/91vB8yJ0T7L._SY425.jpg?v=1705317309","url":"https:\/\/bestofusedbooks.com\/products\/the-purveyors-of-destiny-rare-books","provider":"Best Of Used Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}