Independence Day long weekend: 5 book recommendations for the 5 days

Recommended reading: Book covers of More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop, The Hachette Book of Indian Detective Fiction (Volumes 1 and 2), and Rooftops DIY art book on Pichwai.

To be read (TBR) lists have a way of ballooning, whether you love romantic fiction or travel books or DIY art books that can be a stressbuster and creative outlet rolled in one. To help streamline some books to read and work on over the five-day long weekend coming up from August 15-19 (if you take Friday the 16th off from work), we put together a shortlist for varied interests:

1. Best Indian stories translated in English

Translations from Indian languages into English are opening up entire worlds to us. In recent months, we have seen volumes like 'Illuminating Worlds: An Anthology of Indian Classical Literature' translated and introduced by Srinivas Reddy; Subimal Misra's 'The Earth Quakes: Late Anti-Stories', translated from the Bengali by V. Ramaswamy, and translations of Malayalam novels by Ministhy S. (consider writer VJ James' 'The Book of Exodus' and 'Do Not Ask the River Her Name' by Sheela Tomy, who also wrote 'Valli').

In February, Hachette published a two-volume set of Indian detective stories edited by Tarun K. Saint. Comprising stories by writers like Satyajit Ray, Ambai, Rabindranath Tagore, Rajarshi Das Bhowmick and Vikram Chandra, 'The Hachette Book of Indian Detective Fiction' is perfect if you want to be entertained in-between travelling, spending time with family or catching up on chores around the house during the long weekend.

Hachette India, 848 pages

Hindi short stories are, of course, an important part of this massive endeavour. There's much to choose from in recent times, but we'd like to present two books for your consideration: 'Hats and Doctors: Stories' (2013) - Daisy Rockwell's selection of stories by Upendranath Ashk, and 'On the Edge: 100 years of Hindi Fiction on Same-Sex Desire' (2022) translated by Ruth Vanita.

Penguin India, 240 pages, Rs 299.

Based in Allahabad, Ashk published his first collection of short stories in the 1930s. He was still working in the 1990s, when Daisy Rockwell met him. She recounts a bit of her experience of interviewing him for her PhD thesis in the introduction to 'Hats and Doctors: Stories'. Apart from this introduction, do read his story 'Brown Sahibs'. Set in Nehru's India, the story looks at income inequality, social hierarchy and ambition in free India and the guilt that some Indians felt for getting better jobs and lifestyles than others after Independence. Ashk's cuttingly wry humour still connects more than 60 years after he wrote the story.

Penguin Hamish Hamilton; 272 pages; Rs 599.

Ruth Vanita's May 2024 book includes stories by Hindi fiction greats like Munshi Premchand, Pandey Bechan Sharma 'Ugra' and Asha Sahay as well as contemporary writers like Geetanjali Shree. An introduction by Vanita sets a new parameter to see these stories through: same-sex desire, often lesbian love, among sanginis.

2. I Have the Streets: A Kutti Cricket Story by R. Ashwin with Sidharth Monga

Indian cricket had an excellent start to the year, winning the five-Test series against England. One of the key engineers of the victory, R. Ashwin, crossed some major milestones while taking India across the line, too. His autobiography hit the bookshelves in June 2024.

The story begins with how Ashwin was diagnosed with tuberculosis as a child, and how his health has affected how he has trained and played for India all these years. It's simple, seems heartwarmingly honest and is a surprisingly fast read - perfect for when you have four or five days to immerse yourself in an inspiring story about a real-life icon.

Penguin, 200 pages

As biographies go, there have been some good ones this year. If south movies, and more specifically Kamal Haasan, interest you, consider Kamal Haasan: A Cinematic Journey by K. Hariharan. Also consider 'Dhoop Aane Do: Pages Plucked' from memories by Gulzar, translated from the Marathi by Ambarish Mishra, if you are a fan.

3. Cow and Company, and Darako by Parashar Kulkarni

Independence Day is obviously not just another holiday. It's a time to remember how India won her freedom from foreign rule, and to appreciate how we forged an identity as a massive union of states with different languages and cultural and spiritual moorings.

Yale-NUS assistant professor Prashar Kulkarni's Cow and Company and Darako are part of a series set in pre-Independence India. The heroes (or anti-heroes) here are not the most popular names in the freedom struggle. Indeed, the fight for Independence is in the background in these books that foreground the lives and beliefs of ordinary people as they go about their day-to-day.

Prashar Kulkarni's Darako and Cow and Company (Penguin)

The writing is crisp, and the books are short but pithy. Darako, for example, is also a comment on how cults start in India. Even the most leisurely readers should be able to finish it over this extra-long weekend.

4. DIY art books

Colouring books for grownups became all the rage a few years ago. Known to help with stress-relief and function as a creative outlet, millions around the world adapted them. An Indian app-based company devoted to art is perhaps trying to corner a segment of this market with a more nuanced offering: instructional books with exercise pages on Indian art practices like Gond art, Phad, Cheriyal, Pichwai, Warli and Pachedi. Released by Rooftop, the books offer quick introductions to the art forms and the communities that practice them, before launching into an exercise book format where you replicate patterns and common motifs. The books are published under three categories: Elementary, Essentials, and Experts.

Artventures of Pichwai - Expert by Rooftop App, Rs 2,499.

5. Love stories: Days at the Morisaki Bookshop & More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop

Set in a used-books store in Tokyo's Jimbocho neighbourhood, Satoshi Yagisawa's books are all about healing broken hearts and finding your purpose. 'More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop', translated by Eric Ozawa, released in July 2024.

Perfect for curling up with on the sofa, and both books are finishable in four-five days, if you have the luxury of uninterrupted reading.