Riot After Riot

by M.J. Akbar

Covers post-1977 period.

Genres: Journalism, History, India

168 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1991

About the author

Mobashar Jawed "M.J." Akbar (born 11 January 1951) is a leading Indian journalist and author. He was the Editorial Director of India Today, India's leading weekly English news magazine published by the Living Media group till his resignation in October 2012. He also had an additional responsibility of overseeing the media conglomerate's English news channel, Headlines Today.
He launched "The Sunday Guardian", a weekly newspaper in 2010, and continues to serve as Editor-in-Chief. He is also the founder and former editor-in-chief and managing director of The Asian Age, a daily multi-edition Indian newspaper with a global perspective.
He has written several non-fiction books, including Byline (New Delhi: Chronicle Books, 2003), a biography of Jawaharlal Nehru titled Nehru: The Making of India, a book on Kashmir titled Kashmir: Behind the Vale, Riot After Riot and India: The Siege Within. He also authored The Shade of Swords, a cohesive history of jihad. Akbar's recent published book is Blood Brothers, a skillfully crafted family saga covering three generations and packed with information of events in India and the world, particularly the changing Hindu-Muslim relations.
His book Blood Brothers has been translated into Italian as Fratelli di Sangue. It was released in Rome at the headquarters of Adnkronos on 15 January 2008.
He published his latest book "Tinderbox: The past and future of Pakistan" in January 2012 discussing the themes of identity crisis and class struggles in Pakistan.
Akbar was also the editor-in-chief of The Deccan Chronicle, a Hyderabad-based news daily.

Reviews

[Anil Swarup · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book hits you........hits you hard, very hard. Another outstanding book that brings forth certain forgettable elements of our society......our country. Induces one to think, to ponder.

[Manoj Jain · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not recommended

[Gopal MS · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grew up in the 80s and I was fortunate enough to read the magazines and newspapers of the time that my dad would bring home. I was very lucky because I used to get most of the magazines and newspapers of the time in the local library. This book is a travel back in time and surprisingly I still remember the stories from the time. I also remember the kind of stories that appeared in print those days and now know what I miss when I read the newspaper and magazines now.

Reading this book is a reminder that India has changed without having changed much. It's a must read for any Indian or anyone who wishes to understand India.

[Rivanshi]

Grt book

[Girl from Mumbai · Rating 4 out of 5]

More People have died in the defense of belief than truth. Men will gladly offer their blood because heroes and martyrs spurred by conviction, conquer nations in the name of superiority and raise murder to a virtue in the defense of a piece of cloth. – M.J.Akbar
There are some books that make you feel ashamed of your race, ashamed that you are a human being who can so easily kill and maim just because you can. “Riot after Riot” by M. J Akbar is that hard hitting book that makes you question the designs of men. The author, a leading political journalist of his times, has documented some of the major riots that took place in India after the Independence.

The communal politics that is spreading its vicious tentacles in India has caused more bloodshed, pain and trauma than any natural calamity could have. The scars of this trauma etched in the minds of its victims who find it hard to move on with their lives.

M J Akbar travels to the stricken states trying to find the reason for the riots and the aftermath that they left behind. His analysis, his writing and his grasp of the situation keeps you hooked till the very end because you as a reader want to know more. He highlights the apathy of the government and the people in power who bring down the poor and needy in almost every state. As your fingers keep turning each painful page you can feel a sense of despair, your skin almost crawling with the horror of it all. A riveting book by a master storyteller, this one is hard to miss for anyone who is keen to understand the communal sensitivity that India is constantly bubbling under. A book, that I had me completely hooked.

[Jackbindas]

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[Murtaza Hassan · Rating 5 out of 5]

True,honest,unbiased accountof Inda's less aired or rather ill-informed reports of on caste and communal violence