The book’s invasion

Today, I wandered into a bookshop—just browsing, no specific mission. Then one title practically screamed at me: Invaders and Infidels. Talk about unsubtle. Naturally, I had to check the author—turns out it’s a Mr. Sandeep Balakrishna. Now, I hadn’t heard of him, but the blurb proudly touted him as a “researcher” with 20 years under his belt. Which made me wonder, if he’s such an expert, why isn’t he teaching somewhere…you know, like a university? But, ah yes, “Sanghi researchers” seem to prefer other platforms.

I skimmed through his list of greatest hits: Reclaiming Bharatvarsha, Tipu Sultan: The Tyrant of Mysore. The guy has a brand, clearly. And when he felt the urge to translate Kannada literature, who did he pick? Naturally, the least divisive choice possible—Avarana by S.L. Bhyrappa. Can’t say I was shocked.

If I had to guess his upcoming releases, here’s my list: Godse: The Real Mahatma, The Doctrine of Caste: An Indologist Conspiracy. These practically write themselves.

So, I decided to shove Invaders and Infidels back into the shelf—though, to be fair, the shelf looked reluctant to take it back. In my best attempt at subtle sabotage, I left the book lying flat, inconspicuously. As I turned to leave, there was a dramatic thud. I glanced back, and there it was, back on the shelf, front and center. Guess Invaders and Infidels had to make a point of standing tall.