Description
Commissioned by BBC in 1982, Raza Ali Abidi travelled through the Indian subcontinent, tracing and documenting the state of the famous libraries and private book collections many of which he found in a state of ruin. But more than trace the book collections, Raza Ali Abidi traced the cultural history of the Indian subcontinent through the interactions he had had with the people he met on his journey. In his inimitable prose Abidi captures the strengths of the South Asian society and the resilience of its people to create a poignant document of our present society.


About the Author / Editor
Raza Ali Abidi is an essayist, short story writer, and broadcaster. He worked as Deputy Head, Eastern Service (BBC) for over fifteen years and retired as the Head of BBC Urdu Service in 1996. His published works include several collections of cultural essays and short stories. He is the author of a number of titles that trace the undocumented cultural history of the Indian subcontinent including the titles Hamary Kutubkhana (Our Libraries), Naghma Gar (The Song Makers), and Jahazi Bhai (Shipmate Brothers). He lives and works in London.