October Non-Fiction Picks (New Releases)

Ananya Chaturvedi | The 15A Chronicles' Desk

The day I became a runner, Sohini Chattopadhyay

Sohini Chattopadhyay presents the compelling stories of eight athletes spanning the history of independent India.
It also involves women from a wide range of social and geographical backgrounds.
Ila Mitra, the first Indian-origin woman at the 1940 Olympics, Mary D’Souza, who played hockey for India in the 1950s, Kamaljit Sandhu, a star hockey player of the 1970s, and PT Usha, who redefined the 1980s.
The Day I Became a Runner is an alternative account of the Indian Republic chronicled through the lens of its women athletes.

It is set between three countries, Burma, India, and England, and spans from 1870 to 1977.
It traces India’s journey towards Independence and explores racial attitudes under the influence of the Raj and highlights the complexity of the relationships.
An Indian Tamil born in Rangoon, Cartner recounts her unusual childhood and later as a female doctor during the British occupation of the subcontinent.
The book is deeply revealing of Indian women’s struggles, exposing the conflicts between adhering to traditional customs and individual fulfilment. Cartner’s dual perspective, as an Indian woman and as a doctor, adds a new dimension, as she recalls her career in both deprived Indian communities.

Gurcharan Das was born in Lyallpur, Punjab, during World War II, when Hitler, Churchill and Hirohito were bashing everyone around.
His mother noted in her diary, “This is a restless baby.” By age two he had become “a difficult child”, and later a “troublemaker”.
There are strange twists in his journey, from Partition’s chaos to misguided attempts at winning over first loves.
Setting out to become an engineer, he ends up with a philosophy degree from Harvard University. This led him to the CEO’s position at Procter & Gamble India.

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