On the ma of cricket semi-finals, India v Pakistan in Punjab, for the Hindustan Times op-ed page
Blog
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Past events
Bocas Literature Festival, 26-29 April 2012
(http://www.bocaslitfest.com/)
From the pitch to the page: the literature of cricket
with Rahul Bhattacharya and Joseph O’Neill; chaired by Brendan de Caires
27 April 2012, 1.00–2.00 pm, Old Fire StationFiction readings
Rahul Bhattacharya and Chika Unigwe; chaired by Anita Sethi
29 April 2012, 11.00 am – 12.00, Old Fire Station
Kolkata Literary Meet, 29, 30, 31 January 2012
(http://www.kolkatalitmeet.in/schedule.html)
In a Strange Land
Kapka Kassabova and Rahul Bhattacharya in conversation
31 January 2012, 12.25pm – 1.25pmCaptaining a Nation
Imran Khan and Rahul Bhattacharya on cricket, politics and Pakistan
30 January 2012, 4.15 pm – 5.15 pmManuscript to Bestseller and/or Critical Acclaim
Amish Tripathi and Rahul Bhattacharya discuss the fate of a book with Diya Kar Hazra
29 January 2012, 4.15 pm – 5.15 pm
Jaipur Literature Festival, 23 January 2012
(http://jaipurliteraturefestival.org/program-2011/23-jan-2012-program/)
The Umpire Strikes Back
Romesh Gunesekera, Rahul Bhattacharya in conversation. Introduced by Annie Zaidi.
23 January 2012, 3.45 pm – 4.45 pm, Diggi Palace, JaipurReinventing Reality: Readings
Rahul Bhattacharya and Kiran Nagarkar. Introduced by Nilanjana Roy.
23 January 2012, 5.15 pm – 6.15 pm, Diggi Palace, JaipurMumbai Fully Booked
The Times of India Literary Carnival, December 2011
South Asian Quartet
Shehan Karunatilaka, Mohsin Hamid, Rahul Bhattacharya and Vikram Chandra in conversation with Chiki Sarkar
4 December 2011 5.30 pm-7.00 pm, Mehboob Studios, Bandra
(http://www.timesliterarycarnival.com/index.html)
The Hindu Lit for Life
Chennai, October 2011
(http://www.facebook.com/LitforLife)Playing Fields
Shashi Tharoor, Mukul Kesavan, Rahul Bhattacharya in conversation
30 October 5.30pm– 6.20pm, Hyatt Regency, 365, Anna SalaiDestination Detectives
Rahul Bhattacharya in conversation with Latha Anantharaman
29 October 2011 11.30am–12.20pm, Hyatt Regency, 365, Anna SalaiSingapore Writers Festival, October 2011
Getting Lost: The Sly Art of Travel Writing
Featuring: Tan Wee Cheng, Rahul Bhattacharya, Brian Thacker
Moderator: Stephen McCarty
Venue: Transaction Pavilion, Campus Green, Singapore Management University
23 October 2011 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
(http://www.singaporewritersfestival.com/index.php?option=com_php&Itemid=69&category=3&id=140)Sticky Wickets and Red Cards: Challenges of Sports Writing
Featuring: Rahul Bhattacharya, Neil Humphreys
Moderator: Chia Han Keong
Venue: Transaction Pavilion, Campus Green, Singapore Management University
23 October 2011 11:30 am – 12:30 pm
(http://www.singaporewritersfestival.com/index.php?option=com_php&Itemid=69&category=3&id=83)Edinburgh Book Festival, August 2011
Turning Their Backs on India
Rahul Bhattacharya and Mirza Waheed
(http://www.edinburghfestivals.co.uk/events/rahul-bhattacharya-mirza-waheed)Cargo Special Delivery
Brand new, fresh writing. Legendary authors. The best of Scottish music. All under the one roof in one night.
(http://www.cargopublishing.com/blog/2011/08/08/cargo-special-delivery-tour-announced/)
Hay Festival, Hay-on-Wye, Wales, June 2011
Fictions: Heart of Darkness
Edward Docx and Rahul Bhattacharya talk to Anita Sethi
Event 248 • Thursday 2 June 2011,10am • Venue: Elmley Foundation Theatre
(http://www.hayfestival.com/p-3612-edward-docx-and-rahul-bhattacharya-talk-to-anita-sethi.aspx)Birmingham Book Festival, May 2011
Indian novelist Rahul Bhattacharya presents The Sly Company of People Who Care at Ikon Gallery
(http://www.birminghambookfestival.org/indian-novelist-rahul-bhattacharya-at-ikon-gallery-31-may-2011-1386/)PEN World Voices Festival, New York, April 2011
Cocktail Hour Reading, Bowery Poetry Club, New York City
29 April 2011
(http://www.pen.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/5719/prmID/2126)
With David Bezmozgis, Rahul Bhattacharya, Tomas Espedal, Pierre Guyotat, Shin Kyung-sook, andIrvine WelshThe Great Global Book Swap, Scandinavia House, New York City
29 April 2011
With Leila Aboulela, Nathacha Appanah, and Rahul BhattacharyaA Literary Safari: A Unique Experience, Westbeth Home of the Arts, New York City
28 April 2011
(http://www.pen.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/5703/prmID/2126)
With Nathacha Appanah, Rahul Bhattacharya, Abdelkader Benali, Amélie Nothomb,Ksenia Shcherbino, Teresa Solana, John Burnside, Mircea Cărtărescu, Manuel de Lope, Deborah Eisenberg, Marcelo Figueras, Jonas Hassan Khemiri, Hervé Le Tellier,Daniel Orozco, Gunnhild Øyehaug, and Lynne Tillman -
The Great Indian Election Tamasha
The Great Indian Election Tamasha
Covering the Chandni Chowk constituency, Lok Sabha, 2009, for Outlook
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The Tickled Scorer
A collection of monthly cricket columns I did for Mint Lounge
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Pundits from Pakistan


THE Indian cricket team set out for Pakistan in 2004 on a tour that would test two nations with the weight of the past and the burden of expectation. As it happened, the cricketing rivals defeated the naysayers, coming together to deliver a stunning moment not just in the context of sport, but history.
As thousands of Indians met thousands of Pakistanis for the first time in their lives, an exchange unsurpassed since the bloody numbers of partition, that 2004 summer bloomed with hope and brotherhood.
One of the best-loved cricket books, Pundits from Pakistan will always remind us of what was and what could be. Funny, warm and uplifting, it is a fascinating account of a beautiful game in a crucial setting, as told by a young Indian discovering Pakistan.
Winner of the Crossword Popular Book Award in India.
Shortlisted for the Cricket Society Award, UK.
Voted a top 10 cricket book of all time by The Wisden Cricketer, UK, in 2010.
More about the Book
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Why Pakistanis are warmer than Indians
Why Pakistanis are warmer than Indians Ajaz Ashraf in Daily Times ‘It was happenstance I completed reading Pundits from Pakistan, Rahul Bhattacharya’s magisterial account of the Indian cricket team’s tour of Pakistan in the spring of 2004, two days before the recent announcement of resumption of cricketing ties between the two neighbours . . .’ — Read More…
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Reviews for “Pundits from Pakistan”
‘One of the best cricket books to be published anywhere in many years. Forget the DVD; if you want to relive the tour, in all its dramatic complexity, read Bhattacharya’ — Mike Marqusee, Wisden Asia Cricket ‘Delightfully piquant . . . gently illuminating . . . emphatic and all-encompassing . . . The cricket book we’ve been waiting for — Read More…
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Pundits from Pakistan
One of the best-loved cricket books, ‘Pundits from Pakistan’ will always remind us of what was and what could be. Funny, warm and uplifting, it is a fascinating account of a beautiful game in a crucial setting, as told by a young Indian discovering Pakistan. — Read More…
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