Academic Nitin Pai's debut book of stories to release next year

    New Delhi, Aug 10 (PTI) Noted research scholar Nitin Pai's maiden book, "Nitopadesha: Moral Tales for Good Citizens", will release next year, publishing house Westland announced on Tuesday.
    In a style reminiscent of classic moral fables like the "Panchatantra", the "Hitopadesha", and the "Jataka" tales, the book claims to address "a lacuna in traditional and contemporary literature: the absence of stories on what it is to be a good citizen in a liberal democratic society". It will be released under Westland's 'literary' imprint.
    "This book is of little stories that citizens of all ages can enjoy telling each other. You can read it for the serious and weighty stuff that you might discover in its pages, or simply be delighted by the characters, their adventures and their predicaments," said Pai, co-founder and director, Takshashila Institution -- an independent centre for research and education in public policy.
    Through playful anecdotes and stories-within-stories, the Bangalore-based author teases out the intricacies of what could be called the "dharma of citizenship", quite distinct from the rajadharma of the Arthashastra or the swadharma of the Dharmashastras.
    "I am happy to have played a role in transmitting some of our civilisational wisdom, good sense and simple joys to contemporary readers," Pai said.
    According to the publishers, inside this book of traditional wisdom readers might also find insights from political science, philosophy, cognitive psychology and economics.
    "'Nitopadesha' is a pleasure to read; you slip into a familiar universe, following the thread of the story from one narrator to the next, from one layer to the one under. But equally, in our fractured world, it is an urgent enquiry into that question we all ask: but what can I do?," said Ajitha GS, managing editor, Westland Publications. PTI MG MAH
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