An engrossing and lively account of the people and times that have shaped the Indian Parliament building, a landmark that has now been consigned to the dusty pages of history.

Ira Mukhoty

Housing the Republic tells a fascinating tale – of how a single stately building encapsulates within it so many stories, of the petty egos of the men involved in its making, of imperial hierarchies and conflicting agendas, of nationalism and its negotiations with power, of symbols and their powerful meanings and ultimately of India's history itself. A thoroughly interesting portrait of one of our most iconic national structures, this is a book that will appeal to many.

Manu S. Pillai

Among the finest pictures of popular reactions to India's Independence in August 1947 are those of people claiming the day, gathering around the Parliament building. The regal and dignified structure has been central to India's quest to fulfil its constitutional promise of “one man, one value”. Now, it stands on the sidelines of a new building, but not for the thoughtful Sobhana K. Nair. In Housing the Republic, she has captured the times – hers and those gone past – eloquently and in ways that compel you to be with her for the ride from start to finish.

Seema Chishti

A book like this was waiting to be written. India's old Parliament building, the site of legislative work for over nine decades, has given way to a new building. After reading this book, it is clear to me how little I knew about the building. As a journalist, Sobhana has covered India's Parliament for fifteen years. This book, she says, is a “love story... with all its warts and blemishes”. In elegant prose, she renders an account of what went on in the old Parliament building, from which we can all learn a lot. A piece of history eminently worth a visit through her felicitous pen.

Ashutosh Varshney