Former editor of The Hindu speaks about his book at Emory University
Mukund Padmanabhan, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at the newly established Krea University in India, spoke at Emory University on October 29 about his debut book, The Great Flap of 1942: How the Raj Panicked over a Japanese Non-Invasion, published by Penguin Random House in India.
[Left] Mukund Padmanabhan with his book.
The book is a narrative history of events that took place during the Second World War. He discusses the largely untold story of the panic that swept the country due to rumors of a Japanese invasion that ultimately never occurred. The consequence was an exodus from Madras and other cities, towns, and villages on both coasts to perceived safe locations further inland. Later, when families returned, they found that thieves had stripped their homes bare.
The event brought together a large audience of Emory students and faculty in history, politicalscience, economics, Middle East and South Asian Studies, the Hindi Urdu Program, and Russian and East Asian Languages and Cultures, as well as community members, who were fascinated by his engaging stories. He answered numerous questions from the audience ranging from many on the context surrounding the factual accounts presented in his book to his research and writing process. He conducted archival research in the U.K. and India for the book.
Mukund Padmanabhan is the former Editor of The Hindu, appointed to the post in 2016 after having been Editor of the business daily, The Hindu Business Line, a sister publication from the same group. As a journalist, Mukund has written extensively on literary, legal, and political subjects.
Mukund’s wife, Rajul Padmanabhan, accompanied him to Emory University. She is the former director of an NGO working with children with special needs. After the book talk at Emory, several faculty members took the couple to dinner.
—Prof. Holli A. Semetko
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