Effectively, the book gets to the bottom of the censorship process and illustrates how it impacts both cinema and society in many different ways. With rare photographs from several controversial Bollywood films and details of scenes deleted by censors, this is a timely eye-opener for anybody remotely curious, even amused by the unabashed celebrations of pornography in present-day Hindi cinema (less)

Detailed India and World sections provide a wealth of relevant information. Separate sections on Politics, Economy, Science, Arts, Career and Sports provide the reader with a quick overview of these subjects.

One thousand General Knowledge questions on various topics help readers bring themselves up to date quickly on various topics in the world around them. Indian and international timelines and comprehensive Year in Review and Newsmakers sections allow the reader to browse quickly for necessary information.

Exclusive to the Yearbook is a host of insightful articles on various topics of current interest by celebrated writers. Replete with facts, figures and information of every conceivable kind and updated till as late as 15 November, this is the very best Yearbook there is! (less)

P.J.

Abdul Kalam, Edward Luce, John Wright, Mani Shankar Aiyar, Manoj Joshi, Namrata Joshi, Pratap Bhanu Mehta, Prem Shankar Jha, Rajmohan Gandhi, Sanjay Suri, Sitaram Yechuri, Urvashi Butalia, Usha Albuquerque and William Dalrymple. A number of these feature articles were written exclusively for this publication.

This years Yearbook introduces a section titled 100 Indians Who Are Changing India. This section includes profiles of a hundred people, from A.

P.J.

Abdul Kalam and A.R.

Rahman to Vir Sanghvi and Yogi Deveshwar, who are making a difference in India today and changing the way we look at ourselves as Indians. The Newsmakers segment of this years special edition is also significantly enhanced, to include and comment on every major happening that has taken place in India and the world over the past twelve months.

The sections on Politics, Economy, Science, Career, Sports, Arts and General Knowledge have been completely revised and updated for this years edition, and feature substantial new information along with easy-to-refer-to news segments. In addition, of course, The Penguin India Reference Yearbook 2007 retains all the popular features of its first two editions, including India and world datelines, historical timelines, colour maps and flags, and a comprehensive index.

The India and World sections add up to some 500 pages, and have been thoroughly updated for this years edition, and over 200 small maps have been included for easy reference (less)

Supplementing the questions are 200 bonus factoids on various interesting aspects of the sporting world that will fascinate and intrigue the reader (less)

That the practice militates against the spirit of liberty and the right to freedom of expression is an issue that concerns every right-thinking individual in a progressive democracy. The opposing view to this is that no freedom can ever be absolute and must necessarily be accompanied by appropriate checks and controls.

In the absence of a self-regulatory mechanism within the Indian film industry, a third view is also gaining currency: the Central Board of Film Certification or CBFC can at best play an advisory role and rather than censor, must rate films according to their suitability. This book dwells into various aspects of the social discourse and raises some disturbing questions on issues like the government playing moral police, inconsistency in interpreting the censorship guidelines, liberties filmmakers take in glorifying sex and violence, role of the public at large, the feminist perspective on denigrating women on screen, politicization of the censorship process.

It also offers some options by way of comparisons with the censorship norms prevailing in other leading filmmaking countries across the globe. Effectively, the book gets to the bottom of the censorship process and illustrates how it impacts both cinema and society in many different ways.

With rare photographs from several controversial Bollywood films and details of scenes deleted by censors (which nobody would ever get to see), this is a timely eye-opener for anybody remotely curious, even amused (if not bewildered) by the unabashed celebrations of pornography in present-day Hindi cinema (less)

The Penguin Yearbook 2008 starts with a thorough Year in Review section that is specially designed to bring you up to date on the events of the previous year, with informative write-ups on newsmakers, obituaries, and India and World datelines. There are also detailed timelines of Indian and World history from the beginning of civilization to 2006.

This year’s Yearbook has two special sections entitled 60 Defining Moments of Independent India and 100 Indians Who Made Modern India. As we celebrate sixty years of Independence, these sections will serve as your guides to the most important events and personalities that have shaped the nation over the past 100 years.

The Penguin Yearbook 2008 features thought-provoking and insightful articles by A.P.

J. Abdul Kalam, Arun Maira, Bimal Jalan, Muhammad Yunus, R.

K. Pachauri, Shashi Tharoor, Sudhir Kakar and Yashwant Sinha.

The sections on Politics, Economy, Science, Career, Sports, Arts and General Knowledge have been completely revised and updated for this year’s edition, and feature substantial new information along with easy-to-refer-to news segments. 500 all new GK quiz questions on India and current affairs are included in the General Knowledge section.

This year’s Yearbook also features completely revised and updated India and World sections that are designed to put key data at your fingertips.This is quite simply the best Yearbook on India and the world available today.

The Penguin Yearbook 2008 is completely free of advertisements. There are 816 pages packed with useful information and write-ups, with no advertisements whatsoever to distract you.

The Penguin Yearbook 2008 is printed entirely on fully recycled paper.The Penguin Yearbook 2008 features Comprehensive and reliable data fully updated till 1 November 2007 (less)

Put your knowledge of India to the ultimate test with this valuable volume for facts, figures, events, history, literature, politics, and much more (less)