UPDATED: January 9, 2021 07:14 IST Politics and society” just about covers everything, except—I was going to say—music, religion and love. But wrong! At least in India, the India of our times, those three are at the heart of our politics. When T.M. Krishna’s book Sebastian & Sons appeared in January 2020, few would have linked that title to music—the family-based establishment that has been making the mrdangam. Fewer to controversy. But as word got around that the book was as much about the animal hide used for the percussion instrument as about its great sound, and about the exclusion from due recognition of its makers by its users, the reaction set in. Its official launch was cancelled with a new venue being found at the last minute. This gave the book exactly the notice it deserved, in terms of sales and reviews, culminating in Tata LitFest 2020’s best non-fiction award.