Description:Raqs is a word in Persian, Arabic and Urdu meaning the trance state that whirling dervishes enter into when they whirl. You could also consider Raqs an acronym, for ''rarely asked questions.'' Either way, this book gathers texts authored by the Delhi-based Raqs Media Collective (Monica Narula, Jeebesh Bagchi and Shuddhabrata Sengupta), a group that could be described as artists, curators, editors, and catalysts of cultural processes. Co-curators of the 2008 manifesta 7 biennale, they co-founded Sarai (Centre for the Study of Developing Societies) and co-edit the Sarai Reader Series. Their internationally recognized work locates them at the intersection of contemporary art, research and theory -- often taking the form of installations, online and offline media objects, performances and encounters.