Ways of the winged ones
Baljit Singh
The Birds & Mammals of Ladakh
by Otto Pfister. OUP, New Delhi. Rs 795.
Birds of Kangra
by Jan Willem den Besten. Moonpeak Publishers. Pages 176. Rs 395.
Till about the 1970s, the more commonly accessible books on India’s birds could have been counted on the fingertips. Beginning in1980, there was a phenomenal growth of bird books, textual, photo guides and illustrated field guides.

Buddha made easy
Jaswant Singh
The Teachings of Buddha
by Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai. Sterling Publishers, New Delhi. Pages 165. Rs 150.
The Sterling Book of Buddha and his Teachings
by Kingsley Heendeniya. Sterling Publishers, New Delhi. Pages 128. Rs 99.
Society in India in the fifth century BC was dominated by superstition, ritual and the priestcraft of Brahminic clergy. The ancient Vedic religion had degenerated into a system of superstitious ceremonials and dealings with the supernatural.

Notes on a legendary life
Aditya Rishi
Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan: His Life and Music
by Malti Gilani and Quratulain Hyder Harman Publishing House, New Delhi. Pages 295. Rs 1,200.
It’s magic to us what Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan did as a routine on many a hot afternoon when he melted heavens. The weather changed its mood in appreciation of Mian ki Malhar, the classical rain song immortalised by Mian Tansen.

The first stirrings
R. L. Singal
The Emergence of the Indian National Congress
by S. R. Mehrotra. Rupa & Co., New Delhi. Pages 781. Rs 795.
The book under review, as the title implies, explains in considerable detail the background and circumstances, both social and political, that led to an awakening among the Indians about their civic rights under the British rule, growth of nationalism, and consciousness about the need and utility of forming associations, culminating in the establishment of the Indian National Congress in December 1885.

Word world
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, International Edition
Longman. Pages 1950. Rs 395. With CD-ROM, Rs 495
As a student, this reviewer became familiar with ELBS dictionaries, and for more difficult words, one consulted the Shorter Oxford. 

Genesis of Sino-Indian conflict
Parshotam Mehra
A Clash of Political Cultures: Sino-Indian Relations (1957-62)
by Sudarshan Bhutani. Roli Books. Pages 252. Rs 450.
In the light of the fourth round of New Delhi-Beijing talks in November this year, in the Chinese capital which, hopefully, will help sort out the long-simmering border dispute, the book helps to put things in sharper focus. 

Master of “loiterature”
Manju Jaidka
"I was a gay, middle-class only child from the provinces, fairly innocent of real life, with a precocious knowledge of music, literature and architecture." This is how London-based writer, Alan Hollinghurst, describes himself. The recipient of this year’s Man Booker Prize has authored three novels prior to The Line of Beauty, his prize-winning book: The Swimming-Pool Library (1988), The Folding Star (1994), and The Spell (1998). 

Enriching inquiry into national identity
M. Rajivlochan
The Felt Community: Commonality and Mentality Before the Emergence of Indian Nationalism
by Rajat Kanta Ray. Oxford University Press. Pages 580. Rs 795.
The best thing about this book is that it is very informative. It also has an argument to give, for Ray is well-known for his political interventions in the field of history.

hindi review
Forceful exploration of exile
Harbans Singh
Dardpur
by Kshama Kaul. Bharatiya Jnanpith. Pages 428. Rs 300.
Brutally frank and moving, Dardpur is a tour de force undertaken by Kshama Kaul. Many a people have attempted to portray the pain and suffering of the people who have been caught in the whirlpool of terrorism and other related forces.

HOME