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Guaging threats to the
nation
Rajendra Nath
India’s Security Changed
Perspectives
by Col Ravi Nanda. Lancer Books. Pages 251. Rs 495.
THE book deals with
various challenges that India faces both from its neighbours as well as
from inside the country. The author feels that coalition governments in
India have failed to create an effective national security mechanism to
look after country’s interests.
The first few chapters
deal with terrorism from which India has suffered more than any other
country.
A religion in the dock
Syed Nooruzzaman
Muslims in India:
Perceptions and Misperceptions
ed. Ishtiyaque Danish.
Pages 168. Rs 400.
Islam in Pakistan’s
Foreign Policy
by SAM Pasha.
Global Media Publications, New Delhi. Pages 256. Rs 600.
Muslims
and Islam have
hardly attracted as much media attention as they do now, but mostly for
wrong reasons. The community seems to be in a defensive position with
regard to the various concepts and practices associated with its
religion and institutions.
Premchand, well presented
Harbans Singh
Sevasadan: Premchand
translated by Snehal Shingavi. OUP. Pages 275. Rs 325.
THE world knows Tolstoy
and Guy de Maupassant by their works translated in English. The readers
of these authors know that it is not always easy to absorb and
comprehend the Russian and the French atmosphere that is created by the
translators. It is a challenging task to remain faithful to the original
text and make the reader appreciate its not so universal idioms and
phrases.
New light on old adventure
Jaswant Singh
The Younghusband
Expedition (to Lhasa)
by Parshotam Mehra. Gyan Publishing House, New
Delhi. Pages 418. Rs 890.
ANY mention of the Cold
War brings to mind a vision of East-West confrontation in the
post-second World War era, which ended with the collapse of the Soviet
Union. But almost a century before this, two major imperial powers,
Great Britain and Czarist Russia, were involved in a similar rivalry.
The Czar had his eyes on Central Asia and through it to the warm waters
of the seas to the south.
Snapshot
Fun on wheels
Roopinder Singh
Driving Holidays in India
by Bob Rupani Rupani Media, Mumbai.
Pages 278. Rs 495
Driving holidays are for
those who love to explore what is beyond the horizon. They involve
seeing new places and going to different destinations; in fact, just
going, since every destination is the beginning of a new journey. Narayan M (or Bob as he is
widely known) Rupani is a senior motoring journalist.
Intricate tapestry of life
Amarinder Sandhu
Only the Eyes are Mine
by Usha Alexander. Frog
Books, Mumbai. Pages 227. Rs 249.
SET in India and the US
and spanning two generations, Only the Eyes are Mine is Usha
Alexander’s debut novel. It portrays the panorama of life as the
protagonist, Sita, struggles to give meaning to her solitary existence. Alexander intricately
weaves the lives of her characters together in emotionally compelling
scenes. Written with a graceful flair, the language is simple.
Sordid tale of street life
Priyanka Singh
Sadak Chhaap
by Meher Pestonji.
Penguin.
Pages 190. Rs 250.
STREET life, as it is, can
only be imagined. For some who’ve worked closely for and with children
living off the footpath, the experience assumes a reality that is hard
to shake off. Meher has campaigned for housing rights for slum-dwellers
and greater sensitivity towards street children. Her level of
involvement comes through in the narrative and a parallel is easy to
draw between her and Aparna didi, the anchor for "sadak chhaaps."
Scroll
down the ages
Usha Bande
A
story goes that once
Picasso, the great artist, wanted a cupboard made. He had a particular
design in mind. Picking up a piece of paper, he casually sketched a
pencil design for the carpenter. When the cupboard was ready and Picasso
asked about the charges, the carpenter took out the sketch from his
pocket and said naively, "Just sign it sir, that’s all I
want."
Will
truth sell?
Bob Thompson
ITS
author got a $3,000 advance. Its initial print run was 5,000 copies. Its
editor remembers smugly thinking it would sell 20,000. He was off by
only 310,000 copies. So far. How did philosopher Harry Frankfurt's
"On Bullshit" turn into the year's most surprising bestseller?
Short Takes
Her story in figures
Randeep Wadehra
-
Gender Realities
by Manvinder Kaur &
Ameer Sultana. Abhishek Publications, Chandigarh. Pages 187. Rs 395.
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The Other Voice
by Nandini Sahu Authors Press. Pages
xii+137. Rs 150.
American children’s pick
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