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Asia’s
next giant?
M. Rajivlochan
India and Emerging Asia
by R. R. Sharma. Sage, New Delhi. Pages 331. Rs 640.
A
dozen Jawaharlal Nehru University scholars of considerable repute have
been brought together by Prof. R. R. Sharma to provide some insights
into the role that India could possibly play in Asia in the future. They
all presume, and quite rightly, that the pursuit of India’s foreign
policy leaves much to be desired. It is without any focus and with no
particular objective. Neither is it clear where the interests of India
lie in Asia and how to fulfil these goals.
Scholar
who gave us back our folklore
Usha Bande
AK
Ramanujan, known to the literary world as an Indian poet writing in
English and a great critic-scholar has made immense contribution to the
field of Indian and South Asian folklore, translation and Indian
aesthetics. He revealed to us the beauty of our folklore and myths,
their versatility and taught us to look at them with honor, not with
shame. “Indian folk tale traditions are the richest in the world,”
he said as he translated the Kannada folk tales into English and brought
out the elegance of the Tamil Sangam poetry to the notice of the
world.
Scripting
success
Roopinder Singh
The Other Side of Me
by Sidney Sheldon. Harper Collins. Pages 369. Rs 195.
When
you are an octogenarian, you are well justified in wanting to write an
autobiography. However, you should have done something to write about,
and you should know how to write about your life. Born
on February 11, 1917, in Chicago, Illinois, USA, Sidney Sheldon has much
to write about.
Modern
talking
D. S. Cheema
Empire of Knowledge by Vinay
Lal.
Vistaar Publications, New Delhi. Pages 287. Rs 380.
This
book presents a powerful critique of the politics of knowledge as seen
by the US through its “tinted powered glasses” and as understood by
the rest of the world. It is an extraordinary book by an extraordinary
author. It is a hard-reading, serious-business book for the
intelligentsia, who have the patience to analyse a new and, till now,
largely unchallenged point of view.
A
man with rare vision
P. K. Vasudeva
I too had a dream
ed. Dr Verghese Kurien. Roli Books, New Delhi. Pages 249. Rs 395.
The
country has been lucky to have a selfless, committed and self-effacing
nationalist and a journalist like Dr Verghese Kurien who has been able
to dedicate his life for the improvement of quality of life and health
of millions of countrymen of the economically weaker section of society
and transforming them into productive members of the nation.
Poetry
of terror
Philip Hensher
Poetry,
now, has a function, and if you’re too ignorant to know about, or too
idle to find something which might perform that function, you write your
own. That’s even better. You bet your life that when Calum Best was
announced as down to read “a poem” at his father’s funeral, it
wasn’t going to be Lycidas but some confection deriving from an eager
fan.
Ai
gham-e-dil kya karoon
Nirupama Dutt
The
literary circuits in Delhi this December are suddenly talking about a
man called Majaz. The literati, of course, introduce him, these days
thus: "You know Majaz was the uncle of Javed Akhtar. Majaz’s
sister was married to Javed’s father, you know." Well, why this
sudden interest in Mamu Jaan? The interest is generated by an exhibition
on his life and work mounted first at the India International Centre and
then at Jamia Milia.
Boost
to primary education
Arun Gaur
Elementary Education for the Poorest and Other Deprived Groups: The
Real Challenge of Universalization by Jyotsna Jha and Dhir Jhingran.
Manohar, New Delhi. Pages 348. Rs 895.
In
one of the numerous boxes provided by the authors in the book, we find
these trenchant nuggets: A teacher often sends his son in place of
himself at Dhubri, Assam; a maktab functions inside the
government primary school at Araria, Bihar; the school (EGS) at Sidhi,
Madhya Pradesh, functions for 1-2 hours whenever the high caste,
politically connected Guruji decides to come; and the teacher beats
lower caste children more savagely in a school at Shravasti, Utter
Pradesh.
A
jungle of poems
Shalini Rawat
The Puffin Book of Poetry for
Children: 101 Poems
eds. Eunice de Souza and Melanie Silgardo. Penguin Books India. Pages
103. Rs 175.
Confetti
Netas
S. Nihal Singh
SHORT TAKES
Tribute to Krishna
Randeep Wadehra
-
Krishna
by Shanta Rameshwar Rao (Paintings: Bulbul Sharma)
Orient Longman, Hyderabad. Pages 159. Rs. 750.
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Educational
implications of Guru Nanak Dev’s Concept of Man
by Kuldip Singh
Kahlon
K.K. Publications, Patiala. Pages: xvi + 196. Rs. 325.
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Memory Techniques for
Science Students
by Neerja Roy Chowdhury Fusion
Books, Delhi. Pages: 160. Rs 95.
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