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Symbol of
spirituality
Roopinder Singh
Sri Harimandar Sahib: The Body Visible of the Invisible Supreme
by Daljeet and P.C. Jain.
Sri Harimandar Sahib: Adrish Nirakar Shakti da Drish Swarup
by Ma Anand Bharati, Daljeet and P.C. Jain. Photographs by Rajbir Singh
Prakash Books, New Delhi. Pages 176 each. Rs 1,595 each.
THE
Golden Temple is indeed a tangible expression of the living spiritual
tradition of Sikh faith. Art and architecture often combine to give us
magnificent edifices, but when celestial music is added, the experience
is sublimely soul stirring, so much so that this epi-centre of Sikh
faith attracts over hundreds of thousands of visitors daily.
Painful
story of Palestine
Janine di Giovanni
City of Oranges
by Adam LeBor Bloomsbury 18 £
EVERY
good journalist knows that the best way to engage a reader in a
complicated story is to create a great narrative and build a microcosm
from the macrocosm. City of Oranges is a fine example of how to
tell the story of an otherwise complicated and twisted historical tale
by putting it in the hands of a rich cast of characters.
Critical
multiculturalism
Harbans Singh
Multicultural America:
Conversations with Contemporary Authors
by Nibir K. Ghosh. Unistar. Pages 208. Rs 395
EVEN
a casual student of American literature finds what Morris Dickstein
terms as "the ever shifting margins of American society" in Multicultural
America as something very close to the Indian experience. It is this
aspect of the American literature that Nibir K. Ghosh has tried to
explore in his illuminating conversations with contemporary authors in
America.
More
Bollywood fare
Rachna Singh
The Essential Guide To
Bollywood
by Subhash K. Jha. Roli Books. Pages 176. Rs 395.
100 Bollywood Films
by Rachel Dwyer. Roli Books. Pages 251. Rs 295.
FILMS
are an integral part of the Indian psyche. Most Indians grow up singing
‘filmi’ songs or mouthing ‘filmi’ dialogues. Dialogues like
Gabbar Singh’s, "Kitne aadmi the?"or Shashi
Kapoor’s, "Mere paas ma hai", have been
recorded in the annals of Bollywood history. Jha’s The Essential
Guide to Bollywood taps the Indian love for cinema and cine stars.
Sanity
vs strife
Komal Vijay Singh
Tremors of Violence: Muslim Survivors of Ethnic Strife in Western
India
by Rowena Robinson Sage. Pages 262. Rs 295.
THIS
is an urbane and analytical social treatise that examines and attempts
to define the Muslim identity. The premise of the study has come up in
the backdrop and aftermath of increased, organised violence in recent
times against Muslims.
Matter
of honour
Eminent
author Mahasweta Devi and well-known theatre personality Habib Tanvir
were appointed as National Research Professors in recognition of their
unique contributions to the fields of literature and theatre,
respectively.
Double
delight of jungle world
Rubinder Gill
The Thama Stories
by Kamala Laxman. Puffin Books. Pages 124. Rs 150.
Delightful
adventures of little Thama, the beautiful and happy baby elephant,
elicit more than a chuckle as the stories progress. Kamala Laxman has
written happy and simple stories for children, chronicling experiences
of Thama with other creatures of the forest, who he wins over with his
childish naivet`E9 and pranks. To add to the delight are illustrations
by the famous R.K. Laxman.
Discourse
on separatism
M Rajivlochan
Religion, Identity and
Nationhood: the Sikh Militant Movement
by Paramjit S. Judge. Rawat Publications, Jaipur. Pages 272. Rs 550.
Paramjit
Judge has been most judicious in this book. He takes a magisterial view
of historical sociology, treading with equal majesty over the terrain
populated by historians and sociologists. In the process, he gives us
one of the most balanced explanations of the imbrications between
religion, the nation and identities, both personal and collective.
Dan
Brown in the dock
Cahal Milmo
IN
the ornate setting of the Royal Courts of Justice in Central London, the
author of The Da Vinci Code, who made £45m in 2004 alone,
is being sued for allegedly ripping off the work of two biblical sleuths
bent on rewriting Christian history, to provide the basis for his
bestseller.
SHORT TAKES
Enjoyable tales
Randeep Wadehra
-
Shielding Her Modesty
& other stories
by Sita Bhaskar Frog Books.
Pages: 135. Rs. 200.
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Death demystified
by Isher Singh Sobti. Pages: viii+149. Rs. 150.
-
Glow of the Setting
Sun
by Virendra Menhdiratta
(translation: MM Mathur) Unistar. Pages: 136. Rs. 250.
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