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Unsung diaspora
Himmat Singh Gill
From Jhelum to Tana by Neera Kapur-Dromsom. Penguin Books. Pages 433.
Rs 395.
The
Punjabis are known for their intrepid spirit and answering the call of
the unknown by venturing across the seven seas in pursuit of making a
better livelihood. Accounts of the early migration of the Sikh
predominant peasantry to the Imperial Valley in California or the
perilous sail across the oceans by Gurdit Singh and his fearless band of
men in the Komagata Maru to Canada, where the Western Pacific Railway
awaited their long hours of labour and toil, are of course well
documented by now.
Public
reforms: Islands of excellence
V. Eshwar Anand
Learn From Them: A Compilation
of Best Practices
Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances, Government
of India. Penguin Enterprise, Pages 177. Rs 225
Administrative
reforms and good governance are pet subjects of Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh. Ever since he took charge in South Block three years ago, he has
taken various initiatives to make the administrative system transparent
and result-oriented.
Beautiful
tales of yore
Amarinder Sandhu
The Magic Drum and Other Favourite Stories
by Sudha Murthy. Puffin Original.
Pages 145. Rs 150.
Storytelling is an art which seems to have died. Before television
invaded the households, children gathered around their grandparents
after dinner and grandpa or grandma would spin yarns. Stories were
passed down the generations. The Magic Drum and Other Favourite
Stories is an excellent attempt by the author to keep these stories
alive. Some stories never grow old, and Murthy has captured the very
essence of these tales. The stories are eminently readable, beautifully
spun and will have a mass audience.
Catch it
Gaurav Kanthwal
Men in White: A Book of Cricket by Mukul Kesavan. Penguin Viking. Pages
278. Rs 395.
Going
by the title and introduction of this book, one anticipates reading
specifically about Test cricket, but inside all the talk is about
cricket in general. The simplicity of description invites the reader to
trace the evolution of cricket and the way the game is played and
watched now. It records an experience of a fan who watches real action
on the ground and how those spectacular events are etched in his memory
as sublime forever.
Potter Successor
found?
Lindesay Irvine
An
epic quest for an elusive golden grail, journeys around the world,
fierce challenges, clues found in dusty manuscripts along with many a
red herring.
Sensitive minds
Ramesh Luthra
21 Under 40
edited by Anita Roy. Zubaan, New Delhi.
Pages 239. Rs 295.
‘21 Under 40’ is a remarkable
anthology of short stories penned by South Asian Women. It can be truly
called an appreciable attempt by Anita Roy to bring the young talent to
the very doorstep of all those who are fond of this genre. It gives us a
nice glimpse of the sensitive perceptions and observations of the young
writers who look at life from their own angle.
Grandad of Punjabi
novel
Sidhu Damdami
The
grand old man of the Punjabi literature Surinder Singh Narula who passed
away recently in Ludhiana where he lived most of his life, belonged to a
tribe of Punjabi writers who not only had a background in English but
also made their debut as writers in English before switching to Punjabi
in the fifth and sixth decade of the last century.
Nigerian who gave
Africans a voice
Chinua
Achebe began writing after an aborted career in politics because he had
a burning desire to change the world. Two years later, his first novel, Things
Fall Apart, set in his Nigerian homeland, did just that.
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