Free India’s journey
Kavita Soni-Sharma
India Since Independence
by Bipan Chandra, Mridula Mukherjee and Aditya Mukherjee.
Penguin Books. Pages 771. Rs 395.
THERE is more to India than its ancient civilisation, spiritual traditions and various systems of belief. Professors Bipan Chandra, Mridula Mukherjee and Aditya Mukherjee have brought out a comprehensive volume on the history of contemporary India, called India Since Independence.

Mistress of tales
Strong women characters have been an important part of Chitra Banerjee Devakaruni’s books. In an interview with Shoma A. Chatterji, she talks about her life as an Indian writer settled in the US and her work. Excerpts:
Chitra Banerjee Devakaruni’s work is widely known in the literary circle, having been published in over 50 magazines, including the Atlantic Monthly and The New Yorker, and being included in over 50 anthologies.

Janhavi’s musings
It does not take years of mature reflection to ponder on the vicissitudes of life and write about them. The following excerpt has been taken from Aloft on Wings of Grit, a collection by poems of Janhavi Malhotra. As Ruskin Bond says in the Foreword, Janhavi is "able to express herself in so fluent, and at times powerful language." This when she is 14.

Spirit of womanhood
Satinder K. Girgla
Lilacs Bloom in my Backyard
by Meenu Mehrotra.
Rupa. Pages 284. Rs 195.
THE novel is a bold depiction of a challenging subject—alternate sexuality. Written in simple prose, it revolves around a modern professional woman who courageously defies the age-old traditions and chooses to lead her life the way she wants without bothering about society.

In the realm of desire
Alev Adil
The Consequences Of Love
by Sulaiman Addonia. Chatto & Windus
£ 12.99
Sulaiman Addonia’s first novel is a spirited and politically provocative romance set in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in 1989. Nasser, a young Eritrean refugee, is lonely and at a loose end.

The Babbar insurrection
Nirbhai Singh
The Babbar Akali Case Judgement: From Liberation of Gurudwaras to National Liberation
Eds Malwinderjit Singh Waraich and Gurdev Singh Sidhu.
Unistar, Chandigarh. Pages XII+432. Rs 695.
THE book is based on a manuscript procured from Shaheed Bhagat Singh Museum at Khatkar Kalan, Nawan Sher, Punjab.

PUNJABI REVIEW
Slice of rural life
B. S. Thaur
Pind Awazan Marda
by Bachan Bedil.
Pages 103. Rs 125.
THIS book by Punjabi poet Bachan Bedil contains anthropological and ethnological impressions of his own village in verse. One of the first books on village life, Mera Pind, was written by Giani Gurdit Singh in 1961. A virtual anatomy of village life, Mera Pind now is in its 8th edition, which speaks of its becoming a legendary in its own right.

SHORT TAKES
New-age commandments
Randeep Wadehra

• MODEL: The Return of the Employee
  by Mukul Deva. Response.
  Pages 227. Rs 270.

• Enlightenment: Right Here, Right Now!
  by Sirshree. Tej Gyan Foundation.
  Pages 256. Rs 160.

• The Sikhism
  by Jagjit Singh. B. Chattar Singh Jiwan Singh, Amritsar.
  Pages: xviii+262. Rs 300.

Bawdy Tintin goes off the shelf
The Spanish version of one of Tintin’s most famous tales, The Blue Lotus, has been withdrawn from the bookstores due to its bawdy content.

Book on Sivaji Ganesan
A new book by S. Theodore Baskaran Sivaji Ganesan: Profile of an Icon in the memory of Tamil actor Sivaji Ganesan and part of a series on the legends of Indian cinema has been released recently.

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