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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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