Nuances of insurgency
Nirbhai Singh
Violent politics: A History of Insurgency, Terrorism and Guerrilla Warfare
by William R. Polk. Hayhouse Pages xxxii+274. Rs 395.
VIOLENCE, in the forms of insurgency, guerrilla warfare, and terrorism, is the destructive aspect of human nature. It is symbolic of man’s destructive capacity of dehumanisation of humanity. It is order of the day in the global scenario. Asian countries are in the cauldron of terrorism. The present book is an eye-opener for the critical readers for having a proper perspective on hunger for temporal power and economic hegemony of the US and Britain combine with atomic energy for lording over the world politics.

Time to redefine judiciary’s role
V. Eshwar Anand
The Judiciary and Governance in India
by Madhav Godbole. Rupa. Pages 646. Rs 795.
Bacon once said judges must only declare law and do not make law. However, given the manner in which the Indian judiciary has been functioning in the past few years, many may not subscribe to his view. Looking at the evolution of judicial review, independence and activism in India, one can safely infer that the Supreme Court is extraordinarily powerful today.

Pursuit of higher education
Jayanti Roy
Beyond Degrees: Finding Success in Higher Education
Ed. Ira Pande. HarperCollins. Pages 285. Rs 395.
WHAT images come in your mind when you think of Indian higher education? Campus violence? Striking professors? Unresponsive students? Decadent buildings? Moribund syllabi? Rotting administration? Or some other negative image? Obviously, our education system is at fault. But if on the other hand images conjuring up are that of dedicated teachers, thinking students and a vibrant academic atmosphere, there might be something good too!

Action-packed treasure hunt
Aditi Garg
Engine Trouble
by K. Subramannya. Rupa. Rs 295. Pages 331.
LIFE is a roller coaster ride that we are all destined to take even if we abhor the very idea of adventure. We can never be fully prepared to comprehend the complexities that life might burden us with. It sometimes leads us to journey the unknown and then we have no choice but to confront our worst fears. Those who manage to survive the onslaught are the winners in the game of life, while others merely exist.

A spiritual journey
Kanchan Mehta
Swami Ranganathananda Reader
Ed. Rajiv Mehrotra. Rupa. Pages 475. Rs 295.
AN avid reader of fiction, this reviewer entered the spiritual realm of Swami Ranganathananda Reader frowningly, but ended with it blessedly—infused with much-needed spiritual uplift. The sacred writings of the erudite, legend monk, the eponym Swami Ranganathananda, enriches the reader spiritually, educating them—thoroughly and analytically—to the scientific spiritual philosophy, Vedanta.

Little workers
Suchet Kumar
Child Labour: Problem and Policy Implications
by Dr S.S. Chhina. Regal Publications, New Delhi. Pages 109. Rs 450.
THE problem of child labour has assumed alarming proportions in India. S.S. Chinna has rightly brought out harsh truths and facts regarding economic exploitation of children in form of child labour through his wide empirical study of Punjab. The book conceptualises child labour from the socio-economic perspective and explains its grave situation in the Indian context.

Price of honesty
Yasmin Alibhai-Brown
COURAGE mon amie, I say to Julie Myerson. Her new book, The Lost Child, is a candid reflection on her son Jake, whose teenage cannabis habit led to a calamitous family breakdown and his ejection from the home. All week the writer has been vilified as heartless, an evil mother, and a canny money-spinner selling her own flesh for cash. Pray why the molten vituperation?

Indian authors must write more about heritage
MAN Asian nominee Tulsi Badrinath says in order to expand their global appeal Indian authors should explore geographical and spiritual heritage instead of blindly following critics who dismiss spirituality as a weak ploy to attract foreign readers. Badrinath, who has been nominated for the Man Asian Literary Prize, rubbishes critics who point out that Indian authors are often fixated with theories of karma and aatma (soul).

Aligarh boy turns author at 11
Abdul Sabur Kidwai is just 11 years old, and he has already authored a 32-page book on how three boys foil a bank robbery. And he aspires to be a "great author" one day. A student of Class VI at Al-Barkaat Public School in Aligarh, Kidwai’s work of fiction has already hit the market, courtesy New Delhi’s Sanbun Publishers.

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