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In pursuit of
excellence
Reviewed by Shelley Walia
Reflections on Cambridge
By Alan MacFarlane.
Social Science Press.
Pages 223. Rs 450.
AS
one approaches Cambridge, one begins to breath an air that is
infused with the wonders of knowledge and learning, with the romance
of history and culture, with curiosity, openness, awe, humour and
tolerance, and an insatiable desire for the world of progress through
freedom.
Continental drift
Reviewed by Roopinder Singh
Adrift: A Junket Junkie in Europe
By Puneetinder Kaur Sidhu.
Leadstart.
Pages 106. Rs 150.
SOMETIMES
you can judge a book by its cover. The light-hearted graphic
impressions of various important European landmarks, including items
of food and drinks, standing out against a dark background—well, the
story is like that only. ‘Life gone temporarily wrong’ becomes a
backdrop. To escape it, the author wings her way to the Continent,
making sure that the capital of romance, that certain Paris, is last
on her itinerary.
Sufism
and politics
Reviewed by Pran Nevile
The War that Wasn’t: The
Sufi and the Sultan
By Fatima Hussain.
Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers.
Rs 695. Pages 257.
SUFISM
through the ages has emerged not only as a moral but also a vibrant
socio-religious force. We cannot define Sufism or explain it
theoretically, since it can be understood only through participation
and practise. A Sufi abstains from worldly desires and material
possessions and surrenders his ‘Self’ to the Almighty so as to be
one with Him.
Evocative
tales
Reviewed by Kamaldeep Kaur
Laburnum for my Head: Stories
By Temsula Ao.
Penguin.
Pages 107. Rs 150.
THE
Naxalite movement has occupied a lot of mind space and news space in
recent times. More often than not the Naxals are hordes of faceless,
nameless, ghostly figures that ‘infest’ (sic) an area and
have the power to unleash unimaginable terror with their intelligent
strategy and meticulous planning.
Mystic’s mystique
Humra Quraishi
As his 150th birth anniversary celebrations get going, a look at the impressions Rabindranath Tagore left
on some writers and translators
FOR
this present generation, Rabindranath Tagore holds out through his
writings and verse and, of course, through those images. In fact,
today there are only a few around who’d met him, interacted with him
and can narrate tales of his charisma.
Inner
radiance
In his book Reforming
Vaishno Devi …, former J & K Governor Jagmohan recaptures
his first visit to this cave shrine. Excerpts…
Infinity extends inward as
well as
Outward – the world within is as vast
As world without. — Oppenheimer
THE
entry into the Vaishno Devi cave was an emotional and spiritual
experience of its own kind — unforgettable, unique. The tiny,
narrow, curving and dimly lit tunnelled path, with ice-cooled water
hissing my feet, created a gripping atmosphere — mysterious,
awesome, and elevating.
Manuscript
to script
Madhusree Chatterjee
Writer Advaita Kala's novel to be an offbeat film soon
CHICK-LIT
writer Advaita Kala is a having a golden run with two of her
"creative projects" — a standalone script and a book —
set to appear in their cinematic avatars in Bollywood.
Dark
side of literary criticism
John Walsh
THE
use of libel law by academics to threaten the press has been
condemned by a leading literary figure. Sir Peter Stothard, editor of
the Times Literary Supplement, spoke out against Orlando Figes,
the historian and author, after Figes’s wife confessed to writing
several reviews for Amazon.com, praising her husband’s work and
trashing that of his rivals.
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