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Treatise on
human rights
Reviewed by V. Eshwar Anand
World of All Human Rights, Soli Sorabjee
— A Festschrift
R.N. Trivedi (Ed)
Universal Law Publishing Co. Pages 283. Rs 595
Soli
J. Sorabjee is an eminent jurist and constitutional expert. In a
distinguished career spanning over five decades, he has been championing
the cause of human rights, the rule of law, constitutional values and
probity, integrity and rectitude in public life.
Illusions
and delusions
Reviewed by Rumina Sethi
The Flaws in the Jewel
Roderick Matthews
Harper Collins, New Delhi. Pages 312. Rs. 350.
Other
than recounting a full and detailed history of the British Raj in
India, The Flaws in the Jewel is unremarkable. The well-trod
issues of studies about British rule in India are all there: the wonder
how a small nation like Britain could control a gargantuan Indian
population; the motives behind British colonialism; the extent to which
the British actually realised their own significance and power; the
worthiness and advantages of British rule, both for us and them; and the
real reasons for their departure from India, leaving behind the debris
of partition.
Tick
your way to efficiency
Reviewed by Jayanti Roy
The Checklist Manifesto: How to
Get Things Right
By Atul Gawande.
Penguin Books. Pages 209. Rs 399.
The
world is becoming more and more complex. With an avalanche of new
technologies and an enormous amount of knowledge and information input,
even our daily lives are becoming confusing labyrinths of details,
deadlines, do’s and don’ts. Most of us will agree that we all seem
to drown in a deluge of this complexity. Now, add to this increasing
complexity a crisis situation where human lives are at stake. For
example, operation theatres where a single mistake can be the only
difference between life and death or a flight in midair where a
pilot’s forgetfulness may cost hundreds of lives.
Who
killed her father-in-law?
Reviewed by Harbir K Singh
No Flying from Fate
By Saurbh Katyal.
Gyaana Books, Delhi. Pages 328. Rs 295.
The
story begins with a telephone call to a private detective, Vishal
Bajaj, informing him about the murder of Anil. The call is from his old
flame, Aditi. He recognises her voice even after three years of no
contact. The call fills him with nostalgia as his mind goes back to
their college days and the time spent together. He notes down her
address and promises to reach the farmhouse at the earliest. There he
meets Aditi and other family members. Vishal finds Aditi even more
beautiful and alluring. She tells him about the party organised to
celebrate the 60th birthday of Paras Kapoor, her father-in-law. The
deceased was one of his three sons.
Delving
deep into darkness
Reviewed by Rajbir Deswal
The Chaotic Age
By Dr Balbir Singh.
Omega Publications. Pages 90. Rs 150.
The
present anthology of poems laments the travails, turmoils and
tribulations of present times, woven into a frilled treatise,
embroidered with pangs and pains, flowing from the pen of the author,
and breaking free only to allow some nostalgia of the eras gone by, and
wilfully forgotten. Balbir Singh celebrates life sans lifelessness, in a
kind of chaos and crisis—of faith, honesty, righteousness, beauty,
trust, aesthetics, compassion and social and humanistic concerns.
A
life out of sync
Reviewed by Charandeep Singh
House Rules
By Jodi Picoult.
Hachette India. Pages 532. Rs 595.
A
perfect potboiler for a typical Bollywood movie, this book Makes
one draw an analogy with My Name is Khan, in which Shah Rukh Khan
suffers from Asperger's syndrome. The main protagonist of the book is
Jacob Hunt, an 18-year-old autistic boy, who suffers from Asperger's.
But what Jodi Picoult has been able to tell the world about the
character suffering from autism, Karan Johar hasn't been able to
justify. The movie is now in pale in comparison to the riveting account
that Picoult presents in her book.
No
child’s play
Writing kids' books is tough,
says Shubhadra Sen Gupta
Madhusree Chatterjee
It
is a tough job being a children's book author, but the heartening
news is that the number of young readers in India has increased in the
last decade, says much-loved writer Shubhadra Sen Gupta.
Back
of the book
Cinema,
celestial beings and a curse
Sex in Cinema
by Fareed Kazmi;
Rupa & Co; Rs.395.
Female
sexuality has held Indian cinema together for nearly 80 years.
The women leads play a decisive role in a movie's rating at the box
office. This book traces the history of female sexuality and its
portrayal in movies. From Meena Kumari to haughty mother-in-law Lalita
Pawar - women characters have been known for particular traits in Indian
cinema, be it Pyaasa or Salaam Namaste.
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