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Hinglish:
Yay or Nay?
Though the guardians of Hindi
decry this hybridisation and take a protectionist stand, it has become
a popular form of urban communication
Chutnefying English: The
Phenomenon of Hinglish
Eds. Rita Kothari and Rupert Snell.
Penguin. Pages 235. Rs 299.
Reviewed by Balwinder Kaur
AN
enthusiastic voice on TV proclaims, "Yeh hai youngistan meri jaan!",
while the logo of a popular brand of cold drink flashes. Steaming
noodles are offered with the tagline "Taste bhi, health bhi."
All of this is watched on "Asli HD". When we venture out,
our eyes drift to posters promoting movies like Always Kabhi Kabhi
and Bheja Fry.
Urdu
Book Review
Poetic images
of Kashmir
Barf Aashnaa Parindey
By Tarannum Riyaz.
Educational Publishing House.
Pages 544. Rs 400.
Reviewed by N. S. Tasneem
BORN
and brought up in Srinagar, Tarannum Riyaz started her career as a
broadcaster at the All-India Radio, Srinagar. She is an alumna of
Kashmir University where she obtained M.A. and M.Ed. degrees and
started teaching in educational institutions.
Eye-Catcher
Rooted in the past
Journey with the Gurus: Volume I
By Inni Kaur.
Sikh Education and Cultural Foundation, Norwalk, CT, USA.
Pages 162. Price not stated.
Reviewed by Roopinder Singh
Children in Punjab grow up learning about Guru Nanak and Sikh ethos from elders in the house, through the recitation of Janamsakhis, or hagiographic accounts of the Gurus and their lives.
The Sikh diaspora acutely feels the need to carry on the tradition by involving the younger generations.
In
sync with the times
Priya: In Incredible
Indyaa
By Namita Gokhale.
Viking/Penguin.
Pages 193. Rs 350.
Reviewed by Aditi Garg
MUCH
has been said and written about the Great Indian Woman, be it
in the role of the sacrificing mother, the understanding wife, the
scheming mother-in-law or the dutiful sister. A lot of it is still
relevant, but not all is as serene as it appears.
Reforming
the defence system
India’s Higher Defence
Organisation and Management
By Wing Commander R. Venkataraman.
KW Publishers.
Pages 302. Rs 880.
Reviewed by P. K. Vasudeva
IT
has been convincingly affirmed that the military debacle of 1962 is
directly attributable to the failure of the Higher Defence Management
(HDM). If the Indian leadership of 1947 had the resolve to establish
the Higher Defence Organisation (HDO) through a Cabinet resolution
within weeks of gaining Independence, nothing would have gone wrong in
the first 15 years of Independence and subsequently, too.
Poignant
tale
The Lake Shore Limited
By Sue Miller.
Loomsbury.
Pages 270. £7.99.
Reviewed by Emma Hagestadt
WHEN
the curtain goes up on Sue Miller’s new novel, we find ourselves at
the first night of a soon-to-be hit play. The unfolding drama concerns
a man coming to terms with the death of his wife in a terrorist attack
on a Chicago train.
Ode
to Odissi
S. D. Sharma
Dancer Dona Ganguly talks about
the role and relevance of classical artistes in times of
commercialisation
Indian
classical dance forms, divine in origin and with a spiritual grandeur,
have been influencing the cultural life of art lovers since ages and
with the passage of time, many genres have even evolved. But every
form, be it Bharatnatyam, Odissi, Kathakali, Kathak, Manipuri or
Kuchipudi, exudes its own aura and breathes its own mood and
character," opines acclaimed Kolkata-based Odissi dancer Dona Roy
Ganguly.
Tête-à-tête
Policeman’s
pen
Nonika Singh
Between
a police baton and a writer’s pen ... there is a world of
difference. But eminent Punjabi playwright Swarajbir crosses this
distance with effortless ease, letting neither his writing felicity
nor his job as Inspector-General (CISF) interfere with the other. Nor
do the responsibilities of each infringe upon each other and
intermingle.
Short Takes
Poetry, drug abuse and eminence
Reviewed by Randeep Wadehra
A Touch of Greatness
By R. M. Lala.
Rupa.
Pages xii+210. Rs 195.
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