Literary taste as vision of life
Manisha Gangahar
Literary Taste
by Arnold Bennett. Rupa, New Delhi, Pages 172. Rs 95.
ARNOLD Bennett, often referred to as a "a man of Potteries", was a man whose area of expertise was amazingly wide. He was an English novelist, critic, playwright, essayist, and journalist and also an outstanding book reviewer. His prolific work brought him all the accomplishment and commendation he ever desired. Quite intriguingly, among his possessions was a splendidly lavish yacht, the Valsa.

Reading the tea leaves, literally
Jaswant Kaur
The Story of Tea
by E. Jaiwant Paul.
Roli Books, New Delhi. Pages 128. Rs 225.
IT is small, yet powerful; mildly bitter, yet widely accepted. Without it, life does not seem to tick. Without it, the early news-hour may lose its relevance and the leisurely evenings their pace. Well, it is nothing but a cup of tea—the official tonic of the babus and a wake-up call for most of us.

Jharkhand: a potential unfulfilled
Ashutosh Kumar
Jharkhand: Politics of Development and Identity
by Amit Prakash.
Orient Longman, Hyderabad. Pages 382. Rs 525.
THE publication of the book could hardly have been more timely, with the newly created state of Jharkhand receiving the attention of the civil society as the domicile issue hangs fire, igniting ethnic violence. The book enables us to understand this simmering identity politics, often articulated in the form of radicalism, by analysing the evolution and transformation of the Jharkhandi identity over the past half century.

Write view
On matters spiritual and educational
Randeep Wadehra
Sri Guru Nanak Dev’s Japji
by Dr. G. S. Chauhan, Hemkunt Publishers, New Delhi. Pages 208. Rs 150.
FROM time to time prophets, gurus, saints and seers have lit the spiritual torch to guide a wayward humanity. This has been true in the case of India, too, where spirituality has been a way of life. Spirituality, unlike dogmas, is not a passive philosophy. The ten Sikh Gurus through their teachings helped rejuvenate a moribund community to fight oppressive forces by inculcating spiritual discipline.