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Dr. Dosanjh’s is one such effort. The accounts in this volume
tell us of mortal frailties, and of the exaltation of human
spirit. Going down the memory lane the various characters in
this volume poignantly depict different shades of love and
separation, of trust and betrayal, of loyalty and infidelity, of
hate and compassion. In fact the entire spectrum of human
passions and situations is portrayed here, the narrative tinged
with sadness.
Get Set Go
by
Swati-Shailesh Lodha. Fusion Books, New Delhi. Pages 264. Rs 195
 Success is subjective. For
some, it is a series of achievements while others are happy with
one small victory. Yet others set such high standards for
themselves that no matter how successful they become by others’
norms, they fall short of their own expectations. Some prefer to
keep a low profile and lead a contented life while others just
can’t have enough of public adulation. Material success is the
ultimate aim of many while others go for spiritual tranquility.
This book seeks to
help you become the best possible, and claims to provide
"astonishing results", provided you do a sequential
reading of its chapters. The authors point out that it is easier
to visualise others while it is much difficult to visualise
oneself. Obviously introspection would help. The first chapter
categorises people thus: raw failures, sophisticated failures,
the pseudo successful and the real successful. It claims that
people "fall in all the four categories at different points
of time…while playing different roles". The authors aver
that their work acts like a mirror, i.e., while going through
its contents one might identify with some of the traits and
situations described. It also provides the ingredients that
would turn you into a successful person.
Beyond Life!
Beyond Death!!
by J.S.
Anand. Dawar Publishers, Malout. Pages 72. Rs 170
 According to the Indian
tradition, a poet is Trikaaldarshi – the seer of the
three time frames, viz., the past, the present and the future.
Unlike a rhymester, the poet seeks to convey deep philosophical
and spiritual messages in a lucid manner to the common man. A
troubadour, on the other hand, is more or less a court jester
who writes to please his master.
On the more
mundane level, poetry is a succinct expression of one’s
innermost thoughts. It is perhaps the most honest form of
writing where the poet confronts his own self and, sans
artifice, bares his soul for all to see. Such verse is formed
with one’s heart and soul together. One could call it a
condensed story, but then we would have prose instead of poetry.
Poetry has rhythm, like lyrics put into a song and feelings
resounding in each musical note.
Some say that with
poetry the words of old that we use everyday are born again. I
would like to compare it with an artist working on a masterpiece
with a paintbrush.
Anand has written
with certain honesty. The spiritual content predominates. Poems
like Family Divine are insightful. Yet there is a
yearning, viz., "Ask me not my name, /let me one of
nature remain, /winds and oceans relatives mine/stars and moons
cousins shine". The poet is apparently searching for
that elusive freedom from the temporal to merge into the
sublime.
It is often said
if one thinks in one’s mother tongue while writing in English,
it results in a hybrid literary creation. But the only way one
can introduce the Indian metaphor to the world readership is
through such grassroots-level attempts.
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THE
story of Caravan, one of the stories in this book can be
summerised thus: A train from Pakistan carrying Hindus and
Sikhs has to stop at Raiwind for three days due to communications
breakdown. Wadhawa Singh cannot bear to see the plight of his family
in the heat and humidity of August. He decides to go to his friend
Fazaldin’s house, which is nearby, to fetch water. The advice of
securitymen and friends on the train is of no avail as Wadhawa has
great faith in Fazaldin’s friendship. Therefore an armed Gurdit
decides to accompany him. To Wadhawa’s shock not only does
Fazaldin deny him water but he also tries to shoot him in the back.
Gurdit, who kills Fazaldin in time, saves him.
