|
The book narrates the story of this man who was the driving
force behind the Bombay Natural History Society and an outspoken
advocate of conservation of India’s bird life.
Aamir Khan:
Actor With a Difference
by Lata
Khubchandani. Rupa & Co. Pages 64. Rs 195.
 At the age of 38, Aamir Khan is
a decade-and-a-half old in India’s film industry and has 32
films under his belt, many of them tremendous hits. Yet the time
does not seem ripe for anyone to attempt his biography when he
has a whole life in front of him.
All through the
book the author seems to be grappling with this handicap. At one
place the emphasis is on childhood pranks which become worthy of
mention only when the person attains celebrity status. Thus we
have a detailed description of his early days, his behaviour
with parents, siblings, friends and neighbours. His adoration
for his family, his penchant for practical jokes, for which he
earned the dislike of those at whose cost these were played, his
trusting nature, his habit of not condoning unfair behaviour,
are all described in considerable detail. And the author
authenticates all this with elaborate quotes from his family,
his friends, his co-stars, producers, directors, scriptwriters
and others connected with Bollywood. We also read about how he
fell for a Hindu girl and married her secretly. The rumpus in
the two families and the final reconciliation read almost like a
film script.
Aamir’s film
career, starting with Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak in 1988 to Lagaan
and Dil Chahta Hai in 2001 is charted meticulously.
Particularly, the making of Lagaan is described in
considerable detail with all the ups and downs and the
nitty-gritty of producing the most successful film of his career
so far. But he has just launched himself as a filmmaker and has
yet to grow to his full potential. That is why it seems rather
premature to write a book on his life and achievements.
Stories of
India
by Rudyard Kipling. Edited
by Sudhakar Marathe. Penguin Books, New Delhi.
Pages 278. Rs 250.
 Kipling (1865-1936) wrote The
Jungle Book and The Second Jungle Book, which contain
some of the finest animal stories ever written. His Just So
Stories for children amusingly tell how the whale got its
throat, how the camel got its hump and how the English alphabet
was developed. Besides these books for children, he wrote much
for grown-ups too, and these are mostly collections of short
stories and many of these offer glimpses of life in 19th century
colonial India.
The present book
is a collection of 28 Kipling stories set in India of his time.
Not many authors of that age, or even of the present age, have
offered such a storehouse of information about that period. And
most of this writing he did in whatever time he could steal from
his work as a newspaper reporter which kept him on the move most
of the time. But one cross that Kipling has to bear,
particularly in the eyes of oriental readers, is his
preoccupation with glorifying the Raj and the white race at the
expense of Indians. Still there are stories that describe the
Indian scene with sensitivity. Any Indian writer would have
reason to be proud if he could write a story like ‘The Miracle
of Puran Bhagat’. The reader of today can gain a good deal of
understanding about life in 19th century colonial India, which
most of today’s generation is not fully aware of.
|
OF
all the living things that man has come in contact with, birds have
been the most fascinating. Their colourful plumages, their sweet
songs, their nesting habits, and their ability to fly freely across
the skies have roused great interest among the humans. Yet despite
this familiarity, not much had been done in the study of their
lives, habits and behaviour till the turn of the 20th century.
