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Despite these drawbacks his Decline and Fall of the Roman
Empire is read "more for its insight into and shrewd
assessment of human nature than its historical accuracy."
During its time it was critically admired for its robust style
and magisterial account of the Roman Empire. This volume may
well whet your appetite for the more elaborate original text.
Zero Oil: 151
Snacks (Namkeen)
by Dr. Bimal Chhajer, M.D. Fusion Books, New Delhi. Pages
208. Rs 150.
 Do you love
snacks? I do. Sweet, salty, tangy, baked, roasted, fried`85
fried! Did you say "ugh"? I can understand your
revulsion. In the calorie-conscious milieu of today oil is a
yucky thought. In keeping with the trend, Chhajer has come up
with a book that has 151 zero-oil yummy recipes for salty
snacks. Baked Potato Paneer Pick-ups are just great on cool
evenings with a cuppa. Or perhaps you would like to munch
Soyabean Wheels as a light lunch? Bread Bhel Puri is just what
kids drool over. And those who want to get trendy Mini Pizzas or
Baked Corn Rolls will not be disappointed. For those with a
liking for ethnic dishes, Corn Dhokla or Suji Chellas will be
irresistible.
Heard of the
Mexican Dosa? What, you want me to reveal the recipe? Ha, that
would be telling, won’t it? Lip-smacking snacks sans the risk
of gaining flab are every gourmet’s dream. This book makes it
come true for you.
Continuum
2003
Poetry Club of India, New
Delhi. Pages 190.
Price: by subscription.
 Poetry comes in
various forms. It enables sublime symbiosis between individuals
and society, which results in not merely reflecting the latter’s
extant state of affairs but also becomes a sort of
chronicle-in-verse for the posterity. At another level, poetry
offers flights of fancy to a perfect world that is not marred by
the miseries of the real world. Thus, it is an articulation of
one’s innermost thoughts as well as a vehicle for societal
introspection. It is often said that one can evaluate a
civilisation’s condition by the status of its poets. The
Indian subcontinent’s diversity provides perennial
inspiration, varied subjects and rich inputs to poets. In
different languages they churn out poetry even when it is not a
paying proposition.
Since it is not
possible to learn all languages, translations often help us in
reading the works of poets writing in different dialects. In
this respect the Poetry Club of India’s Continuum is
doing a good job. It also provides a platform to poets writing
in English. Bangladesh poet Mahboob Hasan’s For a Night
is evocative. Uma Trilok’s Landscape conjures up images
of a glorious spring, and ends on a note of longing. Rita
Malhotra’s Memories dwells on the theme of separation.
Shyam Singh Shashi’s Manu’s Dilemma protests against
discrimination on the basis of gender, caste etc. There are
other poets, too, whose prosody does credit to this volume.
— R.W.
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CHRISTIANITY helped
reform Europe and many other parts of the world mired in
superstition and inhumane pagan practices. It introduced the world
to charity, compassion and similar other virtues. However, over a
period of time religion itself became the progenitor of intolerance,
superstitious social environment and such other evils. Consequently,
thinkers and scholars began to take a critical look at the history
and practice of Christianity. This gave birth, among other
philosophies, to deism. The deist school of thought opposed
fanaticism and irrational thought. Deists did much to establish the
intellectual milieu in 18th century Europe. Deism
flourished in England, corresponding to the time when Edward Gibbon
wrote his magnum opus Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.
The volume under review comprises two chapters excerpted from Gibbon’s
tome.
