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A stage for all
the world
Neelam Mansingh
The
Prithviwallahs presented
by Shashi Kapoor with Deepa Gahlot. Roli Books. Pages 151. Price not
stated.
While
reading the book I was
reminded of the words of Bharat Muni, the sage who wrote the Natya
Shastra: Natak wohi kar sakta hai jis ka kutumb ho
(theatre can only be performed/supported by one who has a sense of
family). This fourth century aphorism was aptly reflected in the
relationships that Prithviraj Kapoor had with his actors,
technicians, backstage workers, script writers and umpteen family
members who were not only part of his itinerant repertory but also
became members of his continuously growing family.
Write choice: The
language of excellence
Malayalam
short
story writer Paul Zachariah, English novelist Upmanyu Chatterjee,
Hindi poet Viren Dangwal and Punjabi critic Satinder Singh Noor were
among the winners of the prestigious Sahitya Akademi awards for
2004. Nirupama Dutt looks at the men
and their metier.
Unto
self too, but not the people
Shastri Ramachandaran
Rendering Unto
Caesar
by Bradman Weerakoon. New Dawn Press Group (An Imprint of Sterling
Publishers), New Delhi. Pages 396. Rs 900.
Bradman
Weerakoon, admittedly, is the underling. The stars in his
firmament are the nine prime minsters and presidents of Sri Lanka
under whom he served. Of late, quite a few underlings - in the
descriptive, not pejorative, sense of the term - have come up with
their accounts. Former bureaucrats P C Alexander, T S R Subramaniam
and B G Deshmukh are the ones that come to mind, besides former
Chief Election Commissioner J M Lyngdoh.
Old wine with NRI
tag
Chetna Keer Banerjee
Whispering Vines
by Renu Mahajan
Publish America. Pages 200. Price not stated.
A
sprinkling of Mills & Boon mush. A dash of Barbara Cartland’s
roseate romanticism. And touches of a Georgette Heyer vintage pulp.
Canada-based writer Renu Mahajan’s Whispering Vines has a
bit of all this but little else. It is simply old wine in a new
bottle, with an NRI tag instead of a British byline.
In quest of
self-discovery
Rajdeep Bains
Beyond Indigo
by Preethi Nair. Harper Collins, India.
Pages 326. Rs 295.
Preethi
Nair is an author who writes about, among other issues,
identity. This is probably due to the fact that when Preethi
self-published her first novel she had to masquerade as
"publicist Preu Menon" in order to promote the book.
Preethi won the Asian Woman of Achievement award for her endeavours
and "Preu" was short-listed as Publicist of the Year for
the PPC awards. Her success as "Preu" and with the book
Gypsy Masala led to her discovery, and her intriguing true
story, which rivals any plotline, unfurled.
Real
fairy world
Jaswant Kaur
Sir Lawley’s Ghost and
Other Stories
by Asha Nehemiah.
Rupa & Co., New Delhi. Pages 134. Rs 195.
Reading
these children’s stories reminds me of an article published
in Spectrum about three years back. It was a long write-up by
Juhi Bakshi, lamenting that most of the fairy takes that children
read have lost their relevance. Quoting a few, she had made a case
for tales that are more realistic and contemporary, tales that
entrench a value system, glorify inner beauty than external
appearance and focus on truth, honesty and compassion.
Tips for global
giants
Peeyush Agnihotri
Multinationals in
India
by Jai B.P. Sinha. Sage Publications. Pages 290. Rs 350.
When
in India, do as the Indians do. That has been the theory of a
few of the successful global corporate houses, which decided to make
India their production base. Applying Darwin’s theory of evolution
to the corporate world, it can be said that only those multinational
companies (MNCs) will survive, which are most adaptable to change.
Short
takes
Check out the
right name
Randeep Wadehra
Name holds
significance for individuals
Hindu Names for Girls
by Maneka Gandhi
Penguin. Pages: ix+151. Price: Rs 200
There's
plenty in a name. It provides identity to an individual. In a
stratified society it tells a whole lot of things like one's
religious denomination, caste, region and even the village one
belongs to. In the Hindu society naming a newborn is a religious
ritual that could be rather complex - what with consulting the
family purohit, working out the horoscope and selecting an
auspicious day to hold the naamkaran sanskaar - the child-naming
ceremony.
Muslim & Parsi Names
by Maneka Gandhi & Ozair
Husain. Penguin.
Pages: xiv+527. Price: Rs 395
Rani
of Jhansi
by Dr Bhawan Singh Rana
Diamond Books, N. Delhi. Pages: 151. Price: Rs 95
Rowling
gets rolling again
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