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OFF
the shelf
Jinnah and his
politics
V. N. Datta
M. A. Jinnah: Views and Reviews
ed. M. R. Kazimi, Oxford University Press, Karachi. Pages 260. Rs 550.
THIS
is a collection of 13 essays on Mr Jinnah and his creation of Pakistan.
Most of these have been published previously. Some of the contributors
are experts on Jinnah; of the13 contributors, nine are British and
American and four Pakistani, though one or them, Ayasha Jalal, is based
in the US. None is from India.
INTERVIEW
‘Writing is
therapy for me’
Chetan Bhagat of Five-Point
Someone and One Night @Call Centre fame is a youth icon but
he himself idolises Mahatma Gandhi. Ritusmita
Biswas meets the acerbic writer for a tete-a-tete
Chetan
Bhagat, 31, is an investment banker in Hong Kong by day but a
writer by night. An alumnus of IIT, Delhi, his experience at the
institute was the fodder for his first novel Five Point Someone
which became an instant hit. He was also judged the Best Outgoing
Student at IIM, Ahmedabad.
Search
for metaphors
Arun Gaur
Vanishing Acts New and Selected
Poems 1985—2005
by Ranjit Hoskote. Penguin. Pages 219. Rs 250
THE
present volume contains some of the selected poems from the three
earlier anthologies of the poet: Zones of Assault (1991), The
Cartographer’s Apprentice (2000), The Sleepwalker’s Archive
(2001). To these selections a new body of poetry—Vanishing Acts—has
been appended.
Seeds
of thought are sown at last
P. K. Vasudeva
India in a Globalising World:
Some Aspects of Macro economy, Agriculture and Poverty
ed. R Radhakrishna, S. K. Rao, S Mahendra Dev and K. Subarao Academic
Foundation, New Delhi. Price not stated.
Pages 528.
THE
papers in this volume are a tribute to Prof C. H. Hanumantha Rao one of
India’s most distinguished economists. The papers in this volume
relate to few important themes on India in the context of globalising
world. The themes include Macro Issues in Development, covering
issues such as changing role of Reserve Bank of India, fiscal federalism
performance of firms, macro modelling and governance.
Divided
House
Rajdeep Bains
Four Steps From Paradise
by Timeri N. Murari. Penguin. Pages 654. Rs 325.
PICTURES
in words", is what comes to mind on reading Four Steps from
Paradise. A refreshing change from most novels today that appear to
cater to readers with short attention spans, here is finally someone who
dares to explore the world of writing in all its glorious possibilities
and shuns the quick and dramatic in favour of the creative and
leisurely.
Salute
to chronicler of rural India
Harbans Singh
My Life and times: Premchand
Created
by Madan Gopal. Roli Books. Rs 295. Pages 230.
EVEN
if the purists are not entirely happy with the form of My Life And
Times as an autobiographical narrative of Munshi Premchand, it is a
welcome addition to the recent trend of rediscovering Indian literature
through English.
Bible
trivia by NRI author
Frederick Noronha
WHILE
a section of Christians in India are up in arms over the film The Da
Vinci Code, an Indian Christian in Britain has written an unusual
book on the Bible with all kinds of trivia and titbits like the origins
of Christmas carols.
Let
go of ego
Aradhika
A New Earth
by Eckhart Tolle Penguin. Pages 309. £ 11
A
New Earth and a new Awakening
to your life’s purpose is a presentation from the bestselling
author of The Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle. A New Earth
will prove to be a cornerstone for self improvement for years to come is
very probable.
SHORT TAKES
Discovery of self
Randeep Wadehra
-
The truth about getting
your point across
by Lonnie Pacelli Pearson Education, N.
Delhi. Pages: xviii + 247. Rs 225.
-
Loving God
by Baba Virsa Singh Sterling. Pages 84. Rs 75.
-
Me, a winner
by Bobby Menon & Jyothi
Menon. EastWest Books, Chennai. Pages: xx + 129. Rs 195.
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