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THE princely states of pre-independent India threw up many charismatic leaders, political stalwarts and influential princes. Among the more dynamic was Maharaja Ganga Singh of Bikaner (1880-1943). Inheriting a strife-ridden kingdom as a mere adolescent of eighteen, Ganga Singh showed a leadership and wisdom well beyond his years, successfully reigning in warring factions and carving out a meticulous, and far sighted plan of progress for Bikaner, which he executed with remarkable success. Widely acknowledged for his prowess as a warrior, he was soon regarded as an able statesman and visionary, both nationally and at international forums, many of which he attended as India’s representative. As a ruler, he changed the fortunes of his state by turning a desert kingdom into a fertile prosperous land by constructing the Ganga Canal. Spokesperson for the Indian Princes and their representative to the British, he first proposed the India of a federal state. Architect-builder, able diplomat, eloquent orator, warrior, trusted and benevolent ruler, Ganga Singh, muti-hued personality and rich legacy make him one of the most splendid figures in the vibrant history of Rajasthan. A Mirror Greens in
Spring It is 1984, and New Delhi is simmering with ethnic strife as anti Sikh riots erupt after prime minister Indira Gandhi’s assassination. This cataclysmic event serves as the backdrop to the day-to-day, ordinariness of an immigrant Bengali family’s life. Chhobi, the elder, sensitive and intelligent, is forever trying to rein in beautiful, narcisstic Sonali. Ma, their mother struggles with her loneliness after being widowed in her thirties, Dida is their feisty grandmother whose indomitable spirit prods the family on during times of adversity; and Dadu, their grandfather, is a man perpetually homesick for his estates, irretrievably lost as borders are redrawn to form Bangladesh. Sonny — rich, handsome
and arrogant — enters Sonali’s life, only to jilt her. Sonali’s
thwarted love affair, and a maritime misadventure, are the catalysts
that alter the predictable pattern of the Bengali family’s life and
propels its women to find within themselves hitherto unknown strengths-
and to evolve and deal with changed circumstances. The story traces the
gradual erosion of old values, an acceptance of new identities and for
the grandfather, at last a sense of realisation that Delhi is home.
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