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Intellectual
compendium
Reviewed by Roopinder Singh
Indian Persuasions: 50 years
of Seminar: Selected Writings
Ed. Rudrangshu Mukherjee.
Roli Books. Pages 544. Rs 695.
TO
judge a book by its cover would be a transgression for whom only the
written world matters. Yet, this cover comprises letters that when
read together become the names of some of the finest minds in India,
collectively representing a formidable intellectual legacy. Their
coming together on the same page, so to say, shows the vision of the
people who brought them together.
Dichotomy
of modern life
Reviewed by Aradhika Sharma
Balancing Act
By Meera Godbole Krishnamurthy.
Penguine Books.
Pages 226. Rs 250.
AS
in most ‘first’ books, writer Meera Godbole, falls back on
her personal experiences in life and draws heavily from them,
exploring her own life and choices as she does so. Balancing Act is
the story of a professional architect who gets married, has children
and decides to be a stay-at-home mother.
Enigmatic
conservationist
Reviewed by Parbina Rashid
A Boy From Siklis: The Life
and Times of Chandra Gurung
By Manjushree Thapa.
Penguin Books.
Pages 226. Rs 250.
MORE
often than not, the theory of conservation is viewed in isolation as
something that separates us from nature ‘out there’ and thus
leading us to don the role of a saviour, but essentially as a separate
entity.
Fascinating
trilogy
Reviewed by Ramesh Luthra
Akela and the Blue Monster
Pages 118. Rs 100.
Akela and the Asian Tsunami
Pages 119. Rs 100.
Akela and the UFOs
Pages 119. Rs 100.
By Chaman Nahal. Aruvik Publishers.
VERY
rarely does one come across a litterateur who devotes his creative
power to writing for children. It is indeed creditable on the part of
Chaman Nahal, a reputed writer, to have come up with the Akela
trilogy—Akela and the Blue Monster, Akela and the Asian Tsunami
and Akela and the UFOs—for young readers.
An
illustrious emperor
Reviewed by Kanwalpreet
Shah Jahan: The Rise and Fall
of the Mughal Emperor
By Fergus Nicoll.
Penguin Books.
Pages 332. Rs 899.
SHAH
JAHAN, the sixth Mughal Emperor of India, is best remembered for
getting the Taj Mahal constructed in tribute to his wife, Arjumand
Banu, better known as Mumtaz Mahal. But this book by Fergus Nicoll
throws light on other facets of the Emperor who ruled Hindustan for 32
years.
SHORT TAKES
Maze of feminine psyche
Randeep Wadehra
Twilight & Mark of The Nose Ring
by Dalip Kaur Tiwana.
Translators: Narinderjit Kaur & Jai Rattan.
National Book Trust.
Pages 141. Rs 70.
Tête-à-tête
Sculpting
ideas
Nonika Singh
MUNDANE,
run of the mill are words that not only don’t exist in
internationally renowned UK based sculptor and visual artist Avtarjeet
Dhanjal’s lexicon but are an anathema to his very being. No wonder,
any interface with him stirs clear of the usual Q & As.
Power
of positive thinking
Lisa Baertlein
AUTHOR
Barbara Ehrenreich thinks it’s time for Americans to get angry.
After taking on the myth of American upward mobility with books like Nickel
and Dimed, Ehrenreich is tackling the US cult of positive thinking
with her new book Bright-Sided.
Sniff
test for old books
"DON'T
judge a book by its cover" goes the old adage, but a group of
scientists has given the metaphorical phrase a new twist after finding
a method that tells an old book’s condition by its odour. The
researchers have developed a test that can measure the degradation of
old books and precious historical documents on the basis of their
aroma.
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