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Caught
in the middle
Reviewed by Parshotam Mehra
Maoist and Other Armed
Conflicts
By Anuradha M. Chenoy and Kamal A. Mitra Chenoy.
Penguin. Pages vi + 320. Rs 350.
Among
the myriad problems New Delhi is up against on the domestic
front, one of the most crucial, if also challenging, is the scourge of
armed conflicts which by definition are neither area nor region
specific. Though Punjab nearer home and the relatively distant Mizoram
are peaceful today, both have been through a rough patch not so very
long ago. Today’s conflicts in Jammu and Kashmir, the northeast as
well as the Naxalite-affected regions in Bengal, Bihar, Chhatisgarh et
al claim not only precious lives but retard development and arrest
the normal functioning of civil society.
Meetings
with remarkable individuals
Reviewed by Balwinder Kaur
Leading Ladies: Women who
Inspire India
By Sudha Menon. Fortytwo Bookz Galaxy. Pages 422. Rs 295.
We
spent our childhood enthralled by tales of heroes and heroines;
their quests, trials and victories. It is one of those things that unite
man, our preoccupation and fascination with larger-than-life figures.
Leading Ladies by Sudha Menon recreates that magic with these real-life
accounts of achievements, so grand that mere fiction seems dull by
comparison. These are fables for adults as the success of these ladies
inspires us to find their qualities in ourselves. This book answers
those often asked questions, what makes achievers who they are and how
they do what they do.
Victims
of divorce
Reviewed by Aradhika Sharma
Custody
by Manju Kapur. Random House. Pages 415. Rs 450.
"Children from divorced
families don’t follow the same rules as regular children — they grow
up much faster and have seen insecurity and strife too early in life.
You can’t apply the same parameters to them as you can to your own
children, who are safe and warm and cherished."
I
remember my divorced friend saying this with quiet sadness and a
heavy hearted conviction when a lady in our group was giving her gyan on
how to ‘handle’ her kids.
Insights
into global trade
Reviewed by Satish Kapoor
International Trade: Text and
Cases
By P. K. Vasudeva. Excel Books. Pages 512. Rs 395.
This
book gives detailed information on the external trade performance
of 153 countries in terms of overall trends in current value, volume,
and price: the importance of trading partners and the significance of
individual commodities imported and exported.
Struggle
against discrimination
Reviewed by Kanwalpreet
The Pale King
By David Foster Wallace. Hamish Hamilton. Pages 547. £ 20.
The
downtrodden in every society have to wage a war at local,
national and at international levels. The struggle passes through
various phases; it mellows down at times and intensifies at other times.
New allies are formed and new opportunities are explored to attain
equality and justice. This is what this book aims to record.
Guiding
force for Gen Next
Annam Suresh
Ekla chalo
(march alone);
Choto
pakhi chandana, (where the mind is without fear)
Strains
from Rabindranath Tagore echo in the virtual world even today,
nurtured to immortality by a large, thriving heterogeneous online
community, comprising dozens of groups and fora, actively exchanging
notes and discussing Tagore — appropriate for a man who hated borders
and divisions and saw the whole world as one large, tolerant unit that
encouraged coexistence of diverse cultures and beliefs.
Writer
of the world
The Tagore Centre in London has
a library of the poet’s complete works in Bengali. Many of these are
available in English, Urdu, German and Russian translations, reports Shoma
A. Chatterji
At
Alexandra Park Road in London stands the main office of the
Tagore Centre, founded in May 1985, to spread the message of
Rabindranath Tagore’s contribution to literature, art, drama, music
and philosophy. It has a branch in Glasgow, and apart from a
well-stocked lending library of Tagore’s works, the centre organises
seminars, conferences and cultural programmes. "One of our biggest
achievements has been to secure Tagore’s work in the national
curriculum for schools in England and Wales, ensuring that children of
all cultures are able to enjoy Tagore’s work and life," says
present chairperson Kalyan Kundu.
Urdu
Book Review
Empathy,
introspection and the sardonic eye
Reviewed by Amar Nath Wadehra
Dard ki Fasal
by Krishan Betab Educational Publishing House. Pages: 104. Rs. 100
Duniya nay tajarbato-havadis kee
shakal mein
Jo kuchch mujhay diya hai lauta raha hoon main
(Whatever the world has given
to me by way of experiences and accidents, I am returning the same) — Sahir
Ludhianavi
Invariably,
pain sets off a range of emotions leading to actions that may prove to
be cathartic. This collection of 14 stories portrays human beings in
variegated situations with pain-induced reaction as the conspicuous
undercurrent.
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