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Many shades of
Buddhism
Reviewed by Meeta Rajivlochan
The Decline of Buddhism in
India: A Fresh Perspective
By KTS Sarao.
Munshiram Manoharlal. Pages 327 (with index and bibliography). Rs 895
This
book makes two assertions:
One that there was a religion described as "Brahmanical-Hinduism"
and two that Buddhism was essentially a religion of the urban elite
with little support in the countryside even at its height. Further,
the author argues that Buddhism was centred on monasticism which was
always well removed from its lay supporters. On this basis, it then
goes on to argue that the seeds of its destruction were within
Buddhism itself and that once India’s cities declined in the
late-Gupta and post-Gupta age, and newer devotional forms of Buddhism
such as Vajrayana, Mahayana and Tantricism emerged, support for
Buddhism dwindled and its supporters gradually mingled with the ranks
of those who believed in what he calls "Brahmanical-Hinduism"
and Islam.
Lessons
in humanity
Reviewed by Renu Manish Sinha
The Day I Stopped Drinking
milk
By Sudha Murty.
Penguin Books. Pages 212. Rs 199.
It
is the title which first arrests your attention. And once you
pick up the book, it is hard to put it down. The Day I Stopped
Drinking Milk by Sudha Murty is her latest collection of short
stories. All 23 stories are based on the author’s real-life
experiences. The narratives are based on Murty’s interaction with
ordinary people whom she encountered over the years during her travels
as Chairperson, Infosys Foundation. In Murty’s own words,
"There is no one in particular who inspired me to write this
book. I have been fortunate to have met and interacted with people
from different walks of life and socio-economic strata, all of whom
have influenced and impacted my life in many ways."
Bridging
the gaps
Reviewed by Balwinder Kaur
Winter Evenings
By Navtej Sarna
Rainlight. Pages 133. Rs 350.
Every
day people try to bridge the gap between the life they have and
the life they want. Negotiating the twists and turns created by both
circumstances and choice they must traverse many highs and lows.
Juxtaposing the tenacity and frailty of the human spirit are Navtej
Sarna’s characters coping with their lot the best they can in the
nineteen emotionally driven stories comprising Winter Evenings.
Within these pages are people caught at different points in their
life, some are looking back for perspective while some look ahead and
others are caught in the present.
Yet
another Spat?
He
has survived a fatwa and is an undisputed titan of
modern literature.
But Sir Salman Rushdie appears to have made a new foe in the shape of
fellow British writer Zoe Heller – whose scathing review of his
memoirs has been described as the most "devastating hatchet job
of 2012". Heller's piece, published in The New York Review of
Books, condemned the "shuddering hauteur" of Rushdie's
efforts, adding that "an unembarrassed sense of what he is owed
as an embattled, literary immortal-in-waiting pervades his book".
Joseph Anton: A Memoir is an autobiography depicting Rushdie's
struggle in the aftermath of The Satanic Verses, which forced
him into hiding for nearly a decade.
Fascinating,
little-known facets of Bollywood
Reviewed by Aradhika Sharma
House Full- The Golden Age of
Hindi Cinema;
Ed Zia Us Salam.
Om books International. Pages 254. Rs 395
This
is a book for true cinema lovers. It explores films of two
decades —the 1950 s and 1960s with a sincerity and veracity that’s
refreshing and informative. The book’s contributors are from the top
echelons of Hindi filmdom, and rightly so, because this is no facile
book of filmy tidbits but a work that explores the socio-cultural and
political significance of cinema in a society that was evolving,
breaking new grounds and exploring what the new India had to offer.
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