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Spinning a
yarn for the charkha
Reviewed by Harbans Singh
Music of the Spinning Wheel
By Sudheendra Kulkarni
Amaryllis. Pages 725. Rs 595.
One
can wonder why a 700-page
book on the spinning wheel of Mahatma should be written today and that
too by someone who is a member of the BJP. Sudheendra Kulkarni has
done that with the stated objective of drawing up a manifesto that
inspires us to become internet satyagrahis. It is for the
reader to judge the credibility of the manifesto provided, of course,
he possesses the patience to go through the book.
Looking
within from beyond borders
Reviewed by Roopinder Singh
Sikhs Today: Ideas & Opinions
By I J Singh
Ethnic Island. Pages 210. $15
It
was in 1911 that the Pacific Coast Khalsa Diwan Society
established the first gurdwara in America at Stockton, California.
However, it was in the 1970s and 1980s that the Sikhs started
migrating to the US in significant numbers.
The
myriad shades of human behaviour
Reviewed by Aradhika Sharma
Their language of Love
By Bapsi Sidhwa
Penguin Viking. Pages 252. Rs 499
Here’s
another book by one of the most dexterous story tellers of the
sub-continent. Those who have followed Bapsi Sidhwa’s writings would
know of her observation of human behaviour, which she presents with
disarming simplicity. However, that does not detract from racy
storytelling and a wit that’s incisive as well as kind. Bapsi is the
author of the bestselling novels Ice-Candy-Man, The Bride and
An American Brat.
Finding
beauty in the ordinary
Reviewed by Parbina Rashid
Intriguing India: The Colourful East
By Hugh and Colleen Gantzer
Niyogi Books. Pages 218. Rs 595
Travel
writing, according to a friend who is a prolific writer, is the
most difficult thing to do. For, one needs to be part of the narration
without becoming the central element in it, and to present facts
without sounding boastful. Hugh and Collen Gantzer’s book The
Colourful East, which is the fourth in their Intriguing India
series, taught me something else: In a good travelogue, topography
plays second fiddle to demography. After all, the essence of a place
lies in its people and its cultural roots, not the geographical
boundaries.
Nuclear
energy, media & murder
Reviewed by Aditi Garg
Breaking Ground: Journey Into the
Media… And Out
By Rami Chhabra
National Book Trust. Pages 469. Rs 305
At
a time when women are rubbing shoulders with men in most
fields, in India they still have to struggle to prove themselves to be
on a par with the male of the species, even when they are better. A
candid view of how the media treats women, especially those who choose
to stick to their guns in the face of severe opposition has been
presented in Breaking Ground: Journey Into the Media…And Out. Rami
Chhabra has been associated with the media since a time when women
were looked down upon in the media circle. She still managed to hold
her own and make an indelible mark.
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