|
Fractured
lives in terror’s shadow
Reviewed by Khushwant S. Gill
Kashmir's Narratives of Conflict
Identity Lost in Space & Time
by Manisha Gangahar
Indian Institute of Advanced Study.
Pages 173. Rs 450.
A
work devoted to the
generational loss of identity among a people is prime material for an
emotional treatment of the subject matter. It is to the writer’s
credit that her work steers clear of pathos and, instead, focuses on
the sociological and psychological underpinnings of the very vexed and
complicated Kashmir issue.
Different
dimensions of poverty
Reviewed by M.M. Goel
Poverty in India
Edited by Dr Indu Varshney & Dr Nitu Saini,
Kunal Books. Pages 220 Rs 750.
To
understand, analyse and
interpret the problem of poverty, we are required to know various
concepts of poverty categorised as absolute, relative, rural, urban,
primary, secondary and voluntary poverty. The government has made
efforts in the form of different programmes to alleviate the poverty
in India over a period of time. The problems of poverty and
unemployment are twin sisters which call for a concrete plan of
action. The book under review is necessary and sufficient to grasp the
various dimensions of poverty in India, with its measurement for
developing a strategy to alleviate as suggested by the 20 writers,
excluding the editors. The latter are credited with writing the
preface. The book is an outcome of a national seminar on "Poverty
in India: Issues and Challenges." This is not mentioned by the
editors anywhere.
Words
beyond borders
Reviewed by Balwinder Kaur
New Urdu Writings: From India &
Pakistan
Edited by Rakshanda Jalil
Tranquebar. Pages 317. Rs 395.
A
language without borders,
a group of authors with incredible talent and an anthology without
boundaries set in the vast and varied vista of the human experience.
New Urdu Writings: From India & Pakistan invites readers to
explore 30 fascinating tales, once confined to Urdu now translated
into English. While the very mention of Urdu literature evokes
memories of seminal works by renowned writers. Rakhshanda Jalil, an
editor with a keen understanding and ardent love of Urdu literature,
presents a fresh collection of spellbinding short stories by many up
and coming writers. Discover the nuances of the nai kahani genre by
familiarising yourself with some of the best and brightest talents
India and Pakistan have to offer. The division by country is one that
is obvious in the index alone as the stories themselves transcend
national boundaries.
Maze
of clues
Reviewed by Nonika Singh
Compass Box killer
Piyush Jha
Rupa Pages 254 Rs 195
It
begins on a rather sleazy
note... going into the details of a chilling love-making scene. But
soon this second outing by filmmaker- turned writer finds its ground
and fleshes out into a thriller that has all the elements in place.
Weaving
the strands of a historical saga
Reviewed by Kanchan Mehta
The Golden Honeycomb
by Kamala Markandaya
Penguin Books. Pages 580. Rs 599
It
is a long book by a
prolific woman novelist who shot into prominence with her maiden
novel, Nectar in a Sieve. Here is an abundance of situations, events,
characters (both the Indian and the English), relationships, stories,
ideas etc. It is divided into three parts, each introduced with an
epigraph. One may find the opening a bit baffling. But, there is a
prologue, which quotes from the popular statesman Lord Randolph
Churchil, a note and an acknowledgement to assist the readers in
finding the nature and purpose of the book, the novelist’s choice of
time and source of her material. Kamala Markandaya dwelt on the issue
of the East-West conflict in most of her novels, of course, in diverse
contexts. Well, making a fictional assessment of the Indo-British
encounter, covering a vast chunk of history, following a definite
chronology, the present text belongs to the genre of historical
fiction. In other words, the vast narrative is fixed in a historical
framework.
|
