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Bringing
backdrops to the foreground
Reviewed by Roopinder Singh
Wondrous Images: Krishna seen
as Shrinath-Ji
Pichhwais of Vallabha Sampradaya
(in the Collection of the Calico Museum of Textile and the Sarabhai
Foundation)
by B.N.Goswamy & Karuna Goswamy
Sarabhai Foundation.
Pages 248. Rs 3,250
Something
‘at the back’ or ‘behind’ is what etymology would suggest as
the literal meaning of pichhwais but over several hundred
years, the word has come to stand for those wonderful textile hangings
—painted, embroidered, printed, machine-made — that are specific
to the shrines of the Vallabha sampradaya, and hang in the
homes of devotees.
Decoding
the mind
Reviewed by D S Cheema
Consciousness Quest: Where East
Meets West
by J P Das.
Sage.
Pages 307. Rs 895
Consciousness
has always remained a mystery; saints, thinkers, philosophers and
psychologists of both the East and the West have wondered what it is,
what it does or why it evolved. Religious and spiritual leaders have
been inspiring millions of people to undertake their individual
search, meditate and transform. Many individuals seek a systematic and
formulated knowledge of life and in that quest want to understand the
role of consciousness. This remarkable and fascinating book explores
the entire spectrum of classical and modern philosophical notions and
debates the role of scientific research in understanding
consciousness.
Of
things sweet and sinful
Reviewed by Priyanka Singh
The Big Book of Treats
by Pooja Dhingra.
Penguin. Pages 209. Rs 699
Nothing
quite pleases the senses as the warm aroma of a cake wafting up from
an oven, or the delicious smell of freshly baked cookies. But baking
is tricky and baking out of cookbooks even trickier. It is an exact
science, where everything must be measured, the temperature should be
controlled and ingredients accurate, without which a cake will sink,
souffl`E9 will be a dense clump, cookie will not crack, muffin will be
a tasteless blob of sugar and flour. The result is the day's labour
junked in the bin, as also the ingredients, and a resolve to not
contemplate such compulsive attempts in future.
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