Bloomsbury revisited
Shelley Walia
It was a sunny morning, almost the first warm day in May after a severe winter that we walked over the meadows on the banks of the River Cam towards Rupert Brook’s village, Grantchester, a few miles from Cambridge. The village looked deserted, and when we entered The Orchard, Rupert Brooks’s house now turned into a charming pub, I was reminded of The Bloomsbury Group which often met here and which had been instrumental in introducing modernism to England.

Factfile on historic centenaries
by Jaswant Singh
Celebrations of Sikh Anniversaries 2004 
by Gurmukh Singh Sandhu. Pages 32. Price not stated.
This is a pithy book that gives salient facts about three centennials of important events in Sikh history that are being marked this year. The 400th anniversary of the installation of Guru Granth Sahib is being celebrated from September 1, 2004.

A city older than history
by Jaswant Singh
A Banarasi on Varanasi
by Kunal Sinha. Bluejay Books, New Delhi. Pages 276. Rs 495.
Varanasi and the Ganga, on the banks of which the holy city is situated, together tell the story of India’s civilisation and culture. The city, known to be the abode of Lord Shiva, represents the richness and fulfillment of life as well as renunciation. 

King’s cross
by Amar Chandel
The Princely and Noble Families of the Former Indian Empire (Volume 1)
by Mark Brentnall. Indus Publishing Company, New Delhi. Pages 374. Rs 1,250.
Thanks to inspired propaganda during the 50s and 60s, which blamed the former princely families for all the ills of the country, this class is not in very good odour even today because in the eyes of the common man born and brought up on the staple diet of those salacious stories perpetuated through books, films and articles, Thakur Saheb was the villainous man responsible for everything from mismanagement of the countryside to the rape of fair damsels on whom he happened to cast his evil eye. Only now is the realisation dawning on some that these were not bad people after all.

Of mice and men
Lovelina Singh tells the story of the dispute over the bountiful estate of John Steinbeck
John Steinbeck’s writings are, indeed, part of the photography of the U.S. and his work to no small degree defines the American spirit. Even though Steinbeck died in 1968, his books remain in great demand. Classics such as Grapes of Wrath and of Mice and Men sell hundreds of thousands of copies annually; and East of Eden witnessed a sudden resurgence with Oprah Winfrey making it the selection that revived her celebrated Book club stating that it might be the "best novel I have ever read." 

Punjabi review
Pearl of the Panth
by Shalini Rawat
Gurcharan Singh Tohra Jeewan ate Siasat A political biography
by Dalbir Singh Lokgeet Parkashan, Chandigarh Pages 181. Rs 175
Gurcharan Singh Tohra - the benign patriarch of the Sikh community, protector of the small peasant, a man who rose from a humble background to reign over the SGPC for 27 years, who'd have broken the record for being in the Rajya Sabha for the sixth time had he been sworn in.

In quest of happiness
by Inderdeep Thapar
An Interview with Self
by J.L. Dhar. Wisdom Trees. Pages 202. Rs 145.
This book is an attempt to introduce the reader to an existence which is outside his usual humdrum one. The first chapter brings out the universal truth expounded by Buddha that the root of all problems is desire and the only way out is to let go of desires. 

Matter of vision
Care of Your Eyes
by R.K. Kapoor UBSPD. Pages: xii+168. Rs. 175.
Our environs are getting increasingly polluted, affecting our health adversely. Eyes too are becoming prone to pollution related hazards. It's true that nature has provided several protective 'shields' to our eyes, viz., eyebrows prevent moisture from running into the eyes, eyelids close to cover the eyeballs, eyelashes act as screen to stop particles from entering the eyes. Inside the eyelids a thin membrane called conjunctiva covers the visible sclera. 

short takes
Net worth of good health
by Randeep Wadehra
Women's Health on the Internet
Pages: 153. Rs. 140. & Men's Health on the Internet. Pages: 117. Rs. 110. Both edited by Sandra Wood & Janet Coggan, & published by Unistar, Chandigarh.
Today, not only are we becoming more health-conscious but also have come to realise the value of healthcare; we want to know our rights as consumers of medical services too. Thanks to information technology, some of the most esoteric subjects have been demystified.

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