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OFF
the shelf
Images
of the thinker and activist
V.N. Datta
Postmodern Gandhi and other Essays: Gandhi in the World and at Home
by Lloyd I. Rudolph and Susanne Hoeber Rudolph. Oxford University Press,
New Delhi. Pages X+252. Rs 575.
I
think
that E.H. Carr was absolutely right when he had said, while using his
undying phrase, that "history is an unending dialogue with the
past". Historians argue with the past, and interpret it on the
basis of critical evaluation in a candid manner, uninfluenced by
preconceived notions. There are different ways of seeing the past.
Stirs
the spirit and fires the mind
Humra Quraishi
A Celebration Of Progressive
Urdu Poetry Anthems of resistance
by Ali Husain Mir & Raza Mir IndiaInk, Roli Books, Delhi. Pages 248.
Rs 295
ONLY
after being associated with the Jamia Millia Islamia did one became
familiar with the Progressive Writers Movement. This volume on their
poetry has been put together by brothers, Ali Husain Mir and Raza Mir.
If one were to pick up this book, one can’t put it down till each
verse has been read and re-read.
Portrait
of a partner
Aruti Nayar
Annamma Mrs K.M. Mathew: A book
of memories
by K.M Mathew Penguin Enterprise Pages 67. Price not mentioned
THIS
one is not for those who like dazzling prose that either sweeps them off
their feet or awes them into submission. A touching tribute from an
87-year-old man to his wife, after 61 years of companionship. The first
book of a man for a woman who wrote 25 books.
Focus
on Punjab peasantry
M. Rajivlochan
Colonizing Agriculture: The
Myth of Punjab Exceptionalism
by Mridula Mukherjee. Sage Publications, New Delhi. Pages 209. Rs 420.
THOSE
agriculturists who did not have a non-agricultural income in Punjab had
a little chance of becoming prosperous. It was the salaried class who
could lead the life of a gentleman. "Naukaran de chitte kapade",
the Punjabi peasant would say.
The
social matrix of films
Rachna Singh
Bollywood: Sociology Goes to
the Movies
by Rajinder Kumar Dudrah. Sage Publications. Pages 210. Rs 280.
THE
Bollywood cinema as a genre has been regarded with derision by
intellectuals who have written off this genre as being ‘escapist’,
‘trivial’ ‘low-brow’ and having only ‘mass appeal’. Such a
response obviously stems from uninformed opinion makers who do not want
to look beyond the ‘fluff’ perception of a ‘Bunty aur Bubbly’.
Managerial
viewpoint
B.S. Thaur
Winning at Work Against all
Odds
by Ashwani Lohani. Wisdom Tree. Pages 168. Rs 295.
THE
management caught fancy of the business world after the government
launched economic reforms about 14 years back. Though there is already a
galore of books and other material on management in the market, Winning
at Work Against all Odds is shades different.
Amis lands in fresh
controversy
Louise Jury
BE it his teeth, his
relationships or his writing, he has a seemingly endless capacity to
provoke controversy. Martin Amis is unlikely to be diminished this
autumn, given the subject matter covered in his new book.
House of Meetings, his first since the widely derided Yellow
Dog two years ago, begins with a straightforward novella, the title
story, a gothic love triangle involving two brothers and a Jewish girl
across four decades in post-war Russia.
Rock
’n’ Roll moments
WHEN
it comes to being wild, weird and wacky, probably nothing beats rock
‘n’ roll stars. And now, a new book detailing just how bizarre these
stars can be, will soon be available for all to read. The book, titled Rock’n’
Roll’s Strangest Moments is a collection of the most out of the
ordinary stories from 50 years of music history.
SHORT TAKES
Seamy side
of life
Randeep Wadehra
-
First Rain
by B Vaqar Peacock books, Mumbai.
Pages 44. Rs 95.
-
Pen Friendship
by Dr. Manjit Singh Bal
Unistar, Chandigarh.
Pages 77. Rs 100.
-
Explore Guru Granth
by Giani (Captain) Nasib
Singh Dhillon Guru Granth Explorative
Mission, N. Delhi.
Pages 175. Price
not mentioned.
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