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Nationalism
revisited
Pankaj K. Singh
Myths of the Nation: National Identity and Literary Representation.
Rumina Sethi. Oxford, New Delhi. Pages 221. Rs 375.
Literature invariably
bears the imprint of its time, which may become explicit during certain
phases of history marked by intense political thinking and activism.
Cutting across languages and genres, Indian literature written during
the freedom struggle clearly represents the nationalist consciousness of
the time.
State
of a Model
V.Krishna Ananth
Kerala: The Paradoxes of Public Action and Development
Ed. Joseph Tharamangalam
Orient Longman
Pages 450 (Hardback, Rs 650)
The Kerala
Model of Development, as it came to be known, was celebrated by a
section of planners as something that could be emulated in other parts
of the country. It is no longer the case. There are, however, many who
still argue in favour of some aspects of the "model" even
while rejecting the larger framework. But then, there is no such thing
as the framework. In other words, the development experience in Kerala
did not follow a framework at any stage.
Larger
than life
Roopinder Singh
St. Stephen’s College: A
History
by Ashok Jaitly
Lotus/Roli.
Pages 141. Rs 395
A Stephenian went to pick up
his gold medal from Delhi University. He had topped in the MA course.
"I have never seen you before," said the head of the
university department. "Maybe, that’s why I won the medal,"
said the Stephenian, who himself heads a department in the college. For
all you know, one of his students might be doing the same.
Authentic
and shocking
Kanwalpreet
Untouchability in Rural India
Ghanshyam Shah, Harsh Mander, Sukhadeo Thorat, Satish Deshpande and
Amita Baviskar
Sage. Pages 216. Rs 295.
Article 17
of the Constitution abolishes untouchability in any form in the
Republic. The practice of it is a cognizable offence and the offender
may get punishment as well as a fine, yet it is practiced unabashedly in
many parts of this "Sovereign, Socialist, Secular, Democrat
Republic". Right from the struggle of Dr B. R. Ambedkar, chairman
of the committee that framed the Constitution, efforts have been made to
eliminate this evil.
The
greatest social revolution
Himmat Singh Gill
Percussions of History
Jagjit Singh.
The Nanakshahi Trust, SAS Nagar
Pages 377. Rs 595.
Just as
Prof Mohan Singh’s soulful poetry and Giani Gurdit Singh’s masterly
description of village life in Punjab in Mera Pind have become
literary classics in their time, eminent Sikh scholar Jagjit Singh’s
reissue of Percussions, which houses his twosome of The Sikh
Revolution and In The Caravan of Revolutions, should also
rate as one of the major works in a critical yet fair analysis of the
Sikh ethos, way of life and religious and political perspectives.
More
sinned against
M. Rajivlochan
The Naxalite Movement in India
by Prakash Singh.
Rupa. Pages 318. Rs 295.
Naxalite is
currently the generic name for any armed movement of peasants and
tribesmen in India. It is also the tag for anyone insisting on providing
justice to peasants and tribesmen by snatching the privileges of
landowners.
Fall
of a chessboard king
Aamer Hussein
The Last Mughal
by William Dalrymple
Bloomsbury. Pages 580. £25
The
13th edition (published in
1942) of Begamat ke Aansu is a collection of chronicles of what
befell members of the Mughal court during and after the Indian Uprising
of 1857. Unrelenting and spare, the book is all the more compelling for
its simplicity. Known to several generations of readers of Urdu, and
part of oral lore as well, its plain tales of arbitrary punishment,
displacement and uprooted lives record the devastation of a thriving
culture.
Struggle
of the matriarchs
Aditi Garg
Queens of Mahabharata
Kavita A. Sharma.
Rupa. Pages 126. Rs 150.
Behind
every successful man, there is a woman. Even though the age-old adage
holds true for many, there is no dearth of believers who think that the
opposite is more appropriate. Many would rather believe that the female
bastion is more likely to be the cause of downfall.
PUNJABI REVIEW
Starry
lives & poetic prose
Surinder Singh
Tej
Naqsh - Nigar
by Gurmukh Singh Sehgal
Sangam Publications, Samana
Pages 141. Rs 200
Gurmukh Singh
Sehgal is a prolific and versatile writer. Besides penning four novels,
he has tried his hand on biographical sketches, travelogues and other
literary forms. Being a teacher by vocation, he has had a long stint in
a Mumbai college where his literary talent provided him many an
opportunity to get close to the stars of the Hindi film industry,
especially those with Punjabi roots. This close interaction also gave
him a rare insight into the whims and fancies of these personalities.
-
Manobal, Atam
Vishvas Ate Jitt
by Joginder Singh Principal
Lokgeet Parkashan, Chandigarh
Pages 160. Rs 150
-
Daftar Vich Bhoond
by K. L. Garg
Chetna Parkashan, Ludhiana
Pages 128. Rs 140
Back
of the book
The Vanishing Act of Esme
Lennox
by Maggie O’ Farrell
Headline Review. Pages 245. £6.00
Edinburgh
in the 1930s. The Lennox
family is having trouble with its youngest daughter. Esme is outspoken,
unconventional and repeatedly embarrasses them in polite society. Even
Kitty, Esme’s beloved sister, is beginning to lose patience. Something
will have to be done.
-
Every Mother’s
Son
by Lyn Andrews
Headline. Pages 410. £32.99
-
The Indian Masters
by Bill Ricquier
Lotus Collection, Roli Books
Pages 209. Rs 295
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