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1000 World Prayers
India’s Great Musicians HERE is a book in four languages, viz., Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi and English. It gives brief sketches of some renowned musicians of the country like Pt. Narayana Rao Viyas, Pt. Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande, Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Tansen etc. It is a rare scholar who can write proficiently in four languages. Unfortunately, Bhaura is not one of them. He writes well in Hindi but atrociously in English. Let’s hope he will take some good translator’s help to reach out to readers of this book’s English version.
Tradition of Hindustani Music There’s a symbiotic relationship between music and society. On the one hand, status and sophistication achieved by the art of music reflect upon the state of a people’s social, cultural and politico-economic accomplishments, practices and inclinations. On the other hand, music is quite capable of moulding a society’s ethos. While placing Hindustani music in sociological perspective, Dr. Singh has taken care to dwell upon the Indian concept of culture. Since the concept of culture is dynamic, it is worth examining whether this genre of Indian music has kept pace with the society’s evolving cultural philosophy and practice. The author has covered these aspects in a competent manner. Scholars will find chapters like Social History of Music; Social Status; and Different Categories of Musicians, etc illuminating. Great value for your money and time. |
WE pray for several reasons. Some of us pray for material gains for
ourselves or for the welfare of our kith and kin, others for universal
good while still others pray for spiritual fulfillment. The need for
prayer arises when one feels utterly helpless and looks up to divine
intervention for deliverance or at least solace. Therefore one
"invents" a Divine Being who is omnipotent, omnipresent and
omniscient. We give Him or Her, attributes, a name and a form that come
closest to the ideal we preconceive, and pray in a manner that best
suits us. No wonder there have been a plethora of faiths all over the
world since time immemorial. Braybrooke has diligently collected
different prayers from different faiths and presented them in a lucid
manner in this book. Chapters like God, Time and Seasons; Through All
the Changing Scenes of Life etc will give you an idea of how various
prayers have been categorised. To quote an anonymous believer whose
prayer epitomises the message of this highly readable tome: "God
be in my head, / And in my understanding; /God be in my eyes, / And in
my looking; /God be in my mouth, /And in my speaking; / God be in my
heart, / And in my thinking; /God be at my end, /And at my
departing."
