|
Tagore’s
cosmic ideas
The age-old cultural contacts
of India and China are presented along with a mosaic of
forward-looking ideas by scholars
Tagore and China
Eds Tan Chung, Wang Bangwei, Amiya Dev and Wei Liming.
Sage Publications.
Pages 370. Rs 895.
Reviewed by B. L. Chakoo
I
may tell you now that
when my people heard I had received an invitation from China, there
was great rejoicing and excitement amongst them ... they felt that
this was a great opportunity for us to reopen the ancient channel of
spiritual communication once again ... they thought it absolutely easy
for me to let you, through the length and breadth of China, know how
we in India have a love for you, and how we long to be the recipients
of your love."
Living
out a legacy
S. D. Sharma
Rabindra Sangeet exponent
Swastika Bandhopadhyay talks about this genre and keeping it alive
I get lost in my songs and
then I think those are my best work; if all my poetry is forgotten all
my songs will remain with my countrymen; they have a great beauty; I
leave them a legacy —
Rabindranath Tagore
Eulogising
the supreme intuitive power of realisation of Gurudev Rabindranath
Tagore and his superb skill in depicting his comprehension through
lyrical creations is Swastika Mukhopadhaya, a leading exponent of
Rabindra Sangeet from Visvabharati, Santiniketan.
Knights
of Garhwal
The Garhwalis: The
Garhwal Rifles Regimental Officers’ Handbook
by Brigadier AIS Dhillon (retd)
Greenfields Publishers, Dehradun.
Pages 162. Price not stated.
Reviewed by Kanwalpreet
Garhwal,
"a treasure chest of myth and legend", a part of India where
nature is reflected in her many rivers, peaks, rivulets, flora and
fauna. The people are hard-working, superstitions and believe in
leading a simple life. Their life is influenced by their surroundings
which are rugged yet unspoilt.
Pleasurable
read
Kashmir Blues
By Urmilla Deshpande.
Tranquebar.
Pages 355. Rs 325.
Reviewed by Rajbir Deswal
YOU
step out of your house with a purpose in mind, start encountering
adventure and thrill with quite an indulgence or sorts, bump into
myriad characters who start sharing their concerns with you by default
or design; and you return home with a craving to re-live the
experiences with a nostalgic pinch felt within, sums up the broad
storyline of Urmila Deshpande’s Kashmir Blues.
Bollywood
chronicler
Aradhika Sharma
Bhawana
Somaaya has been a cinema journalist since almost three
decades. For the famous chronicler of Bollywood, the show goes on ...
and on ... and on, and she faithfully writes, and observes and
interviews and chronicles it. Somaaya has recently come out with her
10th book, Amitabh Lexicon, which is a dictionary on the
superstar’s film etymology.
Behind
the silver screen
Bombay Duck is a Fish
By Kanika Dhillon.
Westland.
Pages 320. Rs 195.
Reviewed by Rachna Singh
Kanika
Dhillon’s maiden foray into novel writing has come with much
fanfare. Dhillon has earned herself a head start with Sharukh Khan
himself unveiling her debut novel. And why not? She is after all the
screenwriter for the much-touted Ra.One and also happens to
head the Creative Content Division of King Khan’s Red Chillies
Entertainment.
The
critical patriots
Post-Independence writers of
Indian languages have redefined nationalism by seeing a country
through the lot of its people, writes Nirupama
Dutt
American
writer and social activist James Baldwin said in no uncertain words
that he loved America so much that he continued to criticise it: he
wanted his country to be better and perhaps the best. This has been
the spirit of post-Independence literature in India, too.
Model
sues publisher for spiking ‘misery memoir’
Rob Sharp
A former
model, who hoped to tell all in a "misery memoir"
documenting her personal struggle with depression, alcohol addiction
and abusive relationships, is locked in a legal battle with her former
publisher after it alleged her work contained "libel or privacy
issues on almost every other page".
|
