Sing of Life: Revisioning Tagore’s Gitanjali by Priya Sarukkai Chabria.
Book Title:
Sing of Life: Revisioning Tagore’s Gitanjali by Priya Sarukkai Chabria. Westland. Pages 156. Rs499
Rabindranath Tagore’s “profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse” on life, nature, grace and brokenness in the ‘Gitanjali’ won him the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913. ‘Sing of Life’ is award-winning poet, translator and writer Priya Sarukkai Chabria’s revisioning of this world classic. She says “a great poem is one that often serves as a draft or raft for someone else’s poem. Or that is how it should be: A spark or a shift in another’s consciousness”. In this inspired linguistic experiment, she seeks to capture that spark and give it a new life by chiselling Tagore’s prose-poetry into intense poems that invite us to re-engage with the ‘Gitanjali’. Contemplative and courageous, this book re-imagines Tagore and his work for a new generation.
The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron. Hachette. Pages 242. Rs699
First published in 1992, ‘The Artist’s Way’ has been inspiring generations to pursue their passions. Hailed as ‘The Queen of Change’, Julia Cameron is credited with starting a movement that has brought creativity into the mainstream conversation. The book provides a 12-week course to guide you through the process of “recovering your creative self”. It begins with her most vital tools — The Morning Pages, a daily writing ritual, and The Artist Date, a dedicated block of time to nurture your inner artist. Hundreds of exercises follow. Over the last 30 years, the book has been translated into 40 languages and sold over five million copies. Not a surprise then that wherever she goes, she often encounters people whose lives she has touched, changed — all for the better.
The Global Desi: Reflections on Home and Away by Sundeep Bhutoria. PanMacmillan. Pages 362. Rs599
Sundeep Bhutoria loves to travel and wherever he goes, he carries with him a little bit of India, and looks for a little bit of India in every new place he visits. These experiences, coupled with the interactions with NRIs there, have often resulted in columns. These pieces have now become the book ‘The Global Desi: Reflections on Home and Away’. It is divided into three topics — food & travel, literature and social issues. Some of the pieces might have been written years ago, but have a quality of timelessness about them. Be it a quirky café in Brazil or a glimpse of Rajasthan in Rome, be it a commentary on social etiquette (or lack thereof) during a pandemic or behind-the-scenes notes on the largest literary festival in the world, this book informs, amuses and provokes in equal measure.
Young Pandavas: the royal tournament by Anupam Arunachalam. Hachette. Pages 128. Rs250
Mahabharata, the epic, is full of stories — several told, several untold. In this one, third in the Young Pandavas series, Sahadev, Nakul, Arjun, Bhim and Yudhishthir are all set to graduate from Guru Dronacharya’s school, having learnt to lead armies and wield battle-magic. And now they must display their skills in a grand tournament before the entire kingdom. Unfortunately, Duryodhan and his uncle Shakuni already have a whole new bag of dirty tricks waiting to keep them from impressing the people of Hastinapur. Can the Pandavas outwit their cousins yet again? As the five brothers move closer to their destiny as the heirs of the Kuru kingdom, they must face powerful new rivals and uncomfortable family secrets, while dark clouds of war loom in the distance.
The Khan: I AM justice by Saima Mir. Westland. Pages 318. Rs499
Jia Khan, a British Asian woman from an organised crime family, rejects the family business. A successful lawyer, she has built a quiet and solitary life for herself in London, away from her family and the streets of Yorkshire where she grew up. But certain truths cannot be wished away. Her father’s murder creates a vacuum that ultimately pulls her in. She now must lead an all-male jirga, the local crime syndicate. Convincing the jirga of her worth, combating a particularly ruthless rival, preventing gang wars and keeping the family together — author Samir Mir pens a gritty story, in the tradition of Mario Puzo’s ‘Godfather’. An award-winning journalist, Mir’s essay for ‘It’s Not About the Burqa’ appeared in the Guardian Weekend, receiving over 250,000 hits in two days.
