|
|
JAMES CAMEROON
|
An Indian
Summer
Author is British journalist James Cameron
(the man who heard the famous words of a Gandhi staffer, to the effect
that it costs a fortune to keep Gandhiji in his simple lifestyle).
This short but meaty book is a loving portrait of a marvelous country.
Cameron uses the incident of a horrific car accident he suffered in
Bangladesh to tie together his own sense of mortality and India's great
endurance. Pace can be a little rough at times, but that is the only
detraction from this beautiful, appreciative look at India and its
foibles, humanity, grace, sufferings. His treatment of conversations (with
little hints of well-observed Indglish) are a joy to read. Many tender and
thoughtful passages about mankind, but it's really a very personal memoir
of Cameron's ongoing yet troubled love affair with a nation. Indispensible
part of any India-phile's library, great pre-departure (or take-along)
reading for anyone going there.
|
MARK TULLY
|
No Full Stops in India
This book gives a far
more in depth picture of India than one is able to get by traveling around
the country as a Westerner not familiar with the many languages of India.
Tully has a great love for the country, but bares the many contradictions
and conflicts that exist in the vast Indian society beyond the small
English speaking elite.
Mark Tully describes some of his
experiences in India. He is critical of the educated Indian who forsakes
his own culture for the sake of being a WOG - Western Oriented Gentleman.
This is disasterous for India and Indianness. As an Indian I agree with
his views. He urges the Indian middle class and the ruling class to
realize that they are fulfilling the agenda of the erstwhile British
rulers. He urges them to realize that this agenda will lead to India's
ruin. At the same time he is passionate about his adopted country to say
that there are many voices that are clamouring for the Indianness of
India. Truly a remarkable insight for an Englishman and very accurate.
Strongly recommended for reading to everyone.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0140104801/qid=1013737436/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-8636610-3947956
The Heart of
India
Mark Tully, the
former BBC bureau chief in Delhi, creates a colorful portrait of life in
the state of Uttar Predesh, the "heart of India." Listeners hear stories
about the problems of village life, such as having a reputation for being
a barren wife, arranging a revenge killing, coping with a lazy husband,
new attitudes about marriage, and religious festivals. These stories
describe in personal terms a people being pushed headlong into the modern
world. These are Mark Tully's own stories, and he reads them with
authority and compassion. These stories help a Westerner better understand
the unique atmosphere and vibrant culture of village India.
Imbued
with his love for India and informed by his vast experience, Mark Tully
has woven together a series of extraordinary stories. All the stories are
set in Uttar Pradesh and tell of very different lives. Of a barren wife
who visits a holy man and subsequently conceives-but is it a miracle or
something more worldly? Of a son's carefully laid plot to take revenge
against his father's murderer, with a surprising twist when his case comes
to court. Of a daughter, persuaded by her friends to spurn an arranged
marriage, whose romance ends in blackmail. Of a man's inability to
overcome the conventions of caste and go into business, which leads to his
wife breaking purdah and taking control of the family.
In these and in
other stories, Mark TuIly delicately probes the nuances of life in India.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0140179658/qid=1013737781/sr=1-7/ref=sr_1_7/104-8636610-3947956
|
LARRY COLLINS AND DOMINIQUE
LAPIERRE
|
Freedom at Midnight
I can only say that
this book is really splendid. It is like all history books should be: it
describes historical events and portrays the personality of the persons
that played a role in it, but it also concentrates on the common people
that lived in that time, on their dreams, on their beliefs...And this last
part is surely what makes of this book a great book: the fascinating
diversity of the Indian religions, the manifold of colours and scents of
India are depicted vividly.
History has never been so intriguing.
Being an Indian I read the book from an Indian standpoint and for me it
was an incredible experience. Having grown up in India I have been exposed
to a lot of material about Independence but none have aroused such thought
as "Freedom at Midnight". A masterfully written, superbly researched and
above all a very human account of what happenned in that period of Indian
History. Mountbatten comes across as the hero of India and though Gandhi
is shown to be more human than saint his actions were definitely that of a
Mahatma. This book gave me a better understanding of my own country. A
must read for every Indian or anyone who is interested in
India
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/8125904808/qid=1013738337/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-8636610-3947956
HOME PREV
NEXT
indianbooks@indiatimes.com |
|