The Dialogic Nation of Cape Verde Written by Rego Marcia

 

The author is a famous research scholar from Brazil, with interests and works in ethnography of language, writings, anthropology and intercultural communication and translations. She is a PhD holder in cultural anthropology from the University of California.

Storyline : 

Cape Verde Islands, an archipelago of 10 islands, located about 350 kms west of Senegal of Western Africa in the Atlantic Ocean was unknown and uninhabited by humans until 1450 AD. It was finally discovered by the Portuguese explorers during their quest for new lands. It was used as a strategic harbour for European ships carrying slaves from Western Africa to Europe and the Americas. The slaves transported via Cape Verde are acclimatized with basic labour skills, Portuguese language and fundamentals of Catholicism and hence considered more valuable in Western markets. The slaves also considered conversion to Catholicism as they were promised eternal life and it was considered to be the religion of the powerful. 

The Portuguese colonial officials made it a norm to practice polygamy with the Slaves creating a separate sect of race called the Lancados. The Portuguese landlords, governors, judges, high rank military officials, and priests had multiple sexual relationships with black slave women giving birth to a separate set of population with mixed features. Surprisingly, it is considered normal amongst the Cape Verdean society. By the end of the seventeenth century, the islands were exclusively in the hands of “the sons of the land”, or criolus comprising of the illegitimate sons of the honoured whites of the previous century. One of the main reasons for Cape Verdeans to look more like European than African in physical features. 

The Cape Verdean economy slid in the seventeenth century with the abolition of slave trade in 1836 as the commercialization of slaves by the land owners declined drastically. The Cape Verdeans were quick enough to identify themselves as ‘Crioulo’, a people of mixed descent, with whom they associate a sense of uniqueness, speaking Creole language but different from Portuguese and Africans. They started considering marrying someone of lighter skin than theirs as a sense of accomplishment and pride. The ‘lancado’ or the illegitimate sons of the colonials soon mingled with the African natives giving rise to the Cape Verdean version of the colonial system and started replacing Portuguese language with Kriolu (to breed, to raise, to grow) language. Though the new language is widely spoken amongst the locals, the colonial Portuguese still consider it as impure, lacking social values and literary norms, not suited to be used as an official language of the land in its texts and literature. The ban of Kriolu in schools during the 1960s led to an armed revolution under the leadership of Amilcar Cabral, which finally led to Cape Verdean independence from the Portuguese Crown in 1975. His political program encouraged Cape Verdeans to preserve their own cultural identity, their customs and languages and usage of Kriolu as the main promulgator of his ideology. 

Kriolu as a language got its national identity as a means of official communication and autonomous structure after independence. Though Kriolu emerged as a national language the dialect is still divided amongst the various islands of the nation into the Satavento variant and the Barlavento variant. Due to this difference, Kriolu continues to be the informal, non-written and unstandardized language while Portuguese continues to be the official language of the country even today. Portuguese occupies spaces of formal education, diplomatic affairs and legal proceedings whereas Kriolu is restricted to people’s homes, bars, town square gossips or company of family and friends. Santiago, the seat of the Government is required to have people with the knowledge of Portuguese whereas in other islands, Kriolu is acceptable. Kriolu as a language is more used for telling jokes and stories, expressing strong emotions like love and romance, or discover one’s intimacy of soul and Cape Verdean laughter. It is also used as a comic relief in many political speeches. Finally, it can be concluded that though Kriolu emerged from Portuguese, it has taken the shape of opposition to the same Portuguese language and colonialism. This can be exemplified by the fact that Cape Verdeans have two names. One Portuguese Christian name, imposed upon them by the Church and the other house name in Kriolu. 

The strange fact about Cape Verde is the freedom to have any number of children with any number of women. Since the availability of men is scarce due to heavy migration to other countries, women in fact would like to bear as many children as possible with available men in the islands. The more children a man fathers, the richer he is considered. Moreover, the responsibility of bringing up the children lies more with the mothers than the fathers. Another strange fact of the country is that the locals attend the feast of organised by the family if someone dies in the family (called casa visita) only to eat, enjoy and steal valuable items from that house, but not out of grief or sympathy.

Cape Verde, popularly referred as the nation of Emigrants can be found all across Europe, North and South America, and considered to be quite talented and skilled in various arts and music. The country is now bustling with tourism with investments from Brazil, Italy, Russia and China. Cape Verdeans consider themselves as blood brothers to Brazilians compared to any other nation as they mingle very much with their language, soccer and music. Probably that should be the major reason for them to qualify for the Football World Cup this year, albeit being from a small nation of just half a million.

Pros: The author has made an extensive research on the islands of Cape Verde exclusively focussing on the language adopted by the locals after their independence from Portugal. The reader gets to learn vast knowledge about the world wide diaspora of these amazingly talented emigrants from a very small archipelago of ten islands somewhere in the Atlantic ocean, bearing European features and African culture. Every aspect of the life of a Cape Verdean right from his birth to his death were covered beautifully with minutest detailing.

Cons: The reader might have a low opinion about the country due to its uncontrolled polygamic culture of marriage and children. There should have been a mention about some of the famous Cape Verdeans across the world.

My favourite quote in this book. 

“Fidju e rikeza di pobri” (A poor person’s wealth is children), the Cape Verdeans invariably say, in Kriolu, when explaining their reasons for having so many children.

My rating: 3 out 5

Bahama Saga Written by Peter Barratt

 

The author is a British trained architect with a degree in urban planning from Harvard University. He first visited Bahamas Islands in 1960 as a town planner of FreePort city of the Bahamas. He is also an archaeologist and founder of the Lucayan National Park and author of many articles and research papers about the islands. His love for the Bahamas led him to write about the advent of humanity into these islands right from the beginning to its development in the present days.

 Story Line:

It all starts with few hundreds of a nomadic tribe belonging to the Mongolian race somewhere in Gobi desert of Central Asia decide to move out in search of better lands. They start their long journey with their captive animals like Bactrian camels, yaks, goats, bighorn sheep etc. They pass through the Sayan mountains, Orchon River, Lake Baikal, Lena River and reach the sea of Orkotsk in eastern Siberia. Since the two continents of Asia and America were joined at that time in winters due to low sea levels, the tribe trekked across the now Bering Strait and made the first landfall on the western most part of America, also called as the First Crossing. This main migration of the Asians to the Americas down south, some fifty thousand years ago led to the creation of empires of the Maya, Aztecs and Inca across the new American continents. Several tribes gave their names to the lands they occupied but soon perished after the arrival of European explorers.

The islands of the inland sea between the two Americas were first inhabited by the jungle tribe called Casimiroids. The first of these islands to be colonised by them was Cuba then Hispaniola, Jamaica and Puerto Rico somewhere in 4190 BC. When the population of these Stone Age people (now called as Antilleans) swelled, they further moved North to find the magnificent Bahamian Archipelago. This archipelago extends for about 550 miles from its southernmost island of Inagua to the northernmost island of Abacos, near Florida of USA, consisting of around 700 islands and cays (roughly the size of Italy) out of which only a maximum of 30 namely Abacos, Eleuthera, Cat Island, Exumas, Long Island, Andros and Inagua to name a few that are inhabited. The Bahamas islands are known for its vast coral reefs which actually protect them from ocean swells. The word ‘barbeque’ has come from these islands where cooking over open fire was called by the Antilleans ‘barbecu’. Even the words like tabacu (tobacco), batata (potato), hurricane (uruka), hammock (hamaka), cannibal (caniba), canoe (canoa) seem to have originated from the tribes of Bahamas.

In around 200 BC, the Arawak tribes from northern part of Amazon rain forest migrated to Venezuela and from there to the Caribbean basin and then colonised the Bahamas. By around 400 AD, these Arawaks assimilated the native Antilleans and have adopted a new language Taino and were called as Ciboneys or rock dwellers. By 600AD, Bahamas was fully occupied by the Ciboneys and formed the rootstock of Lucayan Indians. The Lucayans were described by Columbus as handsome people with graceful bodies, broad foreheads, coarse hair, yellowish skin tone, erect spines and without bellies. Women were equally beautiful and sexually very attractive and active. The tribe was healthy, athletic, immune to many diseases, almost naked, sexually active, fun loving and practiced “Sati” (an act of burning down of the woman in the same funeral pyre of husband). Their priests presided over a religion that had several male and female gods. They believed in life after death and worshipped sun, bats, tortoises, conch and other zoomorphic beings, trees and mountains too. Their worship included garlands made with flowers and leaves and a universal chant “ommmmm”.

The Lucayan Indians later developed their own language and culture. It was Columbus from Spain, over 500 years ago, in his quest for gold, who first landed on an island called San Salvador of Bahamas and found that the islands were already inhabited by some local tribes who spoke a strange language believed to be from India. The Treaty of Tordesillas signed in 1494, granted Spain the exclusive right to colonise lands found 2000 km west of Cape Verde Islands of Europe and the same distance east to Portugal. Hence, Bahamas unwillingly fell into great new Spanish empire. The Lucayans had no immunity to diseases brought by the Europeans and soon one half of the population perished due to fierce epidemics. Those who have survived have been carried away as slaves to Europe and other distant lands in America.

The Spanish lost interest in the Bahamas after the discovery of more fertile lands like Peru, Mexico and other western parts of North America which led to the entry of the British into the islands. The British after colonising Bermuda, deeply penetrated Bahamas with their Christian religious impositions on the locals, by banning idol worship and their local customs. In 1670, the British Crown granted exclusive rights to some eight ‘Lords Proprietors’ to own and enjoy Bahamas Islands in perpetuity and established an administrative centre at an island called New Providence, with Nassau (earlier Charles Town) as its capital port city, comprising of a total of 913 inhabitants out of which 413 were slaves. Later, in 1718, the greatest Governor of Bahamas, Woodes Rogers, was appointed. The brutal charter of the Lords Proprietors granted the owners autocratic and militaristic rights for penalty, imprisonment or death upon the people in case of rebellion or anarchy.

Woodes was the man who suppressed the most troublesome problem of the colonial Bahamas, and that was the Pirates. Famous pirates like blood thirsty Edward Teach (BlackBeard), Hornigold, Jennings, Burgess, White and Vane apart from female pirates like Anne Bonne and Mary Read operated from the capital city of Nassau. As early as 1505, slaves were transported from Western Africa to Bahamas, auctioned and sold away to wealthy settlers in America later to be brutally put to inhuman living conditions. Even the smallest offences by these slaves would attract most cruel punishments like being burnt alive and tortured till death. This cruelty finally ended with the Emancipation Act of 1834 when slavery was finally abolished. At a later stage, the local British settlers of America, who were not given ample recognition by the Crown in England, participated in a secret alliance with the French to rebel under the leadership of George Washington and later declare independence. Bahamas thus became part of the American Revolutionary War.

In the nineteenth century, Bahamas grew as a vibrant economy due to its export of cotton, arms and ammunition with Nassau as its epi-centre. Tourism picked up in the twentieth century with Bahamas offering its long turquoise beaches, exquisite sea food, alcoholic beverages, and warm weather to international tourists. The lifestyle of the Africans in the Bahamas has changed drastically along with its economy and Christianity is the major religion by the beginning of the twentieth century, supplemented with emotional sermons, rousing music, lively singing and clapping hands. The African soul of Bahamas is represented by its grand parade on New Year’s Day called “Junkanoo” (probably the name of John Canoe, an African chief from Ghana). Bahama islands have been one of the several countries of the former British Empire which 1973 onwards catapulted from the status of a colony to that of a sovereign and independent nation with its tricolour flag comprising of black (strong people), turquoise (sea) and gold (sun) and stood on its own feet under the new name of Commonwealth of the Bahamas with its own political party called The Bahamas National Party (BNP).

Pros: A beautiful saga of man’s inhabitation of distant unknown islands narrated with some fictionalised characters, starting at Gobi Desert of Asia to present day Bahamas Islands between the Americas. The discovery of Bahamas Islands by man and the origin of its culture, traditions, customs, politics, economy and lifestyle is so well narrated that the reader will be tempted to visit the place at least once in a life time. This book can be a treated as treasure for knowledge hunters who have the thirst to learn about history of European colonisation of the Americas and how Africans have originated there. The Indian connection is also cited in-between with the infamous “Sati” practice finding a common ground between the two distant lands. Wish, some day, it turns into a Hollywood romanticised historical fiction movie!

Cons: The reader might have to consider many fictional names and characters in the book as real. History students must be careful on this fact. Though the author highlights the disclaimer about this fiction mixed in the saga, the reader is carried away by clever blend of such characters into the real history.

My rating : 4 out of 5

O'Blivions Written by Brandon Wells

O’Blivions Written by Brandon Wells

The author worked as a ghostwriter and now publishes literary fiction under his own name, drawing inspiration from realist and surrealist traditions. He studied at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill before entering the world of ghostwriting. He was raised primarily in the United States and has travelled across the world, including Mexico, South America, and Asia. His work is characterized by a blend of realism and surrealistic symbolism, often exploring themes of dark content.

STORY LINE:

The short story is about a young lad, Nick, who dropped out of a famous college in pursuit of a free life which gives him name and fame in short period. He joins a night club called O’Blivions, where he works as a bartender to earn his living but soon gets addicted to alcohol, drugs and girls. Though he is blessed with dedicated workmanship, he, without much direction in life, constantly gets engaged in heavy drinking, random sex, drug abuse and frequent scuffles. He falls in love with co-bartender Olivia, but she is hooked on to another guy with better lifestyle. One day he loses his well-paid job due to random abusive phone messages, sent by one of his room mates to his boss, under intoxicated state. Finally, Nick ends up in suicidal mission after a prolonged dysfunctional, incestuous lifestyle.

Pros: One gets to know how today’s youth is ending up in self-destructive tendencies expressed through promiscuity, recreational drug abuse, and uncontrolled exposure to dark social media content.

Cons: There is not much of a plot or point that would engage a reader but for some American slang used, which I think was unnecessary at some junctures. Absolutely uninteresting and boring.

My favorite quote in this book :

“Drinking alone is one of the first signs of alcoholism.”

My rating: 1 out 5

 

The Black Hill Written by Mamang Dai

Author of this book, Mamang Dai (born 23 February 1957) is an Indian poet, novelist and journalist based in Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh. She received Sahitya Akademi Award in 2017 for her novel The Black Hill. She was selected for the IAS in 1979, but later she left the post to pursue her career in journalism. She is the first woman from her state to be selected for IAS. She received Padma Shri in 2011 from the Government of India. She occupied many high positions in government as well as private media institutions and is well-known as a writer who focusses on close knit communities of remote villages of North East India.

Story Line:
This book is a novelized version of Western means of propagation of Christianity into Tibet, the untouched land of Buddhism, in the nineteenth century and finding ways and means to enter Tibet through Arunachal Pradesh of India. The story starts with the introduction of a Mishmee tribal leader called Kajinsha who falls in love with a woman called Gimur, who is from another tribe, the Abors. Gimur elopes with Kajinsha and they start a family in a remote place, in a small hut, on top of a black hill. All goes well until one day a foreigner arrives on a mission from France, in those dense forests in search of a way to enter Tibet. This white man who is called Father Krick, calls himself a priest and a preacher of a new God and religion. He starts curing the ailments of local tribals with his simple medicines, gaining their confidence and expecting them to guide him to Tibet. Though once he enters a border Tibetan village Sommeau, he is driven back to India by the local Chinese authorities, under the restriction of foreigner entry into Tibet. But Krick doesn’t lose hope and tries to re-enter Tibet through the Mishmee hills, which falls under the guardianship of Kajinsha. This is disliked by Kajinsha and goes to warn Krick to return back but in that circumstance, Krick gets killed by Kajinsha’s rivals. This murder of a white man in tribal land infuriates the British rulers of India and they order arrest of the culprit. But here the twist is that Kajinsha gets arrested, his home, villages and tribe annihilated, instead of the actual culprits, due to their false testimonies to the British. Kajinsha pleads innocence, but in vain. He is sentenced to death after severe torture in prison, as a punishment for the murder of an innocent priest. This event finally results in the mass revolt of many tribes of Arunachal Pradesh against British, as a revenge, leading to heavy casualties and suffering on both sides. Overall, I consider this book as one of the most interesting pleasure reads.

Pros: The exquisite English language used by the author in detailing the beauty of Arunachal Pradesh landscape is worth reading. The reader gets immense pleasure in imbibing the grandiose of expressions of love, hatred, anger, sympathy, innocence, independence and respect amongst the tribal cultures of the State. One also gets to learn the dilapidated conditions of tribal lives in these dense forests in those times. The splendor of English used by the author is mesmerizing and makes the reader flip through the pages undisturbed. Hats off to the knowledge and research of the author in writing this book, which has earned her a Sahitya Academy Award.

Cons: Though this appears to be a true story to a reader with factual information, the author leaves a benefit of doubt to the reader in the end, due to absence of any records of such characters or incidents that have been cited in the book, anywhere in Government vaults, except for some details of Father Krick’s book “An account of an Expedition among the Abors in 1853, (published in the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, 1913).”

My favorite quotes in this book:
‘What is this land? Men spoke of land as a possession. ‘From this stream to the limits of the jungle and up to that hill with the white rock is my land,’ they said. Every piece of earth was claimed. The big trees, the high mountains, the rivers rushing down crevasses, the steep cliffs and jagged rocks. Waterways changed course and dried up. Men fought and killed each other. Blood flowed. Brothers became enemies. How could the mere features of a landscape ignite such love and ferocity’

‘The time we have is what we call our life. It is how I stand, hunt, sleep, breathe. Who knows when life will end, and how death will come— by fire, water, a falling tree, illness, or from the hand of an enemy? But whether one will live a long life, a successful life, these are not considerations. The desire is to live!’

‘These are texts that are thousands of years old, written and passed down from generation to generation but it will not interest you because you do not know what religion is, what a script is. It is what makes us strong and invincible. It is what keeps us safe from strangers’.

My rating : 4.5 out 5

Camera Palaestina: Photography and Displaced Histories of Palestine Written by Issam Nissar, Stephen Sheehi, Salim Tamari

This is an exclusive book that has taken shape out of organizing, researching and writing about the Photography and Displaced History of Palestine in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, by the three authors.

STORYLINE
Palestine, also called as Holy Land, has been one of the few countries in the world which has been photographed and archived by many Armenian and Arab photographers in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Wasif Jawhariyyeh, a local musician, photographer, collector cum petty officer in the British administration of Jerusalem. He collected over 900 rare photographs from both European and local photographers in seven albums and archived them under the title Tariq Filastin Al-Musawwar or “The Illustrated History of Palestine”. The entire collection is divided into seven volumes which depicts the history of Palestine centred around its capital city Jerusalem (Al-Quds). Its Volume One opens with a photograph of the social networks of Jerusalem and their relationship with Palestinian elites, other provincial capitals, and Istanbul. Volume Two has photographs of the arrival of the British, Palestine’s new rulers, World War 1, Arab delegations, Faisal, Abdullah, negotiations, and the breakdown to the riots of Nabi Musa. Volume Three documents the violent occupation of Palestine, the Revolt of 1929, the rise of Zionist militarism and British oppression, and the internationalization of the Palestine. Volume Four is dominated by Zionist settlement, colonial occupation, and violent resistance. Volume Five comprises of large portraits of Palestinian social life around personalities and elites, social hierarchies and social networks. Volume Six rely on Orientalist images, postcards, expatriate, and static images: happy peasants, building projects, processions and religious ceremonies. The final Volume Seven continues a photographic tour of Jerusalem, building a visual tour from inside the city outward to its surroundings, linking it to Palestine and its geography.
These photographs are not just mere evidences of a particular time space but an exploration of Palestinian political, cultural and social lives. Wasif’s collection had started in 1924 comprising of many photographs of Palestine’s landscapes, buildings, people, customs, annual celebrations and historic events from famous local photographers of that time namely Khalil Raad, Garabed Krikorian, Issa Sawabini, and Daoud Saboungi. The photographs clearly capture the unjustified coloniality of the Ottomans to start with, followed by the British and then finally the Zionists. On the visual level, the photographs narrate a story of Jerusalem in which the ruling and elite classes of the Ottoman empire play a central role.
Photographs like the famous Jaffa port in 1868, Khalidi library in Jerusalem, hanging of a prisoner of war near Jaffa Gate of Jerusalem, arrival of first Ottoman war plane in Palestine, surrender of Jerusalem to the British by Mayor Husseini, destruction of Jewish homes in Jerusalem by Palestinian Arabs etc, speak about the transformation of a peaceful Palestine into a war-torn place with the advent of British colonials and Zionist immigrants from Europe. Also, numerous photographs of famous personalities of the ruling class of Ottomans, the British and Zionist stalwarts of the region add more to the story of Palestinian aristocracy. The famous photograph of Sunduq al-‘ajab (the Magic Box), by Khalil Raad, the ancestor of the magic lantern, also known as the Persian Box is one of my favourite photograph in the collection. For poorer children, and some adults, this was the cinema of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Wasif Jawhariyyeh’s seven albums function as bearers of memory, as well as testimonials for a time. They document almost five decades, during which Jerusalem and Palestine changed hands from a large Ottoman Empire to a much smaller entity ruled by the even larger British colonial empire. This time witnessed the start of Jewish Zionist immigration to the country and ended with the complete disappearance of Palestine from the map of the region. Wasif himself was a musician who played an instrument called ‘oud’. He was a singer and instrumentalist too. He participated in many musical performances staged by travelling theatrical groups from Egypt. Wasif’s albums are not just historical memories but testimonials of rejection and partition, displacement of their Holy Land right from Ottoman’s Orientalism to the British Colonialism. Jawhariyyeh’s arrangement of photographs represent the social relations and political history of Jerusalem and to a larger extent, Palestine. In doing this, the albums undertake, by default, a process of undoing, reworking the Orientalist and colonial visual narratives that erase Palestinians from their Holy Land and creation of the state now known as Israel.

My favourite quote in this book: It has been a mistake to see photographs as artifacts of the past and as documents of history alone. Rather, they survive as material objects that bind the past and present as they bind the present and future. A surviving image, in Didi-Huberman’s words, “is an image that, having lost its original use, value and meaning, nonetheless comes back, like a ghost, at a particular historical moment: a moment of ‘crisis,’ a moment when it demonstrates latency, its tenacity, its vivacity, and its ‘anthropological adhesion.’

Pros: The reader is taken through a visual journey right from the Palestine’s originality to its occupation and erasure from World Geography by the Zionist immigrants cum settlers. Some of the rare photographs can be found in this book which might not be available elsewhere for ready reference to a Palestinian studies student. Kudos to the authors for their efforts to compile such a transition of Palestine.

Cons: The book speaks about only Wasif Jawharriyeh’s collection of Palestinian photographs starting in 19th century but should have also carried a brief history of the Holy Land pre-nineteenth century when it was the land of the original Jews and used to be the land where Jesus walked until 33AD and was a Christian/Jewish state until the advent of Islam sometime in the 7th Century.

My rating: 3.5 out 5
 

Laburnum For My Head : Short Stories by Temsula Ao

Laburnum For My Head : Short Stories by Temsula Ao

Born in Jorhat, Assam, the author is a member of Sahithya Academy, a Padma Shri award winner, Professor of English and also a Dean at School of Humanities and Education, North Eastern Hill University of Shillong. She breathed her last in 2022. She has many writings to her credit some of which highly recognized are These Hills Called Home : Stories from a War Zone and Laburnum for my Head, a collection of local short stories. She uses simple English and all her stories are quite native and nature-blended with sentiments and culture of the people of North Eastern States of India.

STORYLINE

Laburnum for My Head: A short story based upon a widow called Lentina, highly obsessed with splendour and beauty of a bright yellow flowering tree called Laburnum. She is so attracted towards the glory of this Laburnum’s full bloom that she decides to plant it near the head of her grave after she dies. For this she buys a small plot of land adjacent to a graveyard from her relative and entrusts the job to her driver cum confidant, named Babu. After years of efforts by Babu, who understood her mistress’s final wish, he successfully grows a beautiful flowering Laburnum plant in one corner of the  plot earmarked for Lentina’s final resting place. In the meantime, Lentina’s health deteriorates and finally passes away the night after hearing the long awaited news of her favourite Laburnum bloom at her favourite eternal resting place, from Babu.  

Death of a Hunter: This is a short story about a highly talented village hunter called Imchanok, who is constantly troubled by a wild boar that feeds on his and his neighbours’ paddy fields every time the crop is ripe for harvesting, causing him huge financial losses. Though Imchanok has saved the village earlier by hunting down a wild elephant and monkey destroying the same paddy fields and crop, he somehow gets into a depression seeing them die a slow painful death, with his bullet. But when finally he shoots down the monster boar with the help of his villagers, he gets so saddened and guilty that he finally quits his hunting profession forever after giving the animal’s tooth, a proper rituals laden burial.

The Boy Who Sold an Airfield: A short story about a boy called Pokenmong, who ran away from his home and settled down as a house help in a far-off village of Assam. The story narrates as to how this clever lad dupes an entire village and makes a fortune out of a small hand written paper given to him by the American soldier whom he was working for, at the time when they were evacuating an airfield after the Indo-Burma war. The adjacent village headman being illiterate, mistakes the paper for ownership deed of the airfield and buys it from Pokenmong, only to be surprised later when government officials inform him that it was only a piece of paper containing ownership of some used  furniture, shoes and an old jeep of the American soldiers. 

The Letter: One of the most poignant short stories I ever read. Its about a small village somewhere in Assam which is troubled by extortionists belonging to a group posing themselves as underground government (anti-Government). Amongst the villagers lives a poor laborer, whose hard-earned wages, are taken away forcibly by these crooks which he saved for his son’s education purpose. This dejected angry laborer now tries the same method of extortion with the villagers, one day, in a disguised attire of the underground government. But to his surprise, he will be confronted by the local youth and beaten up to death. The story ends with the local youth discovering the letters of his son begging to send money for his exam fee in the pocket of dead man.  

Three Women: An emotional story of three women in the same family. Lipoktula (grandmother) is raped when she was young by a local politician when her husband was out at farm. She gives birth to Medemla, due to the pregnancy caused by that secret rape, who later falls in love with the politician’s son. Knowing this Lipoktula disallows the marriage of Medemla, as the boy is none other than his brother. Medemla, under ignorance of this secret, remains spinster for the rest of her life. Later she adopts Martha, who is orphaned at the hospital Medemla is working to enjoy the void created in her life. The story ends with Martha giving birth to a child after getting pregnant through her lover, even before marriage. The sexual and spiritual emotions of a woman towards a man’s physical touch, law of attraction, intimacy and absurd power of sex are so well narrated by the author through the hearts of Lipoktula, Medemla and Martha.

A Simple Question: A Short story about an illiterate, smart daughter of a village headman, in a remote village of North Eastern India, living with her family under constant fear of extortion, sandwiched between Indian Government and Nagas fighting for independence. Being from the family of village headman, their husbands are constant victims of atrocities from both sides on the grounds of suspicions of allegiance to either side. Her simple and brave question to the Deputy Commissioner once, when she denied to leave the place of arrest of her husband and his subsequent release elicits the stupendous bravery of this simple illiterate village woman in challenging the basic military confidence of the officer in the land that doesn’t belong to him.

Sonny: A beautiful tragic love story of a woman journalist, abandoned by her lover Sonny, on the pretext of his larger motive to fight for independence of his land from Indian occupation. The fathomless depth of a woman’s love towards the man she loves is wonderfully chronicled in this story. The journo, on her visit back to her hometown after several years of separation is suddenly encountered with assassination of her ex-lover by his peers. She is forced to leave the place immediately instead of attending his funeral with the final love letter and secret floppy disk to be aired on her television channel, but, only to permanently store it in her locker without checking the content of that disk. With that action, she closes the chapter and memories of Sonny in her future life and from the world, forever.

Flight: A very short story narrated from within an ugly caterpillar picked up by an ailing little boy called Johnny, as a pet, after his father agreed to his request, maybe as a last wish. The caterpillar’s woes of being locked in a small box by Johnny only to be checked once in a while and its emotional detachment from the sick boy while flying off into its own universe from Johnny’s room, after being metamorphosed into a beautiful butterfly, are absolutely tear-shedding towards the end.

Pros: Each and every story in the book has a marvelous emotion and sentiment attached. The reader is taken deep into abyss of personal attachment to his life somewhere, in every story. The author seems to have dived deep into every emotion of a woman in her life. Else, such feelings are impossible to put on paper and pen.

Cons: Most of her stories are women-centric. There should have been an ear to the man’s side also.

My favorite quote from this book : ‘If you want to gain from investments in land, go for inconspicuous plots, but ones which have future prospects. That way no one will pay attention when you buy it, and when the town expands, your holdings will appreciate in value many times over.’

My rating: 3.5 out of 5  

PAKISTAN – COURTING THE ABYSS By Tilak Devesher

 

PAKISTAN – COURTING THE ABYSS By Tilak Devesher

Tilak Devesher, a retired top bureaucrat of Government of India turned writer specialised in security issues pertaining to Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. After his retirement, he focussed on writing articles for some major news dailies and television channels of India. Currently, he is well known for his in-depth knowledge about Pakistan and its current scenario. He appears frequently in many talk shows and podcasts in Indian television channels and has quite a big subscriber base in social media.

STORYLINE
The book begins with the birth of Pakistan movement in the final phase of British period in colonial Indian subcontinent. The story of Pakistan right from the conception to present stage has been elaborately explained with umpteen number of references being quoted from various invaluable books, articles, letters written by stalwarts of the period. The reader is taken through a variety of incidents that took place pre and post independence with a clear understanding of how a once proposed prosperous Pakistan by its founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah, has turned out to be a disastrous failed State due to a weak and corrupt political leadership coupled with a strong and religious Army. Every aspect of the society like Pakistan’s identity crisis; its ideology revolving around anti Hindu and anti India propaganda; it’s constant suppression of basic rights to provinces like Balochistan, Khyber Pakthunkwa and Sindh, domination of Punjabis in acquiring lion’s share of the country’s resources and budgetary allocations; rise of its Islam-centered Army as the saviour and custodian of the country’s security and development; radical Islamization of its society with limited scope for peaceful co-existence of other minority religions; growth of sectarianism within Muslims amongst Sunnis, Shias, Deobandis, Ahmadias, Barelvis etc; birth and rapid venomous progress of madrasa culture in propagation of radical Islam into the minds of the youth of the country; subsequent rise of terrorism amongst the unemployed youth after completion of madrasa education; massive mismanagement of natural resources like its river and ground water with most of most of it preferred to Punjab but other provinces ignored; defective education policy with most of basic education focussed on Islamic knowledge rather than maths, science and social studies required by the industry for employment opportunities; structural weaknesses in economic policy of the country; uncontrolled growth of population without proper stategy to reap the dividends of the young; the Army’s quest for parity with its powerful neighbour India on economic and military fronts; its quest for domination over another neighbouring country Afghanistan through Taliban, for strategic control over its resources and spread of its radical Islamic ideology against India and Soviet Union; its unquenchable quest for dependence on monetary and military assistance from China and USA to be on par with India’s might; and finally it’s never-ending nose-dive into the abyss of destruction and instability of its economy under the cover of being a nuclear powered country that might permanently annihilate the entire region if allowed to fail as a State.

My favourite paragraphs in the book
According to Rehmat Ali, Pakistan was an acronym composed of Punjab, Afghania (NWFP), Kashmir, Sindh and Balochistan.
According to Narendra Singh Sarila if Col Elahi Baksh, the doctor who attended on Jinnah during the last phase of his illness in August– September 1948 at Ziarat near Quetta, is to be believed, he heard his patient say: ‘I have made it [Pakistan] but I am convinced that I have committed the greatest blunder of my life.’

Pros:
One aspect that is worth praising in this book is about the author’s unambiguous analysis of Pakistan’s political and military policies. Though the author is of the Indian origin, there appears not a single instance where he directly involved his Indian views about the transformation of Jinnah’s creation into a falling comet within six decades of its birth. Can be used as a rich resource for students and enthusiasts to learn about the statistics of Pakistan’s journey into chaos and failure as an economy.

Cons:
Though much has been spoken about Afghanistan, not much has been covered about Pakistan’s obsession for Kashmir, its history and current scenario. Similarly, more information should have been given about Bangladesh’s breakaway with ample facts. This is the only void, as per me

My rating : 4.5 out 5

ASHOKA – The Search for India’s Lost Emperor by Charles Allen

ASHOKA – The Search for India’s Lost Emperor by Charles Allen

Charles Allen was born in present-day Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India, where six generations of his family served under the British Raj. Though his formal education was in England and Italy, he was more of an Anglo-Indian after he came back to India with his parents later. He was more of a travel writer in his early days of writing and took affiliation to Buddhism when he was in Nepal. He turned into a fulltime historian later with his interest in Indian history. He was an ardent supporter of Dalit rights in India and an opposer of Brahminism. He wrote more than a dozen books about India and its historical past. Died in 2020 after finishing his last book ‘Aryans’.

StoryLine:

Ashoka (Without Sorrow) the Great or Ashokavardhana, was the son of Bindusara and grandson of Chandragupta Maurya. Ashoka was the true emperor of India as his kingdom extended from Eastern Persia on the north-west to Bengal in the north-east and from Kashmir in the North to Karnataka in the South. The book speaks about his greatness in managing such a huge territory comprising of several vassal princely states single handedly through his weapon of “Dharma”, also called as Moral Law. Though he was a ruthless and cruel king in his early stages of usurping the throne of Magadha by killing his half-brother Sumana, he later converted to Buddhism under the influence of one of his cousins, Nigrodha, and adopted a policy of non-violence and good governance through moral laws of teachings of Lord Buddha. Though not much of his rule is mentioned in this book, the importance of Dharma in his rule had been spread across the country and neighboring countries like Nepal, Afghanistan, Persia, Tibet and South East Asian countries through his Rock Edicts, Minor Rock Edicts and Pillar Edicts. The author is of the strong opinion that many of the present popular Hindu temples are built upon Buddhist structures. He is also of the opinion that the Brahmanical Hinduism has suppressed the voice and spread of Buddhism which is much older and thus the greatness of Ashoka erased from history, since he challenged the caste based Brahmanical order.

Many interesting facts about Ashoka’s times were described in detail. One such fact is about destruction of the world famous Nalanda University and its exquisite library by the ruthless Muslim invader Mohammad Bhaktiyar, just because he didn’t find a copy of Quran in its collection. The library is said to have burnt for months. The book also elicits the fact about how a standardized script called Brahmi has been carved out of ancient Indian scripts Pali, Prakrit and Sanskrit and the same inscribed on to Edicts of Ashoka across the length and breadth of his Empire. The author has meticulously brought out the facts and figures related to the origin of Buddhism in fourth century BC and its spread across the subcontinent in the later periods through Ashoka the Great. Lots of information is brought regarding how Ashoka’s grandfather Chandragupta usurped the throne of Magadha from the Nanda kings, with clever plotting of his mentor Chanakya (Brahmin author of Arthashastra) and with the help of associates of Alexander the Great of Greece. Though Ashoka was also called as Chandashoka (The Angry Ashoka) though his terrible deeds in suppressing his opponents, he is said to have become a pious and ardent follower of non-violence taught by Sakhyamuni Buddha, after his conversion to Buddhism from Hinduism.

Almost each and every surviving ancient historic sites (stupas), manuscripts, edicts and sculptures of Ashoka’s period were deeply studied and analyzed to the core by various British archeologists and historians like Sir William Jones, Horace Hayman Wilson, Buchanan, Colin Mackenzie, James Princep, Markam Kittoe, Brian Hodgson, Dr Fuhrer etc during in the 19th century, through their prestigious research organizations Asiatic Society of Bengal and Archeological Survey of India. Such interpretations have been beautifully presented in the book with corresponding illustrations. It was from these findings that it is established that Ashoka could take Buddhism to as far as Greece, Persia, Afghanistan, Tibet, Bhutan, China, Burma, Combodia etc through his appointed special classes of religious officers called “Dharma Mahamatras”. The author even took account of the recordings of Chinese travelers HuenTsang and Fa-hein to confirm the exact dates of Ashoka’s reign. It was observed that almost all the Ashokan edicts were located at remotest and isolated places away from big towns as a precaution from being destroyed by the forthcoming dynasties who might act against Buddhism or be pro-Brahmin. The wonderful idea of carving his doctrines on to rock instead of cloth or leaves in those days, should be given credit as the former would last for ages compared to the latter.

The death of Ashoka in final days was said to be very pitiful as he lost all his personal wealth due to countless donations and gifts in gold, silver and copperware to Buddhist monks for their welfare and construction of Buddhist monasteries, stupas, edicts and other welfare measures of his kingdom. Thus, Mauryan empire under Ashoka the Great is said to be the first Welfare State of the then known civilized world of ancient eras. Eventually, the great Ashokan dynasty came to a sad end after Pushyamitra Shunga from the Shunga dynasty killed last of the Mauryan ruler Brihadrata and destroyed most of the Buddhist monuments and edicts in order to erase the religion from history.

Ashoka the Great would be remembered as the man who first forged India into a single nation state, and thus has a real claim to be its founding father; the first Indian ruler with a distinctive, identifiable voice; the pioneer of non-violence, the first proponent of conquest by moral force alone, whose words remain absolutely, unequivocally, unique among rulers as a statement of governing principles. Hence, the twenty-four-spoked wheel known as the chakra, or ‘Wheel of Law’, which was set at the centre of the Indian tricolour; and, for its national emblem, the Ashokan capital excavated at Sarnath in 1904– 5 showing four lions standing guard over four chakras, representing the ‘lion’s roar of the Buddha’ spreading to the cardinal directions. These symbols were expressly chosen to represent the new, secular India, free of any specific religious affiliation, to create a country governed by righteousness. Ashoka’s doctrine of governance had three main goals: non-violence as a means of achieving ends, allowing conquest by Dharma only; freedom of religious expression with respect for the views of others; and the promotion of the ‘essentials of all religions’ based on proper behaviour, consisting of purity of heart, self-control, firm devotion, respect for each other, generosity, good deeds, gratitude, restraint, impartiality, not injuring or harming others, and forgiving those who do wrong ‘where forgiveness is possible’.

My favourite Rock Edict no 13: Truly, Beloved-of-the-Gods (Ashoka) desires non-injury, restraint and impartiality to all beings, even where wrong has been done. Now it is conquest by Dharma that Beloved-of-the-Gods considers to be the best conquest … I have had this Dharma edict written so that my sons and great-grandsons may not consider making new conquests, or that if military conquests are made, that they be done with forbearance and light punishment, or better still, that they consider making conquest by Dharma only, for that bears fruit in this world and the next.

Pros: This book is an extensive research-based historic template of the life of King Ashoka, his predecessors and successors with almost accurate timelines. Credit should be given to the author for reviving the lost memories of the great Emperor of India who had given a uniform civil code in the 3rd century BC itself when rest of the western world was still in its nascent stages of good governance. Illustrations of rock edicts, pillar edicts, archaeological sites, monuments, souvenirs, coins belonging to Ashokan period at right parts of the book, excites the reader to dig deeper into the book without wink of an eye.

Cons: The author seemed to be strongly anti-Brahman and seemed to have a strong opinion that the fall of Buddhism in India is mainly due to the tyranny of pro-Brahmanical rulers after Ashoka, which might not be true. His opinion of Buddhist temples being converted into Hindu temples is also not proved with evidences anywhere in the book. His final linking of Dalit icon Dr. B R Ambedkar’s conversion to Buddhism with his opinion seemed out of context and immaterial.

My rating : 4.5 out 5 

THE BLUE EYED AFGHAN By Stephen F Cole

 

THE BLUE EYED AFGHAN Written by Stephen F Cole

The author seems to be a simple man who liked to travel a lot, hitch hike, and is always in search of adventure. Having got bored with his long sales career, took to writing and this could be one of his first books. Does not like to reveal his whereabouts due to security reasons.

STORY LINE:

This book is about how a poor young Afghan national, who loses all his family, in the turmoil during Taliban rule in Afghanistan is saved and taken back to London by a British military officer, to live with his family, thenceforth. This blue-eyed Afghan, called Babur, is for the first time exposed to the taste of true democracy and lives on to securing his life as a good citizen through highest education from London University. He loves London and its people but hates the ongoing religious radical attempts of Islamic preachers in order to bring the country under Sharia Law, just like the way it was at back home. Though he has nothing to do with the murder of one such radical Islamic preacher Abu Hamza, he is framed to be the prime suspect by two influential anti-religion and anti-Government Britishers, the real killers, to create religious conflict and hatred between Muslims and Christians using latest drone technology and dangerous chemicals by killing hundreds on both sides and subsequently gain political power through their own new political party called Fresh Start. This plot gets identified by the British Detective Agency and they hunt down the real culprits behind the entire episode. But, finally, one of the two perpetrators end up becoming the Prime Minister of UK after winning an election, while the other gets killed in a Police operation. The book has lot of truths revealed about how politics and hunger for power decide the life of innocent citizens. Also, a lot of hatred is spewed on Islam and its ideology, which might be not true, but for a few who have been radicalised through hate speeches. He seemed to have represented the voice of a common Britisher who enjoys democracy and freedom of speech.

Pros : The ugly face of politicians in converting a peaceful and lawful land into a riot laden, hatred filled State is well elicited in this book. The reader gets to know how once a peaceful United Kingdom is reeling under the pressure of religious conflicts between two major religions of the world, only because some greedy power mongers of the country would like to occupy the political power, by appeasing the immigrants’ vote bank. The reader can come across some of the most relevant and beautiful quotes relating today’s life of a common man vs the politics of a country.

Cons: The editing of this book seems to be flawed as there are many grammar errors throughout. The author seems to be one of the victims of the Government policies and hence wrote this book to vent up his anger on the Government as well as Islamic radical mindsets. The title doesn’t justify the story as Babur’s role in this entire story is almost negligible, except for the benefit of doubt of how he could have got blue eyes, having being born in an Asian country, once invaded by the blue-eyed Alexander the Great, from Greece. Food for thought!

My favourite Quote in the Book: “The planet is 2 billion years old and our occupation of it is has lasted a tiny fraction of that time, it is a fantastic miracle that we are here at all, instead of being content with that, most of that time has been spent trying to wipe each other out, most slaughtered in the name of God. Thank God”

My rating: 2.5 out of 5

THE LOST MARY By James D Tabor

 

THE LOST MARY By James D Tabor

JAMES D. TABOR is a retired professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where he served as department chair for a decade. His previous ten books include the international bestseller The Jesus Dynasty, The Jesus Discovery, and Paul and Jesus. Over the past three decades Tabor has combined his study of ancient texts with field work in archaeology, and since 2008 he has been co-director of the acclaimed Mt. Zion excavation in Jerusalem. Tabor’s work has been featured in dozens of major magazines and TV documentaries, including on PBS Frontline, BBC, Discovery Channel, Nightline, 20/ 20, and the History Channel. He lives in Charlotte, North Carolina.

STORYLINE: Its one of the best books that every Christian should read to learn about how Christianity was born and evolved over two centuries. The book is full of interesting facts and illustrations about Mary, the biological mother of Jesus and her re-discovery from the lost status in Bible. Equally astonishing are the facts about how she and her surviving family of Jesus have been effaced from the Bible tactically to start an entirely different ideology. Though the book might be appearing highly controversial by followers of Jesus Christ as God, the author produced enough archaeological evidences about Jesus’s birth and life as on ordinary man who inherits the genes of King David. All facts presented in this book point out to the reality that he was a Messiah of God along with John, the Baptist (his elder cousin) but not God himself. The book turns even more interesting when the evidences of Mary’s royal lineage are illustrated and how she is portrayed as a “Virgin” having been the vessel to bring in the Messiah of God into the world. It is also proved that she has six more biological children (four sons and two daughters) after Jesus’s birth. The author mainly concentrated on establishing Mary as the torch bearer of starting and taking forward the Jesus movement after the crucifixion and death of Jesus through his brother James. But her efforts have been diluted in the New Testament by strategically masking her involvement in the birth of Christianity. Instead, Paul, one of the later apostles who haven’t even met Jesus ever, wrote the New Testament of the Bible under the influence of his allegiance to Roman kings.  The main reason behind this cited to be as to present Jesus as a God and not just Jewish Messiah of God for which he needs to be born of divine intervention but not through regular biological methods. This tactical move of Paul silenced the original seeds of Christianity started by Mary and her family, through his original preachings as a Messiah. The author put all his efforts to bring back Mary to lime light whom he considers as the one who bore the brunt of all sufferings during the reign of King Herod the Great to give birth to Jesus and also raising him through the ruthless barbaric killing of thousands of Jews by means of crucifixions in Jerusalem. He considers her as the most important of the greatest women of the world who needs to be given the credit of bringing Jesus, the son of God to the mortal world and also raising him to become the future leader of the deprived and needy, during the most tumultuous periods of Jewish sufferings.

Pros : The wonderful archaeological evidences with graphic, Biblical citations and original illustrations of the proofs of every aspect of Mary’s birth, her life before the birth of Jesus and her being silenced after that is worth reading. The author’s deep inquisitive knowledge about the geographical area of Nazareth, Jerusalem and its surrounding places gives even more strength to his evidences proving every aspect about Mary’s family history. Truly wonderful.

Cons : Though there is quite a believable historic evidence put forward, some to be just imaginations of the author that a particular event might have taken place at that time. Such were again mostly based purely on Biblical citations of New Testament which according to him was a deviation from originality of Christianity.

My rating : 4 out of 5

A HISTORY OF KASHMIR By Parvez Dewan

 

A HISTORY OF KASHMIR By Parvez Dewan

Parvez Dewan was born on 13 October 1954 in Srinagar. Dewan was educated at St Joseph’s, Allahabad; St George’s Grammar, Hyderabad; Stanes, Coimbatore; The Air Force Central School, Subroto Park, New Delhi and St Stephen’s College in Delhi. He did his higher education from the University of Cambridge in 1987 (Wolfson College). Dewan joined the IAS and was allotted the Jammu and Kashmir cadre and he was first posted as Sub-Divisional Magistrate in Basohli where he revived its school of miniature painting. Dewan was the Tourism Secretary of India (2012-14). Dewan asked for and was granted voluntary, premature retirement, in order to concentrate on his career as a writer, especially to work on his South Asian encyclopedia, Indpaedia.com. He has authored a series of books on Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh.

StoryLine:

The author has great knowledge about the historical tradition of the land of Kashmir since 6th Century AD. The book consists of 11 Chapters that takes the reader right from the pre-history of Kashmir, starting AD 1200. Right from the legends of origin of the name of the land from Rishi Kashyap to the various dynasties that ruled the land and its elaborate linkage to other parts of the country and the world has been stitched in a very interesting manner. One who is interested in mythology clubbed with historical facts, would be delighted to go through the pages voraciously. The reader will be awestruck to learn how Jesus Christ and Jews are said to have reached Kashmir and made an impact of Christianity also in the Valley, though it cannot be taken seriously. The rise of Islam in Kashmir through various Muslim invasions of the country and the subsequent conversions of the resident original Hindus of the land to Muslims, and how various Muslim sects have influenced the lives of locals, is well explained without much of ambiguity. The impact of Sikhism on Kashmir through Sikh Gurus and their subsequent rulers along with the popular reforms that brought about major changes in the social fabric of the entire population is well elicited. Post 1947, the political changes brought about by politicians of Delhi in making Jammu & Kashmir a part of India with Pakistan constantly trying all its means to occupy the Valley through its religious and extremist provoking of the population, with the secret support of the evil out-going British diplomats, is one of the most transparent material that I have come across. The link between Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and other neighbouring Islamic countries with Kashmir has been clearly established through their influx and settlements after constant invasions. Finally, the regional histories of each and every part of Jammu and Kashmir along with their nomenclature is the best that I loved to read. The author’s extensive research and knowledge about each and every part of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh is the biggest treasure that the reader can garner from reading this book.

Pros : One thing that the reader would have clarity after reading this beautiful book is that the actual problem of Kashmir is not the religious conflict between the original inhabitants, Hindus and later converted, Muslims, but it is only between the local Kashmiris and non-Kashmiris. One of the main reasons why Raja Hari Singh accepted Accession of the State to India instead of Pakistan and Article 370 was accepted by both the public and local Muslim majority politicians. Also, the reader is well informed about some of the pro-poor reforms that Muslim rulers of the State have brought about compared to their Hindu predecessors. A detailed chronological shift of a peaceful territory to the land of mass murders and terrorist activities through proxy tribesmen by Pakistan is the best to learn towards the end of this writing. The transition of the land from a predominantly Hindu majority to a Muslim majority has been well explained with chronological proofs.

Cons: Though the author seemed not to have any bias towards any religion, there appeared to be a slight mockery of Hindu mythology and legends while portraying the facts about origin of the names of some places. I didn’t understand why Mirza Haider Dughlat (1499-1551) from Central Asia, has been chosen as the prime ruler who actually shaped present day Kashmir’s society. A separate chapter allocated to him.

My Rating : 3.75 out of 5

Tales From Kathasaritsagara By Somadeva

The original author in Sanskrit Somadeva was a Kashmiri Shaivite Brahmin who lived in the eleventh century during the times of King Anantadeva. The book is said to behave been composed in around 1070 AD for the wife of King Anantadeva, Queen Suryamati. However Kathasaritsagara is only one part of the larger text called “Brihatkatha” written by Gunadhya, a mythical figure from Lord Shiva’s abode. 

Translated by Arshia Sattar, a PhD holder in South Asian Languages and Civilizations from the University of Chicago, teaches Indian literature at several institutions in India and is contributes to several journals and magazines. She has been working with the Valmiki Ramayana for thirty five years.

Story Line:

The book is divided into 10 parts each consisting of many chapters that make one story each. The 10 parts Kathapitha, Kathamukha , Lavanaka, Madanamanchuka, Ratnaprabha, Alankaravati, Shaktiyashas, Shashankavati, Padmavati, Vishamashila are all interwoven around Naravahandatta, one of the seven eternal rulers of Vidhyadharas. They are entwined within each other in such a way that one story leads to another story and then another and another. Its like an endless thread of stories one within each other that have morals attached to each and every story at the end. The reader enjoys them while reading and imagining how ancient tales used to be narrated over bed time or by gurus to their disciples/students. At some point or the other, I am sure that the reader misses the point where he started and may have to go back to find the previous reference. Its such a complex web of stories that is exciting to sail through. Though there have been some stories taken from Panchatantra and Vikram Betaal, most of them might be new to the reader or never heard before, even from our grandparents. The best part is to know how Gods and Goddesses (particularly Shiva and Parvati) were part of the daily life of commoners as well as the elite across the country, as they very frequently interact with them whenever they are propitiated or wished. I started thinking as to whether Shiva and Parvati and other Gods were actually humans with some magical powers, who were worshipped as Gods later. In fact all Gods seemed to be Super Humans. Out of all, one story really surprised me to the core. This story in Alankaravati is about Sita and her two twin sons. Here Sita is said to have only one biological son called Lava with Rama. His twin brother Kush is said to be made by Valmiki out of the blades of Kush grass, later projected to the world as twin brothers born to Sita. This needs more research and facts brought out by experts. Definitely there must be some concrete evidence to prove this when such tale has been in circulation in the 11th century itself. Rest all stories seemed to be real folklores that bring out the real lifestyle, cultures and traditions of people and kings who lived in not so ancient times. Most of the morals of the stories are relevant even today and have great impact on today’s lifestyle of general public in the country.

Pros : The collection of stories have great significance and relevance to how society was functioning in those times. Though there is a mention of Chaturvarna system in force actively, there seemed to be no major hatred or exploitation by the upper castes over lower castes. Moreover, both good and bad people have been portrayed equally with relevant stories with morals ending in a tragedy for the bad ones. On the lighter note, one can find across the length of the book, scores of beautiful novel Hindu names for their new born sons and daughters. Also, I loved how Gods are portrayed as not the invisible ones but those who regularly interact and invite deserving mortals to their abodes to and fro. Wish it could be the same today also. This I think used to motivate those who were narrated these stories to be virtuous and pious in order to be in the good books of the powerful Gods and Goddesses.

Cons: There seems to be a lot of literature that belittles women throughout. Most of the stories are having some reference or the other to portray women as the lustful ones and those who were not faithful to their husbands or one man, but always luring other men for physical pleasures. This is very disturbing to a rational reader. Men on the other hand were shown as loyal to their wives and lovers but fought with each other just to win over their faith on their spouses. Was this the kind of society that existed at that time? Food for thought.

My rating : 2.5 out of 5

The Fisher Queen's Dynasty Written By Kavita Kane

The Fisher Queen's Dynasty by Kavita Kané
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Kavita Kane, a senior journalist for over two decades quit her job to become a writer on Indian mythological fiction. A pet lover and post graduate in English Literature & Mass Communication, she has over four best selling books in her kitty till date. And probably more to come.

Storyline:

This is the story of Satyavathi, the unceremonious Queen of the Kuru dynasty. Not much about her is discussed when it comes to Mahabharata, though she is one of the root queen of the infamous Kuru dynasty, which later perish in the great Kurukshetra war between the Kauravas and the Pandavas. Satyavathi, also known as Matsyagandha (the girl who has the scent of a fish), or Kali (the dark one) was the abandoned daughter of Uparichar Vasu- the King of Chedi, born to a fisherwoman. She goes through the hardships of poverty in the fishermen village but carries the zeal and burning desire to become a Queen, one day. Shantanu, the mighty king of Hastinapur, the most powerful kingdom of the land, once while wandering across encounters the beautiful Satyavathi and falls in love with her.
Opportunity seemed to have struck Satyavathi, to cherish her long pending wish. Her father Dasharaj, loses no time in striking a deal with Shantanu. For him to agree to the marriage, Dasharaj demands that neither Shantanu’s already existing multi talented warrior son and Crown Prince, Devavrat, nor his offspring, should ever ascend the throne of Hastinapur or be in competition to the same in future, against the offspring of Shantanu and Satyavathi. Devavrat agrees to this condition and pledges that he shall never marry. He thus becomes Bhishma of Mahabharata. Later, after Satyavathi’s marriage to Shantanu, she will never be able to live happily due to this guilt of her backdoor entry as the Queen of Hastinapur. Later she gives birth to two sons, Chintragad and Vichitravirya who happen to be not so healthy and successful rulers of Hastinapur. Bhishma, the grand Regent of Hastinapur continues to protect the kingdom from its dangerous enemies ever since. Satyavathi, ultimately, commits suicide, unable to bear the burden of curse on her for having deprived Bhishma, the right to be the King of Hastinapur and also for not having been able to give the rightful and healthy warrior princes, as heirs to the Kuru dynasty.

Pros: Any story is always interesting when narrated from the vanquished side. This is one such part of the origin of the grand Hindu epic, Mahabharata, wherein very little is spoken about this great iconic character, of Kuru dynasty. The author, has brought about every emotion out of a woman who was abandoned at her birth, taken by the most powerful king, sustained as a Queen of the most powerful kingdom, becomes the matriarch of a powerful dynasty but ultimately succumbs to the guilt of usurping her position in the wrong way. A woman’s angle is very well elicited in every chapter of the book. Satyavathi, who is perceived as a clever, ambitious, but wicked woman in the regular citation of Mahabharata of every Indian home, shall garner sympathy and love, if one reads this book.

Cons: The author seems to have missed a chord in maintaining a steady tempo in the flow of the book. There are some instances in-between when the reading gets boring and the reader tends to see the page number.

My rating is 3 out of 5


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Don't Tell the Governor Written by Ravi Subramanian

Don't Tell The Governor by Ravi Subramanian
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The author is a well known star writer from South India, also known as John Grisham of India, who spent most of his professional life in senior positions of Indian national banks, after his management degree from IIM, Bangalore. His previous books have National award winning status. His fans and film producers eagerly wait for his next creation always.

Storyline:

India would never forget 08th Nov,2016, when its iconic Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced demonetization of Rs.1000 and Rs.500 notes with immediate effect on his address to the nation on television. This book’s storyline revolves around this daring incident, fictionalized in the author’s style.

The much flaunted Reserve Bank of India’s Governor Aditya Kesavan, brought in as a replacement to the earlier Governor, handpicked by the Prime Minister of India, gets involved in a secret love affair with Pallavi Soni, a model cum not so successful film actress married to an ambitious businessman, Vicky Malhotra. It all starts well when Vicky starts some ambitious projects in India like an online E-Commerce portal, a stake in one of the star teams in IPL Cricket, and Suyog Monthly Gold Scheme. He befriends Aditya in one of the company’s high level parties which leads to Pallavi getting physically attracted to Aditya and later falling in love with him. All goes well until all of Vicky’s businesses crumble, due to lack of customer patronization and change in Government policies. Vicky abandons Pallavi, when it was found that Indian Government was about to arrest Vicky for huge bank defaults. This is when Aditya comes to the rescue of Pallavi for the repayment of the 300 crores, due to the banks, by using his power as an RBI Governor. He diverts that amount secretly from the amount paid by the Government to a terrorist organization of Pakistan to get hostages released from an Indian Airlines hijack event. The story ends with a bang when the Prime Minister announces demonetization of high denomination currency one day suddenly, thus invalidating all the money siphoned off by Aditya as well as that paid to the terrorists. Aditya is caught off hook when the PM forces or rather blackmails him to approve this demonetization as an RBI Governor in return to squash his theft charges on him.

Many other characters like Dhanish Khosla, who works as a lobbyist, under cover for the PM to unearth such secret deals in his Government, Mehul Modi, who escaped the country after defaulting more than Rs.5000 crores to the banks, De La Spire, a Swiss company which supplies currency paper to print Indian currency have been juxtaposed to create some spice in the story. The overall experience of the much talked about demonetization is rolled into an interesting story covering many recent events that stormed the headlines of press /media but forgotten by the people of the country.

Pros : The author very tactically put forward how Government of India manipulates the so-called autonomous apex body Reserve Bank of India to fund the former’s financial emergencies, just like a fly in the bottle. Also, one gets to know how the terrorist organizations in Pakistan are being funded through fake Indian currency for infiltration as well as destabilizing the economy. The book has hair raising twists and turns. The author links different events in the end with proper justification for every wrong action. He once again proves the fact that the wrong doers cannot get away forever but one day will be brought to justice either by God or fate. The famous saying “Never Sleep with Someone whose troubles are more than yours” is quite relevant to Aditya’s sexual perversion towards Pallavi that ultimately led to his professional as well as moral downfall. I bet that this book if made into a film would fetch huge profits to the Bollywood industry.

Cons: There are some open ends left in the story when it comes to Vicky and Mehul that ran away with huge money defaulted from the banks. Maybe, its because similar situation are still unsolved, in the current scenario of such real life characters in recent Indian financial scandals. The Indian monetary policy and loopholes in the banking industry are shown to be quite weak and prone to easy money laundering by clever businessmen, which might not be very true always.

My rating is 4 out of 5


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Who were the Shudras? Written by B R Ambedkar

Who were the Shudras? by B.R. Ambedkar
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Dr.BhimRao Ambedkar, born in a Dalit family, considered as the architect of Indian Constitution, an eminent jurist and well known politician has made his mark in the multi cultural country like India with his very high intellectual insights into many social problems of the country much before anyone else could foresee. He fought for the rights of the socially backward classes (dalits) and received Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award from Indian Government in 1990. Unfortunately he succumbed to diabetes in 1956 at Delhi at the age of 75.

This book, one among the many, written by Dr.B.R.Ambedkar, is one of his most criticized books by the highest of the Indian Chaturvanya or the four classed society, the Brahmins. Throughout the book, the author lashes out at the Brahminical theory of origin, of this unreasonable caste system that according to him has been forced upon Indian society by the so-called learned and the pure blood. Various examples have been cited wherein he proves the fact that this system was not existent at the time of Vedas but only later incorporated into them, in order for the Brahmins to protect their identity and supremacy in the society. It was through this ideology that the author brought in, the some of the fundamental rights like Right to Education, Right to Freedom, Right to Property etc, jotted down in the most elaborate written Constitution of the World’s largest democracy. The author has gone to the extent of studying Vedas, Puranas, and Shastras of ancient Indian history in order to dig the origin and application of the Chaturvanya sytem, wherein Shudras or the Untouchables were placed in the lowest category of this unscrupulous caste system and denied all basic rights when compared to the other three castes - the Brahmins, the Kshatriyas and the Vysyas. He goes to the extent of even studying and comparing the same kind of system existing in the Roman (Caput and Existimatio) and Greek ancient cultures but with a complete different motive and results. He also proves how the different manuscripts of Hindu religion differ about the same Chaturvanya, none considering Shudras as an inferior caste compared to the other three. The author opposes the Brahminical tyranny in denying the rights of a Shudra even to utter Vedas, enter temples, perform Pujas, own property or even to marry an upper caste man/woman. Finally, the author goes on to highlight the assumption that the Shudras were actually Kshatriyas (rulers or kings) but only later divided into two and pushed to the fourth class, because of the oppressions and indignities subjected by Shudra kings on Brahmins. The author finally infers the vengeance of Brahmins against Shudras, right from the age old rivalry between the Vasishta (Brahmin sage)and Vishwamitra (Shudra sage)during the Vedic ages. Accordingly, the Brahmins successfully pushed Shudras to the Untouchable or inferior position by imposing the denial of Right to Upanayana (study Vedas) on the latter, with which the Right to Education and the Right to Own Property automatically stands cancelled. Thus, making the Shudras the least powerful and at the mercy of the other three upper castes.

Pros : This book must be read by every Indian in order to know how the social fabric of this country has evolved over a period of time. It is an honest attempt of the author to bring to light the hard facts of favouritism brought by some on their likes and tyranny brought about on the others based on colour of the skin, physical appearance, nature of work they do for their living etc. The reader would appreciate the efforts of the author in comparing the different contexts of various ancient Hindu manuscripts to prove that the so called Shudras or Untouchables of the country were actually once the Rulers of the country. A must read book by every history, politics, sociology and anthropology students.

Cons: The author sometimes seemed to be totally biased while writing this book, maybe due to his personal experiences during his childhood and professional life. His hatred towards Brahmins flows like lava out of an active volcano when it comes to his views on suppression of his birth class but ignores the good effects that the same caste system has, in binding this multi cultural country, into a single harmonious social fabric over millennia. If the author was right about the Brahmins, I still doubt how Lord Krishna, a Shudra by birth, became one of the most revered Gods of Hindu religion.

My rating is 4.25 out of 5


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