Monday, September 4, 2000
The Shadow Lines -By Amitav Ghosh
Siddharth SinghSiddharth Singh is a lost soul of sorts. Born of parents afflicted by wanderlust, he spent most of his nineteen years in Pakistan, USA and Southern Africa, and the Himalayas. A student of Statistics at Hindu College, Delhi University, his aim in life to be stinking rich, but with style. His favorite quote is "I used to be an atheist till I realised I was God." So under no circumstances should he ever be taken too seriously as a literary critic. Read him at your own risk. |
|
Apparently, what seems to sell in India is not hype. It also doesn't seem to be big foreign contracts, and hefty western paychecks. So maybe it is not surprising that Amitav Ghosh is one writer in the glut of novelists, poets and writers claiming some form of Indian descent who sell on merit, and not on hype.
I am a new reader of his. In fact, I just finished reading "The Shadow Lines" several days back. This is the first of his works I have read, and so I cannot say anything very informed regarding his other works. I am actually waiting for "The Glass Palace" to be released in paperback so that a poor student like me will not go broke.
The good thing about Ghosh is the quality of his writing. It is refreshing to read a good novel, and "The Shadow Lines" is just that. A good book. These, I have discovered, are rarer than I would have imagined.
The story itself is rather straightforward. It follows the life of a young boy growing up in Calcutta, and later on in Delhi and London. The story of his family is closely linked to that of an English one in the heart of London. Much of the narrative deals with the lives and travails of the protagonist's thus far flung family.
This does not however, detract from the story. They serve to add different facets to this simple tale of growing pains and life and longing, and are an interesting counterpoint to the main narrator and life in Calcutta.
What is really remarkable about this work is the sensitivity of the narrative. Ghosh fleshes all his characters, and each one is portrayed with all the weaknesses that make them endearing. Each one is believable, and each one is somewhat familiar, as if vignettes of people we all know have been taken to form a separate and whole entity.
Despite the plot, which does not allow for fantastical twists and surprises, Ghosh retains interest. The novel is not a racy read, and the slow, even sedate, pace is seductive. The narrative is in the first person, and so much of the novel is in a reminiscent mood.
A work definitely worth reading, "The Shadow Lines" marked the presence of a writer of quality on the Indian writing scene. Amitav Ghosh is one of India's better writers, and I look forward to getting my hands on his next book.
 Start a discussion on this article
Geetha Vahini -By Bhagavan Sri Sathaya Sai Baba
B.Upadhyay B.Upadhyay is a Freelance writer.
|
Book: Geetha Vahini
Author: Bhagavan Sri Sathaya Sai Baba
Published by: Sri Sathaya Sai Books And Publication Trust, Prashaanthi Nilayam, India.
No. Of Pages: 252
Price: Indian Currency Rs 22.00
When I was in Prashaanthi Nilayam in August 1999, I had an opportunity to visit Sri Sathaya Sai Books and Publication Trust, where I was delighted to scan several books authored by Baba himself and others as well. I got most of them back home, but did not go through all of them except for the Geetha Vahini.
Many books have so far been written with the fundamental explanation of the religious Hindu epic-Geetha, but as I understood that the Geetha Vahini is pretty much transparent and full of narration.
This invaluable book is not a commentary of the Geetha that was taught on the field of Kurukshetra but is invigorating and re-vitalizing, brought by the Divine Restorer to revive man apprehended in the trap of modern dialectics, in the pride of modern science.
In the Geetha Vahini, teachings are set forth in such a way that---it comforts, consoles and confers strength and faith of the readers. The book does not consist the table of contents, glossary and bibliography but is embodied with twenty---seven chapters, each explaining the lesson that the Lord is eager to teach us, how to win in the turmoil of conflict. Some chapters even encompass the Sanskrit Sloka with ravishing explication.
Almost all the chapters explain the dialoguing between the Lord Krishna and Devotee Arjuna with consequential explanation of the Hindu philosophy. Here, Arjuna is taken as the jivi, the individual, the body is the chariot and the teacher in the chariot is Krishna.
In the third chapter, Baba has inspired the readers by quoting---"it is useful for us to search for our own faults, with a view to removing them, than to seek excellencies so that we might exult over them."
In fact, we can not progress fast, when fear or anxiety drags us behind, we have to move on with faith in ourselves. Whoever he is, he can not escape delusion and is subjected to anguish, which acts as a break on his activity. In this very time he loses peace and hope.
This book can help readers expand their horizons, shape thoughts and choose the right path of life. Geetha Vahini is not only a text for spiritual practitioners, but also for those who want to have a peaceful, pacific and harmonious life.
Therefore, we infer that Geetha is of universal and eternal value. It also grants blessing by leading the right way. To study it means to know the art of swimming across the sea of delusion. On that account, I would like to recommend this book for those readers, who are basically interested in knowing the true essence of human life.
Start a discussion on this article
|
