Historic Tashkent talks
ALTAF GAUHAR was Field-Marshal Ayub Khan’s information secretary, closest confidant, and biographer, indeed alter ego. It is he who had recorded that on September 6, 1965 when Indian troops entered the Lahore sector, the Pakistani “most surprised†was Ayub Khan, Pakistan’s first military ruler.
A Neo-Oriental view
Considering that, 'The Good Muslim' comes as dampener. The war got over in the last installment and the story starts afresh here. It enters into a tricky territory. Post-war trauma and rebuilding of fabric has always been a sticky wicket for the writers.
The intifada for Freedom
When the government-controlled guns take rest, some conscious minds think of documenting the present. But as for Kashmir, these stories are not merely a mass of words documenting the pain and agony of people; of course it is not the other way way around, but then, more importantly, it is a fight against forgetfulness
A Pictorial Journey
A rare delight where the author is commissioned to paint a picture of India, Val C. Prinsep embarks on a journey for Her majesty on the Indian assemblage on the occasion of her assumption of the title of the Empress of India.
“Of sycophancy and arroganceâ€
Why I mentioned the Anna movement in the context of this book is the simple fact that the book, like the Congress party, seems utterly divorced from reality and swings from arrogance to sycophancy depending on who is the recipient.
PM's Bangla visit irks Mamata
Although West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s displeasure over the proposed Teesta River Water sharing with Bangladesh has highlighted the water sharing issue, the issue of displacement and further influx of refugees from Bangladesh is also coming up in the wake of PM’s ensuing Bangladesh visit
A warped view: On China
On China is a mixed bag. The book’s first part starts with a potted history of China, including its mythical past. What is intriguing is through his general review of China, including the period of the Great Leap Forward and the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, Kissinger makes his choices in favour of Communist China clear.
Tale of an ‘impostor’
For a lay reader, a book of this nature might appear pretty daunting at first glance. Partha Chatterjee is after all among the world’s major political theorists known for his academic tomes about societies and mass movements in all their inherent complexities.
A personal tragedy
It is never easy to fight with perception. And if that perception lasts for a sustained period, it becomes even harder to counter. Somewhere at the back of the mind, Alex Rutherford must have had this consideration before attempting the third installment of the Moghul quintet.
Undemocratic impulse: Broken republic
Sixty-four years after it ended, India needs to understand the definition of imperialism the most now. It may be in the irony of things, but often every battle faces the danger of leading its people into the very oppression it fights against. Maybe, and maybe I don’t need to temper my statement with a “mayâ€, India already has landed there – the very imperialism it fought to be free from.
Dead reckoning of a Total Victory
Bangladeshi Bengalis are impressed by their 'independence movement', and they are justifiably so. The sacrifice and the emotional investment that has gone into that movement needs to be respected
Anna's movement reaches Himalayas
Hidden in the Himalayas, in the land of the Buddha, a supporter of Anna Hazare has taken upon him to represent Sikkim in the movement against corruption, which has taken over India. Y T Lepcha, 44, a farmer from Nimtar, 25 kilometers from Gangtok, has been on a fast without food and water for the third consecutive day.
Lost in translation?
As the Urdu dwindled from the school syllabi in India, the new generation grew increasingly oblivious of the existence of a great writer whose works became inaccessible to them because of the language barrier and the resultant cultural alienation
Oar to Joy?
Once again, the ‘black snakes’ bobbed in every corner… Like hundreds of batsmen shooting boundaries to every nook and corner of a cricket play ground. Only, the raucous spirit of the place was such that could shame an IPL clash.
“Akbar failed to inspire devotion within his familyâ€
Diana Preston is the face of husband-wife author duo who writes by the pseudonym, Alex Rutherford. The duo was recently in Delhi to promote the third book of their Empire of the Moghuls quintet “Ruler of the worldâ€.
Issue Dated: Feb 5, 2017
