RUPA PUBLICATIONS: Man Eaters of Kumaon by Jim Corbett

Read a page from this book. Close your eyes for 2 minutes. Read another. Close your eyes again. Repeat this, until the chapter you've been reading is over. No wildlife based television show would ever be able to provide you with a better and more enchanting view of the life of hills and around of long ago, under the menace of dangerous man-eaters, like this one.

'Enchanting' be the one word, if I am to describe my thoughts upon reading this book.

This book is a compilation of ten tales of Corbett's various escapades, mostly spine-chilling, with tigers and leopards, who had gained notoriety due to being man-eaters. Having dealt with wildlife over a long period of time and having observed them from close quarters, Corbett has been able to outline the possible thought process or the reason for the beasts’ behaviours almost as deftly as he has been able to describe the human reactions and responses to the former’s threats.

As a reader, my personal favourite certainly is the story “Robin”, which in some sure sense resembles a typical work of Mahadevi Verma, delicately and lovingly outlining the life of a favourite pet. The protagonist of the story is Robin, Corbett’s faithful spaniel, who had accompanied and helped the author in many of his hunting adventures. In his own words, the canine was “the biggest hearted and the most faithful friend man ever had”. From how the pet came into the care of the author, to how he started training, to how his skill oftentimes became their savior, to how eventually, he bid adieu to his loving master, it is a beautiful story that leaves the reader yearning for more.

As Ruskin Bond aptly puts in the introduction, “Corbett’s exploits brought him fame as a hunter. His book turned him into a legend.”

If you consider yourself an adventure lover or are simply looking for some thrilling stories, here’s the deal. Just read this book. 

RUPA PUBLICATIONS: My Favourite Nature Stories by Ruskin Bond

Title: My Favourite Nature Stories

Author: Ruskin Bond

Price: INR 195

Genre: Non-Fiction

ISBN: 978-81-291-3768-5

The sure worst part of the book was that it eventually got over. Each word devoured and each page gulped. I am still in denial and start re-reading every now and then, and yes, coming back to it is one of the best feelings ever.

Brought out by Rupa Publications on the occasion of the author’s 82^nd birthday, this wonder of a book is a beauteous collection of 21 nature and daily life inspired pieces of prose by Ruskin Bond. To explicate why I refer to it as wonder of book, may I point that it had I, a self-proclaimed, hard hearted detractor of non-fiction genres, loving each of its stories and longing for more… and yet more.

Each of the stories is short, more like a compilation of penned down thoughts at different points in time during the author’s long association with the mountains and of brief periods away from them. The stories are straight from the heart pieces and the narrative is so real that as one reads them, one can totally imagine oneself as actually being in the place and situation described.  

From trees to insects to a walnut thief grandmother to the ancient wells of old Delhi to birds that sang and flowers that bloomed and snakes that didn’t kill to what humans are doing to the mountains to the tube train journey that could remind the author of mountain bears making away with ripe pumpkins, the book takes the reader though a variety of topics and places. And suddenly, somewhere in between the text, when you least expect, a funny line or two crops up. For instance, in the context of sweltering heat of the dusty lanes of Old Delhi, the reader gets to sample this:

“Shopkeepers nod drowsily beneath whirring ceiling fans. The pavement barber has taken his customer into the shelter of an awning. A fortune teller has decided there is nothing to predict and has fallen asleep under the same awning.”

There are some important lessons for us humans as well, case in point:

“While the green-backs took their plunge, the red-heads waited patiently on the moss covered rocks. I thought they showed more discipline than a crowd of people at a city water-tap.”

And some food for thought, like:

“For every time I see the sky, I am aware of belonging to the universe rather than to just one corner of the earth.”

The book also talks of how simple things like sweeping the verandah or meeting the river or the sound of some insects could be of importance and a source of happiness.

All in all, a very satisfying experience reading the book. A must read for all who’ve been to the mountains and cherish the calm inspired mountain life.

Although, I would request the publishers to get the book proofread as there are a few errors here and there, I would like to thank them for their praiseworthy endeavour in bringing out this book.

The India I Love by Ruskin Bond

Title : The India I Love

Author : Ruskin Bond

Publisher : Rupa 

ISBN : 81-291-0397-4

Ruskin Bond mesmerizes his readers yet again through his straight from the heart collection of prose and poems. This is his way of expressing his feelings for his beloved adopted country with all her animate and inanimate beings, their uniqueness, their character and how all these combine to create a unique flavour of Indian-ness.

In some chapters, he reminisces about his earlier days, the time when he decided to make India and specifically her hills his home and leave West for good. In his words, "The link with Britain was tenuous, based on heredity rather than upbringing.  It was more in the mind. It was a literary England that I had been drawn to, not a physical England. " 

He talks about the mountains and hills, rivers and its tributaries, various people and their idiosyncrasies.

He sprinkles the chapters with some nuggets of wisdom that he has processed over the years by observing people and his surroundings keenly.

"A well-balanced person : someone with a chip on both shoulders

Experience : The knowledge that enables you to recognise a mistake when you make it the second time

Sympathy : What one woman offers another in exchange for details

Worry : The interest paid on trouble before it becomes due"

His adroitness to write about himself with utmost sincerity and transparency becomes apparent time and again by the ease with which he packs self-mockery in his writings. His honesty and humility reach out to the readers unadulterated as he cloaks his feelings in simple yet effective language.  A slice of his humility and critical analysis of himself get reflected in these lines -

"I am not the most inventive of writers, and fantastical plots are beyond me. My forte is observation, recollection and reflection. "

Ruskin Bond's writings are so true to the soil of this country in its original form, it clearly displays his sensitivity in observing, experiencing, absorbing, imbibing and processing the Indian-ness in his system and what comes out through his pen is the essence of his relationship with the country and with everything belonging to it. 

The peace and serenity in his writings transport the readers to a blissful state of living the life in its entirety with every single moment registering its presence and with every single thing getting observed, acknowledged and appreciated in the same way as Ruskin Bond does on his solitary walks.

"I prefer walking alone to walking with others. That ladybird on the wild rose would escape my attention if I was engaged in a lively conversation with a companion. Not that the ladybird is going to change my life. But by acknowledging its presence, stopping to admire its beauty, I have paid obeisance to the natural scheme of things of which I am only a small part."

Whenever I get a chance to conduct interviews with the authors, I often ask them for their suggestions to the aspiring/budding authors. But without having directly asked Ruskin Bond, I got the answer from him in this book -

"If you, dear reader, have any ambitions to be a writer, you must first rid yourself of any notion that perfect peace and quiet is the first requirement. There is no such thing as perfect peace and quiet except perhaps in a monastery or a cave in the mountains. And what would you write about, living in a cave? One should be able to write in a train, a bus, a bullock-cart, in good weather or bad, on a park bench or in the middle of a noisy classroom.

While I was editing this review, I noticed that I have used so many of his quotes directly here. This clearly shows that no words are worthy enough to carry the essence of his writings and they are best as they are. 

CHARLEY by DONNA MARIE SEIM

Publication: Pete E. Randall Publisher

Author: Donna M. Seim

Illustrator: Susan Spellman

Rating: ****1/2

The best part of being a reviewer is that you get to read a lot of good books. The better than the best part is that sometimes you get to read a great book that takes you by a storm.

Well, to put in a nutshell, Charley is a simple story of a little boy, who, along with his siblings is abandoned by their father, their mother being long dead. Charley being second of the four siblings, is not yet fourteen so he is also sent to an orphanage where he is picked up by a farming family. The family is mostly kind to him, but there are some members that give him a bad time.

One fine day, more bad news reaches him. His father had died. He was now an orphan.

It is not so much with the story line that make it good, it is the narration that changes the entire look about it. The gentle way by which the emotions are expressed, the immaturity of a little kid, the angst, the troubled feelings finding their way out, the very character that does not waiver even in the face of adversity, the trust of human on fellow humans, the acceptance, the hurt of rejection, the kindness of some and the the heartlessness of others, the human want of something that you haven't tasted and then the longing to run back to the old setup, and so much more, have been described so beautifully and artfully that they appear to cast a kind of spell on the reader. The chapters are crisp and the story progresses fast.

Another character that caught attention was Charley's elder brother George, who was well aware of his own position, circumstances and sorrows and did his best to shied his younger siblings from the same plight. The altruistic nature he possessed, though still being a kid, made him act in ways that cast a shadow over his character.  But eventually, we find that he was ready to bear all that just to see his siblings happy. Not often can we find such maturity from kids.

It isn't everyday you get to read a book, a non-fiction especially, that has complete control on your emotions. Charley, the book, ends just when it must, else it would look like a Dickens' recast. The sad parts have not been over exaggerated and neither have the happy parts, though few, been overshadowed.

The culture of the early twentieth century America has been described well, the reader does not feel the absence of some information that might have been useful in the complete understanding of the story.

Yes, this book is going to find a place in my private library. It has just made a good memory that I will cherish for a long time to come.

Smart Phones Dumb People?

Title : Smart Phones Dumb People

Author :  Parthajeet Sarma

Publisher : Good Times Books Pvt. Ltd.

ISBN : 938061956-1

"Has human race become dumb with smart phones in hands? As gadgets take over our lives, have we become less intelligent?"

Parthajeet Sarma tracks the journey of technology and its various magical wonders in our lives in his book - 'Smart Phones Dumb People'. He brings out the contrast between the worlds - one that is living in 21st century and the other that is still continuing in the 19th century. While smart devices are becoming all pervasive in lives of many of us, there are sections in our society that are still struggling at the widest and bottom most level at the Maslow's hierarchy of needs - food, clothing, shelter, clean water and electric supply.

The big question is - are the technological advancements good enough to address all problems immaterial of what century they belong to?

While talking about technology in wide perspective, he brings a big array of topics under the discussion ranging from comparison between innovation and invention, ecological (im)balance, entrepreneurship, stresses of modern lives, to corruption. He talks about how integrated system of university + industry + government is being explored for better results, how agrarian societies are getting metamorphosed to urban societies at an accelerated pace, how more and more people are heading towards cities leaving their village lives behind, and how fast paced city life make lap of nature in farms an enticing getaways for city people.

The impact of PAT at various levels in our lives is also explained in details. "Process Alteration by Technology is the application of the human intellect with modern technology in order to improve and alter business processes to bring in efficiencies, leading to overall development of industry and human beings."

Sarma brings in the personal touch to his writing by narrating some anecdotes picked up from his life, his experiences and his achievements. Though overall a quick read and relevant too, it felt like going through a set of lectures, speeches, talks or blog posts on varied topics. Found the title of the book 'Smart Phones Dumb People' a little misleading though. After having read the whole text which is very generic in nature, I feel the title should have been a generic one too to suit the content within the covers. Since a wide range of subjects are touched in the book, the narrative becomes jumpy at times. 

Burma : A Nation At The Crossroads by Benedict Rogers

Title : Burma - A Nation at the Crossroads

Author : Benedict Rogers

Publisher : Random House

ISBN : 978-1-84-604346-8

Author Benedict Rogers gives detailed account of the trials and tribulations of a nation - Burma, based on his 12 years of persistent research and more than three dozen visits to Burma as well as to its neighboring countries.

A nation of approximately 55 million people, Burma is one of the most ethnically diverse in South East Asia. Besides the Burmans - the Burmese speaking majority, there are seven major ethnic groups - Karen, Karenni, Shan, Mon, Kachin, Chin, Arakan or Rakhine. The country which struggled to bring her name in the list of independent nations hasn't seen her woes ending even after the colonial rule of British ended in 1948. After a very short lived democracy of almost a decade, Burma has been ruled by succession of brutal military regimes for more than 50 years now. Some wrong policies and short-sightedness of the leaders during the ten year democratic stint worked as fuel to the fire and led Burma into the clutches of brutal military dictatorship. The combination of a brutal military dictatorship which ranks among the very worst in the world, and the apathy and inaction of co-inhabitants of the same Earth have reduced the country to a burning nation. Burma has witnessed the tragedy of being the potentially richest country of Asia to being the poorest, being the rice bowl to having to face rice shortage.

In 1990 Aung San Suu Kyi became the face of  Burma's democracy movement. She is the daughter of Aung San - the leader of Burma's independence movement who is regarded to this day as the father of the nation. The democratic movement supporters and the leaders of ethnic resistance want to build Burma of peace and equal rights whereas the military regime is working towards imposing Mayanmar on the natives through their dictatorial inhumanity and brutality.

After having endured 15 years of house arrest, Aung San Suu Kyi is leading the democratic movement.

In the course of past few months, the changes have been very positive which are bringing back the lost faith and hope in people. The path is not devoid of huge amount of challenges but as Chinese philosopher Lao-tzu said -  'A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step'.

Aung San Suu Kyi is an able and wise stateswoman who has inherited political wisdom in her genes. With a lot of uncertainty in the minds of inhabitants of the country, the apprehensions and fears are looming large and staring on their faces. People are torn between either of these three states as Aung San Suu Kyi points out - first, euphoric and enthusiastic about the process of change, second, supporting her decision to engage with the regime and in the political process, but are cautious, skeptical and weighing the evidence, and third, not wanting to even try the process.'

Benedict Rogers skillfully makes readers understand the tumultuous past of the country as well as the complicated present where the nation stands today. The details do get a little too overwhelming in some chapters, however, I feel the same is required for complete understanding of the situation. Besides reporting the facts, Rogers assesses the situation logically and insightfully and that I consider is the commendable part of his writing.

Through this book the author does much more than what he was requested to do by a young Shan boy in Burma - 'Tell the world not to forget us.'

This book reminds me of the adversities of Tibetans as narrated by Dalai Lama in his autobiography  'Freedom in Exile'. The countries, cultures and beliefs may differ but the basic needs are the same all across the world.