Augustus August

Sorry for this rather long hiatus, will be back :)

Book Review [93] : From Plassey To Partition

'From Plassey to Partition' is a must read book on modern Indian History; due to paucity of time i am not able to do a detailed review of the book but if you have faith in me then its a great book to study. 

To put in perspective this book is a much better book than India's struggle for Independence by Bipin Chandra et al. 
Highly Recommended (9/10)

Travelogue: My trip to United States of America

Foreign trips are great learning experience if your eyes, ears and minds are open else it may appear a trip through a stolid country side. United Kingdom was the first foreign country that i visited (in Dec 2007), i was relatively green and impressionable and justifiably impressioned by the neat and clean cities of London, Winchester and Belfast and professionalism of Britons. I made good number of friends out there, i was a private individual working for a British firm so the responsibilities were not significant.

This month (7th to 21st June)  i traveled to USA on an Official Passport of the Government of India and as an Official of the Government of India and this resulted in a different kind of experience both inside and outside of Airport. We found US Immigration Officials very friendly and they did not even take our fingerprints (any unexpected privilege or right raises the level of ego). Our first stop was at Chicago; we (Myself, Aman, Ravi, Arun, Sanjay, Anurag) were joined by Yashasvi, Nidhi and Amrita at breathtaking Millennium Park in the heart of city. WY (We + Yashasvi) then minutely explored the coast of Lake Michigan at a level that can shame even the likes of Holmes. WY found the place where Great Swami Vivekananda gave enthralling speech at World Parliament of religion in 1893. The old building had been renovated many times; without even asking about Vivekananda the old lady official of the museum gave us the document containing that famous speech :)

From Chicago we moved to Riverside where we had 2 weeks of study program organized by University of California with site visits to Federal Reserve - LA, Transit Agency, Hollywood, Getty Museum and the District Attorney Office. WY-1 enjoyed every evening with shopping in different stores (Walmart, Target, Ontario Mills etc) and we became very close to each other. We also skipped one night to see Las Vegas from close quarter :)

There were 5 highlights of the tour:

Re-selection of our comrades in Civil Services of India

The camaraderie of WY-1

National Anthem rendition at District Attorney Office

The Shopping spree 

Chicago exploration

The tour ended on a sad note with the departing of IDAS friends to their Pune Academy. In last 6 months i came very close to IDAS guys and made some very good friends and i will surely miss their company, their discussions and above all their sheer presence in classroom, library, mess and in sports complex. Friends, i will miss you all.

Book Review [92] : A Cultural History Of India

A L Basham (1914-1986) was one of the finest historians of last century and current apostles of Indian history like Romila Thapar, R. S. Sharma etc owe their celebrity status to legendary Basham. I read 'The Wonder that i was India' couple of years back and was impressed by the sheer simplicity of the text without loosing any weight of the scholarship. 'A Cultural History Of India' is another gem from him, first published in 1975 under his editorship. Its a collection of essays and articles on various facets of Indian culture by great scholars and intellectuals like Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, B. B. Lal, S. A. A. Rizwi, Romila Thapar etc. 

This book is written with such a passion and scholarship that no one can put if off once started; it enlightens you with unleashing so many hidden treasures that you can not stop yourself saying what a wonder that is India. It does not suffer either from right wing exaggeration - nationalistic chauvinism or from left critic of Hindu religion, art and culture. It has dedicated chapters on Indo-China historic interactions, India's influence on South East Asia, India's contact with ancient west and on ancient-medieval literature etc. Before reading the last few i did not know that "Few India leaders proposed to Cabinet Mission of 1946 that one of the descendants of Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah II should be made Constitutional Emperor of India, this would solve the partition problem". It many sound like an absurd idea but all ideas are absurd idea before they are actually unleashed. There are many such revelations in this book. I took almost 3 weeks to finish this magnum opus so please get a copy and enjoy the ride

Highly Recommended (9/10)

Book Review [91] : India - China Relationship

'India - China Relationship Rivalry and Engagement' is a very thought provoking and well researched book on the India - China relations. It does a historical survey of their relations, covers various dimensions including political, military, economics, energy etc as well their relations with respect to USSR/Russia, US and Pakistan. Its a good read for a student of the geopolitics of South Asia and gives a great insight into the coming challenges and opportunities in South and East Asia. The Sino-India partnership can make South Asia the next West of the world in terms of economic prosperity and high HDI but their rivalry can make it a poor cousin of middle east. The choice is on the leadership and the people of these two countries. The future generations have lot of expectations from these two countries.

Although this book was published in 2004 yet this book contains some very good gems from the volatile history of India and China.

Highly Recommended (8/10)

Book Review [90] : India what can it teach us

Freidrich Max Muller (1823 - 1900) is generally considered one of the greatest minds of 20th century who have studied India with open minds and open hearts. He was born in Germany and learned Sanskrit in Germany and later joined Oxford university as Professor of Comparative Philology. He produced and edited some great works on India including "The Rig Veda", "The Sacred Books of the East", "India What can it teach us" etc. 

'India what can it teach us' was published in 1883, it contains 7 lectures given to Indian Civil Service aspirants of Cambridge University. He advocates the case of India with great passion and zeal and tries his best to destroy the ugly stereotypes about India and Indians created by the likes of Macaulay and James Mill. He was a firm believer in the Aryan Invasion Theory and considered the Britons, Teutons, Slavs, Greeks, Romans, Persians, Indians etc members of great Aryan family. He teaches his audience the great contribution made by Indians to the human civilization, talks about the impact of climate on the unique civilization of India, objectively discusses the Vedic Gods etc. In nut shell he encourages aspiring officers to go India with open mind and to go without any stereotypes and the feeling of superiority though he never visited in his lifetime.

Its a great book even now though outdated in its 'Aryan Invasion Theory' concept.

Highly Recommended (9/10)

Book Review [89] : Songs Of Blood And Sword

'Songs of Blood and Sword' is the first book i have read on the first political family of Pakistan. Many Indians are unaware of the history of Pakistan and the case is similar with regard to Bhutto family. Written by grand daughter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Fatima Bhutto, this book brings about murky details of Pakistani politics and the bloody history of Bhutto family. 

Bhutto family came in prominence in modern India with the rise of Sir Shahnawaz Bhutto, he was extremely rich landlord from Larkana, Sindh. Later he became the Diwan of princely state of Junagadh; he tried hard to merge Junagadh with Pakistan but his attempt was foiled by the brilliance of Sardar Patel and others. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was born in Sindh in 1928, lived in Bombay and Junagadh during his childhood and studied in University of California, Berkeley and Oxford, UK. He joined Ayub Khan government but resigned after Tashkent agreement; formed Pakistan Peoples Party in 1967; played a very sinister role in the bloody civil war of Pakistan that resulted in the parting of East Pakistan as Bangladesh. Later he became the Prime Minister, brought some socialist elements in governance, architect-ed the "Independent" foreign policy of Pakistan, brought Pakistan closer to China without diluting her relations with USA. In his later period he romanced with Islamic fundamentalists, declared Ahmediya Muslims as non-Muslims and began the Islamicization of the country. In the OIC summit of 1974, he declared thunderously that "Pakistan would fight for the cause of Islam". He was deposed and executed by more "fundamentalist" General Zia-ul-Haq after serving two years in Jail. General Zia-ul-Haq completed the Islamicization of Pakistan before his death in Air crash in 1988. During this time the sons of Zulfikar Bhutto, Mir Murtaza Bhutto and Shahnawaz Bhutto fought against the brutal regime of Zia. Their sister Benazir Bhutto made a deal with military after the death of Zia and became the Prime Minister against the sane advice of Mir Murtaza Bhutto in 1988.

It is believed if not widely that General Zia organized the assassination of Shahnawaz Bhutto in Nice, France in 1985 but Benazir did not order any investigation into this after becoming Prime Minister. She was also against the coming of Murtaza Bhutto from his exile in Damascus but Murtaza returned in 1993 only to be imprisoned by Bhutto's government as soon as he landed in Pakistan. In this sibling rivalry over the legacy of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Mir Murtaza Bhutto was brutally murdered along with his 7 body guards outside his home in Karachi in Sept 1996 leaving Benazir the supreme and sole leader of Pakistan Peoples Party. Fatima Bhutto writes very emotionally that Asif Ali Zardari organized the assassination of her father, and her aunt (i.e. Benazir) was hand in glove with Asif Ali Zardari. Zardari was imprisoned for few years in jail on charges of murder, he was acquitted in 2008. The circle completes itself at the assassination of Benazir Bhutto in Rawalpindi in Dec 2007. 

This book is written with lot of emotions and zeal and at many a places you have to close your mind and follow the writer. Fatima Bhutto definitely deserves accolades for this heart touching and tear inducing book.

Highly Recommended (8/10)

Book Review [88] : Abhyudaya

Ramayana has inspired and has been inspiring countless writers since time immemorial to write their take on this immortal epic of mankind and Narendra Kohli's Abhyudaya is no exception. Narendra Kohli has been a huge discovery for me and i thank my friend Sachin Bhadane for that. His take on Mahasamar inspired me to start reading Abhyudaya. It is a two volume work, about 1200 pages strong, on Ramayana with more practical take in context of modern values and issues. Its a great book and tough to review it in words, it can only be read. I totally believe that Narendra Kohli is modern age equivalent of Acharya Chatursen Shastri, if Chatursen Shastri had written books like Somnath, Vayam Rakshamaha, Vaishali ki Nagarvadhu etc then Narendra Kohli has Mahasamar, Abhyudaya etc at his disposal. His writing style is really heart touching and the use of historic incidents and characters in modern context is unparalleled. Must read book for all and if for nothing then please read it for the sake of our own Hindi.

Highly Recommended (10/10)

Book Review [87] : Liberation and Beyond

It is said that 'The Revolution always devours its first children', it was true in the case of French Revolution and it was equally true in the Liberation of Bangladesh and its aftermath. France lost all its heroes of Revolution in the bloody years of guillotine and Robespierre, and so was Bangladesh in the bloody months of post monsoon season of 1975.

'Liberation and Beyond' is a brilliantly written book by J. N. Dixit (1936-2005), an eminent Indian diplomat who had first hand information on Bangladesh affairs during those critical years of 1970s. J. N. Dixit was posted in Dacca as Deputy High Commissioner of India and before that posting he played a key role in liberation movement as well. Later he became Foreign Secretary and National Security Adviser of India.

This book provides details about the circumstances that led to the liberation war of Bangladesh, the role played by India in the movement, the help given by Soviet Union to India, the hurdles and pressure exerted by USA and China and the genocide perpetrated by likes of General Yahya Khan, General Niazi Khan and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

Bangladesh paid a very heavy price for its independence, millions of people died because of the atrocities of Pakistani army and Al Badars, millions of women were raped, intellectuals were systematically wiped out amidst the deep silence of UN and the proponents of Human Rights and Democracy. At one time USA sent its 7th fleet led by Aircraft Carried Enterprise on 13th Dec (3 days before the end of the war) to Bay of Bengal but USSR came to India's rescue and the threat was warded off. Bangladesh won its independence on 16th Dec 1971 and it appeared that day that it would only have glorious future and certainly it was until March 1974, the mishandling of the economy and politics by Mujibur Rahman led to deep discontent and the rise of Pro-Pakistani elements that eventually led to the extermination of the entire leadership of Awami League in later half of 1975 precipitating the degeneration of Bangladesh. Things have been improving since 1990s but the ride has been zig-zag so far.

Its a must read book for any Indian and the student of diplomacy can not afford to ignore it.

Highly Recommended (9/10)

Book Review [86] : The Makers Of Modern India

Ramachandra Guha is a writer who knows how to write books that can sell. 'The Makers Of Modern India' is a very good book though this book is not "written" by him in a strictly technical sense. This book is perhaps better than "India After Gandhi". 

In 'The Makers Of Modern India', Guha talks about 19 great Indians who played a key role in nation building. Although he has missed some great names like Sardar Patel, Bhagat Singh, Subhas Chandra Bose, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad etc yet the truncated list is a worthy list. He writes a brief biography of these 19 Indians and then produces excerpts from their major speeches and works. These 19 Indians are (not in any order) - Raja Rammohan Roy, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, C. Rajagopalachari, Mahatma Gandhi, Jawahar Lal Nehru, Lokmanya Tilak, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Verrier Elwin, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, Hamid Dalwai, Tarabai Shinde, M. S. Golwalkar, Jotirao Phule, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia, Jayaprakash Narayan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, E. V. Ramaswami, Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay and Rabindranath Tagore. 

I have not read before in detail about Jayaprakash Narayan, Rajaji, Verrier Elwin and Hamid Dalwai, so their writings and thoughts have been a revelation to me. These three Indians were much ahead of their times, JP was uncompromising democrat, advocate of decentralization and defender of human rights, Rajaji was perhaps the first advocate of free economy and electoral reforms, Verrier Elwin was defender of tribals against the encroachment of "modern civilization" and Hamid Dalwai was perhaps the first uncompromising secular leader after 1947. Well i knew JP and Rajaji before but this book introduced Kamaladevi, Tarabai, Hamid Dalwai and Verrier Elwin to me and for this i thank Guhaji.This book is a must read for everyone and i regret why i have not read this book before.

Highly Recommended (9/10)

Book Review [85] : The Idea Of India

'The Idea Of India' is a collection of 5 big essays on various dimensions of Indian union and Indians. Written by Sunil Khilnani, it basically talks about the development or degeneration of Indian politics, her cities, democracy and the evolution of Indian identity. Sunil Khilnani talks about Nehru's idea of India in glowing terms and blames later Congress leaders for the decline of Secularism and the faith in Indian identity mainly because of the rise of Caste and religion based politics. 

As such its a not a great book for a person who has Patrick French/India after Gandhi etc but still its a reasonably good read for a novice reader or a reader who is not aware of Indian history. This fades in comparison with both 'India:A Portrait' and 'India after Gandhi', the writer does not do much justice with the title of the book and does not objectively analyze the ideology of the right and of the left. The essay on "Cities" is really good but even it fails to connect with the well informed reader.

Recommended (6/10)

Book Review [84] : India Wins Freedom

'India Wins Freedom' is an autobiography of a great India Freedom Fighter and one of the builders of Modern India, 'Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (1888 - 1958)', put into words by Humayun Kabir. It was published in two phases one in 1958 (without 30 pages critical of Patel, Nehru and Gandhi) and the complete version in 1988. 

Maulana Azad was born in a family of great Islamic theologians in Mecca, his family moved to Calcutta (now Kolkata) in 1890. He was there at the founding session of Muslim League in 1906 and his career took a rapid start during the Khilafat movement. He championed the cause of Urdu Journalism and continuously wrote nationalist articles despite of seizure of his press by the British. He became the youngest person to become the President of Congress although in a special session (in 1923). He was the longest serving (1940-46) President of Congress before the advent of Indira Gandhi. He lost his wife when he was in Jail (1942-45) and Britishers did not allow him to even pay the last visit to his dying wife; such was the sacrifice he made.

He accuses Sardar Patel of Communalism and calls him the founder of the partition of India; he blames Gandhi as well as Nehru for the partition albeit in a moderate manner but the way he puts venom on Patel, its tough to digest as Patel was not alive at the time of publication of this book to give his own account, similar was the case with Gandhi and to a certain extent Pt. Nehru. He blames Congress for the partition and calls the actions of Jinnah a bit of exploitation of the blunder made by Congress in vacillating around Cabinet Mission proposal. At many places he says that Muslims has played a heavy price of the partition but he does not say anything about the Hindus/Sikhs of the Pakistan (and Bangladesh). He becomes completely partisan of the interests of the Muslims during the riots and does not say a thing about the interests of the non-Muslims in Pakistan. 

A nice read, it gives another perspective of the freedom struggle and the tense and bloody days of 1940s.

Highly Recommended (8/10)

Book Review [83] : The Widening Divide

Rafiq Zakaria is a widely read Muslim Scholar, known for his books on the relations of Hindu-Muslim communities. I got a chance to read his book "The Widening Divide" - a book on the complexities of Hindu-Muslim relations. I was attracted by the title of this book and i tried to read the book with an open mind. The author says that he has written this book primarily for Hindus to dispel some myths and falsifications about Indian Muslims spread by the Hindutva Brigade. I have to confess here that i am a non-practicing Hindu but i do have firm belief in my religion; on other hand i do hold other religions in respect.
He covers various complex issues mainly - the behavior of Muslim Invaders and Kings on their Hindu subjects, the Kashmir question, the riots, the Ayodhya issue, the partition,  reforms-economic-social conditions of Muslims and the charge of Hindutva Brigade. He is pretty neutral and appears very objective overall but at places the words betray his cause. He conveniently forgets the Mappila riots of Kerala during the Khilafat movement, the plight of Hindus in Pakistan and Bangladesh, Iltumish and Aibak were shown in good light ignoring the temples looted and desecrated by these and other rulers of Delhi Sultanate and of Mughal Empire. The gory destruction of Hampi is conveniently ignored by him. No one can deny the role played by various Sufi saints in the conversion of Hindus into the fold of Islam but no one should also deny the role played by the power of sword and Jizyah tax. North Indian plains do not have any ancient temple or monument; the oldest monument in the north Indian plains would be Qutub Minar if i am not wrong, i will be more than happy to be proved wrong here.

Its very easy to abuse Hindutva movement or call them Fascists but the most important question that should be asked is why this movement enjoy so much support among the masses. There has to be some element of truth in the ideology of this movement. Unless the questions raised by his ideology are not answered and are not perceived to be answered this movement would continue to gain momentum in the dangerously fertile land of India. Perhaps Zakaria sahib and perhaps we all should try to find these answers, it is never too late unless u call it late.

Recommended (7/10)

Book Review [82] : The Race Of My Life

We as a nation has produced very less number of world class athletes and none of them so far has been able to meet the achievements of Flying Sikh 'Milkha Singh'. 'The Race Of My Life' is an emotional and very inspirational autobiography of living legend Milkha Singh. A very popular film 'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag' has been also made on Milkha Singh. Farhan Akhtar has done a superb role in this movie in portraying Milkha Singh.

They say adversities breed legends and they are very right in the case of Milkha Singh. A boy of 15 years age who saw the brutal massacre of his entire family before him by marauding fanatics in Govindpura village (now in Pakistan) of partitioned India, escapes to India and after struggling for 5-6 years in wilderness he gets himself recruited in Indian Army. This triggers the beginning of a great career and Milkha Singh goes on winning 400 meters races in India and outside India both. He annihilates the false arrogance of Abdul Khaliq of Pakistan twice - in Tokyo Asiad in 1958 and in Athletic meet in Pakistan in 1960. The then President of Pakistan Ayub Khan gives him the title of Flying Sikh in 1960 after his victory over Abdul Khaliq in Lahore in 1960. He becomes the first Indian to win a gold medal in Commonwealth Games when he won the 400 meters race. The Prime Minister of Indian declared National Holiday in India to celebrate his Gold Medal. His fame and personality reach Himalayan heights before Rome Olympics of 1960.

Every good thing comes to an end; in the final of 400 meters in Rome Olympics all the top 4 finalists break the 400 meters Olympic record in final race; thus despite of breaking the Olympic record Milkha Singh does not get a medal. He comes 4th in a Photo Finish final. He still rues this chance of not winning the Gold Medal. He was dominating the race for first 250 meters but the mistake of slowing down in last few seconds takes away the medal from his hands. He was the champion athlete who made his career from scratch and extreme poverty. He is an inspiration to all of us who always crib about lack of proper facilities and infrastructure. He ends his autobiography with beautiful Urdu couplet.

"Mita de apni hasti ko, agar koi martaba chahe

ki dana khak main milkar, gul-e-gulzar hota hai"

(Destroy your existence if you want to reach the zenith as the seed has to unite with dust to sprout flowers)

Overall this book is a beautifully written book, full of inspiration and struggle. This is the first book i have read on an Indian sportsperson and what an amazing sportsperson he is.

Highly Recommended (9/10)

Book Review [81] : Asura - Tale of the Vanquished

'Asura: Tale of the Vanquished' is one of the high selling books of 2013; written by Anand Neelkantan. The market is being flooded by the books inspired by Indian mythology and Hindu religion these days and this book is not an exception.

The author claims that this is the story of Ravana and his people from his and his people's viewpoint. Author uses every opportunity to denigrate, insult and abuse the north Indian culture, Lord Rama and all the prominent Heroes of Ramayana and he does that with full impunity by labeling it as the viewpoint of Ravana. Ravana is shown as a mighty Asura Emperor who wanted to establish a caste free society and wanted to redeem the Asuras from the evil rule of the Devas. Goddess Sita is shown as the daughter of Ravana; thus he changes the subject of the war completely. Vanaras ware shown as evil and barbarians and their earlier king who took the wife of Sugreeva is shown as just and brave. Hero Angada commits the rape of Asura queen and wife of Ravana i.e. Mandodari in this farcical story. Asura society is shown as the epitome of freedom and the example of egalitarian society while Dewa society is shown as inhumane and casteist. The writer uses the garb of Ravana viewpoint to settle his own biases and prejudices. He fulfills his own agenda against the "Brahmanic" culture of north India, and in doing so he insults Lord Rama and his entire family. Ayodhya is shown as a dirty and evil city where untouchability is the norm and people are extremely poor and barbaric.

India is a free country, one can write anything one wants but in my view point let God(s) and sacred scriptures be left as they are and they should not be twisted to salvage one's agenda or view point. Malicious literature should not be accepted in the garb of freedom of expression.

Not Recommended (0/10)

Book Review [80] : The Reluctant Fundamentalist

'The Reluctant Fundamentalist' by Pakistani Author Mohsin Hamid is a story of the impact of 9/11 on the life of a promising Pakistani professional in USA. Recently a movie has also been made on this.

The story starts with the recruitment interview of Changez, a Princeton graduate originally from Pakistan with brilliant grades and brain. He joins an evaluation firm and over achieves the expectations of his bosses, falls in love with an American girl who was suffering in the agony of her former boyfriend death but the sudden and gory event of 9/11 and the abrupt change in the behavior of fellow Americans towards him changes him drastically. His girlfriend dies because of trauma and agony and he moves to Pakistan and becomes a fundamentalist. This is a very short story and ends abruptly; the reader really gets frustrated in the end as this book promises a lot. In my view Mohsin Hamid has destroyed the plot and perhaps this twist is the beauty of the story but only perhaps. This can be a good read when you are traveling or getting bored.

Time Pass (5/10)

Diary: 2013

So year 2013 has ended and 2014 has come; i am in NCR and the mercury is dipping to rock bottom level. Welcome 2014 and i wish this year will be a better year compared to last year and so. I wanted to write this post on 31st Dec but the blogger.com is blocked in ALT so could not write. I shifted to NIFM, Faridabad yesterday, to complete 44 weeks PTC as part of Civil services course.

2013 was a wonderful year to me. My son started to walk in January 2013, started wishing me good morning/good night and can now speak in fluent Hindi. My brother Pankaj got engaged in April 2013, my brother Rohit got a job and my youngest siblings Upasana and Rahul studied hard for that law degree. My wife supported me all the time. My grandfather had its cataract surgery done. I cleared Civil Services and got IP&TAFS; although things could have been better but they always would have been better.

Foundation Course in RCVP Noronha, Bhopal was a wonderful experience; i made so many good friends and i met many people who are more intellectual, intelligent and smarter than me. Listed to some very great lectures and played some great sports, participated in some very interesting events. It was fun 24/7. I read about 31 books and watched some great movies. To be frank i enjoyed every second on 2013 and i hope that i fulfill every second of 2014 with more effort and joy.

Thank you 2013 for giving me joy, purpose and life. Thank you so much.