Book Review: Full Spectrum: India's Wars 1972–2020 - Arjun Subramaniam

Full Spectrum: India's Wars 1972–2020 - Arjun Subramaniam

In his book 'Assignment Colombo', J.N. Dixit argues in favour of India's strategic dilly-dallying, stating that adhering to absolute principles of morality is the safest and most non-controversial stance in foreign relations. This policy, however, rarely serves any purpose in the inherently amoral nature of international relations.  Today, national security and foreign policy of India have gradually represented the departure from the past. The story of evolving Indian stance in geopolitics can be usually understood at the level of the conflicts faced by India, while the primary bulwarks of defense—the role of military —get overlooked. Hence, "Full Spectrum: India's Wars 1972–2020" is a worth reading for a gripping exploration of wars and conflicts shedding light on strategies, operational steps, and political consequences. 

The book "Full Spectrum: India's Wars 1972–2020" by Arjun Subramaniam takes the story forward from the previous book India's Wars: A Military History, 1947-1971. The book offers the reader an account of wars, military operations, and security challenges in contemporary India over the past five decades. The book covers in detail on the Doklam standoff, Balakot Strike, Kargil war, Siachen conflict, Naga rebellion, Operation Blue Star, terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, and India's military action in Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Conventional wars have changed, and skirmishes are happening below the threshold of conventional structured war between nation-states. And the rise of non-conventional wars has led to Indian military either dealing with Hybrid war, cyber war, proxy war, border skirmishes, armed militancy, insurgency, and terrorism. 

The reading makes one realize that Indian military has also expanded its strategic horizon while dealing with the modus operandi of non-state actors.  The chapters of the book on India’s involvement with the LTTE in Sri Lanka, during the IPKF mission, makes for an interesting read. It shows how the Indian military faced a daring and locally supported adversary, and how this episode reshaped our military and foreign policy. Another insight from the book was that the absence of any active government machinery during insurgency in Punjab made Operation Bluestar more difficult. And compounded with it was often the fear and stigma of command failure, that prompted military leaders to persist with sub optimal operational plans.

The book features a gripping narrative but becomes dull in some places. These lapses in pacing make certain sections feel tedious, detracting from the overall impact.  Those who support the 'realist' argument of India's emergence as a potential global military power must read this book. The book is an invaluable resource for those interested in military studies, and the intricate interplay between war and political transformation.

In the end author asked for deep introspection within India's strategic community by sharing an old Thucydidian principle called the Melian Dialogue, which emerged during the Peloponnesian War prior to the siege of the island of Melios by Athens, which says: 'The strong will do what they can and the weak suffer what they must.'

Book Review: A Corner of a Foreign Field - Ramachandra Guha

A Corner of a Foreign Field: The Indian History of a British Sport - Ramachandra Guha

Our inability to understand and tell sociological stories is one of the key reasons we are struggling with how to respond to social transitions. Without embedding social narratives, we miss understanding who benefitted, who was left behind, and what kind of society we were building. The idea that we could somehow eliminate casteist mindsets, religious differences, and racist discrimination by ignoring such identity question under the veil of secular cricket leads to formation of a veil of ignorance. 

Social history of Indian cricket suffers from one enormous disadvantage: that we as a people, have criminal indifference to written records. The history of Indian cricket is indeed amazing because it reveals much more than just scores and statistics. It reflects cultural exchanges, colonial legacies, social struggles, and identities across South Asia. The history of India, like that of any other country, has been a story of social inequities, exploitation of the common people, religious conflict, and so on. The history of the cricket in India is no exception to this.  

A Corner of a Foreign Field: The Indian History of a British Sport is a book depicting religious fault lines. A book talking about caste. A book talking about racism. Yet, the book is written for the lover of the game by a writer looking from the perspective of the history, sports, social transformation, and Indian Independence. The book is divided into four chapters—Race, Caste, Religion, and Nation—and features the experiences of the cricketers, politicians, and Maharajas making it an engaging and interesting read. The inherent values of cricket —fair play, competition, and endurance—resonated with the Indians under colonial rule thus attracting broad affection and embedding itself as a part of the national psyche.

The book captures the long journey of cricket in India—from its beginning as a game created by an alliance of imperial and Indian elites to becoming a sport for the masses. The book shows how Indians overcame the deeply rooted caste barriers in society and challenged the British notion of racial superiority in the game of cricket. Cricket tournaments like the Bombay Quadrangular and Bombay Pentangular were initially organized based on religious communities of Hindu, European, Muslim, and Parsees leading to widespread riots and political unrest. The book also ends with the origins of the Ranji Trophy and the formation of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Despite attempts to break free from the legacies of their forefathers and religious divisions, Indian history drags our cricketers towards a fate which led them in Independent India, as though along a river's course.

This book introduced me to Palwankar Baloo and his brothers, early Indian cricketers, and shared stories about famous players like C.K. Nayudu, Lala Amarnath, Vijay Hazare, and Vijay Merchant. The book delves us into first Test match of Indian cricket team in England, in 1932 symbolizing both achievement and aspiration for a modern nation. This is a must-read book capturing cricket history of India in an effortless and seamless manner

Book Review: Beyond A Boundary- C.L.R. James

Beyond A Boundary- C.L.R. James

The essence at the core of culture, writes Byung-Chul Han, is ornamentation. Culture sits beyond functionality and usefulness. The ornament dimension, emancipated from any goal or use, is how life insists that it is more than survival. The book was written in an era when British have the illusion of the racial superiority even in the game of cricket while tradition and history of the game were part of the British culture.  

“Time would pass, old empires would fall and new ones take their place, the relations of countries and relations of classes had to change, before I discovered that it is not quality of goods and utility which matter, but movement, not where you are or what you have, but where you have come from, where you are going and the rate at which you are getting there."

This statement from C.L.R. James’s classic book shows role the game of cricket has played in the making of the history of Caribbean society. C.L.R. James, the historian and cricket writer, embarks on a biographical journey from 1910s to 1950s in West Indies, and England to prove the point. He invites us to look closely the complex ties between political struggles of decolonization through cricket and the long process of decolonizing his own mind from the gaze of the western civilization.  

Beyond a Boundary starts by focusing on wonder years of the writer in Trinidad and his observation on the intermingling of the race and class in the local cricket. During his teenage years, James became deeply engrossed in cricket and Literature which allowed him to examine Trinidad’s working class through the lens of sport. 

Two players he often highlighted in this context were Learie Constantine and W.G. Grace to argue that cricket is inseparable from the politics and social structures of its time. The idea of “leaving politics out of sports” is a topic of ongoing debate, but this book makes us aware that the injustice "beyond the boundary" ultimately impacts the cricket. The players are not islands of sportsmanship while being deeply engulfed into societal structures, systemic biases and burden of the history. 

The book also highlights the campaign for racial equality in West Indies cricket, including the appointment of Frank Worrell as the first black captain in 1960. 

The writer advocates cricket as an art form like Greek literature by observing the game not just as a sport, but as a craft with rhythm, beauty, and a narrative flow. The writer argues in the book that cricket was a form of resistance against colonial oppression, especially as Black players took on leading roles, challenging racial stereotypes and social barriers. 

The writer traveled to England and the exposure felt like awakening to him: Once the veil of the empire drops, he didn’t just “analyze” culture—he saw its webs working through you. From that point, C.L.R. James achieved a mental freedom, not only rejecting conditioning but also recognizing the interconnectedness of imperial power, cricket, culture, and resistance, which shaped his revolutionary outlook and deepened his commitment to black internationalism and Marxist theory.  

Today, C.L.R. James embodies a unique and compelling mixture of identities: a Marxist historian, an anglophile in initial years, a Black intellectual, and a passionate lover of cricket. The book is written through this multi-faceted perspective, that is as much about the identity, and struggle as it is about cricket.

Book Review: Time of Parting - Anton Donchev

Time of Parting - Anton Donchev (Alternate Reading)

A nation is shaped by its shared memories. In literature, we can see the elements that make up a collective memory—often rooted in a common pain —that influence national identity. Newly independent countries often seek a fresh start, breaking away from their historical past. Anton Donchev's Time of Parting (Bulgarian: Време разделно, Vreme razdelno) dives deep into a time when a nation, Bulgaria, survived by enduring humiliation under Ottoman rule.

The Balkans, including Bulgaria, were subjected to centuries of Ottoman rule starting in the late 14th century, which brought significant social and religious transformation. Catholic powers (Papacy and Habsburgs) were often perceived as foreign and adversarial.  The Ottoman conquest and the subsequent division between Catholic and Orthodox spheres of influence in the Balkans gave rise to opportunities for Muslims to act as a unifying force in a divided region. While many apologists dispute a direct connection between religious violence and radical Islam, the nuanced history of Bulgarian religious life under Ottoman rule shows that society experienced both pragmatic coexistence and adaptation, as well as periods of institutional discrimination and social unrest. 

Set during the Islamization of Bulgaria in the summer of 1668 particularly in the Rhodope Mountains, the story doesn't claim to be an exact historical record. Instead, it reflects how those events shaped Bulgarian culture and identity. The theme of being forced to choose a side resonated strongly with the dominant ideologies of the polarized world. The novel has sparked ongoing debates about how the Ottoman period and forced religious conversions are viewed in Bulgaria. With the changing political landscape, Time of Parting continues to be a highly discussed and impactful piece of literature.

The book explores a painful choice for a community: whether to hold on to their beliefs and die for them or convert to a foreign religion to stay alive. The narrative is told in parallel by two witnesses: the French nobleman called the Venetian, and the Bulgarian priest Aligorko. This dual narration provides a layered, nuanced view of the cultural, religious, and personal conflicts. As the tale culminates, the relentless campaign of forced Islamization breaks the spirit and unity of the Bulgarian Christian community. This finale reflects the larger historical tragedy of the era — the erasure of cultural heritage through brutal force.The heavy loss of life, culture, and dignity leaves a haunting legacy of division and sorrow.

The movie "Time of Violence" (Bulgarian: Време разделно) released in 1988 is based on the novel "Time of Parting" by Anton Donchev (Антон Дончев). The portrayal of historical events is considered by few as biased leading to debates over historical accuracy. The Hindi book "बेला विदा की" (Bela Vida Ki) is a rendition of "Time of Parting" authored by Vimlesh Kanti Verma and Dheera Verma.

Book Review: India's Wars: A Military History, 1947-1971 - Arjun Subramaniam

India's Wars: A Military History, 1947-1971 - Arjun Subramaniam

A new generation of Indians are rediscovering their military history, realizing that the popular narratives often fail to reflect the complexities of the truth. Today, India's military remains resource-constrained, overstretched, and increasingly aware of the dual-front threat posed by China and Pakistan. Its strategy and preparedness are shaped by a mix of historical conflicts, and contemporary geopolitical realities. 

For anyone genuinely interested in understanding the historical wars with our Pakistan and China, "India's Wars: A Military History, 1947-1971" by Arjun Subramaniam is an indispensable read.  The book offers a compelling examination of India’s military evolution post-independence, with detailed accounts of pivotal wars, including the Indo-Pak Wars (1947-48, 1965, and 1971) and the Sino-Indian War of 1962. Battles into contested regions like Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (referred to as Azad Kashmir by Pakistan), Gilgit-Baltistan, Arunachal Pradesh (claimed by China as South Tibet) are meticulously explored, often accompanied by maps to provide clarity. While the historical narrative may pose a challenge for casual readers, the book is rewarding for those seeking the intricacies of battlefield strategies and political decision-making.

I have few notable observations as a reader:

• The departure of the British left India with inadequately demarcated borders leading to the territorial disputes.
• India has reliance on idealism and restraint that clashed with the pragmatic, force-centric approaches of adversaries like China and Pakistan.
• Unfolding of events in China India 1962 war is tragic tale for the Indians. Tragedy presents situations in which there is a desperate urge to assign blame. In all this chain of events, failure of intelligence and political decision framework hurts most.
• India's limited intelligence-gathering capabilities and the "fog of war" resulted in critical decision-making dilemmas. These inadequacies were evident in moments of crisis, often amplifying the challenges faced during conflicts.
• India captured the strategically vital Haji Pir Pass during the 1965 war but returned it to Pakistan under the Tashkent Agreement, forfeiting a key advantage in controlling infiltration routes into Kashmir.  
• After the Bangladesh Liberation War, India released about 90,000 Pakistani prisoners of war without leveraging their return for a resolution on Kashmir or territorial securities, drawing criticism for missing a major bargaining chip.
• Post-1971 victory, India did not negotiate for the transfer of border enclaves or land on Bangladesh’s side that could have reduced the vulnerability of the Siliguri Corridor (“Chicken’s Neck”), leaving the Northeast perpetually exposed. The Siliguri Corridor remains at risk due to inadequate geopolitical leverage post-1971 and greater China-Bangladesh collaboration.

Subramaniam also highlights a hard-learned lesson for India: in international relations, realism often trumps idealism. It took nearly 25 years for Indian leadership to move beyond the non-violent and nonaligned ideals of the independence movement and adopt force as a legitimate instrument of statecraft. This shift is at the heart of India's modern military doctrine, making the book an essential resource for understanding the evolution of its strategic mindset.

Saurabh Dwivedi ki Kitab Salah - Pathakon ke Liye Behtareen Kitabein - The Lallantop

लल्लनटॉप पर एक साल पहले, सौरभ द्विवेदी ने प्रशासनिक सेवा तैयारी कर रहे उम्मीदवारों के लिए अपनी दोस्त की लाइब्रेरी से कुछ महत्वपूर्ण किताबों की सलाह दी थी।  इनमें संस्कृति, इतिहास, राजनीति, समाजशास्त्र और आर्थिक विषयों से जुड़ी गहन जानकारी वाली किताबें शामिल हैं। इस ब्लॉग में उन किताबों के साथ-साथ उनके अमेज़न से खरीदने के लिंक भी दिए गए हैं, ताकि आप सीधे सही किताबें खरीद सकें और समय बर्बाद न हो।

* कभी-कभी ज्यादा सोचने-समझने से किताबें हाथ में नहीं आतीं, इसलिए बिना ज्यादा देरी किए किताबें खरीद लेना ही सही होता है। अपनी लाइब्रेरी खुद  बनाइये, धीरे धीरे जोड़िये....

Hindi Books

1. Sanskriti Ke Char Adhyaya by Ramdhari Singh Dinkar
2. Kashi ka Assi & Upsanhar by Kashinath Singh
3. "अभ्युदय (राम-कथा)" श्रृंखला ( दीक्षा, अवसर, संघर्ष की ओर, साक्षात्कार, पृष्ठभूमि, अभियान, युद्ध -1, युद्ध - 2) और  "महासमर" श्रृंखला (बंधन, अधिकार, कर्म, धर्म, अन्तराल, प्रच्छन्न, प्रत्यक्ष, निर्बन्ध, आनुषंगिक ) by नरेंद्र कोहली
4. Swang by Gyan Chaturvedi
5. Awara Bheed ke Khatre by Harishankar Parsai
6. Meri Jeevan Yatra by Rahul Sankrityayan
7. Mrignayani & Ahilyabai by Vrindavan Lal Verma
8. Manas Ka Hansa by Amritlal Nagar
9. Rajadhiraj, Patan ka Prabhutva, Gujrat ke Nathh by Kanhaiyalal Maniklal Munshi
10. Tamas by Bhishma Sahni
11. Shuddhipatra and Khela by Neelakshi Singh
12. Jitni Mitti Utna Sona & Lapujhanna by Ashok Pandey
13. Gandhi aur Sarladevi Chaudhrani by Alka Saraogi
14. Areba Pareba and Aur Ant mein Prarthana by Uday Prakash
15. Shabdo ka Safar Vol. 1, Shabdo ka Safar Vol. 2 and Shabdo ka Safar Vol. 3 by Ajeet Vadnerkar
16. Basere Se Dur, Neerh Ka Nirman Phir, Dashdwar Se Sopan Tak and Kya Bhulu kya Yaad Karoon by Harivansh Rai Bachchan
17. Raam Rajya and Maun Muskaan ki Maar by Ashutosh Rana
18. Akaal me Uttsav by Pankaj Subeer

English Books 

1. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
2. On the shoulders of giants by Stephen Hawking
3. The archer and Brida by Paulo Coelho
4. Relentless by Yashwant Sinha
5. Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg
6. Unfinished: A Memoir by Priyanka Chopra
7. Joseph Anton by Salman Rushdie
8. Writer, Rebel, Soldier, Lover: The Many Lives of Agyeya by Akshay Mukul
9. Bose: The Untold Story of an Inconvenient Nationalist by Chandrachur Ghose
10. Babasaheb: My Life With Dr Ambedkar by Savita Ambedkar
11. Indira Gandhi: A Biography by Pupul Jayakar
12. Intertwined Lives: P.N. Haksar And Indira Gandhi and A Chequered Brilliance: The Many Lives of V.K. Krishna Menon by Jairam Ramesh
13. Indian Innings: The Journey of Indian Cricket from 1947 by Ayaz Memon
14. The Spy Chronicles: RAW, ISI and the Illusion of Peace by A.S. Daulat
15. A Little Book of India: Celebrating 75 Years of Independence by Ruskin Bond
16. Steve Jobs and Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson
17. Glimpse of World History by Jawahar Lal Nehru
18. Before Memory Fades: An Autobiography by Fali Nariman
19. The Indian Trilogy: An Area of Darkness, A Wounded Civilization, A Million Mutinies Now by V.S. Naipaul
20. A History of the Sikhs Vol 1 and A History of the Sikhs Vol 2 by Khushwant Singh
21. Bharatiya Darshan Vol 1 and Vol 2 by Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan
22. Political Violence in Ancient India by Upinder Singh
23. How Prime Minister Decide by Neeraja Chaudhary

Books translated in Hindi

1. Manto Dastavej by Saadat Hasan Manto
2. Kagajhi hai Pairahan by Ismat Chughtai
3. Hindu: Jeevan ka samriddha kabaad by Bhalchandra Nemade
4. Ramayan-manvata ka mahakavya by Gunwant Shah
5. Mrityunjaya by Shivaji Sawant
6. Bharat me Isai Dharm-prachartantra by Arun Shauri
7. Lata-Sur-Gatha by Yatindra Mishra
8. Kuchh aur Nazme, Mirza Ghalib and Manzarnama series (film screenplays) by Gulzar
9. Savarkar: Ek Bhule-Bisre Ateet Ki Goonj 1883-1924 and Savarkar: Ek Vivadit Virasat 1924-1966 by Vikram Sampath
10. Bharat Nehru ke Baad, Gandhi: Bharat Se Pahle and Bharat Gandhi ke Baad by Ramchandra Guha
11. Shiv Kumar pura Sangreh by Shiv Kumar Batalvi
12. Urdu-Hindi Shabdkosh by Muhammed Mustafa Khan 'Maddah'
13. Baburnama by Babur

Academic and Religious Books

1. Samaj Vigyan Vishwakosh
2. Bharat Ka Samvidhan by Dr. DD Basu
3. Doosra Lucknow by Nadeem Hasnain
4. Rigveda Sampoorna Khand
5. BBT- Geeta Press Combo Of 11 Upanishad.

English Books read in 2024 - 2

 Continuing from the previous blog post, let’s delve further into the books:

~Highly Recommended~

1. Beyond A Boundary- C.L.R. Jame

2. A Corner of a Foreign Field: The Indian History of a British Sport - Ramachandra Guha

~Worth a Look~

1. The Country Without a Post Office- Agha Shahid Ali

2. The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien

3. Prisoners of Geography - Tim Marshall

4. Missing In Action: Why You Should Care About Public Policy - Pranay Kotasthane

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

English Books read in 2024 - 1

I read the books for perspectives aesthetics not much bothered about aesthetics, political orientations, and reviews. Good books who present realistic complexity and ambiguity with clarity are captivating and satisfying reading experience. Sharing the review of brilliant books read in 2024:

~Highly Recommended~

1. Time of Parting - Anton Donchev (Alternate)
2. India's Wars: A Military History, 1947-1971 - Arjun Subramaniam

~Worth a Look~

1. Indians: A Brief History of a Civilization - Namit Arora

2. The Sources of Social Power: Volume 1, A History of Power from the Beginning to AD 1760 - Michael Mann

3. Absolute Power - Inside story of the National Stock Exchange’s amazing success, leading to hubris, regulatory capture and algo scam - Sucheta Dalal

4. The God Delusion - Richard Dawkins

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Hindi Books read in 2024

In 2024, I read four original Hindi books and two Hindi-translated Urdu books. This was more an effort to stay connected to my mother tongue and culture. 

~Highly Recommended~

1.पतरस के मजमीं  (हिंदी संस्करण) – पतरस बुख़ारी 

पतरस बुखारी प्री-पार्टीशन के वक्त के एक प्रसिद्ध उर्दू साहित्यकार थे, जो अपनी चतुर, सूक्ष्म और सूफियाना शैली के लिए जाने जाते थे। "पतरस के मजामीन" पुस्तक का कालखंड 1920 का दशक है।  पतरस के मजमीं केवल ग्यारह कहानियों वाली एक छोटी-सी, दिलचस्प और हास्यपूर्ण किताब है, जिसमें हर कहानी का विवरण अलग है और उनकी ताजगी एक सदी बीत जाने के बाद भी जस की तस बनी हुई है। पाठक इसमें कई चीजों को खुद से जोड़ पाएंगे, जिससे कहानियों का आनंद और भी बढ़ जाता है। लेकिन इसे इस तरह लिखा गया है कि पाठक हर वाक्य पढ़ते समय हँसेंगे और हर कुछ पंक्तियों के बाद मुस्कुरा उठेंगे।

2. खोया पानी (हिंदी संस्करण) – यूसुफ़ी मुश्ताक अहमद

"खोया पानी" पाकिस्तानी लेखक मुस्‍ताक अहमद यूसुफ़ी की एक उल्लेखनीय पुस्तक है, जो 1947 के विभाजन से पहले के अविभाजित भारत और नवगठित पाकिस्तान के पात्रों के जीवन पर आधारित है। यह पुस्तक हास्य, विडंबना और मानव स्वभाव की गहरी समझ से भरपूर है। यूसुफ़ी ने उस उथल-पुथल भरे समय के जीवन की विसंगतियों और विरोधाभासों को अपने अनूठे अंदाज में प्रस्तुत किया है। वह अपनी बुद्धिमत्ता और हास्य के माध्यम से उस त्रासदी और उन लोगों की संघर्षशीलता को उजागर करते हैं, जिन्होंने इस समय का सामना किया। इस पुस्तक के पात्र नौकरशाही की अक्षम्यताओं, स्थानीय विचित्रताओं और परिवार तथा बहुसांस्कृतिक समाज की अजीबोगरीब स्थितियों में उलझे हुए हैं।  मुझे यह पुस्तक क्यों पसंद है?  यह पुस्तक पूर्व-विभाजन भारत की यादों से भरी हुई है, जो गहरी नॉस्टेल्जिया से रंगी है। इसमें उस खोई हुई सरलता, सांस्कृतिक आदान-प्रदान और उस समय की एक झलक है, जब धार्मिक मतभेद सार्वजनिक चर्चा पर हावी नहीं थे।

3. मेरी आत्मकथा – किशोर साहू

किशोर साहू एक महान निर्देशक और लेखक थे, जिनका योगदान बॉलीवुड के स्वर्ण युग में अत्यंत महत्वपूर्ण रहा।किशोर साहू की आत्मकथा "मेरी आत्मकथा" एक संक्षिप्त लेकिन जानकारीपूर्ण पुस्तक है, जिसमें उन्होंने अपने  बचपन, शिक्षा, कला के क्षेत्र में प्रवेश, अपने योगदान के बारे में विस्तृत विवरण है। उनकी जीवनी उनके समय की धड़कनों और सिनेमा के अनुभवों को सरल और सहज भाषा में जीवंत दस्तावेज़ के रूप में प्रस्तुत करती हैं | 

4. आग और पानी – व्योमेश शुक्ल

किताबवाला के साप्ताहिक एपिसोड में, सौरभ द्विवेदी ने लेखक व्योमेश शुक्ल से उनकी पुस्तक 'आग और पानी' पर गहन बातचीत की। इसके बाद पुस्तक को पढ़ने का विचार किया है। आख़िरकार, लंबे इंतज़ार के बाद किताब मिल गई और मैंने बनारस के बारे में पढ़ा जिसके ज़र्रे-ज़र्रे में कोई न कोई अद्बभुत बात है।

जब मार्क ट्वेन कहते हैं कि 'बनारस इज़ ओल्डर दैन द हिस्ट्री' यानी ये शहर इतिहास से भी पुराना है तब वाकई लगता है कि बनारस संस्कृति की आदिम लय का शहर है! व्योमेश शुक्ल ने अपनी किताब में बनारस की आत्मा, उसके ऐतिहासिक और आध्यात्मिक महत्त्व को बड़ी खूबसूरती से उकेरा है । 'आग और पानी' में बनारस के जीवन के विरोधाभासों को, जैसे कि भौतिकता और आध्यात्मिकता, संघर्ष और समर्पण, और आधुनिकता और परंपरा, के बीच के संतुलन को बेहद सूक्ष्मता और खूबसूरती से पेश किया है। यह किताब बनारस की गलियों, लोकगायकों का शिल्प, गंगा-जमुनी तहज़ीब और आम जनजीवन से प्रेरित हैं। यदि आप बनारस को जानना और महसूस करना चाहते हैं, तो ये किताब जरूर पढ़ें।

5. ग़ाज़ीपुर में क्रिस्टोफर कॉडवेल – उर्मिलेश

उर्मिलेश, एक प्रसिद्ध पत्रकार, लेखक, और सामाजिक-राजनीतिक विश्लेषक हैं, जो हिंदी पत्रकारिता के क्षेत्र में अपने महत्वपूर्ण योगदान के लिए जाने जाते हैं। "ग़ाज़ीपुर में क्रिस्टोफ़र कॉडवेल " एक महत्वपूर्ण कृति है, जो उनकी जीवन यात्रा और पत्रकारिता के अनुभवों को संजोए हुए है। उर्मिलेश की लेखनी में पूर्वांचल और बिहार के सामाजिक परिवेश और राजनीतिक मुद्दों की गहरी समझ परिलक्षित होती है। उर्मिलेश के लेखन का एक प्रमुख पहलू यह भी है कि वे पूरे उत्तर भारत में मार्क्सवाद और जेएनयू में प्रशासनिक उपेक्षा पर खुलकर बात करते हैं।

6. लपूझन्ना - अशोक पांडे 

लपूझन्ना अशोक पांडे का एक जीवन के बदलाव का दौर को पेश करने वाला उपन्यास है जो बचपन की यादों को वापस लाता है और उपनगरीकरण, सामाजिक पदानुक्रम और मानवीय भावनाओं की जटिलताओं की गहराई में जाता है। लेखक अपनी किशोरावस्था के स्थानीय जीवन का एक अंश उत्तराखंड के रामनगर शहर के दृष्टिकोण से प्रस्तुत करता है और इसे "चार धाम" (हिंदू धर्म के चार पवित्र तीर्थ स्थान) से तुलना करता है। "रामनगर के चार धाम सुन लो सूतरो! इस तरफ को खतारी और उस तरफ को लखुवा। तीसरा धाम हैगा भवानिगंज और सबसे बड़ा धाम हैगा कोसी डैम।" लेखक ने अपने छोटे शहर के किरदारों—किशोरों से लेकर युवाओं तक, जिनके साथ वयस्क सहायक पात्र हैं—की भावनात्मक तस्वीर खूबसूरती से उकेरी है। उनकी आंतरिक द्वंद्व, प्रेम, आकांक्षाएं और असफलताएं बिना किसी छिपावट के प्रस्तुत की गई हैं। कहानी की लेखन शैली सरल और प्रबल है, जो इसे एक समृद्ध सांस्कृतिक अनुभव बनाती है। यह पुस्तक किशोरावस्था की सभी विशेषताओं को कड़वे-मैठे अनुभवों —उत्साह, मित्रता के बंधन, दिल टूटने, पहचान की खोज, स्कूल के अनुभव, सिनेमा संस्कृति, पारिवारिक रिश्ते, सपने, विद्रोह और गलतियाँ को बयान करती  करती है। 

Thoughtful Present

In the name of "They got what they deserve", a great deal of injustice gets explained away and perpetuated in each society! We self-deceive to make us feel better about ourselves and naturally think in ways that come to conclusions that favor us. Strength of the country is not just in its GDP but in the confidence of its citizens on the fairness and equality of justice there.

I was guided by several articles on issues of Justice, Liberalism, Secular State, Decent Work and Economic Growth, Reduced Inequalities, Need of strong Institutions. I was inspired by persons like Christopher Hitchens, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Nadeem Parcha, Pratap Bhanu Mehta etc. Also, I interacted with a progressive, and liberal individual whose essays have impacted me in a positive manner. The person is Mr. Namit Arora whose blog was a insight into heart of a humanist.

It was his great gesture to share a copy of The Lottery of Birth: On Inherited Social Inequalities with a young reader for a social network friendship. Thanks Sir for the gift.

Books read in 2016

“When you read a great book, you don’t escape from life, you plunge deeper into it. There may be a superficial escape – into different countries, mores, speech patterns – but what you are essentially doing is furthering your understanding of life’s subtleties, paradoxes, joys, pains and truths. Reading and life are not separate but symbiotic.” ― Julian Barnes, A Life with Books

Beliefs acquired by reading fictional narratives are integrated into real-world knowledge. I am addicted to surfing news articles and watching movies.But the internet has this addictive quality, and it’s one thing I am unable to control. I had less time to read, but I still enjoy a good book now and again. I discerned my love for spiritual reading from early age as our problems are on the enigma of life. The joy of reading comes from entertainment, enjoyment, education, enrichment, escape, and the way it eases life in a stressful world. But a deep reading always increase the insight in tragic world and the escape route looks more difficult. Deep reading does demand a lot of focus. I can't possibly comprehend the book without paying attention to it completely. Hence, I had surrendered myself to self-chosen ignorance and proving difficult to change inertia.

To cut a long story short, I have seen better days in reading. No self pity, but one see through the present crisis of confidence, fitness and concentration. I was more cynical, asshole in complete sense, bad judge of person and minor burnout due to work. To say that I let the momentum slip away is an understatement. Longevity in any field is a achieved only through endurance, endurance is a product of persistence amid ups and downs of the path. I have to extract 'fight' or 'flight' response. There are no half measures. I am trying to read more in tranquility, to revive mind and body. Hope springs eternal. Repository of hope in a broken system is all that I need to set a target free 2017.

This year was cruel one as my favorite writer Martin Crowe passed away with a lasting legacy. The grand plan of reading 2 book a month for perfection was an abysmal failure. I realized the stupidity of it all, and instead would settle for a long, slow reading. I have completely updated goodreads profile and this sort of classification comes naturally to me.

Books Read in 2016:

Playing It My Way - Sachin Tendulkar - English - 7/10 -autobiography of former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar with popular anecdotes.

Durbar - Tavleen Singh - English - 7.5/10 - Comprehensive chronicle of the events from the Emergency to the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi with a few well written sections.

India's Broken Tryst - Tavleen Singh - English - 6.5/10 - A lot of potential is wasted on documenting history and insights are more personal in nature.

Battle of the Ten Kings - Ashok K. Banker- English - 5/10 - Historical fiction and expanding a story into novella.

A History of the Sikhs, Volume 1 : 1469-1839 - English - 8/10 - A comprehensive history of Sikhism, spanning the social, political and religious factors accessible to a general audience.

A History of the Sikhs - Volume 2: 1839-2004 - English - 8/10 - An essential reading into the history of the sikh community and it ends with a beautiful epilogue on the challenges ahead.

The Great Partition: The Making of India and Pakistan -  Yasmin Khan - English - 6/10 - Densely written academic South Asian history during partition era with deep focus on communal line in political parties.

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Books Read in 2015

Annus mirabilis is a Latin phrase that means wonderful year or "year of miracles". This year was wonderful in more nihilistic sense. I was able to complete only three books despite of ample time. I remain connected to Facebook and whats-app. That is clear symptom of distraction by technology. I need to create tech free zone around me in the era of techno-utopianism. Personal reform is always an active choice. It involves doing something that isn't default and must be applied with rigor in disciplined way.

I might have been victim of the slow kind of destruction due to many days & nights of loneliness. It just erodes enthusiasm and put reading habit in demise. The anxiety due to monotonous life became irrepressible leading to mental frailness. Even if I was doing everything right to read books but not able to progress beyond few pages. When I don’t read books or watch movies– always having stock of them – and then I “surf” them.

I have wasted a lot of time in surfing news articles on the internet. This addictive habit is going out of control for me. In this random news readings, I enjoyed words of Sanjay Manjrekar and Akash Chopra. There is strong element of lethargy in this reader's block. The lack of concentration, anxiety and work related exhaustion are minor elements of the whole story. Even the longest rope will fall short if I don't take a more strict and passionate approach towards reading. Excessive self-pity has its own psychological quirks. Hence, I would buck up for the challenge of reading 26 books in the new year. As Mark Twain wrote on New Year’s Day in 1863, “Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual.”

Books Read in 2015:

1. Inferno - Dan Brown -English - 8/10 - An interesting and stylish read but lacking content level of previous novels.

2. Hind Swaraj - Mahatma Gandhi - Hindi - 7/10 - Honest opinion to be read for understanding conditions of India through personal lens.

3. Poor Economics - Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo - English - 9/10 - Refreshing book with clear evidences to work at micro level to alleviate global poverty.

4. Wisdom of Ants - Shankar Jaganathan -English - 7/10-  A good book for the beginners on the history of economics

Books Read in 2014

“Why is America so rich and we are so poor?” I posed the question to my father in the summers of 1998. My father answered me as best he could: “India is a young democratic country of 50 years with huge population while America is almost 200 years old." I nodded in agreement, satisfied with the explanation. One answer unearthed a dangerous way to more questions.  I was a nationalist, theist and a more enthusiastic supporter of RSS version of India at that phase of life. I had complete trust in their claim of ancient knowledge and glory of Hindu India. So, why we failed to defend our country from foreign culture and invaders ? Why Hindus were treated like slave for thousand of years in their own country ? How to solve Islamic and Christian problem?

That started an active engagement with history books. Yet, I haven't touched NCERT books. I studied history books to have an idea of India. My grip on history was weak because, half-truths and myths are intermingled as historical fact. I wanted to know an accepted version of history - validated by both losers and winners. It was the reading habit that gave me the chance to think more deeply. Nothing was considered as averse and accepted with open heart in heated debates with friends. It's often hard to separate myth from reality. Reading diverse set of books helped me to find rational view in the haze of morality and deliberate ignorance. I was able to see that every perceived external interference doesn't involve a sinister plot. I was able to challenge infallibility of books and beliefs. There was not always misinterpretation by the reader. The travesty of the modern world history is to find a 'factual' narrative in the versions of religious 'right' and Red 'Left'. I concluded with a solid reality of our lives - Social Reality in past or present does not come, like topaz crystals, already made. It is well hidden in camouflage of culture, taboo and class in the maze of daily life. I had started not to view at history as a place of debate and multiple opinions, rather than reductive nature of evidences. Our history is a hybrid of facts and fiction, it is a tale nonetheless, which represents a sore reality, and I have tried my utmost to learn it in a sympathetic and sensitive manner.

If one doesn't contradict oneself on a regular basis, then one is not thinking. We all start popular readings for a start, then make own way. Everyone’s reading list is unique, but each is remarkable in its own way.I don't read today in order to master the craft of writing; I read because I like to read but surely it helps in putting words together. Imitation, it turns out, is a great engine for personal growth to some extent. I always travel through books, but never get lost in them. A lot of books are in the pending list for reading. Life is short for reading all I wish. There’s a more likelihood of me doing what is necessary but mot sufficient.

Books Read in 2014:

Our Moon has Blood Clots - The Exodus of the Kashmiri Pandits :- Rahul Pandita - English - 9/10 - Compelling Memoir of person giving us a brief account of ethnic cleansing.

In the Land of Invisible Women :- Qanta A. Ahmed - English - 7.5/10 - It gives a vivid description of religion, racism, culture and society of Saudi regime from the perspective of a Western trained Muslim doctor woman.

Hello Bastar: The Untold Story Of India's Maoist Movement :- Rahul Pandita - English - 7/10 -  A poignant book that explains story of Maoist movement  through the eyes of reporter.

Acts of Faith :- Erich Segal - English - 7/10 - A boring romantic story caught in the web of Jewish Christian relationship.

I am Malala :- Malala Yousafzai & Christina Lamb - English - 6/10 - A brave account of girl but written for people having not having clue on Afghan situation

And the Mountains Echoed :- Khaled Hosseini - English - 7/10 -

A Game of Thrones :- George R. R. Martin - English - 8.5/10 - A must read thriller in realm of epic fantasy novels.

A Clash of Kings :- George R. R. Martin - English - 8.5/10 - A must read thriller in realm of epic fantasy novels.

A Storm of Swords :- George R. R. Martin - English - 8.5/10 - A must read thriller in realm of epic fantasy novels.

A Feast for Crows :- George R. R. Martin - English - 8/10 - A must read thriller in realm of epic fantasy novels.

A Dance with Dragons :- George R. R. Martin - English - 8/10 - A must read thriller in realm of epic fantasy novels.

The Devotion of Suspect X :- Keigo Higashino - English - 7/10 - A detective novel that starts beautifully but was disappointed with sudden and swift end.

Books Read in 2013

Literature demands something, not just from the reader but from society at large. It demands not just that we watch or cheer together, play or dance together, but that we take the time to understand one another. It demands that we create the institutions and the time to make this possible. It demands that we put in the effort. And it demands, most of all, that we agree that it is worthwhile to do so. - Hasan Altaf

History has shown us that leisured aristocracies tend to become bored, hedonistic, and eventually decadent. This proves that power is not enough. One must set goals to excel in them, even if done slowly. I had set such a goal and polished my mental agility through the habit of reading. Reading books is an exercise in self-knowledge and carries risk. These thought-provoking books estrange our familiar landscape of settled beliefs into a strange wonderland (maybe dystopia) through new viewpoints. Good books open windows through mysterious ways. I had already listed down books by different authors of various regions, languages, and backgrounds in a wish list.

There are two articles worth mentioning here. I read about the "Let them eat cake" phrase at the age of eight in a history book. It was supposedly spoken by "a great princess" upon learning that the peasants had no bread, and further events led to the French Revolution. That phrase always remained at the back of the mind since that day. The Necessity of Atheism was an astounding article that I read as a young engineering student. It blew my world apart with the power of the words. The religion and society never remained the same for me.

While the reading journey has been going on, it has been quite fulfilling till now. I grew old and wise with each book that I read. I enjoy rich, earthy humor, satire, and cultural essays. I even felt nostalgic about the deaths of Christopher Hitchens and Peter Roebuck. I miss their strong words, remarkable anecdotes, and deep analysis. And. I found new gems like Ian Chappel, Martin Crowe, and Pratap Bhanu Mehta.

Many giants of Hindi literature are still untouched by me.  I am living in the world created bMunshisi Premchand in his short stories. I have no clue about the progress made in literature over the last 30 years of Mandal, Kamandal & Dalit movements. I don't even know the names of Urdu books, and their transliterated versions are out of my reach. I want to start reading more of the fiction genre and real-life stories in the upcoming months. '26 Books in 52 Weeks' is a goal for next year. I'm a super slow reader, but I usually get through ten to twelve books a year, mostly non-fiction. I had an accelerated pace of reading to utilize the time. And, the result shows in the reading list. I mostly try good reads and rarely best sellers. As well said by Frank Zappa: “So many books, so little time.”

Books Read in 2013:

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich:- Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn - (Russian) English - 9/10 - A brilliant and mind-blowing description of just one day of a prisoner in the Gulag in Siberia

The End of Iraq: How American Incompetence Created a War Without End:- Peter W. Galbraith - English - 8.5/10 - The name is sufficient to describe the good work of journalism.

Tuesday With Morrie:- Mitch Albom - English - 8/10 - A beautiful memoir or discussion of a teacher-student on life, love, and death.

Burden of Democracy:- Pratap Bhanu Mehta - English - 7.5/10 -: A very well written essay which discusses the reasons why the spirit of democracy is failing in India.

Lord of the Flies:- William Golding - English - 7/10 - A study of human behaviour through the backdrop of a group of British boys stuck on an uninhabited island.

Patriots and Partisans: From Nehru to Hindutva and Beyond:- Ramachandra Guha - English - 7.5/10 - An honest attempt at showing builders of the country across all ideologies in Independent India.

Ek Gadhe ki Aatmkatha:- Krishna Chander - Hindi - 7/10 - Satire written during the era of the ehru still holds true to its core.

Uncle Tom's Cabin:- Harriet Beecher Stowe - English - 8/10 - An anti-slavery novel to be read for emotional reasons only.

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft:- Stephen King - English - 8/10 - A simple story of life with great tips on writing coming in patches.

Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty Daron Acemoglu & James Robinson - English - 9/10 - man-made political and economic institutions that underlie economic success.

Joothan:- Omprakash Valmiki - Hindi - 10/10 - A personal account of a stalwart of Hindi literature describing the caste system in Hindu society.

And Quiet Flows the Don:- Michail Sholokhov - (Russian) Hindi - 7.5/10 - It depicts the lives and struggles of Don Cossacks during the era of Soviet revolution.

Bitter chocolate: child sexual abuse in India:- Pinki Virani - English - 9.5/10 - Felt broken and depressed on reading about child abuse stories and awareness among our own Indian society.

Yuganta: The End Of An Epoch:- Irawati Karve - English - 9.5/10 - This study of the main characters of the Mahabharata treats them as historical figures and uses their attitudes and behavior to gain an understanding of the times in which they lived.

O Jerusalem !- Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins - English - 8.5/10 - A great book capturing the events and struggles surrounding the creation of the state of Israel.

My Days in Prison -Iftikhar Gilani - English - 8/10 - A shocking story of trial and triumph under the framework of the exploitative power of the state.

The Idea of India:- Sunil Khilnani - English - 7/10 - Comprehensive account of India's economic and political journey from independence to liberalization.

I Too Had a Dream:- Verghese Kurien - English - 8.5/10 - Dr. Kurien's life story is chronicled in his memoir and must be read by teenagers and youths.

The Reluctant Fundamentalist:- Mohsin Hamid - English - 8/10 - A political thriller set in Pakistan, but will appeal to the globe with a sharp focus on fundamentalist mentality.

Never Give a Sucker an Even Break: R Fields - English - 6.5/10 - A simple book on managing daily business through examples from movies of WC Fields.

Bharat ka Bhavisya:- Osho - Hindi - 4/10 - A below-average book, even with Osho's standard, having a collection of speeches.

Karmath Mahilayein:- Reethu Menon - Hindi - 7.5/10 - A book on the path-breaking Indian women who defined their fields through their works.

What I Did Not Learn At IIT: Transitioning from Campus to Workplace:- Rajeev Agarwal - English - 6/10 - A simple book, but useful for a fresh graduate on managing a fresh career ahead.

The Immortals of Meluha:- Amish - English - 6/10 - A below-par average first part of a trilogy with a Hindu mythology background.

The Secret of the Nagas:- Amish - English - 6.5/10 - Second part of the book series with little improvement.

The Oath of the Vayuputras - Amish - English - 7.5/10 - The Third and Last part of the series is more mature and enjoyable.

Quotes for the Year 2013 -:

“One glance at a book and you hear the voice of another person, perhaps someone dead for 1,000 years. To read is to voyage through time.” - Carl Sagan.

Great stories agree with our worldview. The best stories don’t teach people anything new. Instead, the best stories agree with what the audience already believes and make the members of the audience feel smart and secure when reminded of how right they were in the first place. — Seth Godin (Author, Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us)

You have to understand, my dears, that the shortest distance between truth and a human being is a story. — Anthony de Mello, from One Minute Wisdom

Books Read in 2012

Life begins at the end of our comfort zone. Enjoy 2013. I will say goodbye to 2012 with an appeal of common honesty and decency. "Don't just read the easy stuff. You may be entertained by it, but you will never grow from it." Jim Rohn had captured essence of reading long ago with this lucid statement. We choose for ourselves the sort of literature we want.

Yet, this year was spent in going through easy books. Absence of books related to concept of business strategy and marketing may be counter of prevailing norms of reading list of an MBA student. I still want to read the forgotten matters of culture and society. Reading Economic Times has already made my vision one dimensional in nature. The reading list is getting skewed in favor of English language is not an healthy sign. Is the gradual exit of mother tongue from our reading materials a rational choice? It will be immense loss of mine command over both languages and misunderstood social acceptance that discourages free thought.

I want literature to be full of engagement, entertainment and even enlightenment. That is the joy of reading. Only few authors have tenacity to present complex issues in the most subtle manner and verbalize our angst that dissect through our souls and stirs our social conscience. Yes, I am starting to believe in Osho's Hypothesis that 'if consciousness changes, then certainly the social structure will change, because the social structure is just a projection of man's mind.' But how this consciousness can be even touched? I got this answer in a quote by Irwin Edman : It is myth, not a mandate; fable, not a logic; and symbol, rather than a reason, by which men are moved. That was profound discovery of the irrational side of human behaviour. Still can't leave rationality for the sake of emotions. It works well for survival purpose of human being. I am not a spiritual communist like Osho but find the hypothesis quite true.

Reading is not a time limited activity and text can't be seen as one dimensional lines. The meaning between words need to be understood through random and one must try repeated readings in different phases of life. There is need to add more of witness literature in reading list and also required an instrument to gauge health and progress of the reading habit.

1. The Kaoboys of RAW : Down Memory Lane by B. Raman - English - 7.5/10
2. Hoshruba: The Land And The Tilism by Musharraf Farooqi - English - 7/10
3. Unbearable Lightness of beingby Milan Kundera - English - 8.5/10
4. Games Indians Play: Why We Are the Way We Are by V Raghunathan - English - 8/10
5. The Prophet, The Wanderer, Sand & Foam, The Forerunner by Kahlil Gibran - English - 8.5/10
6. Snow by Orhan Pamuk - English - 9/10
7. Dreams from My Father (A Story of Race and Inheritance) by Barack Obama - English - 8/10
8. 1000 Films to Change Your Life - Time Out Guides Ltd (Author) - The short interviews of the people involved in film-making to the opinion of various critics make this book one time readable. - English - 8/10
9. The Room On The Roof, Vagrants In The Valley by Ruskin Bond - English - 6.5/10
10. The Temple Tiger and more Man-Eaters of Kumaon by Jim Corbett - English - 7/10
11. Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by John Perkins - English - 7/10
12. Zen: Zest, Zip, Zap and Zing by Osho - English - 8/10
13. Breakout Nations by Ruchir Sharma - English - 7.5/10
14. Kyozan: A True Man of Zen by Osho - English - 7/10

Personal Reading History -2

‘Time, like a fistful of sand, slips through our fingers while we stand and wonder what to do with it.’

A habit is must for proper utilization of the time during our growing years. I had a nice habit of book and comics reading from the childhood days. I have already written a brief about reading history in a previous post (Personal Reading History -1). In retrospection, it feels great that I have read so many books, comics, stories and poems.

I want to read with the growing age the best of all world literature. It varies with the short stories of Anton Chekhov, Guy De Maupassant, Somerset Maugham, Tolstoy, Oscar Wilde and O Henry. UP, CBSE and ICSE board short stories and in English and Hindi from class 5th to 12th were fondly read by me. Smriti by Sriram Sharma, Gift of the Magi by O Henry, The Model Millionaire by Oscar Wilde, Idgaah by Premchand and A Letter to God by Gregorio Lopez y Fuentes (Translated by Donald A. Yates ) are still mine favorite stories.

Books Read at friend's place: Panchatantra, Sindbad the Sailor, Pinocchio, My experiments with Truth, Gulliver Travels, Chandrakanta Santati and Prisoner of Zenda.

Books read in School Library : Moby Dick, Three Musketeers, The count of Monte-Cristo, A Christmas Carol, Time Machine, The War of Worlds, The Invisible Man, The Thirty Nine Steps, Oliver Twist, Great Expectation, You can win by Shiv Khera, Frankenstein, The Red badge of courage, King Arthur and Round Tale, Sunny Days, Malgudi Days, Plays of Shakespeare

Books Read in Hindi Translation: David Copperfield, Ivanhoe, The Man in Iron Mask, Black Beauty, Call of the Wild, Treasure Island, Kidnapped, Black Tulip, Alice in Wonderland, Robinson Crusoe, Swiss Family Robinson, Talisman, Don Quixote, Robin hood, Around the world in eighty days, Coral Island, The Adventure of Tom Sawyer, 20,000 Leagues under the Sea.

These books were treasure house of enjoyable and informative literature that I had read in my wonder years. Sometimes, it was encouragement of the parents and cousins that later on converted into my own initiative. Thanks to my sister also who competed with me in finishing a book as fast as possible. Later on, the reading habit died due to my own negligence beyond class 10th.

I never seek happiness as those who run only for happiness never find it. On the surface when life becomes "eat, drink, be merry." It is superficial, and one day everybody get bored sooner or later. Some will seek refuge in religion and others in the work. It is extremely important to pick an advisors, mentors, friends and role models who are concerned about our intellectual growth and not just our productivity. Productivity is just like machine but thinking is done at different levels. We can only pick the best of ideas by becoming morally serious and intellectually curious.

I like books and write outdated essays on the blog. I always aspired to become an average educated reader for understanding the world around me. Currently, I appreciate reading mostly non fiction books. Simultaneously, I introduce popular concepts and idea that focus on the problems and prospects of sustainable development at this blog in a lucid manner. I feel indeed as a custodian of a common heritage of the civilized world through this cultural tradition of reading and writing.

As a grown person, it seems beyond understanding that scholars have stopped just reading novels and poems and started studying them. That is tragedy of Literature. While most of mine friends and classmate lack the habit of reading books for pleasure. Only few had started reading beyond schoolbooks, other just prefer to watch TV and Internet. They watch TV so the attention span is low. May be because people don’t read books these days.

Reading is tough and requires patience. It actually needs application to grasp the meaning of words and find hidden emotions between the lines. I act as writer at this blog. This blog is a demanding, difficult and not much reader friendly...highly personal place, typically filled with short insights. But if you have arrived here for a light-hearted entertainment on your mind, then this blog is a wrong location in blogosphere.

As a writer, I have begun to doubt my own capacity to see things unbiased, when I no longer am sure if my view is right or left. Yet, I am trying to remain as independent as possible. I suspect that market forces have altered the behavior of writers. That bothers me a lot. I will easily pass away, unnoticed and unremarked with time. Just let me read and write without censure story of my own. I thank books as they had changed exposure and outlook. A nation must have its culture rebels, prophets, saints, heroes and martyrs. I am none but a Reader and Writer.

Books Read in 2011

Reading creates capacity for deep, linear concentration. That is one unintended positive outcome of the habit of reading. Books always touch man’s head and heart with a burning/soothing/boring sensation. I read books on cinema, consumer behavior, leadership and culture having various overtones this year. They helped me to fight desperation, myopia and close-mindedness prevailing inside me; I have always tried to pay attention to theories that conflict with common perception, only if those theories are more driven by human behavior than common stereotype assumptions. Books of great authors are the best tools to understand these theories.

"Rich people have small TVs and big libraries, and poor people have small libraries and big TVs." Quite an apt statement to start about reading tour of this year. I am enlisting the names of books read by me in 2011 with their background and my feedback. Ratings are highly personal.

My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk - English - 8/10

A murder mystery set in Ottoman empire where different narrators—including people, paintings, and even colors—tell parts of the story.

Hitch 22: - Christopher Hitchens - English- 8/10
Author’s intellectual trajectory over the lifetime. It’s a witty, candid, and unflinchingly self-critical account of a restless life devoted to ideas, debate, and the written word.

Among the Believers:- V. S. Naipaul - English- 8/10
He makes writing verse look so easy and publishes Journey that highlights the culture of few selected Islamic countries.

Who moved my Cheese? : - Spencer Johnson - English- 7.5/10
Motivational business fable about opportunities and life at work.

In custody: - Anita Desai - English- 6.5/10
Loss of Urdu language in India through the eyes of a dying poet.

Our Films Their Films: - Satyajit Ray - English- 8.5/10
A deep insight by an auteur about his films.

The man who knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan-: Robert Kanigel - English- 7/10
Biography of the Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan written with utmost details and articulation.

Something Like an Autobiography: - Akira Kurosawa - English- 8.5/10
It is a charming account of the legendary movie director's early life.

Predictably Irrational:- Dan Ariely - English- 8/10
A book written in the behavioural science field makes a rational person looking dumb.

Rinzai: Master of the Irrational: - Osho - English- 8/10
No comments to be made about Zen!

I Have a Dream: - Rashmi Bansal - English- 8/10
Inspiring Stories of the 25 social entrepreneurs from humble and diverse background.

Heart of Darkness: -  Joseph Conrad - English- 7.5/10
Unfathomable dark nature of human explored through the journey of the narrator

Winning by Jack Welch with Suzy Welch: - Jack Welch - English- 7.5/10
A comprehensive look on designing career path and taking decisions in the corporate world.

As French novelist Marcel Proust once said that the real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. I hope to evolve as a Reader and to enjoy more books in the coming year. XIMB library here I come!

Thought of the Day- New year doesn't bring happiness but people do! Enjoy 2012.

Personal Reading History -1

"It is good to be curious because that is how one starts the journey of inquiry... into existence; but if one simply remains curious, then there will be no intensity in it. One can move from one curiosity to another — one will become a driftwood — from one wave to another wave, never getting anchored anywhere. Curiosity is good as a beginning, but then one has to become more passionate. One has to make life a quest, not only a curiosity." --- Osho 

I am now searching the root of mine reading habits and how they have changed my behavior over the span of time. Even though I was attracted towards schoolbooks, I don't remember any interest in the reading at KG level. Only memory I have of reading, it is of nursery rhyme 'Johnny Johnny Yes Papa' in the classroom. I spent most of the time listening to the old songs of Kishore Kumar and Mahendra Kumar in the cassette player.

I had started reading Children stories in Hindi newspaper 'Dainik Jagran' initially in the childhood. I was reading stories and poems in the schoolbooks. Chamapak for toddlers, Balhans for folk and patriotic stories, Nandan with tales of kings and queens and Nanhe Samrat with its Murkhistan were made available for us by our parents. I was fond of reading comics of various desi superheroes. But the summarized five-page short summary of world-famous novel in Nandan was my favourite of all. Suman Saurabh and Chandamama were also there but their stories were interesting but in the discrete form dispersed over various magazine issues. But the story of Vikram Betal and Ulysses left a deep impact on me for epic novels and drama.

 

This was the phase of my life when I was more interested in religious texts. I had finished reading of Ramcharitmanas and Ramayan till the age of 9 years. Then, I also read a lot of Gitapress books about the life of Srikrishna. By sheer chance only, I never had opportunity to read any Amar Chitra Katha. Also, I was taught various short stanzas of Rahim, Raskhan, Dinkar, Niraala and Kabir.

Now comes mine fanatical reading of comics portion. I was avid reader of Naagraj, Super Commando Dhruv, Tausi, Doga, Parmanu, Chacha Chaudary and Ram-Rahim. I never had any chance to read english comic strips like Archie or Calvin-Hobbes.

One more subject that drew my attention was history books. Since, there were no hundered of comics available for a fast reader like me at maternal grandmother's home, I was given history book of 10th, 12th and graduation. It has most powerful impact on my memory. I was sheer delighted by the concept of revolution that happened in France and Russia. The complex name of Rousseau and Voltaire became familiar for me. It was also win-win solution for everybody as it kept me engaged for a long time and I was like enjoying the dive into the world of knowledge.