By IANS,
(IANS Books This Week)
New Delhi : From lifestyle to business, summit catastrophes to gay love, the book case this weekend is a study in contrasts.
1. Book: “Broom Groom”; Written by Kiran Bedi and Pavan Choudary; Published Wisdom Village (WVPD); Priced at Rs.195
The book is a civic sense and lifestyle manual for a nation on the growth path. A volume with illustrations and texts, it suggests globally accepted manners. On a literal level, “Broom stands for cleansing and Groom for civility”, the writers say. The objective of the book is to create a well-groomed nation which stands on par with the rest of the world.
The first section of the book deals with grooming, while section two is about brooming. It shows ways to greet people, handle hierarchy, speech, how to play the perfect host, restaurant manners, elevator etiquette and covers almost every aspect of civic and social life – including washroom hygiene and clean kitchens.
2. Book: “Stageplay: The Journey of An Actor”; Written by Sushma Seth; Published by Amaryllis; Priced at Rs.350
The book chronicles the fascinating journey of theatre actor Sushma Seth — from her childhood and early influences to her first movie, “Junoon”, and her character of “dadi” in the television family drama “Humlog”. Sushma’s passion for theatre did not take a backseat even when she was scripting small but memorable characters in movies like “Kalyug”, “Silsila”, “Prem Rog”, “Chandni” and “1942: A Love Story”.
In 1972, she founded the Children’s Creative Theatre that staged several successful productions. The book, besides delving into the art of stage plays, also explores Sushma’s service to society through a non-profit organisation, Arpana, which has resettled thousands of slum children.
3. Book: “Mending Soul”; Writen by Khushwant Singh; Published by Rupa & Co; Priced at Rs.195
The slim volume is the riveting and insightful biography of Ratanjit Singh Sondhe, a versatile author, speaker, consultant, entrepreneur, radio and television personality. Sondhe has become renowned internationally as “Mr Stress Free”.
His story of how he used Guru Nanak’s message of oneness is inspiring and provides perspective to millions on how to balance materialism and spirituality. His business success lies in his unconventional applications, of how he interpreted the teachings of his guru into an effective business strategy and built a multi-million dollar business enterprise in the US.
4. Book: “No Way Down”; Written by Graham Bowley; Published by Penguin-Books India; Priced at Rs.499
On Aug 1, 2008 at the summit of K2, an exhausted band of climbers pump their fists into the clear blue sky – joining the elite who have conquered the world’s most lethal mountain. But as they celebrate, far below them an ice shelf collapses and sweeps away their ropes. They don’t know it yet, but they will be forced to descend into the blackness with no lines.
Of the 30 who set out, 11 will never make it back. Following the stories of climbers from around the world, the book weaves a tale of human courage, folly, survival, and devastating loss. It tries to answer what drove them to try to conquer this elusive peak and what went wrong that fateful day.
5. Book: “Yaraana: Gay Writings from South Asia”; Edited by Hoshang Merchant; Published by Penguin Books-India; Priced at Rs.350
From Ashok Row Kavi’s autobiographical piece on growing up gay in Mumbai to Vikram Seth’s brilliantly etched account of a gay relationship in “The Golden Gate”, the stories, poems, plays and prose extracts in this collection cover a range of literary styles, themes and sensibilities.
Apart from the contributions in English, the anthology features works translated from Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati and other Indian languages that speak of the agony and joy of a man being in love with other men.