Indian origin journalist’s book nominated for British literature prize
By IANS,
London : The Times journalist Sathnam Sanghera is the latest British-Asian to blaze a literary trail as his book on the travails of his Sikh immigrant family has been short listed for the biography prize at the British Costa Book Awards for 2008.
The book began as a letter to his mother explaining why he was not ready for an arranged marriage. Sanghera started looking for possible objections from his parents to his decision and that led him to forage his family history from when his parents came to Britain from rural Punjab in India.
‘उदास नस्लें’ और अब्दुल्ला हुसैन
जावेद अनीस
उर्दू के शीर्ष उपन्यासकार अब्दुल्ला हुसैन का 7 जून 2015 को 84 वर्ष की उम्र में देहांत हो गया, वे लम्बे समय से...
Three held in Pakistan with pirated editions of Jaswant’s book
By IANS,
Lahore : Three people have been arrested for selling pirated editions of former Indian minister Jaswant Singh's book "Jinnah: India, Partition, Independence" in this Pakistani city, authorities said.
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) raided two shops in Defence Housing Authority and arrested three people for selling the pirated editions of Jaswant Singh's book, Daily Times reported Friday.
A countrywide crackdown has been launched on publishers and bookstores selling fake editions of Jaswant's book.
Adab Kids – Books narrating stories of Islamic Luminaries to young learners
By Najiya O, TwoCircles.net
They were a group of Keralites working in the IT field in the land of the Nizam. All had school-going children,...
Strike against Jammat chief’s death sentence hits Bangladesh
Dhaka : A two-day nationwide shutdown called by the Jamaat-e-Islami began on Sunday in Bangladesh against a Supreme Court verdict upholding the death penalty...
Rana Dasgupta tops chart with new book
By IANS,
New Delhi : Books on and by US President Barack Obama dominated the bestseller list in the non-fiction category here this week, while "Solo" by Rana Dasgupta went straight to the top of the charts in the fiction category. Here are the top 10 in each group:
Non-Fiction
1. "The Inheritance: The World Obama Confronts and the Challenges to American..."
Author: David E. Sanger
Publisher: Harmony Books
Price: $20.00 (Rs.1,036.00)
2. "Delhi: Adventures in A Megacity"
Author: Sam Miller
Publisher: Penguin Viking
Price: Rs.499.00
3. "Dreams From My Father"
New book tracks Indian economic renaissance
By IANS,
New Delhi : A thousand years after India slid into an "age of decline" from its pre-invasion years in the 11th century, the country's stars are again on the ascendant, Deutsche Bank chief economist Sanjeev Sanyal says in his book "The Indian Renaissance: India's Rise After a Thousand Years of Decline".
The book probes India's journey across 10 centuries and homes in on its recent economic upswing as the country re-awakens not just as an economy, but as a civilisation.
Of urban angst, riots, mutiny and epic love
By IANS,
(IANS Books This Week)
New Delhi : Relax with a cache of stimulating books this weekend.
Tehran guarantees Iranian Nobel peace laureate’s safety
By DPA,
Tehran : Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi was safe and there was no need for any international concern over her well-being, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Hassan Ghashghavi said Monday.
The spokesman was referring to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon who Saturday urged Tehran to secure Ebadi's safety after Islamists gathered outside her residence in Tehran last week, accusing her of having sympathy for Israel in the Gaza crisis.
Amitav Ghosh tops fiction charts – again
By IANS,
New Delhi : Amitav Ghosh continues to rule the fiction category with his sequel "River of Smoke" while Henry Kissinger's "On China" is the bestseller in the non-fiction list this week.
Lucknow, poetry, gripping fiction on bookshelf
By IANS,
New Delhi: The bookshelf is diverse this weekend. Browse along.
1. "Lucknow Boy"; Written by Vinod Mehta; Published by Penguin-India; Priced at Rs.499.
पटना के कोचिंग संस्थानों के वर्चस्व की लड़ाई है भटकाव का कारण
तारिक़ अनवर चम्पारणी
प्राचीनकाल से लेकर वर्तमान तक पटना शहर का अपना एक राजनीतिक, सामाजिक और शैक्षणिक महत्व रहा है। बिहार का पहला कॉलेज पटना...
Where to take the kids? Now you know
By Paloma Ganguly, IANS,
Book: "Must for Mums Delhi"; Author Rina Mehta; Publisher: Oxford and IBH; Price: Rs.210
Summer is upon us and, in no time, so will the school holidays be. So, all Delhi moms - and exceptional dads - who are beginning to sweat at the thought of keeping the children busy, here's an idea: go buy this handbook.
Having done the rounds of Mumbai and Bangalore, the latest in the "Must For Mums" series now comes packed with information on what the Indian capital and its satellite towns have to offer to their kids.
‘Fault Lines’ is bestseller again (IANS Books)
By IANS,
New Delhi : "Fault Lines" by Raghuram Rajan continued to top the non-fiction section of the bestseller list this week while Stieg Larsson's "The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" bounced back to the number one fiction spot.
The top 10 in each category are:
Non-fiction
1. "Fault Lines"
Author: Raghuram Rajan
Publisher: Harper Collins
Price: Rs.499.00
2. "Witness to Life and Freedom"
Author: Pramod Kapoor
Publisher: Roli Books
Price: Rs.595.00
3. "Keeping the Faith: Memoirs of a Parliamentarian"
Author: Somnath Chatterjee
A happening year for Indian literature
By NNN-PTI,
New Delhi : Be it recognitions at the global level, controversies, visits by high-profile writers, publishers rolling out bestsellers and several new authors spinning stories, Indian literature in 2008 saw them all!
Aravind Adiga brought cheers to the nation when his novel "The White Tiger," an ironic take on the new India with its techno-brilliance and IT prowess, bagged the Man Booker Prize beating the likes of Salman Rushdie ("The Enchantress of Florence") and Amitav Ghosh ("Sea of Poppies") among others.
Hope women find courage through my books: Author Madhuri Banerjee
By Somrita Ghosh
New Delhi : Is it taboo for women to talk about sex, their hidden desires or having extra-marital affairs? No! It...
South Indians were the ancient money bags in Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh city
By Madhusree Chatterjee, IANS,
New Delhi : Vietnam - the bloody stage for a 30-year-war with France and then the US - was once home to a bustling Hindu settlement devoted to Shiva and Vishnu. Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon, was the business hub of the South Indian Chettiyar community that set up money-lending businesses.
"The relation between India and Ho Chi Minh city dates back to more than two centuries when the Chettiyars, the trading community from south India, first came to the city to establish their money lending business.
Divided Sri Lanka haunts a man at the wheels (Book Review)
By M.R. Narayan Swamy,
Title: Noon Tide Toll; Author: Romesh Gunesekera; Publisher: Penguin Books: Pages: 237; Price: Rs.299
How does Sri Lanka fare after the end of a quarter century of ethnic conflict? Vasantha ferries visitors all around the island in a van bought with savings after retiring early. The road journeys are as much an eye opener to the Sri Lankan driver as much to the men and women he transports - mainly foreigners and Sri Lankans now settled abroad. The still bruised north, the Sinhalese south and the now carefree Colombo come alive as Romesh Gunesekera, a gifted writer, uses Vasantha to take readers from one spot to another, from one saga to another.
Spirituality, fiction and business on bookshelf
By IANS,
New Delhi : This weekend, the bookshelf explores some profound truths of life. Browse with IANS.
सीमांचल की ज़मीन पर साहित्य का इंटरनेशनल उत्सव
अफ़रोज़ आलम साहिल, TwoCircles.net
बिहार के किशनगंज में इंटरनेशनल लिटरेरी फेस्टिवल...! ये बात कईयों के लिए हैरानी का सबब बन सकती है. मगर ये...
Church-affiliated Goa group publishes anti-Israeli book
By Mayabhushan Nagvenkar, IANS,
Panaji : Portraying Israeli tourists as a bunch of promiscuous, stingy, drug addicts and peddlers, a new book published by a church-affiliated organisation in Goa is likely to ruffle many feathers.
The 96-page work, "Claiming the right to say no: a study of Israeli tourist behaviour and patterns in Goa", has been authored by 11 seminarians or priests-in-grooming. It has been published by the Council for Social Justice and Peace (CSJP), an arm of the Roman Catholic church in the state.
Book Review: Muslims in Indian cities – Trajectories of Marginalisation
Book edited by Laurent Gayer and Christophe Jaffrelot
By Danish Khan for TwoCircles.net,
Take your pick from diverse book case this weekend (IANS Books This Week)
By IANS,
New Delhi : Dogs, widows, Kolkata, thrill and domestic drama - the weekend book cart is diverse, cute and emotional... Read on
1. "As Cute as a Pug": Written by Dhruv Lamba; Published by Netizens First; Priced at Rs.200.
Harper Collins, Ratna Sagar to promote student dictionaries
By IANS,
New Delhi : Harper Collins Publishers India and Ratna Sagar will enter into an alliance to jointly promote student dictionaries in the country.
The alliance between the publishing houses will be announced Wednesday. Under the alliance, Collins School Gem Dictionary, Collins Compact Dictionary and Collins Pocket Dictionary will be brought out in December.
Of an Indian double agent: A true-to-life thriller (Book Review)
By M.R. Narayan Swamy, IANS,
Book: "Escape to Nowhere: Story of an Indian Espionage Agent"; Author: Amar Bhushan, Publisher: Konark Publishers; Pages: 332; Price: Rs.299
Now buy a book with your grocery from nearest superstore
By Madhusree Chatterjee, IANS,
New Delhi : Imagine picking up a cookbook along with your vegetables for the day from your nearest department store. Over the next two years, India will see publishers thronging retail stores to sell their books, said a senior official of Parragon Publishing India that has pioneered this form of marketing.
Parragon Publishing pioneered the concept in its home base, Britain, 20 years ago and has since been doing so across Europe and the US.
Written by Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, but made in India
By Madhusree Chatterjee, IANS,
New Delhi : The ever-growing popularity of Indo-Anglian writing and the publishing boom in India have opened the floodgates for English writers from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh as well. Authors from neighbouring countries are increasingly publishing their books in India, which offers them a sizeable audience still hooked to the written word.
They have inched their way up the Indian best-seller lists with powerful books that combine gripping narratives, snapshots of socio-political realities, history and commentaries.
Book Review: Justice before Reconciliation: Negotiating a ‘New Normal’ in Post-riot Mumbai and Ahmedabad
By Dipankar Gupta,
Routledge, New Delhi, 2011, 186 pp., Rs 595, Hard Bound, ISBN 978-0-415-61254-8
By Mahtab Alam,
Racy eye-opener of a book on the Maoist movement
By M.R. Narayan Swamy, IANS,
Book: "Jangalnama: Travels in a Maoist Guerrilla Zone"; Author: Satnam; Penguin Books, pp 206; Price: Rs.250
Why Bastar's tribals harbour Maoists?
This is undoubtedly India's answer to "Red Star Over China", the epoch-making story of what the then obscure Mao was up to in China's rural areas at the head of a nascent Communist party that eventually took power in 1949. When American Edgar Snow came out with the classic of a book, the world sat up and took notice.
Goodbye America? Not yet
By Manish Chand, IANS,
Book: The Post-American World; Author: Fareed Zakaria; Publisher: Penguin/Viking; Price: Rs. 499.
Don't write an obituary of the American superpower yet. It's not that America is declining, but everyone else is rising - this is the "great story of our times" Fareed Zakaria tells in his new book that goes to the heart of tectonic power shifts to the non-Western world in the 21st century.
Recent Sikh history: An inside story – IANS Book Review
By Arun Anand, IANS,
Book: "1984: Lessons From History", Author: Harminder Kaur; Publisher: Corporate Vision, Price: Rs.595; Pages: 245
India witnessed a spate of inter-linked tragic events in the year 1984 - Operation Bluestar and the assassination of prime minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh body guards, followed by anti-Sikh riots in capital Delhi and several other parts of the country that shook the conscience and secular fabric of the country.
मां के बाद अब प्रोफेसर नबीला सादिक भी दुनिया छोड़ गई !
स्टाफ़ रिपोर्टर। Twocircles.net
दूसरों की मदद को सदैव तैयार रहने वाली जामिया मिल्लिया इस्लामिया की असिस्टेंट प्रोफेसर नबीला सादिक की मृत्यु से उनके छात्रों...
Indian American author wins award in US
New York: Indian American writer Nina McConigley is the recipient of the prestigious PEN Open Book Award for her collection of short stories, "Cowboys...
Read about gods, philosophy, Indian ethos and a curse
By IANS,
New Delhi : The book case is crowded with contrasts this weekend with serious treatises vying for attention with works of fiction.
1. "The Little Book of Hindu Deities: From the Goddess of Wealth to the Sacred Cow": Written by Sanjay Patel; Published by Penguin Books-USA, Priced at Rs.299.
Did the CIA mastermind Purulia arms drop? (Book Review)
By M.R. Narayan Swamy,
Title: The Night it Rained Guns: Unravelling the Purulia Arms Drop Conspiracy; Author: Chandan Nandy; Publisher: Rupa; Pages: 272; Price: Rs.295
On December 17, 1995, an ageing Russian AN 26 transport plane took off from Karachi ostensibly for Dhaka. After refuelling at Varanasi, it made a course diversion over Gaya, Bihar. When it was over Purulia in West Bengal, the plane flew dangerously low and dropped, amid darkness, four tonnes of deadly arms and ammunition, for the Ananda Marg, a semi-secret cult. It was, as author Chandan Nandy rightly points out, "one of the most bizarre and, admittedly, a spectacular operation to breach India's security".
Ex-Maharashtra IG smashes India’s “Islamic terrorism” myth in a new book
Book: Who Killed Karkare? The Real Face of Terrorism in India
Author: SM Mushrif
Price: Rs 300/ USD 25
Pages: 319
Publisher: Pharos Media (www.pharosmedia.com), New Delhi
By M Zeyaul Haque,
A new book curiously titled Who Killed Karkare? says a nationwide network of Hindutva terror that has its tentacles spread up to Nepal and Israel is out to destroy the India most Indians have known for ages and to remould it into some kind of Afghanistan under the Taliban.
Ordinary man who becomes catalyst of change
By Madhusree Chatterjee, IANS,
Book: "The Book of Answers"; Author: C.Y. Gopinath ; Publisher: Harper Collins; Price: Rs.499
50 Indian authors to descend on London
By Dipankar De Sarkar, IANS,
London : More than 50 leading Indian writers led by Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen are to gather in London for a two-day marketing blitz aimed at promoting Indian books in Britain.
Alongside, British publishers will work with their Indian counterparts to push British book sales in India, organisers of the April 20-22 London Book Fair told reporters in London Friday.
New novella series hits Indian book bazaar
By IANS,
New Delhi : Taking a cue from the continuing demand for short novels like John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men" and Franz Kafka's "Metamorphosis" more than five decades after their publication, the Tranquebar Press has launched a new short fiction - novella - series.
The series was launched Monday with a cache of four novellas - the "Nalanda Chronicles" by Kalpish Ratna, "Happy Associate" by Urja, "Peacock in the Chicken Run" by Dawood Ali McCallum and "The Beast" by Syed Muhammed Ashraf.
Kannada playwright’s works to be published in anthology
By IANS,
Bangalore : Babu Hirannaiah is set to publish his father veteran stage artiste Master Hirannaiah's plays that revolutionalised Kannada theatre, in the form of an anthology. He is doing it to clear misconception about him and to keep his work alive in future.
Babu, a well-known name in television and theatre world, also plans to publish all the plays written by his grandfather, comedian Hirannaiah, who wrote the hit play "Devadasi", staged countless number of times in the past six decades.
Poland-based Urdu poet answers ‘Unmasked Questions’
By Madhusree Chatterjee, IANS,
Book: "Unmasked Questions"; Author: Surender Bhutani; Publisher: Wydawca Indo-Polish Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Warsaw-based Urdu poet Surender Bhutani's new anthology of English poetry addresses posers on religion, love, freedom, the changing world order, conflicts, metaphysics, literature and even economy - spanning the cycle of human sensibilities and the forces that govern life in this epochal era.
भारत रत्न उस्ताद बिस्मिल्लाह खां की बरसी पर उनकी एक याद
व्योमेश शुक्ल
[आज की बहस का सबसे बड़ा सच यही है कि मुसलमान को बारम्बार यह साबित करना होता है कि वह इस वतनपरस्त है. आज भारत रत्न उस्ताद बिस्मिल्लाह खां की बरसी है. उन्हें और लता मंगेशकर को एक साथ भारत रत्न दिया गया था. आज से तकरीबन दस साल पहले. अब यह बदहाली का ही आलम है कि मदन मोहन मालवीय को पिछले साल भारत रत्न दिए जाने के बाद उस्ताद के शहर बनारस में ही यह हल्ला होने लगा कि बनारस को मिला यह पहला भारत रत्न है.
Honoured to receive Sahitya Akademi Award: Jerry Pinto
New Delhi : Author Jerry Pinto is delighted to receive the Sahitya Akademi Award 2016, and said he feels honoured that his work...
Stories of women’s empowerment, a werewolf
A book analyses the drivers of change and the repercussions of present-day gender revolutions, a man in today's Kolkata meets a man who claims to be a werewolf. Some light and some heavy dosage, the IANS bookshelf this weekend has reality meeting fantasy. Take a look.
1. Book: Half A Billion Rising; Author: Anirudha Dutta; Publisher: Rainlight; Pages: 247; Price: Rs.395
Romancing the book in the time of rain (IANS Books)
By Madhusree Chatterjee, IANS,
New Delhi : What better time to leaf through love stories than the monsoon. Take a man, a woman, an edgy locale - sprinkle passion, mystery, a whiff of history - and you are set for some perfect reading in the rains.
Romance is the flavour of the season as new books, fiction as well as non-fiction, reveal.
"All women are in love with the idea of a manly man who has an abiding passion for a woman for a lifetime," says Toronto-based novelist Sarita Mandanna, whose new novel, "The Tiger Hills", was released in India last week.
Jhumpa Lahiri gets National Humanities Medal from Obama
By Arun Kumar
Washington : President Barack Obama presented the 2014 National Medals of Arts and Humanities to Pulitzer Prize winning Indian-American author Jhumpa Lahiri...
Google celebrates MF Husain’s birth centenary with doodle
New Delhi : Google is celebrating the birth centenary of renowned Indian artist Maqbool Fida Husain who died in London on June 9, 2011...
M.J. Akbar’s book about Pakistan is bestseller
By IANS,
New Delhi : Indian journalist M.J. Akbar's "Tinderbox: The Past and Future of Pakistan" leads the non-fiction section of the bestseller list this week while
How to make money and become an entrepreneur
Not every business idea flourishes and not all business ideas are dated. Following this mantra, IANS picks up interesting reads from the book pile to help you decide. Take a look.
Multiculturalism – a source of new world literature
By IANS,
New Delhi : The morphing of the world into a sprawling global village and free passage of people across terrains are changing the tenor of contemporary literature.
New groups of non-majority cultures are acquiring a voice to express their artistic visions in innovative literary formats while the contours of identities are sharpening to narrate stories about lost sub-cultures, the regional winners of the Commonwealth Writers' Prize said at a literary session on "Multi-Cultural Identities: Artistic Expression" in the capital Wednesday.
Book Review: A brief history of Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat
Majlis-e-Mushawarat: Ek Mukhtasar Tareekh AIMM
Author: Mohammad Ilmullah
Pages: 198
Publisher: Pharos Media & Publications Pvt. Ltd, D-84 Abul Fazl Enclave - 1, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi-110025,...
Dalai Lama, sports, Delhi on book cart
By IANS,
New Delhi : Settle in with a book from the colourful shelf this weekend.
1. "Upwardly Mobile"; Written by Ranjini Manian; Published by Penguin India; Priced at Rs.250
11-year-old authors a book
By IANS,
Aligarh : Abdul Sabur Kidwai is just 11 years old, and he has already authored a 32-page book on how three boys foil a bank robbery. And he aspires to be a "great author" one day.
A student of Class 6 at Al-Barkaat Public School here, Kidwai's work of fiction has already hit the market, courtesy New Delhi's Sanbun Publishers.
किताब समीक्षा और ऑपरेशन अक्षरधाम का पूरा सच
अवनीश कुमार
हमारे राज्यतंत्र और समाज के भीतर जो कुछ गहरे सड़गल चुका है, जो भयंकर अन्यायपूर्ण और उत्पीड़क है, उसका बेहतरीन आलोचनात्मक विश्लेषण और...
Transform your life with 12 holistic principles (Book Review)
By Kul Bhushan,
Title: Feeling at Ease with Yourself; Author: Rajiv Parti; Publisher: Konark Publishers
Always running to catch up! Huffing non-stop to climb up! Over stretched at work. Overloaded with information. Overweight with little or no exercise. Living today takes a heavy toll.
Romancing Indian Railways, some memoirs
Nostalgic accounts of travellers who rode the earliest trains in India, personal journeys of men who who have written memoirs of their life and struggle in the US and East Africa and former union minister Salman Khurshid's account of Muslims in India. IANS bookshelf this weekend offers these delights. Take a look:
Book Review: Aurangzeb Revisited
By Yoginder Sikand, TwoCircles.net,
Name of the Book: The Ulama, Islamic Ethics and Courts Under the Mughals—Aurangzeb Revisited
Hilal Ahmed’s book on ‘Muslim political discourse’ launched
Besides Introduction and Conclusion, the book has a chapter each on ‘monumentalisation’ in colonial and post-colonial India. The subsequent two chapters are case studies on “Jama Masjid and the Political Memory of a Royal Muslim Past” and “Babri Masjid and the Muslim Politics of Right to Heritage.”
By M Reyaz, TwoCircles.net,
Guru Dutt was the sun, Abrar Alvi the moon, says author Sathya Saran
By Madhusree Chatterjee, IANS,
New Delhi : Legendary filmmaker Guru Dutt and his scriptwriter Abrar Alvi were two great creative minds and opposite personalities that sparked off great ideas and motivated each other to give their best, says veteran journalist Sathya Saran who has authored a book on the late actor.
Nariman’s ‘Before Memory Fades’ is bestseller again
By IANS,
New Delhi : "Before Memory Fades" by Fali S. Nariman again topped the non-fiction section of the bestseller list this week while Amish Tripathi's "The Immortals of Meluha" was number one in the fiction category.
The top 10 bestsellers in each category are:
Non-fiction
1. "Before Memory Fades"
Author: Fali S. Nariman
Publisher: Hay House
Price: Rs.599.00
2. "Leela: A Patchwork Life"
Author: Leela Naidu & Jerry Pinto
Publisher: Penguin Viking
Price : Rs.450.00
3. "Birds & Butterflies of Delhi"
Author: Mehran Zaidi
An epoch-making Urdu bibliography
By Dr Omar Khalidi
Dr. Anwar Moazzam, former professor of Islamic Studies at Osmania University in Hyderabad, Deccan, India and Ashhar Farhan, an info-technologist and entrepreneur has compiled a massive, epoch-making bibliography of works in social sciences in Urdu. Dr. Moazzam launched the project way back in 1976, under the auspices of Indian Council for Social Science Research and National Council for the Promotion of Urdu Language, both institutions funded by the union government of India in New Delhi.
‘Before Memory Fades’ is hot seller (IANS Books)
By IANS,
New Delhi : Fali S. Nariman's "Before Memory Fades" has bounced back to the number one spot among non-fiction books this week while "The Immortals of Meluha" by Amish Tripathi continues to dominate the fiction category in the bestseller list.
The top 10 in each section are:
Non-fiction
1. "Before Memory Fades"
Author: Fali S. Nariman
Publisher: Hay House
Price: Rs.599.00
2. "The Honest Always Stand Alone"
Author: C.G. Somiah
Publisher: Niyogi Books
Price: Rs.395.00
3. "Awakening Giants: Feet of Clay"
Author: Pranab Bardhan
Murad Ali Baig, Daniyal Mueenuddin top authors of the week
By IANS,
New Delhi : Murad Ali Baig's "80 Questions to Understand India: History, Mythology and Religion" reaches the No.1 position in the non-fiction list this
week while Daniyal Mueenuddin's "In Other Rooms, Other Wonders" tops the fiction category.
The top 10 in each section are as follows:
Non-Fiction
1. "80 Questions to Understand India : History, Mythology and Religion"
Author: Murad Ali Baig
Publisher: Tara Press
Price: Rs.395.00
2. "Prisoner of the State"
Author: Zhao Ziyang
Publisher: Simon Schuster
Price: $20.00 (Rs.965)
The Bridge on the River Kwai: Fact and fiction
By Vikas Datta
Some of the Second World War's fiercest battles involved bridges and inspired some riveting accounts - capture of key bridges (Cornelius...
Hinduism pundits or Hindu baiters? (Book Review)
By M.R. Narayan Swamy ,
Title: Invading the Sacred: An Analysis of Hinduism Studies in America: Editors: Krishnan Ramaswamy, Antonio de Nicolas and Aditi Banerjee;...
Urdu Journalism legend Hazrat Maulana Ahmad Mustafa Siddiqui Rahi no more
By Raqib Hameed Naik, TwoCircles.net
New Delhi: Urdu Journalism legend and Chief editor of Islami Digest ‘Huda’ and ‘Taha'...
Is insurgency in India an excuse for misgovernance?
(IANS Book Review)
By Sarwar Kashani, IANS,
Seminar on Tribal literature and Tribal poet meet to grace Sahitya Akademi’s ‘Annual Festival...
By Raqib Hameed Naik, TwoCircles.net
New Delhi: This year, Sahitya Akademi’s ‘Annual Festival of Letters’ will feature a seminar on Oral and Tribal literature and...
New designs, better prices – Tagore books never say die
By Aparajita Gupta, IANS,
Kolkata : Not for nothing is he the evergreen bard of Bengal. Rabindranath Tagore's literary gems are a huge draw among youngsters and older generations even now, with cheaply priced editions and attractive covers spurring sales, say publishers.
As the nation gears up to celebrate the 150th birth anniversary of the versatile Nobel laureate May 9, publishers say Tagore's poems, short stories and songs are still a rage.
A peep into Pakistan, specially for Indians
By Rahul Dass, IANS,
Book: "Pakistan - Identity and Destiny"; Author: Javed Jabbar; Publisher: Har-Anand; Price: Rs.495; Pages: 191
How to conduct free and fair polls – Rao’s book to tell all
By Richa Sharma, IANS,
New Delhi : Concerned over the growing criminalisation of politics and the role of money in elections, K.J. Rao, who as a vigilant election commission observer made a mark in the Bihar elections of 2005, is writing a book on how to conduct clean elections.
The book, slated for release before the next Lok Sabha elections, is based on Rao's experiences during the Bihar elections that was largely violence-free and rid of booth capturing that had characterised earlier elections.
Fictionalising Indian history: Setting a new trend (Book Review)
By Frederick Noronha,
Panaji : Indian history presents one of the richest tapestries that can inspire any writer of fiction. In this "fascinating mosaic", the Mughal period is like an exquisite miniature, says author Aroon Raman, whose second book is a historical fiction set in this period.
Music for protest: Azadi and Inqilab as the new Hindustani beats
By Najiya O, TwoCircles.net
As marches and rallies dominate the most commonly practised ways of protest, the youth are now searching new ways to protest...
Voices from Sri Lanka, a memoir, ethical musings and a fictional tale
Crisp and sharp reportage of how Sri Lankans are returning to their normal lives after 30 years of civil war, a message of love and inspiration for readers through a brave memoir, dealing with important ethical issues of our time and a work of fiction - IANS Books This Weekend is a balanced lot. Take a look.
Book: Sri Lanka: The New Country; Author: Padma Rao Sundarji; Publisher: Harper Collins; Pages: 322; Price: Rs. 499
US releases four translated books in Kolkata
By IANS,
Kolkata : In its effort to cater to the growing interest of Bengalis in the US, its consulate general here Thursday released a set of four books about its economy, politics, government and literature, translated into Bengali, an official said here.
Rare books on Islam, Buddhism a hit at South Asian stalls
By Shweta Srinivasan, IANS,
New Delhi : Works on Islam and Buddhism are a big hit at stalls put up by publishers from South Asian countries at the World Book Fair here. Many avid book readers and scholars are happy to have spotted rare books that are not easily available in India.
Nehru in AMU
By Dr Mohammad Sajjad,
During his tenure as the first Prime Minister of India, notwithstanding the immense charisma of Nehru, he was seen with...
Bihar’s jail inmates to bring out magazine
By IANS,
Patna: The inmates of a Bihar jail along with the jail authorities are all set to bring out a special Hindi magazine in January next year, official sources said Tuesday.
The inmates of Beur central jail here along with the jail officials are busy working on a special Hindi magazine called "Drishtikon".
"This magazine will be a rare one as all the writing or stories will be reported and contributed by the inmates of the jail," Beur jail Superintendent Omprakash Gupta said.
#BreakingCaste: Sujatha Gidla shines reading from Ants Among Elephants
By Valli Karunakaran, TwoCircles.net
New York City, March 10, 2018 — Sujatha Gidla was among the authors invited to speak at #Breaking Caste, a literary...
Third edition of Jaipur Literature Festival to host 116 authors
By IANS,
Jaipur : The third edition of the DSC Jaipur Literature Festival, which will get off to a gala start Wednesday, will host 116 authors and 30 artistes, including Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan, in a unique blend of performing arts and literature.
The festival will celebrate the great diversity of writing and writers as well as music and musicians from the US, Britain, Australia, South Africa, Malaysia, Mali, Sierre Leone, Algeria, China, Pakistan and Bangladesh, a communiqué issue by the organisers said Monday.
Poem: Political Iftar
By Dr. Mustafa Kamal Sherwani
Count all the known 'BEARDS' with utmost care,
Seduce them all into our Party's voting share.
Give them the title of 'ULEMA' of high esteem,
As they come, like an army of locust, it must seem.
Manage to make them sit in separate rows,
To send a strong message to our foes.
For us, all of them are a great asset,
Their every motion must be recorded in cassette.
The 'LONGER BEARDS' must occupy central places,
From all sides,the media must cover their faces.
On this gullible community is resting our hope,
UP Govt. forms committee for ensuring participation of minorities in government services
By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter
Lucknow: In a significant move, the Uttar Pradesh government has formed a three member committee for ensuring participation of minorities...
Bejan Daruwalla foresees prosperity in 2009
By IANS,
New Delhi : Take heart, recession hit Indians. Renowned astrologer Bejan Daruwalla sees a year of plenty ahead. The Sensex might stop tumbling and the days of austerity may end to make room for fatter pay cheques and corporate wisdom.
Exposing corruption: Man who started it all
By Brij Khandelwal, IANS,
Book: "Bhrastachar, Atankvad aur Hawala Karobar"; Author: Vineet Narain; Publisher: Kalchakra Samachar Trust; Pages: 340 pages; Price: Rs.200
Indian writer Pankaj Mishra wins $150,000 Yale literary prize
By Arun Kumar,
Washington: Indian writer Pankaj Mishra is one of eight writers from seven countries winning a $150,000 Yale University prize each in...
Rushdie’s writings tortuous: Timeri Murari
By T.S.V. Hari, IANS,
Chennai : Author Timeri Murari doesn't like Salman Rushdie's writing. The man who has created many bestsellers and an acclaimed film describes all those who read awarded authors as "literary masochists".
"I've never finished reading any of Rushdie's books," says Murari. "All those who read awarded authors are literary masochists. Never did good writers like Somerset Maugham, Oscar Wilde, Tolstoy or Frederick Forsyth sniff an award."
Adolf Hitler, a lover of books who quoted from Hamlet
By IANS,
London : Better known for burning books rather than collecting them, Adolf Hitler owned an estimated 16,000 volumes and was a voracious reader who loved Shakespeare, says a new book.
"It was by any measure an impressive collection: first editions of the works of philosophers, historians, poets, playwrights and novelists," historian Timothy W. Ryback writes in his "Hitler's Private Library: The Books That Shaped His Life".
Many doses of fiction
Contemporary tales of fiction dipped in different genres is what IANS bookshelf is stacked with this weekend. Take uour pick.
1. Book: Shaping the World, Women Writers on Themselves; Edited By: Manju Kapur; Publisher: Hay House; Pages: 275; Price: Rs.399
Book on Saiyid Hamid to be released by Vice President of India
By TwoCircles.net news desk,
New Delhi: The Vice-President of India, Mr. Hamid Ansari, will release today a book on Saiyid Hamid, a highly respected elder of the Indian Muslim community, at a function at the India Islamic Culture Centre in New Delhi.
Yoga to be introduced in Tripura schools from next year
Agartala : The Tripura government will introduce yoga as a subject in schools from classes one to eight from the next academic year beginning...
मशहूर इस्लामिक विद्वान सिद्दिक हसन का निधन
विशेष संवाददाता। Twocircles.net
जमात-ए-इस्लामी हिंद के पूर्व सहायक अमीर प्रोफेसर के० ए० सिद्दीक हसन का मंगलवार को कोजीकोड में देहांत हो गया। वो भारत...
A crack policeman’s snapshots of national newsmakers
By Madhusree Chatterjee, IANS,
"The British, The Bandits And The Bordermen (From the diaries and articles of K.F. Rustamji)" edited by P.V. Rajgopal; Publisher: Wisdom Tree; Price: Rs 495
Gabbar Singh, the dacoit who became a cult figure after the release of "Sholay" by Bollywood filmmaker Ramesh Sippy in the 1970s, had a strange connection with India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
Revisit ‘chills and thrills’ in books stores
By IANS,
New Delhi : For all those booklovers waiting to unearth a mystery or thriller classic in a book-store maze, HarperCollins India offers a month long Chills and Thrills Festival '09 starting Feb 1.
“Chills and Thrills Festival '09 will promote the writings of evergreen thriller specialists Agatha Christie and Sydney Sheldon, challenger to Dan Brown's crown Sam Bourne, Michael Crichton, Jack Higgins, Alistair MacLean, and military writer Mukul Deva to name a few,” Lipika Bhushan, marketing manager for Harper Collins India said.
No question of taking back Sahitya Akademi award: Bengali poet
Kolkata : Bengali poet Mandakranta Sen, who recently gave up her Sahitya Akademi award, on Friday refused to take it back, saying though...
No more copyright on Gandhi’s works – so who preserves them?
By Shweta Srinivasan, IANS,
New Delhi : The fate of Mahatma Gandhi's original literary works remains undecided following the expiry of the copyright restrictions on them on the first day of this year, leaving scholars and admirers of his philosophy across the country anxious.
Mohammed Ali Shihab: An inspiring journey from orphanage to UPSC
By Shafeeq Hudawi, TwoCircles.net,
“What is your strength, Ali?” asked the discerning panel during the interview round of the UPSC exams in 2011. The answer...
A report of the Sir Syed Day in the San Francisco Bay Area
By Ras H. Siddiqui
The Aligarh Muslim University Alumni Association of Northern California (AMUAA) held its 19th Sir...
Caught in narrative: gritty saga of Indian tele-news media
By Madhusree Chatterjee, IANS,
Book: "Newsroom Live"; Author: Prabhat Shunglu; Published by: Om Books International; Pages: 310; Price:Rs.195
A country without words
By Parayi for Twocircles.net
Friends who had tongues
Are dragged down the road
To adorn the emperor’s brave new prison
Guard dogs bark with blood red eyes
Across roads,...
Pride of place for vernacular Indian writing at London Book Fair
By IANS,
New Delhi : The London Book Fair, which is focussing on India as an emerging market and literary hub this year, will take a look at not only English writing from the south Asian nation but also other vernacular languages, said Alistair Burtenshaw, group exhibition director of the event.
The April 20-22 fair will also introduce new Indian writers to publishers and sellers from 67 countries, said Burtenshaw, who was here Thursday to promote the event.
Books: ‘Communalism Explained! – A graphic Account’ launched
By TCN Special Correspondent,
सदमे में एएमयू : 4 दिनों में 10 प्रोफेसर्स की मौत
स्टाफ़ रिपोर्टर।Twocircles.net
"एहसान सर के मौत की खबर सुनकर बहुत तकलीफ हुई," अलीगढ़ मुस्लिम विश्वविद्यालय के थियोलॉजी विभाग के प्रोफेसर डॉ० एहसानुल्लाह की स्टूडेंट...
PUDR report on SIMI’s saga with UAPA tribunals released
By TCN News,
New Delhi: Banned and Damned: SIMI’s Saga with UAPA Tribunals, a report presenting an analysis of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act...
Book Review: Throwing light on the dark events of partition
Book: In Freedom’s Shade
Author: Anis Kidwai
Original Urdu title: Azadi Ki Chhaon Mein
Translator: Ayesha Kidwai
Publisher: Penguin Books India
Price: Rs. 450
Pages: 407
No drop in popularity of Jaswant’s book on Jinnah
By IANS,
New Delhi : The controversial book "Jinnah: India, Partition, Independence" by expelled Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Jaswant Singh continued to dominate the non-fiction section of the bestseller list this week. It has now topped the charts for over a month. Dan Brown's "The Lost Symbol" topped the fiction list.
The top 10 in each section are:
Non-fiction
1. "Jinnah: India, Partition, Independence"
Author: Jaswant Singh
Publisher: Rupa
Price: Rs.695.00
2. "Shah Jahan: The Rise and Fall of The Mughal Emperor"
Author: Fergus Nicoll
March of the Aryans: A window back into debris of time (Book Review)
By Madhusree Chatterjee, IANS,
Book: "The March Of The Aryans; Author: Bhagwan S. Gidwani; Publisher: Penguin India; Pages: 680 pages; Price: Rs.599
Civility against Caste: Dalit Politics and Citizenship in Western India
Title: Civility against Caste: Dalit Politics and Citizenship in Western India
Author: Prof. Suryakant Waghmore
Publisher: Sage India
Year: January, 2014
Review by: Yogesh Maitreya for TwoCircles.net,
Civility is the least discussed discourse in India. In post-constitutional Indian society, the idea of civility has formed a binary: on one hand, ‘civil society’ that has been propagated by media and resources which are dominated and owned by Brahmin-Bania associations and on the other hand, the civility which has been practice by NGOs and political organisations led by Dalits. The latter had started with the core motive of annihilation of caste and, found its genesis in the struggles of Mahatma Fule and Dr. B.R.Ambedkar in Maharashtra. The idea of civility, practiced by Dalit NGOs and political groups, is contrary to the idea of civility which Brahmin-Bania possess and propagate in India, simply because idea of civility practiced by Dalits aims at annihilation of caste; precisely, Dalit civility is the ‘Civility against Caste’. 
Writer-activist from Assam bags Padma Shri
New Delhi, Jan 25 (IANS) Known for her significant contribution to children's and women's literature, noted writer-activist Eli Ahmed was on Wednesday named a...
A veritable encyclopaedia on Lord Muruga
(IANS Book Review)
By M.R. Narayan Swamy, IANS,
Book: "Sri Muruga"; Author: Rahul Kabade; Published by: Sri Muruga Publications (Britain); Pages: 194; Price: not stated
Arundhati Roy’s new book tops bestseller list
By IANS,
New Delhi : Arundhati Roy's new book "Listening To Grass Hoppers: Field Notes on Democracy" topped the non-fiction category of the bestseller list this week while "The Wish Maker: A Novel" by Ali Sethi dominated the fiction list.
The top 10 in each section are:
Non-fiction
1. "Listening To Grass Hoppers: Field Notes on Democracy"
Author: Arundhati Roy
Publisher: Penguin Books
Price: Rs.499.00
2. "Branding India: An Incredible Story"
Author: Amitabh Kant
Publisher: Collins Business
Price: Rs.499.00
3. "The Caged Phoenix: Can India Fly?"
India has come to world’s top table: journalist Daniel Lak
By Madhusree Chatterjee, IANS,
New Delhi : If 1991 was India's wake-up call, then today India is out of bed and on its way to office, says senior British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) journalist Daniel Lak.
But he hastily adds: "Metaphors aside, it means that India has arrived at the world's top table and is awaiting due recognition." His book "India Express" analyses the country's potential role as "Asia's America".
Writers as refuseniks – BJP’s blind spot
By Amulya Ganguli
After being flummoxed for a few days by the decision of several Sahitya Akademi award winners to return their medals, the...
Islamic books generate interests of non-Muslims
By RINA,
Dhampur: In this city of the northern state of India every year in the month of April an annual agricultural festival called Nezah is organized. It is considered as one of the biggest festivals of its kind in the area. Although in other cities of Uttar Pradesh like Sambhal, Meerut the annual Nezah festival is also held but the Dhampur’s Nezah is unique in many senses. One of the major attractions of this Nezah is the book stall by Jamat-e-Islami Hind which attracts not only Muslims but also a large number of non-Muslims show their interests in Islamic literature.
Sonia achieved double win in 2004, says ‘biography’ author
New Delhi : Congress president Sonia Gandhi achieved a "double win" in 2004 by choosing Manmohan Singh to be prime minister as she silenced...
New education policy to be cooperative federalist: Smriti Irani
New Delhi : Union Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani on Friday said the new education policy which is under consideration will be cooperative...
सीतापुर के समाजवादी नेता मुख्तार अनीस का निधन
78 साल के मुख़्तार अनीस ने उत्तर प्रदेश की राजधानी लखनऊ में अंतिम सांस ली। समाजवादी पार्टी के संरक्षक मुलायम सिंह यादव के करीबी...
More than 40,000 died in end stages of Sri Lanka war: Book
By IANS,
New Delhi : A book by a former BBC journalist based on interviews with those who survived the Sri Lanka war says more than 40,000 civilians died in the end stages of the bloody conflict.
Of healing, perseverance and courage
What prompted Malala Yousafzai to speak up against the Taliban? How does love sear and consume and how can one heal with homeopathy? How can a few things better your life? It is these intriguing stories that IANS has for its readers this weekend. Take a look.
1. Book: Malala; Author: Malala Yousafzai with Patricia McCormick; Publisher: Hachette; Pages: 240; Price: Rs. 299
Powerful expose on culture of international aid
By M.R. Narayan Swamy, IANS,
Book: "International Organizations and Civilian Protection"; Author: Sreeram Chaulia;
Pages 263; Publisher: I.B. Tauris
Dutch honour for Assam writer Indira Goswami
By NNN-PTI,
Guwahati, India : Noted litterateur Indira Goswami has been conferred with the Netherlands' prestigious Principal Prince Claus Award for her work in Indian culture and its development, but the writer is all the more happy for another reason.
The 2000 Jnanpith Award winning writer, the first Indian to win the Euro one lakh (approximately Rs 64 lakh) award, had a dream of setting up a hospital in her native village in Assam's Kamrup district.(One Lakh:100,000)
Obama’s background makes him pro-Indian: Historian Simon Schama
By Madhusree Chatterjee, IANS,
New Delhi : New US President Barack Obama's background makes him pro-Indian and "he is going to do a lot for India before this spring is out", says noted historian Simon Schama.
A professor at Columbia University in the US, British historian Simon Schama foresees a favourable run for India vis-a-vis bilateral ties with the US during Barack Obama's government.
Why? "Obama's background - his mother was a hippy adventurist and his Indonesian link - makes him very pluralistic and very pro-Indian," Schama told IANS in an interview.
A peek into the world of memoirs and success stories
From establishing a successful career in a small village in Kerala to offering answers to relevant questions in the wake of the aging population...
Books still boom in age of digital reality frills
(April 23 is World Books and Copyrights Day)
By Madhusree Chatterjee, IANS,
Muslims extend help to save Gita Press
Aligarh : Aligarh's Muslim Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) has expressed grave concern over a dragging strike in Gita Press in Gorakhpur...
Gender empowerment must start at home: Kerala CM
Thiruvananthapuram: Gender empowerment should start from our homes to achieve our goals at the societal level, Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said on Saturday.
"We...
रसूलों की भी अक्सर देर से ताईद करती है ये दुनिया हर नई आवाज़...
यह लिखने वाले अलबेले शायर 'अशोक साहिल ' भी आज चले गए!
नज़र नज़र में उतरना कमाल होता है
नफ़स नफ़स में बिखरना कमाल होता है
बुलंदियों पे...
Sea of Fresh Faces as Rushdie Fails Booker Shortlist
By Dipankar De Sarkar, IANS,
London : Fancied Salman Rushdie failed to make the 2008 Man Booker Prize shortlist for literature announced Tuesday, but Amitav Ghosh and debutant Aravind Adiga stepped in to fill the Indian shoes.
Ghosh's widely-acclaimed Sea of Poppies and Adiga's The White Tiger beat Rushdie's The Enchantress of Florence to make the six novels in a shortlist full of fresh faces.
Adiga and another first-time novelist, Steve Toltz, survived the cull of the longlist of 13 as veteran Rushdie joined John Booker - another previous winner - to face the judges' chop.
India was keen to retain, and not evict, IBM in 1977: Book
By Arvind Padmanabhan, IANS,
New Delhi : Contrary to the general perception that India had forced US IT giant IBM to exit the country in 1977, evidence shows that the government was not only keen to retain the company but had also held secret parleys for that with the company's top brass in the US, says a new book.
The closed-door talks with IBM were piloted by the then Electronics Commission led by senior technocrat N. Seshagiri, says the detailed account of the IBM era in the book, entitled "The Long Revolution: The Birth and Growth of India's IT Industry".
Hindu nationalists carrying forward colonial idea of demonising Mughals: Audrey Truschke
By Preetha Nair
New Delhi : Mughal rulers patronised Sanskrit literature in their courts, especially between AD 1560 to 1660, and also took up Persian...