Tag Archives: History

Padmavat

09 Saturday Jun 2018

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image001Author – Purushottam Agarwal

Illustrator – Devdutt Pattanaik

Rating – 4/5 stars

Number of Pages – 202

Publisher – Rupa Publications

Malik Muhammad Jayasi’s epic tale of love recently sparked interests for the scholars and historians. In this recent one year, a number of books have been published on the Rani Padmavati and her tale of love with her lover and husband Raja Ratansen and turbulence in the hands of Alauddin Khilji who wanted to possess her for her beauty.

The reason to turn the old pages of books and understand the epic tale of love by Jayasi ‘Padmavat’ is that the movie recently made based on his poem. The poem was originally written in Awadhi not widely used now. The book Padmavat is an attempt to understand the truth and myth behind the tale. The author Purushottam Agrawal has been successful in narrating and translating the Awadhi poem into English for the readers and making it simple. This also gives a fair chance to the readers to decide right and wrong of the claim and protest by the Rajput Samaj on the dignity and pride of Rani Padmavati.

Jayasi’s Padmavat was a tale of timeless love and beauty and is fictionally born out of an imaginative mind. I think the protestors misunderstood the poem and that it is fictional and nothing to do with the history. I think they were lazy and quick to come to a conclusion. They might not have created such a havoc if took time to understand and read Jayasi’s Padmavat. A much-needed book after the recent controversy over the movie. A must read for every reader. The book has beautiful illustrations making reading a pleasure.

Bio

Purushottam Agrawal is a New Delhi based writer and literary historian. He works on Bhakti, spirituality without religion, and India’s organic early modernity which, he argues, was halted in its tracks by colonization. His works draws upon sources in Hindi, English, Sanskrit, Urdu, Braj and Awadhi.

His books on Kabir, Akath Kahani Prem Ki: Kabir ki Kavita aur Unka Samay (2009) is considered a contemporary classic and won the first Rajkamal Kriti Samman. He is well-known public intellectual, lending his voice to newspaper and television debates. He is a contributing editor at The Quint.

Devdutt Pattanaik writes and lectures on the relevance of mythology in modern times. He is the author of My Gita and My Hanuman Chalisa. He is also an illustrator, something that is often overlooked.

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‘I received a copy from Publisher in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.’

Restless Waters of Ichhamati

15 Sunday Apr 2018

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image003 (1)Author – Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay

Translator – Rimli Bhattacharya

Rating – 5/5 stars

Number of Pages – 370

Publisher – Rupa Publications

It is a privilege to read a book so well written and acquaint with the time we have left behind. A time more than one-fifty years before. I do not know many Bengali writers and thankful to Rupa publications and Rimli Bhattacharya for bringing this translation of Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay to us. This is my first book by the author and I absolutely loved it. This is a great read. One you will love to fall in love with. This book is a gem.

This is a story of a small town near the banks of river Ichhamati in Bengal. This small town remained secluded and unaffected by the struggle of rest of India and carried on with its lives and people. The story tells the lives of the period and struggle and oppression of the farmers on Indigo plantation.

The book has many stories. All the stories are well sorted and do not create confusion. The story runs at an easy pace. There are many, not one lovable character. I like the way the author explored every character and give space.

The translation is simply brilliant. I have read translated versions of the books before and this one stands out and one of the best. Rimli has done a great job without killing the soul that is the Bengali connection of the story. The style remained the same.

If you are someone like to read a good book and not in a hurry to complete a goal of a certain number of books in a limited period, then take my words, and pick this book. You will not regret. Read it on a comforting pace, do not haste. This book will be best when read at a comfortable pace.

Have a happy reading!

Bio

Rimli Bhattacharya trained in Comparative Literature and works on literature, performance history, and the arts. Her translations from Bengali to English include the autobiographies of Binodini Dasi My Story & My Life as an Actress (1998), Rabindranath Tagore’s Four Chapters (Char Addhyay) and two other novels of Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay.

Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay was born in Ghoshpara-Muratipur village in Bengal on 12 September 1894. His ancestral home was in Barakpur (formerly in Jessore District) on the banks of the river Ichhamati. He moved to Calcutta for higher studies.

Bibhutibhushan spent his time writing and traveling intensively, particularly in the forests of Bihar, participating in literary meets and conferences, until his sudden death in Ghatshila on 1 November 1950. Besides numerous unpublished manuscripts, his oeuvre comprises seventeen novels, seven diaries-travelogue, and over two hundred short stories. He was posthumously awarded the Rabindra Puruskar in 1951 for Ichhamati, his last novel.

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‘I received a copy from Publisher in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.’

Durand’s Curse

21 Tuesday Nov 2017

Posted by in Non-Fiction

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91pPr7rpIyL.jpgAuthor – Rajiv Dogra

Rating – 5/5 stars

Number of Pages – 264

Publisher – Rupa Publications

Durand’s Curse as the name suggest is a book on the history of Afghanistan. The tale comes from the heartland of Pathans and tells a riveting story of a line drawn across the Pathan heart. The land that painted blood and witnessed many wars.

Durand line is the line dividing Afghanistan and Pakistan drawn more than a century ago. On the morning of 12 November 1893, ‘the strongest man from Europe’, the then foreign secretary of India and ‘Iron Amir of Afghanistan’, a cruel ruler wrote history. It was to be believed that British officer Sir Mortimer Durand fooled Afghan Amir Abdur Rahman or he believed British too much that he gifted away much of southern Afghanistan to the British Empire, he was finding tiresome.

Rajiv Dogra, bestselling author of Where Borders Bleed, written on India-Pakistan relationships brings you an untold story of the Durand line long buried in a fascinating book telling the truth to the world has not known so far. The lucidly written book is a result of deep research. The book is not only a good read for the readers of history but also for the students. It is a detailed account of the land. I appreciate the efforts; the author has made to bring such a comprehensive book for the readers.

The book accounts the life, trouble, wars, tragedies and injustice on the face of the people and the country that give way to the Afghan anger to fight for the land belonged to them and was taken away forcibly. Read to know the history of misfortunes of Afghanistan and the cursed line drawn on sand.

Author Bio

Rajiv Dogra is a writer, television commentator and artist. A career foreign service officer, he was India’s Ambassador to Italy and Romania, the permanent representative to the United Nations Agencies in Rome and the last Consul General in Karachi.

An active public speaker, Rajiv Dogra is one of India’s foremost commentators on foreign policy and strategic affairs and is noted for his considered and assertive views. He is the bestselling author of Where Borders Bleed, regarded as one of the most authoritative books on India-Pakistan relations.

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‘I received a copy from Publisher in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.’

 

Mahatma on the Pitch

14 Tuesday Nov 2017

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51QJIAgy3ZL.jpgAuthor – Kausik Bandyopadhyay

Rating – 5/5 stars

Number of pages – 160

Publisher – Rupa Publishers

Gandhi, the man who created history. The greatest Indian icon and flag bearer of the Indian national movement of freedom. The world has known him as a man who forced British Raj with a weapon of non-violence to leave the country was new to the world. His principles are still alive and followed around the world. Many foundations have been working in this area of spreading his messages of non-violence to teach the people of the united world to live in peace and harmony on our shared planet.

‘Too many people are experimenting with war and violence. We need more people experimenting with peace and non-violence.’

Margaret Hepworth, May 2014

Founder/Director of The Gandhi Experiment

Mahatma on the Pitch is a book shows a different side of the Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. The game of cricket is a religion in India. Can anyone think that Gandhi had any relationship with cricket? The game ruling the hearts of the twenty-first-century India. Did Gandhi or his ideas make any impact on the game at the high tide of the national movement? The book tries to find the answers to these quirky questions.

Why should you read this book? The subject is not new. You will find hundreds of books written on Gandhi by best biographers around the world. This book tries to explore a different side of a man whose connection with cricket seems as remote as Gandhi’s tryst with cricket. It is hard to cross in mind of any relationship between the two. The author is one of that curious mind tried to find the answer to the same. Read to know more about the relation between cricket and the Gandhi. It is one of its kinds you do not get to read every day.

Author Bio

Kausik Bandyopadhyay teaches History at West Bengal State University, Barasat, Kolkata. Formerly a fellow of the International Olympic Museum, Lausanne (2010), and the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies, Kolkata (2006-2009 and 2013-2015), he is also the Editor of Soccer and Society.

Bandyopadhyay has authored and edited several books. His most recent works include Sport, Culture and Nation (2012), Perspective from Indian Football and South Asian Cricket (2015); Bangladesh Playing: Sport, Culture, Nation (2012); and Scoring Off the Field: Football Culture in Bengal, 1911-80 (2011).

Here is a book on Gandhian Principles The Gandhi Experiment

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‘I received a copy from Publisher in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.’

Extraordinary Indians

07 Saturday Oct 2017

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71Rsid0n2RL.jpgAuthor – Khushwant Singh

Edited By – Mala Dayal

Rating – 5/5 stars

Number of Pages – 210

Publisher – Aleph Book Company

Extraordinary Indians is a book of profiles of fifty extraordinary people who were politicians, writers, freedom fighters, spiritual leaders and others. These people are stands apart from rest of the being. The book can also categorize as a part memoir. The author started his career as a journalist. His profession gives him a chance to meet some of the most famous people and he included the anecdotes and incidents of his personal encounter with the people in this book. The book is edited by Mala Dayal; his daughter, who is also happened to be a writer herself.

The book of fifty profiles also includes one Pakistani, the author’s closest and most-admired friend. Over the course of his life and prolific career, Khushwant Singh met and wrote about hundreds of people. The people in this book are those he admired deeply including politicians like Mahatma Gandhi, Maulana Azad, Giani Zail Singh; writers and artists like Mulk Raj Anand, Ali Sardar Jafri, R.K. Narayan; industrialists like J.R.D. Tata, G.D. Birla and few from his family and circle of friends.

A book of profiles of no ordinary people who made the country great. This book is to remind who our countries true heroes and heroines are. Their life inspires us and will show us the right path whenever one would divert. Their principles help us grounded. This book is for every Indian who loves his/her motherland and proud be born on this land of Gandhi.

Author Bio

Born in the village of Hadali in Punjab (now in Pakistan) in 1915, Khushwant Singh over the years had acquired an iconic stature. He was the founder-editor of Yojana and editor of The Illustrated Weekly of India, National Herald and Hindustan Times. Over the past six decades, he has published several best-selling nonfiction and fiction titles, including Train to Pakistan, I Shall Not Hear the Nightingale, his autobiography, Truth, Love and Little Malice; and the two-volume history of the Sikhs. Khushwant Singh was a member of the Rajya Sabha from 1980 to 1986. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1974 which he returned in 1984 to protest the siege of the Golden Temple by the Indian Army. In 2007, he was awarded India’s second-highest civilian honor, the Padma Vibhushan.

Singh died in 2014.

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‘I received a copy from Publisher in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.’

The Persecution of Mildred Dunlap

31 Wednesday May 2017

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51q0487gGFLAuthor – Paulette Mahurin

Rating – 5/5 stars

Number of Pages – 202

Publisher – CreateSpace

‘It is absurd to divide people into good and bad. People are either charming or tedious.’

Oscar Wilde(Playwright, Novelist, Essayist and poet)

‘The Persecution of Mildred Dunlap’ is set in 1895 when the world stormed with the news of the conviction of one of the most successful playwrights, novelists, poets and short story writers and noted celebrity Oscar Wilde sentenced to two years of hard imprisonment after being convicted of “gross indecency.”

The story is of two women Mildred Dunlap and her cousin Edra is a subject of gossip for the people of Red River Pass, a small town in Nevada. The life of two women impacted by the news of conviction of Mr. Wilde who finds themselves in the similar circumstances. Mildred being the reason of persecution all through her life and people find reasons to talk about her. Her looks, the way she dressed, her wealth and even her relationship with Edra brought her constant criticism.

The book is worth every penny and every second you give to this book. The book makes a point from the opening chapters and concludes on a note. It is a thoughtful writing and slap on the biased and judgmental thinking of people who loves to subjugate other people and wish to find faults based on their life choices.

The time hasn’t changed since then as the world still finds it a matter of their concern/gossip of person’s sexual relationship. The story is based in 1895 but it reads as it talks the present time.

The book is well written as plot and subplots of the story are intelligently designed. It is a beautiful story capturing the struggle of human rights and how love and friendship bring strength and healing in the life of two women.

Author Bio

Paulette Mahurin, an award-winning author, lives with her husband Terry and two dogs in Ventura County, California. Her first novel, ‘The Persecution of Mildred Dunlap’, made it to Amazon bestsellers lists and won multiple awards, including best historical fiction of the year 2012. Her third novel, To Live Out Loud, won international critical acclaim and favorite read book of 2015.

She practices women’s health in a rural clinic and writes in her spare time. She is an animal advocate and has been involved with dog rescue, along with her husband, for the past twenty-eight years. Profits from her book sales go to help rescue dogs from kill shelters.

You can reach to her at thepersecutionofmildreddunlap.wordpress.com

Twitter@MahurinPaulette

I hope you also like ‘The Seven Year Dress’ by Paulette Mahurin sets during the time of WWII. Read the review Here.

Buy this Book Here: Amazon.com Amazon.in

‘I received a copy from Author in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.’

Singha Durbar

26 Friday May 2017

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51l-nnCeWkL.jpgAuthor – Sagar S.J.B. Rana

Rating – 5/5 stars

Number of Pages – 450

Publisher – Rupa Publications

‘If there is a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, you must be the one to write it.’

-Toni Morrison (Novelist)

‘Singha Durbar’ illustrates the history of the beautiful and troubled land of Nepal. The land has the fascinating, high and lush peaks of the Himalayas. The book narrates the history of the land of Prince Siddharth who later renounced his status to lead an ascetic life and founded Buddhism and came to be known as Gautam Buddha.

The book is written by a descendant of the Rana clan. The period is among one of the most vital parts in the history of the country. The author presented a detailed material regarding the pre-Rana history in Nepal and also the Rana regime founded by Jung Bahadur.

The Rana regime in Nepal began with Maharaj Jung Bahadur Rana in the mid-nineteenth century and ruled the kingdom for slightly over a century which comes to a close in 1951. They ensured that Nepal remains isolated from the winds of change coming from India for democracy and complete freedom for a whole century. The year 1940 is crucial in this regard when the anti-feudal movement began which resulted in the toppling the Rana regime in 1951.

The author painstakingly researched for years to bring this book and it is evidently seen when you read and come across the details and not every book can present with such barefaced and forthright. This is a wonderful book for history readers and all those who are interested in knowing one of the episodes of history which covered more than a century of Nepal. The book also is an excellent read for historians and students. This book is as detailed as it needs to be and as brief that it won’t take ages to read and apprehend the ‘Rise and Fall of the Rana Regime of Nepal’.

Author Bio

Sagar S.J.B. Rana was born in 1938 in Baber Mahal Palace, Kathmandu, Nepal. He holds an MA in Jurisprudence from the University of Oxford. A descendent of the Rana family, he and his brother were also actively involved in the Nepali Congress party, the principal democratic force that opposed the politically active monarchy. He was a member of the Central Working Committee and the Head of Department of International Affairs of the Nepali Congress in the critical years, 2003-2006. He is the founder chairman of the Federation of Handicraft Association of Nepal. He is currently the Vice President of Nepal Art Council.

Buy this Book Here: Amazon

‘I received a copy from Publisher in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.’

The Boy from Pataliputra

13 Saturday May 2017

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34511154.jpgAuthor – Rahul Mitra

Rating – 5/5 stars

Number of Pages – 381

Publisher – FingerPrint Publishers

What if you lost your dearest and only family in the hands of injustice and political conspiracy? Would you take the revenge or isolate yourself and mourn. Will you not instrument the fire burning in you to bring down the conspirator to beg for his life?

The story set in the backdrop of 330BC. Alexander is on a mission to invade every kingdom and win over the world and become the mighty ruler of the whole world, a world conqueror. After invading and looting Persia, now Alexander is eyeing on India. Its innumerable treasures of gold and silver made it a dream of every ruler to conquer and attain undying glory.

Thousands of kilometers away, a carefree and reckless boy’s life turned upside down when he was forced to leave the city of Pataliputra. With Pataliputra, he left a boy in him behind and become a man, who now has a purpose to live, to fight for honor and love.

It is a story of revenge. A story of a jovial and unbothered boy Aditya who was living in the shadow and forced to take the sword in hand. It is well-written, entertaining, captivating and an excellent read for the historical fantasy readers. What could be better than sitting in comfort of your room and travel centuries ago? Well, this book will take you to time travel in 4th century BC.

The book has many relatable everyday characters which engage the reader more and compel him to delve deeper and keep reading until the book finishes of itself. And that is not all, the story doesn’t end at the last page. The book is a part of a trilogy and two more books are about to hit the shelf. So, you have a fair chance to grab this book before the next read hit the shelf and be ready to travel again in the world of words with Rahul Mitra.

Author Bio

Rahul Mitra grew up in Delhi and is currently working as an IT Marketing Professional with a multinational company in Mumbai. Passionately interested in all things Indian, Rahul is vociferous in his opinions about India, its people, and its culture. Like many others before him, he believes he can change the world and influence people through his writings.

You can reach to him at Twitter@kyarebaingan

Buy this Book here: Amazon

‘I received a copy from Chevusread in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.’

 

The Seven Year Dress

10 Wednesday May 2017

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30142931.jpgAuthor – Paulette Mahurin

Rating – 5/5 stars

Number of Pages – 324

Publisher – Early Girl Enterprises

Hope is the only thing which makes everything possible. When humanity is murdered in front of her eyes, people are beaten to death every second for no reason. Hope becomes her survival instinct. She sleeps every night listening to the sounds of gunshots, voices coming out of pain, screams of people yelling for mercy and telling to herself that ‘Nothing Lasts’.

In 1919, Helen Stein born to a Jewish family in Berlin, Germany and raised with love with her three siblings. She is happy to find her best friend in Max; forced to play a role in the German army. She dreams to have a life filled with love and a family of her own and have many children’s one day. No one saw it coming that the history of Germany is going to change in few years and that changed the life of Jews. This changed the way the world looked at Germany, once was a peaceful and prosperous country. One man behind all is Adolf Hitler.

The story weaved during the time of World War II. How a girl in Auschwitz tortured and tormented, seeing death and brutality, midst of blood bath and hypocrites mocking and laughing at the pain of the people and finding pleasure in hurting and killing people whose only crime is that they are Jews and in a position of helplessness. When death is hanging on her in every second, going through the unthinkably awful period of her life she encountered compassion, selfless acts of kindness, and friendship.

A treat to historical fiction reader. A must read. A definite page-turner. It is not only about history and the story interweaved around the period. The way the story unfolds and captivates the reader is phenomenal. The author put the well-researched documented historical facts remarkably. The book is admirable and brilliant. The story touched the heart of the readers and compels to ask what kind of humans would do such barbaric act with another human.

Author Bio

Paulette Mahurin, an award-winning author, lives with her husband Terry and two dogs in Ventura County, California. Her first novel, ‘The Persecution of Mildred Dunlap’, made it to Amazon bestsellers lists and won multiple awards, including best historical fiction of the year 2012. Her third novel, To Live Out Loud, won international critical acclaim and favorite read book of 2015.

She practices women’s health in a rural clinic and writes in her spare time. She is an animal advocate and has been involved with dog rescue, along with her husband, for the past twenty-eight years. Profits from her book sales go to help rescue dogs from kill shelters.

You can reach to her at thepersecutionofmildreddunlap.wordpress.com

Twitter@MahurinPaulette

Buy this book here: Amazon.in Amazon.com

‘I received a copy from Author in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.’

Heroines

17 Friday Feb 2017

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33795518.jpgAuthor – Ira Mukhoty

Rating – 3/5 stars

Number of pages – 205

Publisher – Aleph Books

‘Heroines’ is a book narrates the story of powerful Indian women of myth and history. The time when man dominates, these women courage and bravery make their place in the history of India.

Ira Mukhoty compiles stories of such great women of myth and history in her book. The book tells a story of their struggle for respect, finding their place in the man dominating society, fighting for restoring their self respect. There was a time when a woman had a secondary and supporting role in the man’s world. It was considered that a woman’s life has only one aim to serve and support her father, husband and son, who are her owner on different stages of life. They live in the influence of a man all through their life without having an identity of her. They had no rightful place in the society and had no right to be given.

The book has a life and struggle of eight such women from Draupadi; a dharma queen to Jahanara Begum from the history.

The book is read like a history book and diverts from its path on every then and now. From the title of the book one may expect a story of these women courage and fight for their rightful place but book seems more like a research paper. The characterizations of these women of Indian myth and history could have been better if the book is written as their story of struggle rather a collection of excerpt.