by admin | May 25, 2021 | Books, Interviews
By Saket Suman,
New Delhi : A new book, “The Billionaire Raj”, paints a revealing portrait of the rise of India’s new billionaire class and places it against the backdrop of the “radically unequal society” that is found in the country. It’s author, James Crabtree, who spent five years in Mumbai as bureau chief for the Financial Times, says that this uneven growth will have “damaging implications” for the country’s development.
He contends that despite India’s economy expanding faster than that of China, the rewards of its growth have been far from evenly shared. He notes that the country’s top one per cent own nearly 60 per cent of its wealth.
“If India continues to grow more unequal at the same pace over the next decade or two, this will have damaging implications for its development,” Crabtree, now an associate professor in practice in Singapore, told IANS in an email interview.
The book, published by HarperCollins India, has garnered advance praise from Amartya Sen, who describes it as “an enlightening and engaging story of wealth and poverty in India”; writer Gurcharan Das finds that the book calls for “the need to reform the institutions of the governance”; and, among others, historian William Dalrymple, has billed it as “a timely, fascinating and eye-opening book”.
Asked about the reasons behind the uneven sharing of wealth among India’s massive population, Crabtree said that it is the aftershock of globalisation.
“The huge change I chart in ‘The Billionaire Raj’ is an after-shock of India’s globalisation. India has created a new economic model which shares the proceeds of its impressive recent growth unevenly, with the majority going right to the very top,” he contended.
His book is said to take its “readers on a personal journey to meet reclusive billionaires, fugitive tycoons and shadowy political brokers”.
“India needs to act at both the top and the bottom if it is to follow the advances made in East Asia. The tax system needs to be more progressive, and more rich people need to actually pay up.
“Regulators need to focus on creating real markets and competition. And at the bottom, the state needs to focus on providing basic, competent social support in areas like education, health and pensions,” he said.
In “The Billionaire Raj” Crabtree also tells the story of India’s problem of bad debts. Two particular chapters, “House of Debt” and “The Anxious Tycoons”, focus on this aspect by narrating the stories behind the debt-crisis and non performing assets.
He contends that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s record of “cleaning up the banking system is poor”.
“India’s public sectors banks are in a worse state today than in 2014, and there is no sign of action to fix them,” he maintained.
The book’s last chapter, “The Tragedies of Modi”, gives the reader a sense that the ruling regime’s actions have been a case of misplaced priorities, that Modi’s focus on winning elections shadows his focus on growth and development.
“I think Modi is likely to return as Prime Minister, although it seems reasonable to assume he will do so with a reduced majority or in a coalition. That said, he will find it harder to introduce reforms in his second term than in his first,” Crabtree contended.
Priced at Rs 799, “The Billionaire Raj” is available both at bookstores and online.
(Saket Suman can be contacted at saket.s@ians.in)
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Books, Opinions
By Vikas Datta,
“The whole Earth is the sepulchre of famous men..” observed ancient Greek statesman Pericles in a memorial ceremony, noting that their story doesn’t only survive on their gravestones, but “lives on far away…” Nobody knows this better than the writers who focus on or otherwise bring in historical personages into their works, making them feel real than renowned but remote figures from the past.
Historical fiction, now considered a genre in novels, does predate prose. If we forgo the epics of the great ancient civilizations from the Mediterranean world to Asia as being considerably mythologized accounts of historical figures, then a pioneer was Italian poet Dante Alighieri, with his immortal masterpiece, “The Divine Comedy” (1320), in which he meets all sorts of historical figures in Hell, Purgatory and Heaven.
Then there is William Shakespeare, whose most famous plays deal with ancient Roman and Greek figures – Pericles, Julius Caesar, et al – and monarchs – Richards II and III, Henry V, Macbeth, and so on.
In prose, it was Sir Walter Scott, who not only focussed on figures from Scottish history but also the age of the Crusades, notably Richard I the “Lion-Heart” and Saladin in “The Talisman” (1825) – lesser known than his “Ivanhoe” (1820). Taking it further was Alexandre Dumas pere, with fascinating portrayals of 17th century French kings Louis XIII and Louis XIV, the “Sun King” as well as Cardinal Richelieu in his “Three Musketeers” cycle.
The trend then caught on and historical characters, ranging from Roman emperors to explorers, warriors to Wild West gunslingers and desperadoes, gangsters to great conquerors, philosophers to painters and more began figuring in fictionalised biographies, or more speculative portrayals.
But some got more prominence, at least as far as English novels (or works translated into English) go. Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, Vlad Dracul the Impaler, Napoleon, Abraham Lincoln, Stalin, and Shakespeare himself are encountered quite frequently.
Then there are authors specialised in bringing a whole epoch to life.
George MacDonald Fraser, in his splendid iconoclastic and irreverent Flashman series, offers some incisive but jaundiced portrayals of a great swathe of 19th century’s movers and shakers – Queen Victoria, Otto von Bismarck, Rani Lakshmibai, Lincoln, Florence Nightingale among others. Philip Kerr did the same for the Nazis in his Bernie Gunther series.
But, while a whole raft of historical personages can be found – sometimes in the most unexpected places and ways, there are also those who have not got their due in their portrayals or have been ignored so far.
Let’s take some figures from around the world and across the spectrum of human endeavour, and why they should be so commemorated.
We can begin with Finnish soldier and statesman Baron Carl Gustaf Mannerheim (1867-1951), revered among his people for establishing his country’s independence in wake of the Russian Revolution, defending it against Soviet subversion and aggression, guiding it during World War II, when it was with the Axis powers – but only as per its own conditions- and then helping it negotiate a fairly honourable peace that didn’t see it lose too much. It is however his earlier career that is remarkable.
After a rather turbulent youth, Mannerheim joined the Imperial Russian Army in 1888 as a subaltern, despite an incident in cadet school that could have ended his career right then. The high point was his three-year espionage mission across inner Asia – China and Tibet (1906-09) – while disguised as an ethnographer, during which he also went to Lhasa to meet the then Dalai Lama and reportedly presented him a pistol. The episode can be found in his biography, but imagine what a story it will make.
Then there is his near counterpart, Japanese Marshal Admiral Isoruku Yamamoto (1884-1943). Responsible for the strategic development of the Imperial Japanese Navy and planning the attacks on Pearl Harbor and Midway, though conscious of the Western powers’ strength and arguing against armed confrontation against them, once the decision was taken, he was honour-bound to do his best.
Tracked and killed by Americans in 1943 as revenge for Pearl Harbor, Yamamoto is not entirely absent from fiction, though two of his four appearances only refer to his last hours of life – in Neal Stephenson’s “Cryptonomicon” (1999) and James Douglas’ “The Samurai Inheritance” (2014).
The other two – Douglas Niles’ “MacArthur’s War: A Novel of the Invasion of Japan” (2007) and Robert Conroy’s “Rising Sun” (2011) are alternative history in which he survives beyond 1943 and guides his country’s destiny subsequently.
But how about a novel about his real life and choices?
There are more prominent historical figures who could do offer a fairly proficient novelist a good challenge – longtime Soviet Foreign Minister (1957-85) Andrei Gromyko, India’s guiding leader Jawaharlal Nehru, Yugoslav partisan leader and statesman Josip Broz ‘Tito’, exotic but accomplished author Yul Brynner, the unlikely rock’n’roll champion Billy Haley or say, irrepressible scientist Richard Feynman.
And then, if feminists cite a bias, then there is scientist Lise Meitner and political theorist Hannah Arendt, whose accomplishments are equalled by the way they were let down by men.
Any one keen?
(Vikas Datta is an Associate Editor at IANS. The views expressed are personal. He can be contacted at vikas.d@ians.in)
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
New Delhi : Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has focused his attention on the “importance of stress-free examinations” and has called on the young students to “pursue knowledge over marks”. In a new book, “Exam Warriors”, he authored, Modi has set out to provide “a handy guide” for students in India and across the world.
“This book seeks to add to the debate and discourse around the importance of stress-free examinations and the need to pursue knowledge over marks. It aims to be a catalyst that will trigger discussions whose ultimate beneficiaries will be our Exam Warriors. The more we talk about these issues, share our views and experiences and learn from others, the greater will be the chances of ensuring that our children have the fun-filled childhood that they deserve.
“It is our collective duty to ensure that their childhood is not overshadowed by the burden of exams and the constant anxiety of ‘what do I do next,” Modi mentions in the author’s note.
The Prime Minister also mentions that the idea of the book came from the various “Mann Ki Baat” episodes that he did on the subject of school exams. He recalls that many students had written to him, saying that those episodes “helped them immensely in their preparation” and reduced their pre-exam stress.
In the book, Modi presents 25 mantras for young students to fight the exam stress. “I have also written about other aspects, such as why one must always pursue one’s passion, try to discover oneself, and why youngsters must play, travel extensively and devote some time in the service of the society,” he adds.
He has also thanked the parents and guardians for “the crucial role they play” and has sought their “continued support in encouraging our exam warriors”.
Modi ends his Author’s note by welcoming feedback and “more ideas on the questions” that he raises in the book.
The 189-page book carries rich illustrations and is printed on fine paper. The book, published by Penguin India and BlueKraft Digital Foundation, is priced at Rs 100 only. Notably, books of similar length and genre from the same publishing house are priced anywhere between Rs 250 to Rs 400.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Books
By Saket Suman,
New Delhi : After a significant year for publishing in India, the upcoming month of January in 2018 will set the literary mood for a new beginning. The Jaipur Literature Festival will see the release of several significant books, apart from hosting over 200 sessions that will witness participation from writers and thinkers from across the world. With a lot taking place simultaneously and options as diverse as ever, bookworms have quite a choice to make.
The IANS recommendations for January pares a long list to present the five most promising titles that bookworms must take note of.
Here are the five books that we cannot wait to read this January:
1. “Why I Am A Hindu”, by Shashi Tharoor (Aleph)
In “Why I Am a Hindu”, Tharoor gives us a profound book about one of the world’s oldest and greatest religions. Starting with a close examination of his own belief in Hinduism, he ranges far and wide in his study of the faith. He looks at the myriad manifestations of political Hinduism in the modern era, including violence committed in the name of the faith by right-wing organisations and their adherents. He is unsparing in his criticism of extremist “bhakts”, and unequivocal in his belief that everything that makes India a great and distinctive culture and country will be imperiled if religious fundamentalists are allowed to take the upper hand.
2. “Pakistan’s Nuclear Bomb”, by Hassan Abbas (Penguin)
In “Pakistan’s Nuclear Bomb”, Abbas profiles the politicians and scientists involved in the development of the country’s atomic bomb and the role of China and Saudi Arabia in supporting its nuclear infrastructure. Drawing on extensive interviews, the book also unravels the motivation behind the Pakistani nuclear physicist Dr A.Q. Khan’s involvement in nuclear proliferation in Iran, Libya and North Korea, and argues that the origins and evolution of the Khan network were tied to the domestic and international political motivations underlying Pakistan’s nuclear weapons project and its organisation, oversight and management.
3. “Small Acts of Freedom”, by Gurmehar Kaur (Penguin)
In February 2017, Gurmehar Kaur, a 19-year-old student, joined a peaceful campaign after violent clashes at a Delhi University college. As part of the campaign, Kaur’s post made her the target of an onslaught of social media vitriol. Kaur, the daughter of a Kargil war martyr, suddenly became the focal point of a nationalism debate. Facing a trial by social media, Kaur almost retreated into herself. But she was never brought up to be silenced. “Real bullets killed my father. Your hate bullets are deepening my resolve,” she wrote at the time. Today, Kaur is doubly determined not to be silent. “Small Acts of Freedom” is her story.
4. “Keepers of the Kalachakra”, by Ashwin Sanghi (Westland)
A seemingly random selection of heads of state is struck down like flies by unnamed killers who work with the clinical efficiency of butchers. Except that they leave no trace of their methods. Sanghi returns with another quietly fearsome tale — this time of men who guard the “Kalachakra” — The Wheel of Time. Sanghi describes a world of people at war with one another — a boomeranging conflict of faiths that results in acts of such slow and planned human cruelty that they defy imagination. Zigzagging from Rama’s crossing to Lanka to the birth of Buddhism; from the charnel-grounds of naked tantric practitioners to the bespoke suits of the Oval Office; and from the rites of Minerva, shrouded in frankincense, to the smoke-darkened ruins of Nalanda, the mystery novel is a journey that will have you gasping for breath.
5. “Diwali in Muzaffarnagar”, by Tanuj Solanki (HarperCollins)
Friendship between two teenage boys dissolves in the aftermath of an act of violence typical of the place they live in — the north Indian town of Muzaffarnagar. A young man comes to the same town to celebrate Diwali with his family and learns that, given his roots, his cosmopolitanism might not be an option any more. A young woman, hitherto unburdened by family duties, grapples with the absence of grief upon her father’s death. Elsewhere, a recently married couple is pulled apart by a crisis rooted in the woman’s traumatic childhood. In Solanki’s book of short stories, young men and women travel between the past and the present, the metropolis and the small town, and the always-at-odds needs of life: Solitude and family.
(Saket Suman can be contacted at saket.s@ians.in )
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Books, News
By Maeeshat News,
Patna: In a glittering ceremony, two books on Muslims’ contribution in India’s Freedom movement were launched here in Patna on 17th December. The function was presided over by Harsh Mandar, former IAS officer and human rights defender in the country.
The books ‘Muslim Freedom Fighters: Contribution of Indian Muslims in the Independence Movement’ and its Urdu version ‘Muslim Mujahideen-e-Azadi aur Tehrik-e-Azadi Mein Unki Khidmat’ have been authored by well-known Delhi based author and journalist Syed Ubaidur Rahman.
The two books try to fight the oft-repeated allegations that Muslims are anti-national and have not contributed for the freedom of the nation. The books nail the lie and prove that Muslims not just participated in the freedom movement, they went on to lead the freedom struggle for a long time. The first war of Independence or Mutiny of 1857 was led by Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar in Delhi and Begum Hazrat Mahal in Lucknow. The Independence Movement in the first two decades of the twentieth century was led by Mahmud Hasan and ulama of Deoband and they had respect and support of everyone including Hindus and Muslims.
If anyone has any doubt about the Muslim contribution in the freedom movement, the fact that the Indian National Congress had as many as nine Muslims as its president till the year 1947 will remove such doubts.
While speaking on the occasion, Harsh Mandar said that the divisive forces in the country are trying to divide the nation on the basis of religion and faith. He said that the danger from such forces for the national fabric and its unity has become grave.
Harsh Mandar added that the threat to the communal amity in the country was never so high as is today as divisive forces are doing every thing to pit one community against the other and create a fear psychosis among the majority community prompting it to turn it against minorities.
Khursheed Mallick, a Chicago based urologist, philanthropist and director of IMEFNA said that the book is a timely reminder to the nation that Muslims and Hindus both sacrificed for the nation and this fact must be clearly told to our young generation. He said Muslims sacrificed heavily for the cause of the freedom of the nation and efforts must be made to tell the history.
Syed Ubaidur Rahman, the author of the two books, while speaking on the occasion said Muslims have been rather loath to write about the sacrifices they have made for the cause of the Independence and freedom. He said Muslims suffered badly throughout the freedom movement. They were the worst suffers in the wake of the mutiny of 1857 and its aftermath when Muslims were hounded across North India and beyond. Tens of thousands of Muslims lost their lives for the freedom.
Syed added that ulama of Deoband played a stellar role in the freedom movement. Unlike the common perception, they were secular to the core and when they established a government in exile in Kabul in 1915, they appointed Raja Mahendra Pratap as its President and Maulana Barkatullah Bhopali as its Prime Minister.
The book documents the lives of forty renowned Muslim freedom fighters including, Shaikhul Hind Maulana Mahmud al-Hasan, Maulana Barkatullah Bhopali, Hakim Ajmal Khan, Maulana Ubaidullah Sindhi, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar, Dr Maghfoor Ahmad Ajazi, Dr Mukhtar Ahmad Ansari, Ashfaqulla Khan, Maulana Hasrat Mohani, Maulana Muhammad Mian Mansoor Ansari, Asaf Ali, Husain Ahmad Madani, Aruna Asaf Ali (Kulsum Zamani), Peer Ali Khan, Saifuddin Kitchlew, Mohammed Abdur Rahiman, Captain Abbas Ali, Abdul Qaiyum Ansari, Prof. Abdul Bari, Moulvi Abdul Rasul, Nawab Syed Mohammed Bahadur, Rahimtulla Mahomed Sayani, Syed Hasan Imam, Sir Syed Ali Imam, M.C. Chagla, Yusuf Meherally, Justice Fazal Ali, General Shah Nawaz Khan, Allama Fazle Haq Khairabadi, Maulana Shaukat Ali, Syed Mahmud, Maulana Mazharul Haque, Badruddin Tyabji, Col Mehboob Ahmed, Begum Hazrat Mahal, Maulana Shafi Daudi, Rafi Ahmed Kidwai, Syed Mohammad Sharfuddin Quadri, Batak Mian
The book launch function was organized at Anjuman Taraqqi Urdu and was presided over by Abdul Qaiyum Ansari, chairman of Anjuman Taraqqi Urdu Bihar.
Name of the Book: Muslim Freedom Fighters: Contribution of Indian Muslims in the Independence Movement
Author: Syed Ubaidur Rahman
ISBN: 81-88869-43-0
Price Rs 225/-
Global Media Publications
E-42, G. Floor, AFE, Jamia nagar, Okhla, New Delhi-110025
Tel; 9818327757, 9212011865
e-mail: gmpublication@gmail.com
Watch video of the book launch function:
https://www.facebook.com/EtvUrduIndia/videos/352168071914046/
