Far From The Madding Crowd

A Little Book on Men

By Rahul Roy (fully illustrated in black, white and gray by Anupama Chatterjee & Sherna Dastur)

Yoda Press - 2007

Paperback

ISBN: 81-903634-8-4

India today is abuzz about how things are changing for the new Indian woman. Yet no one is talking about men. As the varied discourses within gender studies grow increasingly complex, the study of masculinities continues to remain an area of darkness within the South Asian reality. The obvious is familiar to all—the visible, hegemonic masculinity which bristles on the slightest provocation and proudly displays its wares. But what about various other masculinities, those which remain silent and unrecognised, pushed under and behind their ‘hyper-masculine’ brethren? One might ask—are the two kinds of masculinities locked in an eternal conflict? And are these masculinities permanent, unchangeable, or do they evolve and transform with time?

An unprecedented and timely effort, the Little Book on Men, attempts to address many of these questions in a creative and reader-friendly manner through drawings, text and video frames. Drawing on popular culture, socialisation charts used in schools, poetry, personal narratives and documentary footage, this unique book brings together the main theories, key concepts and empirical research on masculinities even as it contributes to the construction of a language which men in South Asia can use to talk about themselves in different and individually distinct ways.

Rahul Roy is an independent documentary filmmaker. Besides directing a number of internationally acclaimed films on the theme of masculinities, he has also written widely on men and gender issues.

Anupama C. Hara studied animation at the National Institute of Design, and is a broadcast animator by profession.

Sherna Dastur specialised in video at the National Institute of Design. She works as a freelance graphic designer and makes documentary films once in a while. Her film Manjuben Truck Driver (2002) won international acclaim.

The book can be requested online at Dogears Etc..

Bot-tala, Calcutta’s own street literature, is down but not out. A report from The Telegraph.

This one’s definitely worth reading. The blog quotes Ira Pande (daughter of Hindi writer Shivani), from an interview in the Hindu while she laments the lack of interest in Indian literature.

“Around the time of Independence, our regional `bhasha’ literature had a richer bank. English writing didn’t even have a status. Mulk Raj Anand had to go abroad for publishing. It’s a reversal now, most people don’t even know the big names who are writing in Marathi. Our strength is in our plurality, why should we destroy what we already have? Some of the most modern, most real work, in terms of the country is being done by the `bhasha’ writers. We owe it to them to translate their work, to make it reach the larger reader audiences. Translations are what I want to do.” Currently working on translating late Manohar Shyam Joshi’s novel and Shivani’s Apradhini, which talks of women in prison in the late 1960s, Ira felt, “some books age well. My own book is in my head. I’ll do it when I find the courage. My sense of dignity is rather fragile, I’m choosing to hide behind translations.”

Masks of Empire

edited by Achin Vanaik
foreword by Tariq Ali

Tulika Books - 2007

Hardback

ISBN: 81-89487-22-1

Masks of Empire assembles a series of important critiques of the new US imperialism by some of the finest minds working in contemporary political and social theory. It aims for the first time anywhere to delineate, analyse and evaluate the legitimizing discourses of the imperial agenda of the United States. By uncovering the economic conditions as well as the ideological façade of the neoliberal US regime, it exposes the various ways through which the United States seeks to extend its hegemony. Further, it suggests how one can morally and practically address the real problems behind the smokescreen created by this empire project.

The book can be purchased online from Dogears Etc..

This article from the Business Standard focuses on the newly enthused publishing industry after a wave of investment in the sector and renewed interest from Indian and foreign publishers alike.

From an article in the Indian Express

The manuscripts brought from Gwalior include a copy of the Rig Veda with a distinct Vedic accent, Ganesh Gita, Padma Purana, Sanskrit grammar, Vratkatha-Mahatmya, Amarkosh, Ramayan, Vedas, Upanishads, Straut Sutra, Gruhya Sutra and Dharmshashtra. Some of these handwritten manuscripts are also in colour.

This one from the Hindu. An insightful article that looks at how translations of books from regional languages to English, or vice versa, should be approached.

Till recently translation was not recognised as an independent creative expression. It was always treated as a “necessary appendage” to the source text to establish communication with people who do not know that language. Communication in another language may be a necessary function of translation, but, with growing stress on translations as academic study, and the discrimination between good and bad translations, the creative aspect of translation is coming to the forefront. The translator has started feeling a sense of “ownership” to the translated text, so he/she is bound to take pride in the act of translation and change it from a mere academic to a creative exercise.

An interesting entry on the contribution of Goans to literature, whether in English, Konkani, Portuguese or Marathi.

As this article suggests, the thaw in Indo-Pak relations is reaping benefits in unexpected places. Bookstores in Pakistan find Indian books superior both in terms of quality and content, not to ignore the fact that they are cheaper than American and European publications.

Mystical Dimensions of Islam

By Annemarie Schimmel (with a new foreword by Carl W. Ernst)

Yoda Press - 2007

Paperback

ISBN: 81-903634-9-2

Considered a classic since its first publication in 1975, Annemarie Schimmel’s ‘Mystical Dimensions of Islam’ comes to South Asia for the first time in a paperback edition with a new foreword by Carl W. Ernst.

‘Mystical Dimensions of Islam’ presents a balanced historical treatment of the transnational phenomenon of Sufism—Islamic mysticism—from its beginnings through the nineteenth century. Through her sensitivity and deep understanding of the subject, Annemarie Schimmel, an eminent scholar of Eastern religions, draws the reader into the mood, the vision, and the way of the Sufi in a manner that adds an essential ingredient to her analysis of the history of Sufism.

Besides exploring the origins of the mystical movement and its development through different stages, the author also examines the various aspects of mystical poetry in Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Sindhi, Panjabi, and Pashto. The author skillfully demonstrates how Sufi ideals permeated the whole fabric of Muslim life, providing the average Muslim—villager or intellectual—with the virtues of perfect trust in God and the loving surrender to God’s will.

Professor Schimmel’s long acquaintance with Turkey, Iran, and the Indian subcontinent provides a unique emphasis to the study, and the author’s personal knowledge of Sufi practice in these regions lends a contemporary relevance to her work.

The book can be requested online at Dogears Etc..