Reviews

ENGLISH

The Battle of China or The Lay of a Chinese Girl.–ByDr. K. R. Menon, Singapore. (Copies can be had from Messrs. The Kitabistan, 17-A, City Road, Allahabad. Price $1.00.)

‘The Battle of China’ has been written for a noble purpose. The proceeds of the sale of this book are to go to the Red Cross Fund for the relief of China. It is a very laudable object, and the author deserves the thanks of everyone interested in China, for his generosity.

‘The Battle of China’ is an ‘epic,’ dealing with the recent Japanese aggression and the patriotic fervour of a beautiful Chinese girl in Singapore who decided to raise some funds for the cause by constituting herself as the prize in a lottery. A truly moving theme, the story wears the garb of eternal romance–but, I wish the author had written it in prose.

Poetic expression does not seem to come naturally to the author, and the strain of his search is so painful and obvious. And he takes such unwarrantable liberties with every principle of prosody and even with the language itself. For example:

‘Now I have a sad tale to tell,
How great a hero died,
Whose act was suicidal,
For he did suicide,
As he at helm of defence
Did loss the Tachang town
Wherefore, with heroic sense,
He fell a hero down!’

He has also in this book coined a new word, ‘to hitler,’ meaning ‘to dictate.’

Comment is superfluous.

Gurudev Nicholas Roerich.–By K. P. Padmanabha Tampy, B.A. (Published by The All-Kerala Cultural Association, Kottayam, Travancore. Price One rupee only.)

Nicholas Roerich hardly needs introduction to the cultured public, and his contributions to art and peace are too well known for an enumeration here. As Sri K. S. Ramaswami Sastri in his Foreword to this book remarks, "Nicholas Roerich is an admirable artist whose creative mind, and magical hands, and lips touched with divine fire have made us–Philistines that we are–alive to the bloom and the wonder of things."

Sri K. P. Padmanabha Tampy has endeavoured to bring out the salient characteristics in Roerich’s life and mission. This brochure is based upon a series of articles written by the author to some of the South Indian periodicals.

A philosopher-artist, a great leader of culture and an apostle of international amity, who has designed a banner of peace, and who has been honoured in widely differing places, Roerich is is a true ‘Karma yogin’–and as such deserves not recognition but understanding. Sri Tampyh as endeavoured towards making us realise what Roerich stands for–and he has succeeded. This book is written in an easy readable style, and is adorned with some of the master’s paintings. It should be in the library of every cultured man.

K. J. MAHADEVAN

The Indian Radio Review.–Edited by M. S. R. Chandran, B.Sc, A.M.I.R.E. (Subscription Rs. 5, published at Taj Building, Hornby Road, Bombay.)

The Indian Radio Review fills the increasingly felt natural gap in the Radio-Journalism of India today, which calls for a free, independent and high class journal with no axe to grind and with no policy to justify. Its vigorous language and critical outlook are very refreshing. Criticism is very oxygen to Democracy and is not less needed in our country today in Radio matters. The All-India Radio tends to emulate the B.B.C. in some of its less desirable aspects, like a certain aloofness from those it is intended to serve, and in a certain resentment to criticism, and their attitude is in line with the tradition of Sir John Reith. Questions regarding the A.I.R. in the Legislatures are rare or are answered perfunctorily in the Pippa manner. Questions regarding Programmes, being part of internal day-to-day administration, are taboo, and curiously enough they seem to be no "news" to the Press either. However, the "Producers" i.e., the A.I.R.’s view-point may also be represented usefulIy in the Indian Radio Review by occasional signed, special articles (like say, on the controversial 60 metre band) from the A.I.R. officials or the Editor of the "Indian Listener." Contributions may also be included from a higher age-group to meet any possible Blimpian charge of "By God, They are socialists." The intellectual and urban Listeners’ view-point is well represented. Reactions of the villager may also be featured by interviews or otherwise. The lighter side and the educational side of broadcasting are treated much better than usual. To the Poor bewildered layman-Listener (his know-all attitude is but a defence-mechanism), the future "what you should know about Radio," in simple non-technical language, is a veritable ‘Radio without tears.’

The level of the articles is high, and the general lay-out, printing, paper etc. are excellent. In particular the format with its halation-blue colour and bold design is pleasing. Curiously, the Listener finds no place on it, though the studio, the Pylons and the speaker do. The Indian Radio Review is the only extant forum of the informed and intelligent Listener, and as such deserves as many annual five Rupee notes as it can get.

R. H. RANGA RAU