Book Reviews

ENGLISH

My solitary songs of Pain and pleasure By Dr. C. Jacob, Narsapur 534275

Dr. C. Jacob, District Judge, (Retd.) is a prolific writer of English prose with a poetic touch. He is a keen observer of human nature in its myriad colours. His recent book of poetry is a true reflection of his poetic genius. His verses are a perennial spring from which come his spontaneous and brilliant expressions of his inner self. There is no subject he leaves untouched.

The author deals at length with the ills that beset our motherland as a whole. ‘Our India’ gives a bleak image of our country. ‘Cows and bulls in busy markets, frenzied processions block high way for weddings of gods and demons’ bring a gruesome image of Indian roads and its people. The writer almost wishes for a situation where ‘the druggist’s wife died of spurious pills’, ‘the milkman’s beloved daughter died of diarrhoea’, in ‘Self Bite’. The verse ‘Self Bite’ strongly speaks of the poet’s condemnation of wide spread corruption. The same thought is carried forward in the short verse ‘Corruption’. The writer’s heart cries out
‘How in the broad day light
The shameless corruption proudly walks
Along the crooked sheets of life
Kissing every vice as it’s dear child!’

But there is hope in ‘The Incorruptible Mind’. He ‘who is not tempted for treasure of gold to speak untruth’ holds hope for future world as he who is himself unmoved ‘moves other by dint of will.’

The romantic side of the writer is revealed in his ‘Dream Love’. The lover’s pathos is exqusitely expressed in ‘why the parting pain should parting joy surpass?’ His yearning for perfect love has a dream-like quality.                                                
‘Every inch of you is made of gold
your eyes do shine more in the night.’

The writer has a word even for ‘White Ants’ who ‘feast’ on Milton’s immortal “Paradise Lost” and “Munch Shakespeare.” “He calls them a slip in ‘Nature’s plan’. He reminds the young men to ‘know their parents suffering’ and ‘look at the sunken eyes of your parents’. The nostalgic yearning for the past flashes in ‘Distant Memories’. The role of the parent and the teacher is well explored in the verse ‘children’ who ‘take shape we give at home’.

One is reminded of Shakespeare’s ‘Sweet are the uses of adversity’ on reading ‘The Song of Sorrow’.
‘The songs of sorrow are sweeter than
The songs of mirth and merriment’.

His shorter verses also contain profound thoughts. ‘Poverty’ becomes a welcome mate as its virtues are ‘precious more’. The world is likened to relentless cosmic drama in ‘The Cosmic Drama’. One is reminded of Tennyson’s lines “Old order changeth yielding place to the new”. The book abounds in moral instructions like “Great men are strong not by the food they eat, but by their relentless fight against fate”. In short the writer has brought his discerning and profound thoughts to his charming and alluring verses. ‘The Balance’ is struck in ‘The World of Contradictions’. The writer has a rare felicity of expression in discussing “All things under the sky’. The verses have a lyrical quality of the Romantics that touch our heart. At the same time, they are thought-provoking and reflective having come from a judge’s pen. The poet in him brings a charm to the sharp and impartial judging qualities. The collection of poems are truly the songs of pain and pleasure, that need to be read by all book lovers.
- K. Gopal Krishna Murthy, A. Padmaja

SPOKEN ENGLISH AND ART OF PUBLIC SPEAKING: By I Satyasree, 207, Sumanjali Apartments, 1-1-780/1&2, St. No. 2, Gandhi nagar, Hyderabad-500 080. Pages 51, Price-Rs 50/-

English language fell from grace in 1947.Efforts are afoot to set the clock and see that this language regains its lost glory in this country. Every conceivable effort is being made to restore the lost ground and help this generation realise the importance of this international interactive medium.

The world has become a big global village with the advent of I.T. Hereafter the only language that would be spoken in this big village for commerce, trade, science and technology would be English. Keeping this in view as part of restoration efforts, Mrs. I. Satyasree authored a guide book entitled “Spoken English and the Art of Public Speaking.” This book contains dialogues of situational conversation in daily life, vocabulary, idiomatic expressions, proverbs and the art of public speaking. The difficulties that beset the learners are pointed out so that learning is made easy for them. Pit-falls in structure are illustrated.

The chapter on public speaking creates interest as it contains remarkable speeches of great orators of national and international repute like Lincoln, Martin Luther king, Vivekananda and others.

The author who brought out this book in a charming style is an experienced teacher who has been teaching English for two decades. The book is prefaced by Prof. I.V. Chalapati Rao. Everyone should use this language book and reap the benefit. The present day students are well equipped with the subjects they study but owing to a lack of adequate knowledge of English they cannot communicate effectively and fare well in conversation. Books of this nature pave the way for a better grip and grasp of the language.  This remains a source book for teachers and students alike.                              
 -K. Gopala Krishna Murthy, Vijayawada

TELUGU       

MANAVA JEEVITA  NIBANDHANA (2 parts); (Tr. Telugu) Dr. Ratnakara Balaraju,  Saketa Nilayam, 21, SBI Colony, Anantapur, 515001; Rs 200

The book written by the well-known writer on spiritual subjects is complete in two parts translated from an Indian Manuscript written by an Ancient Brahmin –As stated by Dr. M. Sivaramakrishna in his foreword .This book is a unique book and also a continuing link in the chain of other translation of Dr. Balaraju’s spiritual books such as Sitaramanjaneya Samvadam, Buddha darshanam and Dhammapadam, Brahmasutra, Sri Yoga Vasista Sangrahamu, etc. All these books with their thorough and exhaustive introductions, cross refrences and commentaries are treasures to the preserved.

“The Economy of Human life discovered in Lhasa translated by an unknown author and dedicated by him to the Earl of Chesterfield, made its first appearance in 1751 and by 1812 ran into fifty editions and got translated into various languages. The Manuscript written by an unknown Indian sage for the welfare of mankind was found in the ancient library of Grand Lama at Lhasa (Tibet) and translated into English by an anonymous Englishman at the Command of the Earl of Chesterfield in the year 1751. The Economy of Human life is a manual which helps in cultivation of virtue and the quest of knowledge. This is a spiritual book now made available to the Telugu reading public by Dr. Balaraju, a scholar who received commendations from philosophers like Dr. S. Radhakrishnan and spiritualists like Swami Ranganathananda. The intertexts provided by the author at various places evidences the knowledge and scholarship of the author.

“The Economy of Human Life” is in two parts, part-I consists of seven chapters and Part II is of five chapters.

The first chapter of part I covers the virtues of thoughtfulness, obedience, efforts, desire to win, vision, contentment, state of equilibrium, eating and drinking habits etc. The second chapter covers the positive traits of hope, happiness, kindness, love, desire etc. The Third chapter discusses the qualities a woman should possess, the fourth about various relationships, the fifth about the differences created by God in Life, The sixth about the social norms and the seventh about religion.

Part II of the book delves into the formation of human body, the senses, the soul, life and its benefits in its 1^st chapter. The second chapter discusses the weak points of a human being and the third about the negative traits which need Control and Elimination. The fourth chapter discusses the great qualities of Generosity, Honour, Greatness, Knowledge, Scholarship etc, and the last chapter deals with dangers, diseases, sorrow and death which are beyond Human control.

The book reasonably priced at Rs. 200/- makes a useful and interesting reading and the praise-worthy book will be a welcome addition to adorn any library.
-I. Hara Krishnatc "BOOK REVIEWs"