Book Reviews

The Pilgrim - D. Surya Rao, Published by Vittal Publications, F.F.4, A.G.S Towers, Srinivasa Nagar, Bank Colony, Vijayawada - 520 008, PP 256. Price: Rs. 90

Basically, “The Pilgrim” is a drawing-room discussion on Issues of common concern. Social dilemmas, and the political fracas of the day, widely figure in the book that is moulded in discourses. This is achieved through the interaction between the venerable Prof. Chalam and his friends of varied hues who hold divergent views on all aspects of life - educational, political, administrative, social, personal, religious, moral and spiritual. Invariably, it’s the professor’s conviction, that material prosperity is not the real test of man’s progress in life but it is love, compassion and vision of equality that lead one to his spiritual attainment, which moderates, if not reconciles, the subject of the debates. Interspersed with the discussions are the accounts of the lives of Madhav and Chitra, Srinivasan and Sushma, Annapurna and Somaraju Sr., and Anasuya and Somaraju Jr. that seek to highlight the discourses in their proper perspective.

In all, “The Pilgrim” seeks to portray the moral values of ancient India to the new generation in a way to exhort them to imbibe the same. All this is done in a simple language and straightforward expression. It is interesting to find that the book voices both sides of the problem.

B.S. Murthy
Novelist, Hyderabad

Contemporary Problems of India – Lt. Col. Murthy, Price not mentioned.

This booklet deals with certain basic yet subtle issues pertaining to our unique ancient Indian cultural heritage with a purely patriotic perspective.

Our country was subject to British colonialism for centuries and the rulers made an aggressive effort at eroding our ancient culture SANATANA DHARMA in their own vicious imperialist interests…both political and commercial. Their only concerns were greedy expansion of their empire and their unscrupulous commerce. They stopped at nothing to achieve these ends. The present day post-independence generation, which unfortunately has hardly any knowledge of our time-tested glorious cultural heritage, today stands firmly convinced that our ancient values system with its roots in the eternal VEDIC norms is far inferior to the materialistic western culture with its glamour and glitter. This indeed represents the greatest damager to the country. This book draws our attention to this dangerous development.

According to the writer, our nation was prior to the British rule, not merely well-developed but stood tall and mighty in all aspects…religion, spirituality, ethics, sciences, technology, public administration, architecture, shipping and commerce. In fact in every way our nation stood far superior to Britain. The British exploited the situation to their best advantage and gradually turned the nation, over the centuries, into a state of dependency, if not slavery.

Our nation is crippled with self-centered ruling politics hindering true progress. On one hand youngsters are flocking to ‘glamourous’ America for permanent settlement and on the other there is a drastic migration from rural to urban areas for ‘better’ earnings.

After reading the book we get the impression that our nation urgently needs to be pulled out of this ‘cultural calmity’ and economic poverty caused by the centuries-long British rule and brought to the right tracks. Towards this end several organisations have sprung up and are engaged in preaching SANATANA DHARMA (our age-old eternal values of life) to the public. No doubt it is a sad commentary that today we are to be reminded of our own ancient culture. It is an urgent need of the hour.

Lt. Col. Murty deserves to be congratulated for bringing out this book throwing light on many issues related to the glorious ancient Indian culture and the damage done by the British rule.
Kambhampati Krishna Prasad

Nadhi Naa Puttuka (in Telugu) - Sabbani Laxminarayan, Available in all branches of Visalandhra Book House in A.P., Telugu Book House, Kachiguda, Hyderabad; pp + 52; Price: Rs. 50.

“If Poetry come not as naturally as the leaves to a tree, it had better not come at all”
-John Keats

Poetry is the most concise and yet the most effective literary form where the poet virtually pours his soul into his work. This calls for a lot of poetic talent and more importantly a poetic heart that spontaneously responds to nature and its beauty, human life with its inherent crests and troughs, and the subtle inner feelings of the ‘not-so-fortunate’. In other words a poet needs to be a cultured person blessed with an extraordinarily sensitive mind. A perusal of this book reveals that the author is endowed with all these outstanding qualities. Sensibility and inspiration are priceless assets endowed by God to this poet, while the poet himself is His invaluable gift to the world.

In this slim volume the poet deals with a spectrum of topics ranging from nature and its aesthetic beauty (NADHI NAA PUTTUKA) down to pathetic real life situations (PANI PILLA). In every stanza throughout the book the reader clearly sense the poet’s spontaneous response to his chosen theme. The language and style adopted are simple and clear and so the book makes an easy reading.

Though the book for its size appears slightly overpriced, NADHI NAA PUTTUKA is undoubtedly a ‘must read’ for anyone genuinely interested in modern value-based Telugu poetry. In this regard Sabbani Laxminarayana deserves congratulations for his literary achievement that won him numerous prizes and awards and for his efforts in bringing out this inspiring book for poetry lovers.
Kambhampati Krishna Prasad
Retd. Naval Chief  Engineer, Hyderabad

Destination(poems), Hazara Singh, Self-publisher, Ludhiana, 2007, pp. 142, Rs. 200.00
The scholars, whose appraisals of the earlier publications of Prof. Hazara Singh have been included in the Matter of this text, compliment highly his mastery of English idiom, proficiency in communication and the loftiness of thought reflected by his poems. One of them even holds that his verse is easily comparable to that of Tagore, Naidu, Kaliparsad Ghose and V.K. Gokak.

The afore-said eulogizing assessment sharpened my curiosity to probe Destination, which comprises all the poems written by him so far. It offers a wide spectrum of topics, classified under the captions; longings, pathfinders, martyrs, post-independence India, degeneration, outbursts, et al. His scholarship is not of an academician, browsing in libraries, but the worldly knowledge gleaned from ups and downs of life.

‘I have precise and concise expression
Proficient also in pragmatic approach
Picked up knowledge about grass-roots
When facing the ups and downs of life’.

The first poem ‘Where’ enunciates broadly the goal longed to be achieved. The successive sections, despite different captions, serve as steps of the stair leading to the cherished destination: the world becoming heaven itself.

‘I am man, master of his fate, captain of his will
Not to reach heaven but to make one is his goal’.

Not caring at all about the rewarding career, his brilliance in studies assured, he displayed guts to plunge into the freedom movement; faced imprisonment and saw, during that ordeal, the dungeons and scaffold where the revolutionaries had been persecuted and executed. His awe, agony and above all the admiration for the indomitable will of patriots are resounded by the sonnets comprising the section Martyrs.

Almost all the worldly maladies have been diagnosed and corresponding remedies explored. The poems in the section Introspections contain valuable comments for self-improvement, consistent with his belief, that poetry may recreate but it ought to elevate.

Those inclined to ‘transform political freedom into social regeneration and economic advancement, acquire rational, humane and secular values, and usher in an era assuring international peace, balanced global development and sustained human betterment’ will find this text a rewarding reading.

I endorse that the Text-book Boards and the Universities in India must give corresponding heed to assess the merit of native writers. The curriculum should specifically include the contribution of pioneers and martyrs of freedom struggle. It will impart right direction to the aspirations of post-independence generations.

It is particularly gratifying that this publication which hails the Diamond Jubilee of Independence of India, synochronises with author’s 85th birthday. At this quite advanced stage of his life, he illustrates still through words and deeds.

Dr. Amarjit Singh
Formaly Professor & Head,
Dept. of Journalism, Languages & Culture,
Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana.