Book Reviews

ENGLISH

ARABIC, THE LANGUAGE OF ISLAM

AN INTRODUCTION TO CLASSICAL ARABIC:

A contribution to Islamic and Orien­tal Studies: Author and Publisher: Shashi­kant V. Barve C/o. Architects Combine, 41, Community Centre, East of Kailash, New Delhi - 110 065. Price: Rs. 350/-­

When Angel Gabriel revealed to Prophet Muhammad the first verses of Koran in the dialect of the spoken language if the Arabian Peninsula were born together one of the World Religions, Islam, and the Classical Arabic, its sacred medium. The re­ligion arrived in country after country, con­tinent after continent signaling its arrival, in the words of the author of the book under review, with the reverberating sound of the Muslim call for prayer in the Arabic lan­guage.

AN INTRODUCTION TO CLASSICAL ARABIC, therefore becomes also a compen­dium of Islam: if the first long chapter gives us a detailed history of the conquest made by Islam and the consequent spread of Is­lam of three continents, the last chapter gives us the very quintessence of Islam with profuse quotations from the Koran in the Original Arabic with transliteration and translation in English. The second and third chapters bring before us the Arabic alpha­bet, some vocabulary and a list of Urdu (Hindi) words derived from Arabic.

One cannot have a more authentic and more comprehensive work on Islam that also gives us a taste of the Arabic than Barve’s masterpiece.

K. B. Sitaramayya

TELUGU

Seshendra Kavitha- Navyatha is a research thesis written by Dr. Kaluvakunta Rama Murthi for which Ph.D. Degree was awarded to him in 1991 by Sri Venkateswara University. Rs. 80; 228 pages; M/sVisalandra Publishing house, 4-1-435, Vignan Bhavan, Bank Street, Hyderabad 500 001.

The author of the book Kalavankunta Sree Rama Murthi has informed in the introduction that he had obtained the Ph.D. Degree under the category of ‘Without guide’. This is a rare feat. The book contains six chapters namely ‘Seshendra Kavya Jeevitham’, ‘Seshendra Kavitha Prayoga Dasa’, ‘Soundarya Navyatha’, ‘Seshendra Abhyudaya Kavitha Navyatha Dasa’ ‘Viplavanabyatha’, ‘Upasamharam’. The au­thor is a scholar, Novelist and a very good analyst. A novelist will have a convenient freedom to depict the characters in his novel but a research scholar will not have such freedom. He has to probe deeply with inquisitive out look and defend the subject matter that has been chosen by him for research work. The author succeeded in this aspect. Gunturu Seshendra Sarma is a learned writer. His innumerable literary works speak about his vast knowledge re­lated to the universe, the Sastras, the Puranas, the Vedas, the Indian Philosophy, the Yogas, the tantras of the Hindu classical literature. Dr. Rama Murthi analysed these aspects in this book along with his main subject ‘Seshendra Sarma, Navyatha’. Sri Rama Murthi’s presentation of the subject will raise the curiosity of the reader and creates interest to read the works of Seshendra Sarma. It is indeed this is what is expected from a research thesis. I am sure that this book will inspire some more re­search scholars to take up the other aspects in the literary works of Seshendra Sarma to enrich the Telugu literature.

- V. Swarajya Lakshmi

TELUGU

ANAMAKUDI DIARY: by Vemaraju Narasmiha Rao; pp 108; Rs 25; Navya Sahiti Samiti, 1-8-522/12, Chikkadpalli, Hyderabad 500 020.

This is indeed a very rare Diary. Humour occupies a very prominent role in Telugu literature. It will be a crude attempt to create humour by suggestive, obscene words or to hold some one to ridicule. Among the Telugu writers who dispensed with clean humour may be mentioned such stalwarts as Munimanikyam, Mokkapti, Bhanumathi (Attagari Kathalu). Dr Ravuri Venkata Satyanarana was a regular contributor to Krishna Patrika of Mutnuri Krishna Rao, with his colunm, Vadagallu in a lighter vein and later to the Andhra Prabha in Ashamashi and dispensed clean humour which always were received with ripples of laughter and smiles.

The Anamakudi Dairy of Sri Vemaraju Narasimha Rao belongs to that class of literature. This consists of interest­ing real life anecdotes in witty, unpretentious, and simple style. This in an enlarged version of the compilation of ar­ticles serialised in Andhra Jyothi about a decade ago (first published in 1986)

Simplicity, crispness, brevity and a twist in the end are the hall marks for a good story. All these pieces have them in a good measure. What is more, they are nei­ther stories, nor essays. Perhaps they are witty essays, stories, if we can call them so.

This book has the quality of a rare grip over the reader and once you start reading, it will keep you glued till the end. You feel the tingling sensation of their melt­ing in your mouth like some rasogullas. Sense of appreciation comes out of the lips in ripples of laughter.

The author has succeeded in produc­ing abundant humour without hurting or getting hurt in each of the 18 pieces in this book. This must be read and enjoyed by one and all and will adorn any library promi­nently.

- Dr. Vasa Prabhavati