'Criti....que not Criti....cize'

Rumi: Tales to Live By by Kamla K. Kapur My rating: 3 of 5 stars Name of the book: RUMI Tales to Live By Name of the author: Kamla K. Kapur Publisher: Jaico Publishing House ISBN Number: 978-93-86348-93-7 Genre: Self-help Price: Rs. 299 Pages: 221 The review can also be found here: https://www.freepressjournal.in/book-reviews/rumi-tales-to-live-by-kamla-k-kapur "How long," Rumi cries to the reader and himself, "will you play at loving the shape of the jug? Leave the shape of the jug, go, go seek the water." Words like these always brought me closer to Rumi and his thoughts. And to see ‘Rumi’ emblazoned on the cover page of this book only pulled me closer to it. The image welcomes the reader into a journey that is more or less to be taken by oneself. It is a journey that takes one closer to one’s soul. As human beings, we easily tend to blame others for the way they are without sparing one thought about how we might be, from...

Chikankari: A Lucknawi Tradition by Paola Manfredi My rating: 4 of 5 stars White-on-white embroidery made more beautiful Name of the book: Chikankari: A Lucknawi Tradition Author: Paola Manfredi Publisher: Niyogi Books ISBN: 978-93-85285-53-0 Price: Rs.2495 Pages: 252 The review can also be found here : https://www.freepressjournal.in/book-reviews/chikankari-a-lucknawi-tradition-paola-manfredi In the words of Amita Walia, “The magic of Chikankari or the white-on-white embroidery of Lucknow reflects the splendor of Indian craft as pure moonlight resplendent in all its beauty.” Spread over 252 pages, this illustrated book exquisitely presents a detailed view and well-researched analysis of chikan embroidery – the most artistic and most delicate form of what may be called the purely indigenous needlework of India, as per George Watt (1903). It delves into the nitty-gritty of the chikan embroidery – the mysterious origins of the craft that develop...

Everybody's Son by Thrity Umrigar My rating: 4 of 5 stars Coloured woes, in black and white Name of the book: Everybody’s Son Name of the author: Thrity Umrigar Publisher: HarperCollins ISBN: 9780062442246 Pages: 352 Price: 26.99 USD The book review can also be found here: https://www.freepressjournal.in/book-reviews/everybodys-son-by-thrity-unrigar Thrity Umrigar , an Indian- American journalist and the winner of the Nieman Fellowship to Harvard and a 2006 finalist for the PEN/ Beyond Margins Award, who relocated to the US at the age of 21 from India, has deftly explored in this book how racism can exist without one even realizing about it. Everybody’s Son is an example of powerful and uncomplicated writing which pushes your borders and leaves you at the edge of a mountain top. The only option you have is to jump. And jump you will, into Anton’s world – the main character in the novel. There is not much suspense in waiting. The story has be...

Of humour, Islam and hope A Hundred Journeys by Omar Zafarullah My rating: 3 of 5 stars Name of the book: A Hundred Journeys (Stories of My Fatherland) Name of the author: Omar Zafarullah Publisher: Rupa Publications Price: Rs.295 Pages: 211 ISBN: 9788129147394 Also available as an e-book The review can also be found here: https://www.freepressjournal.in/book-reviews/a-hundered-journeys-stories-of-my-fatherland-by-omar-zafarullah Two words that escaped my mouth after I completed reading the book, 'astonishingly pleased', summarise how I felt after reading A Hundred Journeys – Stories of my Fatherland . For me as an Indian, this book brought forth a fresh perspective. Omar Zafarullah , a mechanical engineer with a degree from Yale University, USA and an executive in a Fortune 500 company, who belongs to Gojra and lives in Lahore, has written something that people all over the world must read to understand and learn to look at Pakistan in co...

Women Warriors in Indian History by Yugal Joshi My rating: 3 of 5 stars Historically sound, yet refuses to be a page-turner ( https://www.freepressjournal.in/book-reviews/women-warriors-in-indian-history-yugal-joshi ) Name of the book: Women Warriors in Indian History Name of the Author: Yugal Joshi Publisher: Rupa Publications India Pvt. Ltd ISBN: 978-81-291-4522-2 Price: Rs 195 Pages: 177 As soon as I closed the book after reading Rani Lakshmi Bai’s story (also the last one in the book), I looked around. I was in a ladies’ compartment of a Mumbai Local, on my way back home at a little over 9.45 pm. All around, I could see women – some engrossed in their mobile phones, some having dinner, some looking out of the windows, some laughing with their friends and yet some others worried about being late than usual to get back home. I wondered how these women managed to get there and that too at an hour when women were expected to be at home with cooked mea...

Why Won't You Apologize? Healing Big Betrayals and Everyday Hurts   by Harriet Lerner My rating: 4 of 5 stars Art of apologizing done right Name of the book: Why won’t you apologize? Name of the author: Harriet Lerner Genre: Self help/ Psychology Publisher: Duckworth Overlook Pages: 195 Price: Rs.499 Also available as an e-book Apologising is an art. If done right, it can lead to a peaceful life. If otherwise, it can lead to a lifetime of uncomfortable silences with those who once were an important part of life. In a fast-paced life, when people are involved in a cutthroat rat race, seldom do they slow down or pause to apologize to those who may have been hurt by them, intentionally or otherwise. “Apologise? Why should I?” is a fairly common question. Why is apologizing so difficult? And, finally when one does manage to come up with an apology, what does the other party do? It dismisses the apology altogether without sparing a thought for...

The Peacock Feather by Sudhir Kapoor My rating: 3 of 5 stars http://www.freepressjournal.in/book-r... Name of the book: The Peacock Feather Authors: Sunil Kapoor and Sudhir Kapoor Publisher: Rupa Publications India Pvt. Ltd 2017 ISBN 978-81-291-4459-1 Genre: Fiction Also available as an e-book Price: Rs. 395 Pages: 195 This review can also be read at https://www.freepressjournal.in/book-reviews/the-peacock-feather-by-sunil-kapoor-sudhir-kapoor “I wanted a perfect ending. Now I’ve learned, the hard way, that some poems don’t rhyme, and some stories don’t have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what’s going to happen next. Delicious Ambiguity.” ― Gilda Radner Delicious ambiguity is what this book is about – a slice of life itself. With ten vivid short stories to grip the reader from the very first page, ‘The Peacock Feather’ h...