yes, there is a hope...

India : A Sacred Geography Do you remember review of Benaras: The City of Light written by Diana L. Eck? As I read more and more about her books, I am sort of liking her. The depth she had in exploring the Indic religious organisation which is very rare for someone looking from outsiders perspective. This book India : A Sacred Geography, published in 2012 by Random House is next in series for the author wherein she has delved into the vastness of religiosity of India as a country. The book is divided into 10 chapters starting with a detailed note on transliteration and pronunciation. In A Sacred Geography, an imagined landscape, the author identifies tirthas as “crossings”  where one’s prayers are amplified, one’s rites are more efficacious, one’s vows more readily fulfilled. The book indicted that in the ancient shastras not only geographical teerthas but also teerths of heart are referred as “manas teerthas”. These are enumerated as “truth, celibacy, charity, patience, self-contr...

 “आपका बंटी” मन्नू भंडारी के उन बेजोड़ उपन्यासों में है जिनके बिना न बीसवीं सदी के हिंदी उपन्यास की बात की जा सकती है ना स्त्री विमर्श को सही धरातल पर समझा जा सकता है। बच्चों की निगाहों और घायल होती सम्वेदना की निगाहों से देखी गई परिवार की यह कहानी बच्चों की दुनिया को एक भयावह दुस्वप्न बना जाती है। कहना मुश्किल है कि यह कहानी बालक की है या माँ की क्यूँकि सभी तो एक दूसरे में ऐसे उलझे हैं कि एक की त्रासदी सभी की ज़िंदगी में भागी बन जाती है। मन्नू भंडारी हिंदी की प्रसिद्ध लेखिका है जिनका जन्म मध्य प्रदेश में हुआ था। आपके कई उपन्यास प्रसिद्ध हैं जिनमें महाभोज और "आपका बंटी" (राधाकृष्ण प्रकाशन 1971) सबसे प्रमुख हैं। आपका बंटी मुख्यतः पति और पत्नी के बीच मंझधार में फँसे उस अबोध बालक की कहानी है जो माँ और पिता के प्यार को संपूर्ण रूप से ना पा सका। यह एक ऐसी कहानी है जो एक कार्यकारी महिला चुनौती का सामना करती है, कैसे वह समाज के लोगों को और अपने परिवार और बच्चों की देख रेख के बीच में सामंजस्य बैठाने की कोशिश करती है और उसमें अपने स्वयं के अस्तित्व को भूल जाने दिया। उसको ज़िंदा रखने क...

This is Manickarnika, where death is auspicious,  where life is fruitful, where one grazes the pastures of heaven.  There is no tirtha like Manikarnika, There is no city like Kashi, There is no linga like visheshwara,  not in the whole universe. Banaras: City of Light is written by Diana L. Eck. Before we proceed further to review the book, it is pertinent to discuss the credentials of the author. She is a professor of comparative religion and Indian studies in the Harvard University. She has written books on spirituality, religion, especially on India. The book was published in 1981.  The book is divided in eight chapters dealing with different aspects of the city. The chapters range from discussion on Shiva temples of Banaras to the events, on Ganges and the seasons. The book richly contains appendix and a detailed notes and glossary which gives it a complete treat for someone who is new to India or wants to explore the city in a holistic manner on its own. The aut...

ADDRESS ON THE ANNUAL DAY OF DAYAWATI MODI PUBLIC SCHOOL , RAEBARELI (MY ALMA MATER) ON 18.12.2024 Today's arrival is not as chief guest but more of a homecoming. After the demise of my father, this school, teachers, and staff were like extended family. Being a boy in his adolescence there was plenty of room for departure from what we call a good boy but timely intervention has helped to take corrective action.  I remember how  as a small kid I entered these hallowed campus and Mr. BR Dubey was the principal. Modi school was the pride of Raebareli and neighbouring districts. Over the years, Mt Rodrigues, Mr RMD Abreo have served the campus. We spent a few years in the guest house school where Mrs. Rodrigues was the sole teacher. So many things change but yet everything remains the same. Today amongst us we have parents and students. This occasion does not call for a lecture but I am tempted to give a few sermons to my younger friends. First try to expand your thinking from jus...

THE GOLDEN ROAD :  HOW ANCIENT INDIA TRANSFORMED THE WORLD WILLIAM DALRYMPLE, BLOOMSBURY, 2024 William Dalrymple does not need an introduction. Every reader has heard his name even if he hasn't read his works. His readership spreads from serious history researchers to casual history enthusiasts, from serious UPSC Civil services aspirants of History optionals to general studies specific students, from Indians interested in their cultural revivals to global readers interested in South-East Asia and especially India.  Recently, I have read his "The Golden Road" published by Bloomsbury which is about India's golden era where the dominance extended from Central Asia to China to South East Asia. The extent of influence was such that the entire cities were built on the patterns as in Bharatvarsh and Kings ruling in the name of Hindu dieties what he broadly terms as Indosphere. The book is presented in 10 chapters revolving around the common theme of Indic influence transcend...

THE LUMUMBA PLOT  The Secret History of the CIA and a Cold War Assassination  The race of one-upmanship between USA and USSR during the cold war era was heating up. The competing blocks fought for the supremacy in all aspects of life and at any cost. The roles of their agencies CIA and KGB was very crucial and is well documented in the now declassified files.  This book is written by Stuart A Reid who is executive editor of Foreign Affairs magazine and is now associated ith CFR.  It revolves around the Democratic Republic of Congo which was also known as Zaire for some time. The central African country is one of the largest country in the world criss-crossed by River Congo. The country was a  personal estate of King Leopold of Belgium before becoming the  colony of Belgium.  After a brief struggle, the country got its Independence on 30 June 1960 but due to absense of administrative machinery and institutions to support the sudden withdrawal of Belgian...