Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Penguin book fair brings popular titles

Ayodhya 6, December 1992, a narrative non-fiction by P.V. Narasimha Rao, the late Prime Minister, provides some valuable insight into the understanding of one of the most important political moments of the country, the demolition of Babri Masjid.

The book, published posthumously in accordance with the author's wishes, is currently on display at the `Penguin book fair,' an exhibition held at the Modern Book Centre in the city.

The book records the late Prime Minister's view of what happened at Ayodhya and why. Delving into the history of Ayodhya dispute, Narasimha Rao discloses how the issue of building a Ram mandir at Ayodhya has consistently been politicised for electoral benefit. Discussing Article 356 of the Constitution at length, he explains why it was inadvisable to place Uttar Pradesh under President's Rule even though the mosque was under threat.

Drawing on the apex court's order, parliamentary proceedings, eyewitness reports and his own political insights, Mr. Narasimha Rao presents a comprehensive account of the machinations that led to the attack and indicates who might have gained from it and how. The book highlights the danger of exploiting religious sentiments for narrow electoral benefits.

The exhibition, which features over 2,000 titles, include the latest publications from all the seven divisions of Penguin namely Penguin Group, the U.K., Faber and Faber, Bloomsberry, Penguin India and Dorling Kindersley, London.

Some of the popular titles on display include William Dalrymple's `The Last Mughal,' paper back edition of the Booker Prize winner Kiran Desai's `The Inheritance of Loss,' `Brushing up the Years,' a cartoonist history of India by R.K. Laxman, Penguin's Hindi translations of leading Indian writers such as Arundhati Roy, Kushwant Singh and Shobha De and Penguin's world classics and popular classics.

Said N.E. Sudheer, manager, Modern Book Centre: "We always had a great demand for world classics from the customers. But we were unable to give a good display for the collection due to the flooding of new arrivals." According to him more than 100 new titles hit the shelves every-week. "The exhibition features some of the rare collections from Penguin," said Mr. Sudheer. The nine-day long exhibition will wind up on November 5. There is also a discount of 10 per cent on all purchases at the fair.

Sangeeth Kurian

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