Bookwatch
Fusion future
A PRODUCT of the East and the West, Kishore Mahbubani — born as a British subject into a Hindu Indian immigrant family in Singapore — may be of the view that Samuel Huntington's vision of a "clash of civilisations" ought to be taken seriously, but much of his writings are anchored in the view that the future lies in the fusion of civilisations.
Working on the premise that the East and the West have a lot to learn from each other, Mahbubani in his book, Can Asians Think? Understanding the Divide between East and West — which is now into its third edition — seeks to challenge old assumptions. In particular, he makes out a case against the manner in which the West has arrogated for itself the moral high ground from which it lectures to the rest of the world.
While doing so, he is not charitable to the East either. Of the view that the East should introspect and ponder why Asian societies lost a thousand years and slipped behind the European societies that they were ahead of at the turn of the last millennium, Mahbubani makes an attempt to goad Asians out of the Rip Van Winkle mode. He addresses the issue with a sense of urgency because, according to him, the time is right for Asian societies to assert themselves; not necessarily to regain supremacy but to be acknowledged as equal to the West.
Since his is an attempt to challenge conventional wisdom, Mahbubani — currently Singapore's ambassador to the United Nations — dares to offer some advise to the West along with the rest. Cautioning humanity against sailing into the 21st Century with "19th Century mental maps", he calls for thinking along "new mental corridors".
Can Asians Think? Understanding the Divide between East and West, Kishore Mahbubani, Penguin, Rs. 295.
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From the treasure chest
THE Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) reaches out to a new constituency — children — with Once Upon A Time In India, an anthology of folk tales from each of the 26 States of the country. First in a series, through this exercise ICCR proposes to compile some of the tales — spawned by India's strong tradition of story-telling — in English. These will later be translated into different languages to make Indian folklore widely accessible.
And, as Nilima Sinha, the president of the Association of Writers and Illustrators for Children (AWIC) — co-publishers of the book — puts it, Indian folk story tradition has enough characters who can capture the imagination of children like international fairytale characters, Cinderella, Snow White, Brer Rabbit,....
The Indian section of the International Board on Books for Young People, AWIC shares the rationale which made ICCR break new ground with this book. Both organisations are one in believing that exposure to other cultures and lifestyles through interesting stories and attractive illustrations will help children understand and appreciate the diversity of nations, which in turn will go a long way in promoting peace and tolerance throughout the world.
The lofty goals apart, the two organisations together also offer a new showcase to Indian folklore; one with a window to the world.
Once Upon A Time in India: An Anthology of Folk Tales, Macmillan, Indian Council for Cultural Relations and Association of Writers and Illustrators for Children, Rs. 385.
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Curry and chips
SWADESHI' zealots from the saffron stables rile against the English language, but are passionate about cricket unmindful of the inherent contradiction. After all, both cricket and English language are colonial leftovers and should draw their wrath by equal measure. The `swadeshi' rhetoric apart, these two colonial legacies have taken such strong roots in India that few see them as alien or transplanted phenomena. In fact, this is true for much of what the British left behind; be it their architecture, their laws, their hill stations...
And, this is not a case of one-way traffic. India has contributed in fair measure of late to modern-day Britain. A perfect case in point being the Indian words that have slowly but surely crept into English vocabulary. So much so that no English lexicon can ignore some of these words and have had to include them in their new editions.
This complementing relationship between two countries — separated by seas and plagued by historic animosities — is what journalist Subhash Chopra dwells on in India and Britannia: An Abiding Affair. He brings to the book his 25 years in Britain during which time British society not only changed to become more accommodating towards Asians but began taking to more than just their curries.
India and Britannia: An Abiding Affair, Subhash Chopra, Minerva Press, Rs. 250.
ANITA JOSHUA
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