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Words to remember
IF THE written word helps crystallise cultural memory for future generations, 2004 can certainly count as a year in which Indian publications contributed to the process. It was a year that saw a number of books on the heroes of the Independence movement both by Indian and non-Indian authors. India's first Prime Minister was a favourite topic. If January saw Oxford University Press present its Indian edition of British professor Judith Brown's "Nehru: A Political Biography", originally published by Yale University Press in the U.K., the end of the year witnessed a number of Nehru classics repackaged by Penguin. These included "Letters from a Father to his Daughter" (the collection of Jawaharlal Nehru's letters written in 1928 to Indira Gandhi, recounting natural history and the story of civilisations, when she was a 10-year-old), "Two Alone, Two Together - Letters between Indira Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru" edited by Sonia Gandhi, and the well-known "Glimpses of World History", the collection of inspired letters written by Nehru to Indira from his jail cell in 1931.
In between there was a biography of Nehru by Shashi Tharoor, eminent novelist, columnist and international civil servant. And, as if to remind us that there were others who helped mould India's destiny, Mihir Bose came out with "The Lost Hero - A Biography of Subhas Bose", a Blue Leaf publication, an imprint of Brijbasi Art Press.
Monarchy too figured - pictorially of course, and sometimes controversially - in the documentation of the year. In Roli Books' Family Pride series, Dharmendar Kanwar authored a biography of Maharani Gayatri Devi of Jaipur, though some objected to the smitten subject's authority to write on her Queen of Hearts, in a series originally announced as offspring writing their parents' life story. And Penguin came out with "Maharanis - The Lives and Times of Three Generations of Indian Princesses" by Lucy Moore, tracing the gripping period of history leading up to India's independence and after.
More than human
But there were stories of more than mere men and women. Roli Books editors Priya Kapoor and Nandita Jaishankar compiled "VIPs - Very Important Pets" detailing the lives, times and idiosyncrasies of the pets of the rich and famous.
And in all the flurry of glamour and glitz, the usual roll-outs on self-help, success and management, some publishers continued to bring out books for the seekers, like the Viveka Foundation's "The Buddha and the Terrorist" by Satish Kumar. A true fable for contemporary times, it presents the tale of the dreaded murderer Angulimala who hoped to ease the turmoil in his soul through a policy of blanket violence and revenge. Through this and his other writings, Satish Kumar furthers his views on non-violence as the only and most potent tool of power for the present and future. A healthy note on which to start contemplation for another year ahead.
ANJANA RAJAN
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