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In the company of books

Two interesting works of non-fiction, "Holy Warriors" and "Brideless in Wembley" have just seen released at the three-day Kitab Festival held in New Delhi

As part of recently concluded three-day Kitab Festival at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi, Penguin India launched two important works of non-fiction: "Holy Warriors: A journey into the Hearts of Indian Fundamentalism" by Edna Fernandes, a renowned British journalist, and "Brideless in Wembley" by Sanjay Suri, a London-based journalist and writer. While "Holy Warriors" is a first-hand account of every facet of religious fundamentalism in India, "Brideless in Wembley" is a spirited revelation of the exuberant mosaic of life in post-immigration Britain.

The venue of the launch, Stein Auditorium at the IHC saw the literary circle of the Capital in full force mingling with the international and eclectic mix of writers, journalists and thinkers. Among important names was the British MP Clare Short seen engrossed in an animated discussion with fellow book lovers.

The evening began with the introduction to "Holy Warriors" by Edna Fernandes. The highlight of the book and research is what took her to the country's recent and past theatres of fundamentalism, from Kashmir to Gujarat, Punjab to Goa. She held that the fundamentalism is fuelled by two common factors found in all radical movements everywhere - "economic poverty and political impotency". She thereafter read out a few passages from the book.

Quest for bride

Sanjay Suri's "Brideless in Wembley" is the author's quest for a bride in the Asian immigrant community of Great Britain and in the process, encounters an extraordinary variety of Indian lives, which enables him to unearth a treasure trove of tales. A beautiful narration of the life and tradition of British-Indians, Suri says, "The way Indians were being Indian, someone had to take a note." Krishna, a college friend of Suri in an introduction to the book called it an "interesting book that engages you".

Talking about his experience in Britain Suri revealed, "Asian means nothing there. It is a community, which is suffering from an identity crisis". When confronted with the question whether the book was a memoir of an Indian journalist based in Britain, Suri was quick to reply that it is a "part-confession".

The launch was followed by a gala reception at the Silver Oak Lawn. The two authors were spotted signing the copies of their books. and interacting with the people over the cocktails, as the question-answer session could not be held due to paucity of time.

SANDEEP YADAV

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