Book Review: Boy by Roald Dahl

Boy is certainly not Roald Dahl’s autobiography but definitely a reflection of his early phase of life. Roald Dahl’s father hailed from a small town near Oslo. His father had married twice and died when Dahl was young. In his childhood, Dahl was a naughty kid. In this book he narrates an anecdote from his childhood where he along with his friends placed a dead mouse into a box containing sweets. The seller of those sweets was a lady who complained to Dahl’s school head. They all got caught and were punished badly. Furthermore Dahl mentions his admission into a boarding school. There he suffered from homesickness and also faced the wrath of his school teachers and seniors. In addition to that he had secretly kept a bicycle which he would often ride after sneaking out from his dormitory. Adding on to that, he mentions about his different teachers; their behavior towards students and the beating which they got from them. One day he was really missing home and wanted to go back. This only became possible when he pretended to be sick. He also explains the physical pain which he underwent after getting his adenoid removed without anesthesia. Dahl’s naughtiness once made him mix goat’s dropping into the pipe of his sister’s fiancé. After high school Dahl did not wish to study at a university and instead opted to work. He got inducted into Shell Oil Company. Later on he also became an RAF pilot fighting against the Germans in Second World War. Dahl was passionate about photography and got a Bronze medal from the Egyptian photography Society in Cairo. Throughout the book Dahl shares his childhood experiences, school life and his family trips. He believes that some events have made an ever lasting impact on his life. As Roald Dahl states ‘Throughout my young days at school and just afterwards a number of things happened to me… Some are funny. Some are painful. Some are unpleasant…All are true’.

Read More

Book Review: Danny The Champion of the World By Roald Dahl

A small boy named Danny lives with his father. His mother had died early and he has been brought up only by his father. Danny’s father is a mechanic and also owns a filling station. One night Danny discovers the absence of his father from bed. He gets curious and worried. This worrisome situation leads Danny to hunt for his father. In this search he drives his father’s car to the woods, after narrowly escaping the police. There he learns that his father is inside a deep pit and has a broken leg too. He rescues his father. Later Danny’s father tells him the reason behind the injury. This revelation is about a secret. Danny promises not to disclose it. His father has been secretly poaching pheasants. Danny gets very interested in knowing about this art. Moreover his father tells him various methods for poaching. When Danny rescues his father, Dr. Spencer is called for the treatment. One night Danny’s father tells him his plan of embarrassing Victor Hazell. Hazell is a well-known man who organizes pheasant shooting. Danny’s father holds a grudge against him for his disrespectful behavior. After knowing his father’s plan, one night Danny shares his own idea with him. Filling raisins with sleeping powder is Danny’s proposal. With great excitement his father accepts his plan. Danny takes a day off school and works with his father to fill the raisins with sleeping pill powder. One day as they had planned, they slip into the woods with their raisins and feed the pheasants covertly. When the keepers go away for supper Danny along with his father collect the dozed off pheasants. A taxi arrives to transport the pheasants to a safe location. The next morning Mrs Clipstone comes to deliver the pheasants in a pram with a baby on the top. Mrs Clipstone starts running towards Danny. Danny is accompanied by his father and Dr. Spencer. They all get worried. Unexpectedly the birds in the pram start flying in all directions. A sleeping pill doesn’t last forever is Doctor Spencer’s response.  In some moments Mr Hazell arrives and seems restless. Hazell is petrified to see pheasants swarming all over the filling station. Sergeant Samways is instructed by Hazell to help him remove the birds from the filling station. Danny and his father also join them. In a few minutes Hazell’s car is festooned with the birds. Hazell got very cross over this. Victor Hazell gets into his car and suddenly all the pheasants rise like a cloud from his car. It seems that all the pheasants had gone away until the doctor reveals that six pheasants were still there. These were those greedy ones that ate up more than one raisin. Then these pheasants are divided among the fellows. Danny tells his father that he was happy to be part of the pheasant poaching adventure. Adding on to that, he states that it would have been much better if all the pheasants had not run away. In reply his father believes that there is always room for improvement and they would learn from their experience. Now after the poaching adventure Danny and his father are making new plans for fishing rainbow trout. Danny is of the view that his father is the most exciting father anybody could ever have.

Read More

Book Review: The Village by the Sea by Anita Desai

This story of Anita Desai revolves around a family which lives on the western coast of India where industrialization is yet to set in motion. The setting is of a village named Thul and the story is entirely based on fact. In the story Hari is a young boy whose father is a drunkard and his mother is extremely ill. The family has deplorable living conditions and they do not have a proper source of income. Hari catches fish with his small net unlike many of the villagers who own fishing boats. Other than that the family does not have sufficient cultivable land. Every year a family from Bombay visits Thul for vacations. Hari and his siblings do their menial work and get some cash in return.  With an ailing mother and a drunkard father life for Hari is worrisome. One day Hari hears about the construction of a factory in the near future at Thul which would provide jobs to the local population. Hari seems confused; he wants a job desperately but also craves for a typical village life. Hari wants no adulteration in the natural environment of his village. One day he leaves for Bombay with the people of his village. They want to present their petition to the Chief Minister showing their disapproval in written form regarding the construction of factories. There in Bombay at the rally confusion arises when Hari realizes that none of his friends from his were present there. This leaves Hari pondering. In fact Hari only joined the rally in order to get a job in Bombay. Hari located the address written on a piece of paper by the De Silvas. He was promised a job by them when they last visited Thul. But on reaching their house he was informed that the De Silvas were not home. Hari was distressed. In Bombay Hari had a tough time, as he worked at a small restaurant and after some days he joined a watch mending shop.  Heavy rainfall in Bombay exposed the strange living conditions to Hari. He now missed the natural environment of his village. Everything in Bombay was flooded with rain water. Now Hari wanted to return to Thul. His mentor at the watch mending shop advised Hari to return to Thul and with that also gave him business ideas. With the money earned at Bombay and his fears Hari returned to Thul. There he met his siblings. Lila told his brother Hari about their lives and how they depended on the De Silvas; and later on their friend Sayyid Ali for their survival, in Hari’s absence. A day before Diwali Hari went to the hospital to bring back home his mother who had been admitted to the hospital by the De Silvas. He was happy to see his father who quit drinking. All the family members celebrated Diwali jubilantly at Thul and it seemed to be the merriest day of their lives. Later Hari meets Sayyid Ali the person from the city who was studying birds. He told him about his apprehensions regarding the construction of factories in Thul. Sayyid Ali the bird watcher was the first customer of Hari as he gave him his watch for repair. Hari got confidence from conversing with this gentleman. Life goes on is what Hari learned. For survival human adaptability is important.  Hari could now see his mother joining the other womenfolk for the rituals on the beach. Now he felt contented with his life in Thul.

Read More

Book Review: Holiday in Hunza By Jewel Hatcher Henrickson

Holiday in Hunza is a travel piece by a group of Americans who live and work in Karachi. When Muhammad Jamal Khan, the last ruler of Hunza visits Karachi he meets Dr. Nelson. Dr. Nelson the medical director of Karachi hospital invites Jamal to visit his hospital. Jamal Khan gets impressed by the hospital management and invites Nelson and his staff to visit Hunza. The following year the Americans with help from Iskander Mirza’s son travel to Hunza. All of them arrive in a train at Rawalpindi. Later on they move to Gilgit in a Dakota plane with a fight which gets delayed. From Gilgit Jamal Khan arranges a jeep and himself excuses the guests, as he has to attend a meeting with the political agent at Gilgit. Jamal promises to join them later in Hunza. The jeep ride to Hunza has a chapter in the book. Rest at Nomal, Nagar and the arrangements made by the Mir of Hunza have also been mentioned. Furthermore a chapter regarding the Mir’s wife is separately given in the book. Her way of life, children, fashion sense and even minute details such as her smoking cigarette have also been stated. Rani gave birth to eleven children and four of them died. The author mentions that it is suspected that they were poisoned as the circumstances were the same in all the cases. In addition to that those tourists who were doctors setup temporary clinic to facilitate the population. The wife of Jamal requests them to open a temporary clinic especially for the Hunza women. These missionary tourists also perform their religious practices and also frequently setup their Sabbath school. Sightseeing in Hunza is facilitated by Master Sultan Ali especially the trek to Ultar glacier. Other than that the tourists also observe a funeral ceremony. Jamal Khan on his return from Gilgit to Hunza requests the tourists for the construction of a hospital in Hunza. Later on before departure from Hunza gifts are exchanged between the tourists and Jamal Khan’s family.

Read More

Book Review: Ancient Cities of the Indus Valley Civilization By Jonathan Mark Kenoyer

Ancient Cities of the Indus Valley Civilization is a book presenting a different perspective on the earliest cities of West India and Pakistan. In the beginning chapters of the book the nature of the cities and its denizens is discussed.  The origins of urban society and the livelihood means of the population are also debated. For construction use of bricks was common. A well-built and well managed drainage system was operating during those times. Water tanks were used for storage which indicates the scarcity of water resources.  There is a general lack of evidence for militarism and control seems to have been through trade and religion. As far as the Indus script is concerned, to this date archeologists have been unable to decipher the Indus script and it still remains a hurdle in understanding various facets of the Indus life. Trade did flourish during that time and Indus valley served as a center point for commercial activity.  The presence of various types of jewelry and relics indicate that the existence of trade relation with other parts of the world. Copper metallurgy also existed in the Indus society and the potter’s wheel which we see today in various parts of Pakistan was also used in the Indus valley. Burial with different ornaments was also common. Some graves had valuable ornaments while others were placed with inferior ones. This indicates a certain kind of class structure which did exist at that time. Religious organization was in place but the exact rituals and practices could not be ascertained. A very basic reason for this is that scripts found can still not be interpreted. In addition to that archeologists believe that games such as ludo and pittu garam have been carried forward from the Indus valley civilization. The scientific evidence of the presence of animals has also been provided. Rhinoceros, elephant, bear and deer are included in the list. Furthermore in the latter part of the book a catalogue is also available for the reader which explains important objects excavated during the twentieth century.

Read More

Book Review: Saladin The Life, The Legend and The Islamic Empire by John Man

This book of history by John Man is related to Saladin, who to date remains one of the key figures of the Islamic empire. Yusuf, son of Ayub, was born in Tikrit and later came to be known as Saladin. Saladin’s rise to power was influenced by various factors. Saladin’s father was a governor, his uncle Shirkuh a military commander and later Saladin also served under Nur- Al din’s command. Nur- Al Din’s death by disease made it easier for Saladin’s rise to power only because conflict had been avoided in his own camp. After consolidating his position Saladin fought against the franks, supported the murder of Vizier Shawar, built a strong army and bullied the young caliph naming him the Vizier.

During that time period the mode of warfare remained very different as compared to that of today. Pigeon-rearing remained an important industry. Pigeons were trained to carry messages which included messages for war preparation, military secrets and spying. Specially trained swimmers broke into enemy lines carrying dinars and messages. It was a risky business but continued to be an essential part of warfare during Saladin’s time. Adding to that Saladin was also a strategist who appointed his family members on key influential positions to keep a check on any form of opposition and to further his power.

Furthermore Saladin had amazing leadership skills. For this he was praised not only by Islamic writers but also from Christian. In the latter half of the book reference is made of Christian writers who have praised Saladin’s generosity and magnanimity. He would not directly go for pillage, death and destruction. For women and children he would offer amnesty and treat them courteously. Some writers went too far and declared him Christian by considering his grandmother a devout Christian. Saladin’s significance was carried into the twentieth century and many of the world leaders especially in the Arab world who tried to imitate his charismatic persona. Despite all his success and failures Saladin is still admired in the world today and still considered as a subject by authors.

Read More

Book Review: The Luminous Life of Dalai Lama Edited by Shyam Dua

 This illustrated biography of Dalai Lama is a small book of less than a hundred pages. Dalai Lama born in Tibet in 1935 and was enthroned at the age five. He started his education at a monastery in Tibet. In this book the list of awards and honorary degrees conferred on him has been enlisted. Dalai Lama believes that Tibet is still under the Chinese oppression. He is of the view that there is an imminent threat to Tibetan religion, culture and environment. The key themes in his various published books are also shortly discussed in this book. Dalai Lama’s lecture on the occasion of receiving the Nobel Peace Prize is also mentioned. Dalai Lama is of the view that people in Tibet are being turned into an insignificant minority by the influx of Chinese immigrants. Prostitution and gambling have been introduced intentionally in the Tibetan society to marginalize the indigenous population. Furthermore he stresses on the need for moral awakening in the world. Both spiritual and material world should go side by side. In addition to that Dalai Lama champions for human rights, democracy and wants Tibet to become a free peaceful zone where Tibet enjoys genuine autonomy within the framework of the People’s Republic of China.

Read More

Book Review: Nisso By Pavel Luknitsky

This historic novel revolves around a girl named Nisso who lives in the mountains of Central Asia. She loses her parents at an early age. Her maternal aunt gives her to Aziz Khon in marriage. Aziz Khon pays her the price. One day Nisso decides to run away from Aziz Khon. She runs away and reaches a valley named Siatang. At Siatang she is under the protection of Sho-pir an ex-red army soldier. Mededev is a comrade and works in Siatang to improvise the life of the local population. Nisso is in love with him, but she does not express her feelings until later. Aziz Khon gets to know about the presence of Nisso at Siatang valley. He prepares a force of basmachi people. One day Aziz Khon attacks on Siatang in Sho-pir’s absence. Aziz Khon’s forces loot, plunder and kill people in Siatang. Khon wants to torture and then brutally kill Nisso. Sho-pir while returning to Siatang hears about the attack of Aziz Khon. He gets enraged and fights against the basmachi. During this fight he gets severely injured. To his rescue the red army men enter Siatang and capture the basmachi along with Aziz Khon. Sho-pir is badly hurt and is in bed. Gulriz’s son Bakhtior had been killed by the basmachi. Gulriz is devastated to see the dead body of her son. Sho-pir later recovers and goes to Volost with Nisso. This novel displays the oppression of the Khans in Central Asia; and shows how the populace was liberated by the soviets and soviet way of life.

Read More