Book Review: The Life of Tipu Sultan by Kate Brittlebank

Tipu Sultan was born on the 20th of November 1750. From the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh to Powis Castle in Wales to the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, today's tourist can see displays of Tipu memorabilia from the material to the mundane (p. 4).

Tipu's father was Haider Ali, in whose time Mysore was in a strong position (p. 10). Haider Ali began his rise through the ranks of the Mysore army of the Wodeyars. Mysore allied itself with British forces during the succession dispute for the Nawabship of the Carnatic. Later, Mysore switched sides to the French, as a result of broken British promises (p. 15). 

It is probable that Tipu's education included the subjects of the Quran, Islamic jurisprudence, hadiths, languages, philosophy, science and history. Tipu's  courage had been evident from an early age, when as a young boy he began to accompany his father on military campaigns.

Tipu's kingdom included Hindus and Jains. His primary goal was to secure and preserve the territory he had inherited from his father. Tipu devoted a large part of his energy to building on Haider's legacy. Haider and Tipu regarded the French as their ally and French mercenaries were an important component of the Mysore army (p. 32). Mysore already had both natural and manufacturing resources, providing Tipu with a substantial foundation for his economic expansion and commercial developments (p. 33). 

Tipu wrote his dreams. These dreams were thirty-seven in total. Tipu's use of tiger imagery was to convey his awesome power and demonstrate his close connection with the divine. Tipu drew an imagery that resonated with all communities (p. 52).

Kate, the author of this book states that Tipu did not discriminate against any specific religious groups on the basis of their faith. Tipu's own Chief Minister (diwan) was a Hindu. The British victors portrayed Tipu as a religious bigot and tyrant- which he was not, says the author. Writing to potential allies in the mid 1790s, Tipu had made it clear that his aims were twofold: to expel the British from India and to regain the districts he had ceded in 1792. Tipu was not the last Indian to resist the East India Company and its forces; a number of Maratha chiefs continued to fight, for instance, and the Sikhs hung on into the 1840s- so in that sense he was not unique ( p. 73). 

Anyone interested in studying the life of Tipu Sultan should definitely read this book.

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Book Review: The Struggle for Hegemony in Pakistan: Fear, Desire and Revolutionary Horizons

 

Aasim Sajjad Akhtar says that a grounded theory of politics is much needed for the formerly colonized South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa (p. 3). He states that this book brings attention to the challenge of 'forging an alternative hegemonic conception in the historically imperialized zones of the world- system' (p. 5). The author stresses that one cannot understand the global crises without centering attention on non-western, postcolonial regions, particularly Asia and Africa. A large majority of the world population lives in postcolonial countries. There are massive youth bulges in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. And the worst affects of global warming/climate change are to be experienced in East and South Asia (p.7).

In chapter one the author discusses the elite, the new colonialism, Land as an asset, Gwadar, Bahria Town Karachi, DHA Lahore, Thar in Sind, Gilgit-Baltistan and The City on the Ravi River. Aasim says 'the atomized middle-class subject is always on a knife-edge, veering between an insatiable desire for upward mobility and frustration generated by remaining on the outside of the proverbial looking glass. It is on this boundary that potentially transformative political forms can be generated' (p. 52).

Chapter two the author discusses neoliberalism. He says that neoliberal globalization has nevertheless, coincided with a greater share of wealth and income of global output accruing to the non-western world than ever before' (p. 81). In this chapter the author further discuses the planet of slums, neoliberal hegemony and the gendered middle-class subject.

Chapter three is on the digital lifeworld. The author is of the view that 'the field of politics is becoming increasingly complex, the digital space sometimes obscuring and even challenging established networks of political patronage (p. 101).Aasim believes that the there are 'limitations of Aurat Azadi March organizers who still rely, with notable exceptions, on digital publics largely peopled by middle-class political subjects' (p. 119).

The fourth chapter is titled 'The classless subject'. In this chapter the author writes that 'theorizing emancipatory politics in non-western postcolonial countries must correspond to grounded material realities' (p. 125). Aaasim states that 'the actual form and content of an alternative hegemonic conception that incorporates religious subjectivities can only be established in and through struggle, but it is first and foremost necessary to acknowledge this imperative' (p. 148). 

The purpose of this book is to point out main 'structuring factors that are shaping political subjectivity, and which must be accounted for in any political theory that envisions a future humanity in concert with nature' (p. 150). 

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Book Review: Their Language of Love by Bapsi Sidhwa

In this book, Bapsi Sidhwa presents her first collection of short stories. Sidhwa admits that her short stories are lengthy, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading all of them. The stories covered in this collection takes the reader into the realm of post-colonial diaspora. The cultural world in each stories are described with great detail. These stories also show how factors such as language, class, religion and ethnicity play important roles. 

I think I should not delve into writing review for each short story. I can only say that the way the author writes is really incredible. While reading this short stories collection, I do not loose interest at any point. This book is a must read for anyone who is interested in reading for a break from other forms of literature. 

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Book Review: Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Explain Everything About the World

The main thesis of the book stresses that all leaders of nations are constrained by geography. Marshall states that their choices are limited by mountains, rivers, seas, and concrete. He examines Russia, China, USA, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, Western Europe, Japan and Korea, and Greenland and the Arctic. Marshall includes their climates, seas, mountains, rivers, deserts, and borders- to provide a context often missing from political reportage.

I expected this book to present a new perspective, but it was less than what I had expected. Nonetheless, there are some interesting facts shared in the book. I mention some of them here. In 1867, Alaska was bought from Russia at the rate of tow cents per acre (p. 76). George Washington's advice in his farewell address of 1796 was to not get involved in "inveterate antipathies against particular nations, and passionate attachments for others," and to steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world (p. 78). 

The author claims that in the standard Mercator map, Greenland appears to be the same size as Africa, and yet Africa is actually fourteen times the size of Greenland (p. 117). The author says that 'Islam, cricket, the intelligence services, the military, and fear of India are what hold Pakistan together (p. 190).

While reading the book at times I thought this book has been specially published as part of a propaganda to create an alternate point of view to cover the atrocities of world powers. 

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