Book Review: Lure of Karakorams by A. Sayeed Khan Qamar

Lure of Karakorams is written by a journalist who was also a member of the staff of the Pakistan Press International (PPI). He visited Northern Areas of Pakistan a number of times due to his professional duties and hobbies of hunting.

In this book the author writes about the travel restrictions and relaxations imposed by the government of Pakistan on international tourists. The preface to the book is written by the author dated in 1973. The author states that since independence of Pakistan had more than 150 well-equipped  expeditions, from Europe and Japan mostly (p. 2). Qamar argues that Desideri of Pistoia from Italy was the first European to enter the Karakoram (p. 4). Qamar states that Hunza and Balti porters earned admiration during some of the expeditions. The author covers  topics such as the Sino-Pakistan boundary commission, 1967 trade agreement between Pakistan and China, trade via Misgar and administration of Gilgit. Qamar states that Brigadier Ghansara Singh was sent to Gilgit in August as the first Kashmiri Governor to rule the Agency (p. 17).

Further themes included in the book are Indus Valley road, insignia of Northern Scouts and expansion of road networks. By 1965, 467 miles of jeepable road was constructed (p. 33). Rest of the book covers stories about various expeditions, list of expeditions, list of explorations, list of glaciers, list of peaks and list of passes. Various officers of Pakistan military who were involved in different expeditions as liaison officers are also mentioned. No detailed accounts of the local porters and high altitude porters are provided in the book.

The book does not have any list of references, footnotes or intext citations. Qamar writes about history of the region without any list of references. This book has been written with the intent of attracting tourists to the region. The Resident and Commissioner for Northern Areas Ijlal Hussain has written foreword for the book dated 20 July, 1973. I believe a better researched book would have served the purpose well.

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Book Review: 5 Russian Masters by Anton Chekhov, Leo Tolstoy, Maxim Gorky, Fyodor Dostoevsky and Ivan Turgenev

5 Russian Masters is an amazing compilation of short stories of five great Russian writers. In this collection I loved reading Anton Chekhov's short stories the most. Six of his stories touched on the themes of submissive behavior, dreams of freedom, memories, perceptions, anxiety and future. 

Leo Tolstoy's three short stories highlighted themes of hard work, kindness, honesty. Tolstoy's short story The Candle stresses that, as you sow so shall you reap. Three of Maxim Gorky's works are about the wisdom of life, between idealism and reality, pain and human misery.

Fyodor Dostoevsky's brings out some lessons in his stories. The first one focuses on truth, second on wealth and marriage, and the third one is on kindness, memories and human life. Ivan Turgenev has two short stories in this compilation. The first one is about human life and limitations and the second one Three Portraits is about stubbornness and how it can lead to disaster.

This wonderful collection covers a range of themes and styles. Many of these stories are timeless and are as relevant today, as they were centuries ago.

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Book Review: Erdogan Rising: A Warning To Europe by Hannah Lucinda Smith

First published in 2019, Erdogan Rising is a significant contribution for readers who want to understand contemporary Turkey and is political dynamics. It addresses the question of how Recep Tayyip Erdogan rose to power, his policies and how he centralized power. Hannah spent time in Turkey and Syria to cover important events during very crucial times. She also joined the mass movement of migrants on their journey to Europe in 2015.  The author often refers to the history of the twentieth century and says that Mustafa Kemal Ataturk is seen as someone who saved the Turkish pride (p. 24).

The author also covers why Erdogan is in power in Turkey. Hannah writes about the early phase of Erdogan's life when he used to sell bread rings in the streets (p. 247). After coming to power Erdogan did a lot of large scale infrastructure development and also brought changes in the constitution. Erdogan made serious efforts to bring in Turks from all around the world (p. 318). Erdogan introduced special police forces, whose number increased drastically over the years. As a populist Erdogan knows very well how to create propaganda, use media, use religion, blame foreign powers, create support  among the lower segments of the population, accommodate migrants from Syria and manage elections. Once Erdogan wore the rank-and-file soldier uniform and met the Turkish troops in the battleground(p. 336) Erdogan also stresses on the need to unite the Turk nation. The author claims that the Central Asian genes makes up only 22 percent of the twenty first century Turkish DNA (p. 161).

Hannah also states how there is an opinion in Turkey which says that Erdogan's degree is fake (p. 338). The author covers how conspiracy theories circulate about the Gulenists. Erdogan puts a ban on YouTube for two and a half years because a few videos insult Ataturk (p. 30). 

I would not rate the book as a very fine biography. The informative and engaging style of the book coupled with the personal account of the author's experiences helps in gaining a deeper understanding of the Turkish society and politics. 

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