Book Review: Imperialism at Work: Crow’s Report and Dispatches on Sind Edited by Mubarik Ali

 

This edited book is Crow’s account which covers themes such as history, geography, climate, soil, flora, fauna, languages, attire, occupation, revenue, military forces and fortifications of Sind. At the end of the eighteen century the East India Company had established its political domination in India. It was assumed that Russia in alliance with Persia and Afghanistan would attempt to dismantle the Company’s power in India. Zaman Shah came to power in Afghanistan in 1793 which created anxiety among the Marathas ad the company. The rulers of Sind at that time were the Talpurs who recognized the over lordship of Afghanistan and paid tribute to the Afghan King.

The Mirs of Sind were not fully secure as they feared Miyan Abd al-Nabi, the ousted Kalhora ruler who might return with the support of Zaman Shah. Therefore, the Mirs wanted to have friendly relations with the British to get help in case of any Afghan aggression.

Duncan chose a Persian Merchant Agha Abul Hasan as an envoy and sent him to the court of Sind to assess the political situation and the attitude of the Mirs towards the British government. He was given two letters. The one for Mir Fateh Ali was to request the approval of opening the company to reopen a factory at Thatta and to allow an official mission to Sind to finalize the terms and conditions. The hidden agenda of the British of reopening of the factory had more political advantages than commercial advantages.

The first commercial-cum-political mission arrived in Sind under Nathan Crow, a civil servant of the Bombay government. He was advised to observe the movements of Zaman Shah and win over the friendship of the Mirs (p. 3). He landed for the first time in Karachi in May 1799.

Crow was ordered in October 1800 to close the factory at Thatta and leave Sind. Crow stayed in Sind for 17 months. During this time, he very closely observed and studied the social, political and economic condition of Sind. He repeatedly visited the court and assessed the traits of their character and attempted to lobby for the British. He employed a number of agents through whom he gathered information regarding the country. Crow’s correspondence with Duncan shows that the real motives of the British in Sind were political.

 

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Book Review: The End of India by Khushwant Singh

The End of India is a thought provoking book about the crisis which continues to haunt India even today. Based on five chapters, this book includes the problems of Gujarat, communalism and religious fanaticism in India.

Singh writes that he won’t be surprised if the Muslims living in Gujrat start paying jaziya which medieval Islamic rulers imposed on their non-Muslim subjects. Ahmedabad, Gujrat’s capital was built by a Muslim ruler in the middle ages. In 1998 the author observed that milestones on the main highway leading to the city had changed and turned into Amdavad, with state-sponsored help.

In the second chapter Singh says: “Both speech and silence are pregnant with hate…” This sentence has a very strong and deep meaning which I cannot refuse to mention in this review. According to the author Hindu nationalism’s birth took place in Renaissance Bengal in 1886 with the Hindu melas. The main objective of these melas were to train young Hindus in martial arts, use of swords, daggers and lathis. Non-Hindus were not allowed to participate in these events. Soon after the British overthrew the Mughal empire, the rise in Hindu separatism began to accelerate. Hindu and Sikh warriors like Prithviraj Chauhan, Guru Gobind Singh and Shivaji who resisted the Muslim rulers, were portrayed as national heroes.

Later, after the death of Gandhi the RSS, VHP, BJP and RSS offshoots like Bajrang Dal and Vanasvasi Kalyan Ashram have been implicated in various communal riots all over the country. Discussing communalism, the author believes that BJP is more dangerous as it uses democracy to camouflage its fascist agenda. Tracing the history of communalism Singh mentions that after Buddhism when Brahminical Hindusim gained favor again with ruling dynasties, especially in the ninth and tenth centuries, Buddhists were persecuted and their places of worship demolished. Later, in the reign of many Muslim rulers, Hindus were discriminated against and their temples destroyed. He further adds that when the British came to power they divided people not on religious lines, but on racial lines.

The author of this book mentions his personal experiences at the time of partition. He writes that in Lahore gangs from nearby Mozang had started marking out Hindu and Sikh homes for loot and forcible occupation. Discussing Indian politics Singh argues that the communal problem perfected by the BJP began under the Congress. He believes the Congress party won its landslide victory on a wave of anti-Sikh sentiment generated by it. Writing about political parties he suggests that “One should not judge political parties by the labels they wear on their lapels of by the high-sounding manifestos issued by them, but by their actions.”

Moreover, Singh believes that the first step towards securing the Indian future would happen, once the villain within themselves is identified. He says: “The need of our times is to revive the Nehruvian notion of secularism”. The author writes that after Gandhi and Maulana Azad respect for all religions was a mere display of religiosity. He stresses that if you were a devout Hindu you went to a Muslim dargah or threw an Iftar party to prove you were secular. If you were a Muslim, you celebrated Diwali with your Hindu friends. Secularism was reduced to a sham display.

The last chapter tries to present a solution to the looming threat of Indian society. Making his case for the creation of a new religion Singh mentions Bernard Shaw in the last chapter. Bernard Shaw had said that every intelligent man makes his own religion though there are a hundred versions of it. Singh says that our religion should make provision for the future. It should incorporate family planning. He espouses that permanent graves should not be allowed. The author says that: “good life is the only good religion”.

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Book Review: Aurangzeb- The Man and The Myth by Audrey Truschke

The author of this book specializes in Mughal history and Mughal Empire. This book is based on eight chapters. Aurangzeb ruled for forty-nine years over a population of 150 million people. Being the sixth ruler of the Mughal Empire he named himself ‘seizer of the world’ (Alamgir). Aurangzeb was a complex ruler who the author thinks has wrongly been attributed as a villain in history. Aurangzeb longed for territory, political power and adopted a particular ideal of justice.

Some consider him as a religious fanatic who destroyed temples and restricted celebration of Holi. The author stresses that such arguments remain invalid as Aurangzeb issued many articles protecting Hindu temples, granted stipends and lands to Brahmins. Moreover, the author explains that Aurangzeb consulted Hindu ascetics on health matters and employed more Hindus in his administration than any prior Mughal ruler. In fact, the top positions in his government were given to Hindus. Raghunatha was appointed diwani (Chief finance minister of the empire) by Auragzeb.

Aurangzeb was born in 1618. He rose to power by killing his brothers and later kept his father Shah Jahan (under house arrest) for more than 7 years. He eliminated the position of a formal court historian, supported a vast imperial library and sponsored the construction of Badshahi masjid in Lahore- built at a time when it stood as the largest mosque in the world. He spent the first half of his reign mainly at Court in Delhi and the second half campaigning in the Deccan. Between 1679 and 1707, Aurangzeb increased Hindu participation at the elite levels of the Mughal state by nearly 50 percent. Hindus rose to 31.6 percent of the Mughal nobility.

Shivaji and Aurangzeb’s fight is highlighted in chapter four. Shivaji was a master of raids and guerilla warfare. The Mughal-Maratha conflict was shaped by lust for raw power. The author believes that both Mughal and Maratha writers gave the rivalry a religious touch, which was not the case. In fact, it was a thirst for political power.

Chapter five elaborates the morality and leadership in Aurangzeb. Aurangzeb prayed regularly, did not consume alcohol and opium. His interpretation of Islam included talismanic aspects and when religious obligations conflicted with state interests he put his weight behind the latter. Aurangzeb sponsored a legal book named Fatwa-i-Alamgiri, revived Jazya tax after one hundred years, tried to ban/limit alcohol, opium, prostitution, gambling, inflammatory theological writings and public celebrations of religious festivals. Aurangzeb had thousands of temples in his domain and yes he did destroy some.  He believed that Kings represent God on earth and thus must ensure peace on earth including religious communities.

The author believes that for Aurangzeb Islamic teachings and Mughal teachings made him protect Hindu temples, pilgrimage destinations, and holy men. The idea that religious institutions could be subject to politically motivated destructions makes many modern people see red, but pre-modern Indians did not show such a firm line between religion and politics.

Furthermore, the author is of the view that: “Hindu kings targeted one another’s temples beginning in the seventh century, regularly looting and defiling images of Dogra, Ganesha, Vishnu, and so forth. They also periodically destroyed each other’s temples. Some Hindu kings ever commissioned Sanskrit poetry to celebrate and memorialize such actions. Indo-Muslim rulers, such as Aurangzeb, followed suit in considering Hindu temples legitimate targets of punitive state action.”

Within a few decades of Aurangzeb’s death, the Mughal empire lost all it had gained in Deccan, and the empire started crumbling. By 1700s, Aurangzeb favored his grandsons over his sons. Aurangzeb died in 1707 and is buried in an unmarked grave within the Chishti Sufi Shrine of Zaynuddin Shirazi in Khuldabad.

Aurangzeb was an emperor devoted to power, his vision of justice, and expansion. In seven years between 1712 and 1719, four Mughal Kings ruled in quick succession. In total five kings ascended the Mughal throne in the thirteen years after Aurangzeb’s death, as compared to four kings in the previous one hundred and fifty years. The author adds: “From late 1750s onward, the East India Company stripped the already-reduced Mughals of nearly all the trappings of actual sovereigns, including their landholdings, an army, and their ability to collect revenue.”

Aurangzeb was an excellent military tactician who believed in his own brand of justice, upheld Mughal traditions and expanded his grip over subcontinent. He died expanding the Mughal dynasty to its maximum. He is considered to play a very important role in the Indian medieval history.

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Book Review: Manto Saheb Translated by Vibha Chauhan and Khalid Alvi

Manto Saheb is a multi-faceted biography of one of the greatest South Asian writers of the 20^th century. Who wondered that Manto who failed Urdu in his high school exam and later emerge as one of the finest writers of the century. This book brings stories about Saadat Hasan Manto, an essayist, scriptwriter and a master of writing short stories.

The stories written in this book include that of Manto’s family, friends and rivals. Some of the others include Ismat Chugtai, Upendranath Ashk, Balwant Gargi, Krishan  Chander, his daughter Nuzhat and nephew Hamid Jalal. The great cities of Bombay, Delhi and Lahore have been described by various writers. The accounts presented by the writers are those of quarrels, drinking sessions, rivalries, friendships, publishers, literary circles and film industry.

Manto is revealed as a complex man. Moreover he was very upset when he lost his one and a half year old son. He was as comfortable with his family as with the prostitutes he visited. Ismat Chugtai says: “The idea of class difference was a dominant one in Manto’s mind. When he brought down and shattered the idol worshipped by the world, Manto felt that he had done something truly courageous”.

Manto was a fierce critic of the works of other writers but he did not tolerate any criticism for his own work. For some stories he was declared as an obscene writer and had to face court trial. Sardar Gurbaksh Singh Preetladin a famous Punjabi writer refused to give evidence in the court in Manto’s favor. At his behavior Manto was amazed and said: “It is astonishing that there are such writers in Punjabi too. Only God can protect the fate of literature in this language”. Financial issues and non-stop drinking were issues which he faced on his death bed too. Manto said: “I have no faith in friendship, benevolence, or affection. The only thing I believe is in alcohol”. In addition to that he was a chain smoker and used to smoke 555 cigarettes.

He was a maverick of his times, a very sensitive human who explained the intricacies of society through his own lens, unadulterated. Manto died in 1955. Manto’s nephew Hamid Jalal concludes the book with his story about Manto. He believes that his uncle was not a hypocrite. He was what he was and that is why no aspect of his life remained hidden from the general public right till his death.

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Book Review: Lahore in the Time of the Raj by Ian Talbot and Tahir Kamran

This is an amazing book which provides an account of the interesting colonial period in Lahore. It gives the reader an insight to Lahore’s importance in South Asia.

Various connections/ networks of Lahore with other important cities of United India have been explored in this book. This connection includes Calcutta, Delhi, Bombay and Karachi. It does not end there. Areas such as Afghanistan, Arabia, Europe and North America have also had relations with Lahore. These linkages had social, cultural and economic characteristics.

The second chapter on the Darvazas and Mohallas reveals how the life of the city was influenced. The tourists/ travellers who visited Lahore shaped many elements in the city. All this is explained in great detail. Some of the poets, wrestlers, cricketers, politicians and academicians are also discussed.

Furthermore the consumption of foreign goods in colonial Lahore has been elucidated in a separate chapter. Both the British and those well off Indians shaped a pattern of consumption in Lahore. The route of pilgrims who travelled to Hejaz via Lahore has also been highlighted in the book. Others who visited shrines in Lahore and other places in India have also been mentioned. Migration in Lahore, Lahore’s importance as a city in the independence movement is also discussed in great detail. Official statistics have also been quoted from credible estimates.

Moreover establishment of educational institutions in Lahore by the British are also cited. Various prominent graduates of Islamia College, Government College and FC College and Punjab University have been briefly mentioned in this book. Examples include KK Aziz, Allama Mashraqi and Allama Iqbal’s educational years in Lahore.

Anybody interested in history of subcontinent or history of Lahore must read this book!

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Book Review: Contemporary Issues in Pakistan Studies by Saeed Shafqat

This particular book by Dr. Saeed Shafqat is a compilation of different articles. In every article a separate theme has been addressed. Writers who contribute to this book analyze the issues confronting Pakistan. These writers are from different academic backgrounds who analyze with great detail. Moreover this document is an excellent example of inter disciplinary work with respect to Pakistan Studies.

 A total of thirteen articles have been included in the book. Six of the articles are written by Shafqat himself. The articles in this book encompass Jinnah, pre-partition scenario, bureaucracy, politics in Pakistan, military, participatory development, foreign relations, and strategic issues of security, Kashmir issue and democracy in Pakistan. Published in 1995 this book is both well researched and documented.

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Book Review: Imperial Gazetteer Provincial Series Kashmir and Jammu by Sir Walter Lawrence

The articles in this volume are written by Sir Walter Lawrence, Bart., G.C.I.E. Physical environment, history, archaeology, population, agriculture, forests, minerals, arts, commerce, political relations, administration, education and means of communication are discussed in great detail with relevant statistical data.

Back then covering long distances was a troublesome task for any traveller. The distance from Gilgit to Srinagar was 228 miles, Srinagar to Leh was 243 miles, and from Leh to Yarkand was 482 miles.

In this book languages, population and castes of Kashmir and Jammu have been briefly discussed. Dogras, Gujars, Gaddis,Pathans, Galwan and Dum presence is mentioned.  Dogra is defined as a territorial name. In the Hunza -Nagar campaign of 1891 these Dogra Rajputs rendered their services for the Kashmir government.

In Kashmir cherry is known as gilas. Other produce includes buck wheat, rice and tobacco. The minerals found are gypsum, limestone and gold. Kashmiri arts and embroidery are also appreciated and its export to the west is encouraged. Srinagar which means “Godess of God” has been described in significant detail.

In addition to that topics relating to women of Ladakh, history of Baltistan, end of polyandry among Baltis, importance of cow in Astore and mountain passes in Kashmir territory have also been taken into account.

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Book Review: A Short History of Myth by Karen Armstrong

A Short History of Myth starts with an introductory chapter on addressing the question of what is a myth. The Paleolithic period, Neolithic period, the early civilizations, the axial age, post-axial age and the period of great western transformation are included in the book. According to the author myth is about the unknown. Myth is true only because it is effective, not because it provides factual information.

In history there were various myths regarding trees, stones and sky. These objects were revered because they were supposed to be the manifestations of a concealed force. In the author’s view mythology springs from great anxiety about essentially practical problems, which cannot be satisfied by purely rational arguments.

Moreover the author believes that when the last prophet of Islam flies from Makkah to Jerusalem, he breaks through a new level of spiritual attainment. Besides that the concept of Shaman is discussed in great detail. Shamans the masters of trance and ecstasy operated in hunting societies. In these societies animals played an important role in spirituality. Eskimos is Greenland is a relevant example of belief in Shamans. About 10,000 years ago, during the Neolithic period human beings invented agriculture. This invention caused changes in mythology. The female goddess gained importance during this time period.

Further in the book the Armstrong compares logos and myth. The ideas of Confucius and Plato are discussed in the second half of the book. The debate of Greek logos versus myth has been narrated. Unless a historical event is mythological it cannot become a source of religious inspiration. She stresses that Jews, Christians and Muslims continued to use mythology to explain their insights or to respond to a crises. Some Greek Christians were of the view that using reason to discuss the sacred was about as pointless as trying to eat soup with a fork. Theology was only valid if followed with prayer and liturgy.

Armstrong views the status of myth as remaining the same until 16^th century. After that the great transformation in human history which made it very difficult to think mythically originated from Western Europe. This was western modernity, the child of logos. Lastly the author stresses that our lives may have become more sophisticated materially, but the nineteenth century misconception of declaring myth as false should not accepted, as myth teaches us to see the world differently, by forming a perspective which goes beyond our own self-interest.

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Book Review: Mr and Mrs Jinnah The Marriage that shook India by Sheela Reddy

Muhammad Ali Jinnah is a Khoja Ismaili, born to Jinnah Poonja and Mithi Bai. In school Jinnah faces difficulty in his studies.  He leaves school to join his father’s business. After some time he realizes that his job is a monotonous one. With his father’s sanction Jinnah travels to England, to work in a company owned by his father’s acquaintance. There after some time Jinnah leaves the job, instead he chooses to study law. Before leaving for Britain, Jinnah marries as per his mother’s wish. In Britain Jinnah qualifies the ‘Little Go’ test to study law and later opts for Lincoln’s Inn. While Jinnah is abroad, both his wife and mother die.  After returning to India Jinnah falls in love with Ruttie, a sixteen year old girl, daughter of a Parsi baronet called Sir Dinshaw Petit. Later when Ruttie marries Jinnah against her father’s wish, Dinshaw files a law suit in which he claims Jinnah to have abducted his daughter. After marrying her, Jinnah allows his wife all sorts of freedom. Jinnah even allows her to take part in politics. Her maiden speech has been highlighted in the first half of this book.

When Jinnah takes part in politics, Gandhi asserts Jinnah to speak Gujrati, but Jinnah is obdurate. Furthermore the author writes about the instances of embarrassment, times of loneliness and stages of struggle in Jinnah’s life. Jinnah’s political sagacity and demeanor as a speaker are also praised. Jinnah loved to say ‘In politics you cannot be emotional’. Jinnah considered Edmund Burke to be his role model. Various political events kept Jinnah busy and on the contrary relations with Ruttie kept deteriorating. Ruttie felt alienated as Jinnah could not spare time for her. Ruttie joined dancing classes as she was very fond of dancing, but later Jinnah forbade her from dancing with any man.  Ruttie’s interest in her only child remained minimal. For many years the child remained nameless. Ruttie had sleeping disorders and took sleeping pills. Later she got addicted to morphine.

On 4 Jan 1928 Jinnah and his wife parted. Ruttie and Jinnah even met after they separated as she was severely ill and suffered from depression. One day Ruttie took her own life by taking an over doze of sleeping pills. Jinnah was devastated. His only child was called Dina. Jinnah was against Dina’s marriage with Neville Wadia, a Parsi who had converted to Christianity. This book explains in detail the various political events which affected the relations between Jinnah and his wife. Personal letters of Ruttie show her level of disappointment and disenfranchisement in life. Her death at the age of twenty nine left Jinnah heartbroken as he did not marry again.

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Book Review: The Bride by Bapsi Sidhwa

Qasim, a tribesman from the mountains, decides to live in Pakistan when the sub-continent takes new contours in 1947’s partition. On his journey to Lahore he takes an orphan girl, named Zaitoon, for his daughter. Qasim and Zaitoon start living with Nikka pehlwan’s family in Lahore. Nikka initiates his business by borrowing cash from Qasim whereas Qasim starts earning with a small job on daily wage. Nikka’s wife Miriam helps in the upbringing of Zaitoon. Qasim wants Zaitoon to marry one of his clansmen called Sakhi. When Qasim deems it appropriate for Zaitoon to get married she is taken by Qasim to his village. On their way Zaitoon is attracted towards an army man. She remains silent and does not disclose it to Qasim. Furthermore she is perplexed by her position in the new society in which she is about to move. 

When Qasim returns back to Lahore Zaitoon realizes that her new life in the mountains is engulfed with misery and pain. Her husband physically tortures her, there is no reasonable diet and living conditions are not conducive. One day Zaitoon decides to run. When her husband discovers her absence, he along with his tribesmen starts the hunt for Zaitoon. She knows that once discovered in the forests they will surely murder her. After days of wandering and discomfort Zaitoon finally reaches an army camp. There she is rescued by a military official who sends her down country, away from the wrath of tribal people. Sakhi informs his brethren that her wife is already dead, despite knowing that she is still alive. Sakhi had been assured by the army official that he would make sure Sakhi’s honor remains intact by not leaking any news of her. On the other hand Sakhi would not direct any threat to the girls’s life. Sakhi had agreed as he had no other option, because he could not wage a war against the military might. Sakhi wailed and gave in. This book is about mores, matrimonial affairs, obligations and family loyalties which Sidhwa has nicely, weaved and presented before the reader.

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Book Review: Benazir Bhutto Daughter of the East

Benazir Bhutto’s autobiography starts with the chapter named ‘The assassination of my father’. In this chapter she narrates her father’s case, visits to his jail and the deplorable living conditions of the jail where he was kept. Moving forward Benazir reminisces her childhood and talks about her family life. She took her O level exams at Vatican embassy in Pakistan. Later on Benazir went to Harvard University to pursue higher education. Benazir is of the view that, by studying at Harvard she began to understand more about Pakistan than she had been while living in Pakistan. 

When her father visited US for attending the UN sessions he would direct Benazir to be part of those sessions as an observer. In addition to that Benazir remembers her father telling her: “One of the fundamentals of diplomacy is to create doubt”. Later when Benazir went to Oxford she also served as the President of Oxford Union, for three months. Tariq Ali, a leftist had also remained president of the Oxford Union. In the book Benazir Bhutto presents her father’s case before the reader and argues that Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto had made adequate reforms in Pakistan which were in accordance with Islam.  After attending Harvard, Benazir went to Oxford. At Oxford University, Benazir also owned a personal car. On her return she intended to join Pakistan’s Foreign Service. When Benazir returned to Pakistan she had an Urdu tutor and her father would always tell her to improve her Urdu. In this book frequent mention of Zia-ul-Haq is made by Benazir. Benazir believes her father was judicially murdered by Zia and his cronies. Zia who had passed over six generals kept harassing Benazir and her family. She was kept in Sukkur jail, Karachi Central jail and was numerous times under house arrest. Benazir at one point in her book also mentions that both she and her mother were allowed to keep servants in jail. 

Adding on to that Benazir was later permitted by Zia to go abroad on medical grounds. There she travelled between London and Paris. She continued her political engagements for her party and also got involved in highlighting the perils of Zia’s rule in Pakistan by engaging with the western media. When she was in France, her younger brother Shah Nawaz died under mysterious circumstances. Shah Nawaz used to train guerilla fighters in Afghanistan and is said to have mentioned Zia’s threat to his life, prior to this incident. Moreover in the book Benazir unveils about her marriage with Asif Zardari, who was also from a feudal background. Benazir believes that under US pressure Zia held the elections of 1985. She further narrates events till the day of Zia’s plane crash in Bahawalpur. Benazir concludes by hoping to cast her vote in 1988 elections and believes that one day Pakistan would become a democratic and progressive country.

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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.

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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.

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Book Review: A Short History of the Ismailis by Farhad Daftary

Ismailis are one of the major Shia Muslim communities of the world. Currently they are present in 25 countries of the world in Asia, Africa, Europe and North America. Until recently the Ismailis were studied on the accounts of their enemies. In 1930’s the study of Ismailism started to revolutionize, as the recovery of a large number of Ismaili text in private collections proved to be a catalyst.

Daftary’s book is part of the modern scholarship which has discussed the main developments and phases throughout the Ismaili history. These phases include the early formative phase, Fatimid phase, Alamut period, post-Alamut periods and the later modern developments in the Nizari Community after the 13^th century.

Major schisms that took place within Ismailism have also been discussed. The relations of Nizari Ismailis with the Sufis have also highlighted. Concepts such as dawa, dai, Taqiyya are explained in detail. Esoteric and exoteric concepts in Ismailism are made clear with reference to historical events and practices. This book critically examines the Ismaili historiography and is a concise survey to study for researchers to study.

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Book Review: The Gilgit Game by John Keay

The Gilgit game is a book about the exploration of Dardistan and of its virgin lands, by the hands of the British Empire. 

Dards were neither Indians, nor Tibetan nor of Turkish stock of Central Asia. Dardistan had various regions governed by different rulers. Strategically it had and still has an importance as many routes through this land are conducive for trade, business and military purposes. The British saw this area as a vacuum. For them this vacuum could either be a threat and in that case defense was the priority. 

The British and Russians wanted Dardistan to be part of their empires and for both of them it was a bone of contention now. John Keay, author of the book at many instances presents the reader with the exact text which the old travelers had recorded during their stay in the region. 

This gives one an insight to the geographical discoveries which were treated as top secret by the British Empire. Military expeditions were bluffed as geographical expeditions; the great game was being played in this part of the world as geographers and travelers visited this region.

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Critical Writing on Salman Rushdie's Midnight’s Children

The novel midnights children is written by Salman Rushdie who is enormously famous for writing Satanic verses which is mostly condemned by Muslims all over the world as Muslims regard it as a falsification and critique of their religion Islam and it’s Prophet.

Midnights children is one of the most well-known yet narrative stories that is contented by people all over the world. 

It is a novel based on from British colonialism to partition of India and is a great example of magical realism and postcolonial literature. It revolves around a character called Saleem Sinai who is also the narrator of this story. He tries to picture his childhood and all the little incidents that took place earlier in his life which moulds his identity and gives this story a brighter look.

Saleem Sinai was born in Bombay, at the stroke of midnight on 15th August, 1947.Along with him are the other one thousand children all born in the early hours of India’s independence. Saleem Sinai starts off with his family background introducing his grandfather Adam Aziz who is a doctor. Saleem Sinai describes of how in Kashmir in the early spring of 1915 his grandfather Adam Aziz hits his nose while attempting to pray and decides never to bow in front of God or any other person. Moving forward, Saleem describes of how his grandfather Adam Aziz checks a patient named Naseem (future wife of Adam Aziz) who complains of having headache and is covered with white sheet. Once the sheet is uncovered Adam Aziz gets a chance to see Naseem’s face at which point he falls in love with her.

Furthermore, Padma is an important character because she keeps on reminding Saleem to hurry up and finish the story. She is basically a voice of reason, loves Saleem and takes care of Saleem and cooks food for him. Later on in the story, it talks about Adam Aziz’s daughters, Mumtaz who falls in love with Nadir and Emerald who falls in love with Major Zulfiqar. Nadir leaves out a note for Mumtaz announcing a divorce. After a short time period, Mumtaz gets married to Ahmed Sinai and changes her name to Amina Sinai.

Apart from this, a major milestone occurs that is Saleem Sinai was switched at birth with Ahmed and Amina Sinai’s baby. In reality Saleem is Methwold’s son who is an Englishman and came to India for trade.Therefore, the above mentioned are some of the main characters introduced in the story that evolves around Saleem Sinai’s life.

However, in my opinion Rushdie has written this novel in a very descriptive manner making it not only difficult but hard to keep track of so many characters. A variety of characters emerge, disappear, and recur later on, so one constantly needs to go back and check who is who and how they are related. The sentence structure is extremely long which makes it detached with other paragraphs. The overall plot of the story is perplexed. Whereas, the writing style is narrative and wordings are easy to understand but the stretch of long sentences makes it difficult for a person to concentrate. In this story, there are a lot of irrelevant instances which crafts it to be longer and thus, becomes boring.

Rushdie has used unreliable and enormous information in his novel which relies on memory and undermines the traditional forms of history as a unity of recorded fact. I believe, our truth of understanding differs from others and how memory is shaped and recreated is a symbol of Saleem Sinai’s flawed narration and historical exposition which cannot be phrased as pure reality and authenticity at all times.

Moreover, the story is quite fascinating but too stretched that a person can lose focus and can get puzzled with so much of unnecessary detail. However, the writing style is solid and initially annoying in a way that seems almost purposeful, with repeated instances of the narrator trailing ahead to a point that he feels is significant but then, before revealing anything of importance, he decides that things must come in their proper order. In short there is a lot of disorganization between instances which makes it mystifying. I think this story is quite happening as there’s too much of dramatic events and at the same time too much of action.

Honestly, while reading this story I actually felt that it is a history book as it doesn’t seem relevant that whenever something big happens in history at the same moment something occurs in Saleem’s personal life. I feel Rushdie's writing is a broad, viscous disharmony of sensory inspiration. The overall surroundings, different languages, different religions and style of living of India’s culture came alive through Saleem’s style of narrating the story.

Therefore, to conclude, I believe midnights children is a book which is well researched and a good example of magical realism. I feel Salman Rushdie has written this story in a very intense and expressive way which makes you curious to know of what will happen in the next chapter. In each chapter there is some what a major turning in the story which makes it an interesting read. Not only this, but I think it’s a good example of post colonialism literature and about changes which occurred in the Indian subcontinent during or after the partition of Indian sub continent.

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