Book Review: Sand and Foam by Kahlil Gibran

I read this book in late 2012 or early 2013 at Ewing Hall. I borrowed it from a friend. Sand and Foam is one the books of Gibran written about impulse of man’s heart and mind. The themes which he addresses in the book include travel, nirvana, faith, secrecy, traits of humans, children, knowledge, youth, dissent, greed and indifference.

At one point he says: “If you reveal your secrets to the wind you should not blame the wind for revealing them to the trees. Furthermore he states: “You cannot have youth and the knowledge of it at the same time; for the youth is too busy living to know, and the knowledge is too busy seeking itself to live”.

On equality Gibran is of the following view: “Should you sit upon a cloud you would not see the boundary line between one country and another, not the boundary stone between a farm and a farm. It is a pity you cannot sit upon a cloud.

Read More

Book Review: My Khyber Marriage by Morag Murray Abdullah

My Khyber Marriage brings out the experience of a Scotswoman who marries a pathan chieftain’s son. Morag meets Abdullah in Britain. Before marrying him she converts to Islam. Abdullah is the son of a tribal chieftain on the Indian Frontier.

 The first chapter starts with the very first meeting of Morag and Abdullah. Initially Morag’s father is apprehensive about her marriage to an easterner, but later he agrees to the proposal. Despite caution from friends and family Morag marries the easterner. Syed Abdullah takes his wife to his tribal country in the East where a marriage ceremony takes place. Before the marriage, his wife takes a bath in ass’s milk for beautification. Some of the observations of the writer stress that all highland folks around the world believe in luck and many of the blood feuds trace their origin to water issues.

Furthermore the author describes her life inside the fort and the roles assigned to each gender. Adding on to that the writer discusses various legends of the area. One of such legends is known as the white lady’s hill. One day Morag flees from the fort and travels to the white lady on the hill. She takes this risk to prevent a bloody fight. Later her husband discovers this and thanks God for her safety, as she might have got killed by gunfire.

Moreover the author mentions about the time when the women defended the fort resisting an attack. At another instance she describes her journey into the snake valley. This adventure is triggered by the frequent mention of snake valley in different local stories. Morag helps in her sister-in-law’s marriage. Furthermore Morag explains the strict moral codes of the tribal society and the limited choices available to women.

Later Morag and her husband travel to India. They are invited by an Indian Raja. Moray and her family leave for India. She writes a separate chapter on her journey through ninety-nine tunnels. Their visits to Simla and Dehli are also highlighted in later part of the book. In her final chapter Moray compares East and West. On hearing about her mother’s illness, she travels to Scotland along with her daughter Margaret. There she compares her life in the Freeland and that in Scotland. Morag intends to go back home in the Freeland where life is simple and the honor one one’s clan comes before anything else.

Read More

Book Review: National Liberation War in Vietnam by General Von Nguyen Giap

General Giap’s book National Liberation War in Vietnam covers the struggle of the Vietnamese people against the ruthless imperialist forces. Strategy and tactics of guerilla warfare in Vietnam are included. The author relates the resistance in Vietnam back to 11^th century, when the fight was against the Chinese Sung army. Furthermore the resisting the Mongol attack of 13^th century and the Ming invasion of 15^th century have also been included. In the 18^th century 200,000 strong army of the Ching was crushed by the people of Vietnam, which marked the last foreign feudal aggression in the country.

Second World War created a new scenario for Vietnam. Now the main objective turned into national liberation. The revolution of August 1945 was against the fascist Japanese and the pro- Japanese puppet administration. Immediately after the August Revolution the Vietnamese fought against the French colonialists. This war of resistance lasted nine years ending in victory for the communists in 1954.The author quotes President Ho Chi Minh: “To save the country and liberate the people, the only way is that of proletarian revolution”.

In 1950 Vietnam started receiving aid from brother socialist countries. Giap believes that men, politics and ideology are the most determining factors for the excellence of armed forces. He refers to Ho Chi Minh’s historic appeal: “Without a solid rear area, the front cannot win; this is the general law of all wars”. After victory at Dien Bien Phu the northhad become a rear area in the struggle against the imperialist forces.

Furthermore the author considers offensive thought as the ideological basis of revolutionary strategy and war in Vietnam. He views offensive as an insurrection. Only when guerilla warfare expands can regular warfare fully develop and progress. The choice of the time of attack along with that of the direction of attack has a decisive impact in uprising and a great importance in war.

The author quotes Lenin: “Victory in war goes to the side whose person has greater reserves, greater sources of strength and greater endurance”. Military history, military force, political force, importance of rear area, mode of conducting the war, the role of leadership of the party and the essentials of victory are all included in this book, written by an author who himself played a vital part in the liberation of Vietnam.

Read More

Book Review: A Short History of China by Gordon Kerr

This amazing book provides a comprehensive introduction to more than 4000 years of Chinese history. For thousands of years the Chinese thought of their land as the very center of civilization. Compass and gun powder are definitely Chinese inventions. Even the wheel barrow did not come to use in Europe until the 12^th century, but the Chinese were already using one- wheeled carts from the second century. The world’s first government issued paper money was also introduced in China in 1120s. The Chinese have a glorious history spanning over thousands of years.

In this book the author takes start from the Neolithic time period in China. Other than that, phases of turmoil, invasion, empire building, declining empires and demise of emperors have been included.  From Confucianism to Daoism’s doctrine of quietism, numerous subjects have been touched. Various important themes including military power, agriculture, personal decorum, social relations and burial of emperors are also included.  Class system in Chinese can be examined by the fact that at one time the mandarins regarded themselves superior to the labor class and grew their long fingernails to demonstrate their disassociation from them.

The author relates the origination of Buddhism in Northern China to Central Asia. Moreover in the book the account of Chinese Buddhist traveller Faxian (337-c.422) has also been included. In 7^th century China the imperial court was dominated by an Empress named Wu Zetian, who ruled for 15 years. Adding on to that life under the Mongols, decline of the Yuan Empire and rule of the Ming Dynasty are also discussed in this book.

Kerr views China as to have failed to materialize changes such as industrial development, as vital elements of economy, commerce and power of bureaucracy were under state control. He opines that China lost the initiative to the West in the eighteenth century. Before that, in the seventeenth century, the standard of living in China was amongst the highest in the world and the middle Kingdom was leading in terms of innovation and discovery. The Opium War of the nineteenth century between Great Britain and China (1840- 1842) is considered the first and most important conflict between both the sides. In addition to that, the treaty of Nanking and migration of the Chinese to other parts of the world are briefly explained.

The start of the twentieth century in China was marked by a struggle between warlords, nationalist, communists, idealists and opportunists, which brought an end to China’s 2000 year old tradition of monarchial rule. The tussle between the Kuomintang and the Communist party of China for power, collaboration of both these parties against the common enemy Japan are highlighted. Rule by Mao, Zhou Enlai and the period of modernization by Deng Xiaoping are specified in the latter half of the book.

In the concluding paragraphs of the book China’s current position in the world is examined. While applauding the growth rate/fight against poverty the author on the other hand raises serious questions over pollution (China is home to 16 of the world’s 20 most polluted cities), democratization and right to information in China.

Read More

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.

Read More

Book Review: God A Human History by Reza Aslan

Reza Aslan’s book gives a detailed chronological account of the concept of God perceived by human beings during the different phases of their existence on the planet. The book is divided into three parts. The Embodied Soul, The Humanized God and What is God. The writer takes a start from the Paleolithic time period. The concept of Shamans and their transcendental role is briefly discussed. Shamans were supposed to have one foot in this world and one in the next. In early unorganized religions, sacrifice played an important role as can be inferred from painted caves in Indonesia and in parts of Europe. During the Paleolithic period ancestors survived on scavenging and foraging. The author is of the view that belief in the soul is humanity’s first belief.

Furthermore in the book, the birth of organized society is elaborated in detail with agricultural revolution leading to the consumption of fewer vitamins and minerals and considerably less protein. The birth of organizational religion encouraged the transition from hunting to farming. Sumer civilization developed the first written language. They also invented the wheel and sailboat. The power of writing is so much that one can imagine the power of the word ilu in the Sumerian language became transliterated as Elohim in Hebrew and Allah in Arabic.

In the Neolithic period manism (ancestor worship) gained strength. At a later stage in the book Mesopotamian (Mesopotamia means between two rivers in Greek) civilization is also discussed. The architecture including the rectangular pyramidal towers of Mesopotamia temples are explained in detail.

In history many figures tried to dehumanize God including the Greek thinkers. Besides them a young pharaoh from the 18^th dynasty of the New Kingdom in ancient Egypt became the first monotheist in all of recorded history. The Iranian prophet Zarathustra Spitama rose in approving monotheism in 1100 BCE.  Zoroaster called God as Ahura Mazda. Priests were known as Magi, and the other castes included warriors and farmers. After ten years of preaching he could only convert his cousin to this new religion. After his death Zoroastrianism decayed until the time of Cyrus the great, who was ruler of the Achaemenid Empire.

History’s first successful experiment with monotheism was led by a small Semitic tribe from the land of Canaan that called itself Israel. Conflict and war also affected religions in many ways. When the Babylonians destroyed the Israelites, the theological conclusion was that Marduk, the god of Babylon, was more powerful than Yahweh (The Israelite God). Other than that the complexity of the concept of Trinity in Christianity has also been elaborated. This includes Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The war between King Khosrow (Zoroastrian) and Heraclius (Byzantine) has been briefly mentioned.

The Sufi interpretation of Tawheed is highlighted which says that God is everything that exists. God should be considered as a light that passes through prism. Aslan in his conclusion explains his own religious orientation and quotes Ibn al-Aabi’s: “He who knows his soul knows his lord.”

Read More

Book Review: Tribes of the Hindoo Koosh by John Biddulph

Tribes of the Hindoo Koosh written by British colonial officer John Biddulph, spans over fourteen chapters which include themes related to topography, habits, customs, festivals, history, ruling families of the region and local languages. It can be considered as an account of Biddulph’s travel to the regions which we now know as Gilgit-Baltistan, Chitral, Kohistan and Xinjiang. The writer makes frequent mention of the Chinese traveller named Fah Hian, who is also known to have travelled through these mountainous territories. Mentioning about Kohistan, the writer is of the view that Kohistan is also called Shinkari, ‘the country of the Shins’, by the Kohistani people themselves. Moreover the valleys of Tangir and Darel are discussed in great detail. The prevalent languages, ethnic composition and traditions of small states are also explained. Conflicts, political relations and issues of grazing rights between Tangir and Yasin are highlighted. Moving north towards Gilgit town, Biddulph estimates the population of Gilgit to be of 4500 inhabitants.

About Hunza state, the writer mentions the raids in Yarkand by the Hunza people and also says that animal slaughter in Hunza is not according to the Mohammedan law. Ghazan Khan the ruler of Hunza is known for organizing orgies. Pointing towards the various ethnicities of that time Biddulph believes that Shins could be considered Hindus from the South and Kashmiris residing in Gilgit are basically weavers and carpenters. Various official positions of administration are debated. Some of these include Yerfah (Steward), Charboo (Assistant to the Trangfa), Trangfa (Village Head), Ataliks in Chitral (Military commander and Revenue officer) and Charwelo (In charge of a group of villages). The Chitrali ruler receives an annual tribute of children of both sexes from the Siah Posh community. The punishments for elopement, adultery and extra marital affairs in these tribal regions are also mentioned. The importance of foster relations, especially with the ruling families has been brought to notice.

In the second half of the book the writer compares Shin and Yeshkun names. He considers Shin names as having a suffix of ‘sing’ in them. While explaining the presence of old religious influence in the region, Biddulph opines that the old towers in Wakhan represent Zoroaster religion’s cradle.  Adding on to that, he further narrates that the practice of suttee (common among the Hindus) was practiced in Gilgit, Gor, Hunza and Nager. The author even claims the presence of Hindus in Darel valley till 1877. In addition to that the appendices portion of the book includes languages such as Brooshiski, Shina, Chiliss, Torwalak, Bushkarik, Gowro, Narisati, Khowar , Bushgali and Yidghah. Here the author makes a very valuable anthropological contribution by listing vocabulary, numerals, verbs, nouns and pronouns in the local languages of the region.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More