Felis indicus

Pugmark Qmulus Consortium. An extraordinary name for a publisher, but like anything unusual, they have an interesting history. A passion for wildlife and conservation, combined with interest in photography and advertising led to this venture based in Ahmedabad, and their lovely new book on the Indian lion, The Gir Lion: Panthera Leo-persica. Written by a man who knows about this from the inside- H S Singh is the Chief Conservator of Forests in Gujarat- the book is at once about the natural history of the Gir forest, conservation status, and about how we should plan for the lion and its habitat in the coming years. Although the Gir forest is one of the best managed "protected areas" in the world, the Indian lion is in critical need of conservation as its habitat is continually eroded. "The book provides an opportunity to learn the circumstances which compel the lion to migrate in satellite areas in search of an alternative home. "

This book is informative - being based on about two decades of fieldwork on the big cats in the Gir forest- yet personal, and charmingly written, with a wealth of photographic documentation.

A good addition to our Natural History shelf, 330 pages, Rs 2000. ISBN 81-904840-0-8.

Pioneering Science

The Indian Journal of Physics, published by the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (now located in Jadavpur) was founded by Sir C V Raman in 1926. Some years later he was to discover the effect that bears his name, then be awarded the Nobel prize in Physics.

Raman started other journals as well- those that are published by the Indian Academy of Science in Bangalore. These are an important vehicle for the transmission of research results, and the vitality of our journals is a testimony to vitality of the science R&D in the country. All journals of the Indian Academy of Sciences can be subscribed through the Scholars site (and many of their publications and proceedings can be purchased from us as well).

A young friend pointed us to a book that we should have known about, a special publication of the Indian Journal of Physics, a collection of Landmark Papers published in the first 75 years of the journal's existence. And what a collection!

Raman's paper on 'A new Radiation' that announces the Raman Effect, Chandrasekhar's 'Thermodynamics of the Compton effect with reference to the interior of the stars’, written when he was an undergraduate, Saha's "The origin of mass in protons and neutrons", Bose on the reflection of electromagnetic waves in the ionosphere. All pioneering papers, all published in this journal.

In 1944, the journal published a remarkable paper entitled, somewhat mundanely, Mass determination of the ionising particles recorded in photographic plates exposed to cosmic rays, by Bibha Choudhuri. It was a rarity for those times. The author was a woman experimental physicist- and was the first to carefully analyse particle tracks left by cosmic rays (the experiments were done in Darjeeling, Sandakphu and Pharijong from 1939 onwards) in photographic plates. She came to the clear conclusion of the existence of a charged particle with a mass about 200-300 times the electron mass. As the editors, D S Ray and J K Bhattacharjee note, this work was "significantly earlier than the work of Powell who won the Nobel Prize in 1950 for his work on mesons." If only...

Reviewing the collection in Current Science, K R Rao says " The compendium deserves to be added to libraries, because it gives at one place some of the important papers published by the pioneering and well-known scientists of India, of the pre-independence era."

We agree. At Rs 500, it is a book that earns its place on our shelf.

Oh Joy!

Ananda Kentish Coomaraswamy. Art historian, philosopher, geologist. I used to own one of his books, inscribed AKC (in pencil), that I picked up at a library sale many years ago. The bookplate- a charming woodcut- inspired me to make my own, and years later, I found his name resonant when it came to naming my son...

AKC was inspiring in many ways. Few intellectuals with their origins in the subcontinent (that's one way to be inclusive!) have led a more charmed existence, or contributed so much in so many areas of human enquiry. This week's Current Science carries a historical review by Rasoul Sorkhabi of some aspects of his work, highlighting his early research in geology.

AKC was prolific in his work and in his writing (as well as in other aspects of his life- he married four times, for instance!). The Indira Gandhi National Center for the Arts (IGNCA) in New Delhi is bringing out his collected works in 30 volumes, half or so of which have been published so far. Take Ananda K. Coomaraswamy's Writings on Geology and Mineralogy edited by Srinivasa Rao and Ranganathan, and published by Manohar. The articles in this volume collect important findings of the time when he was appointed Director of the Mineralogical Survey of Ceylon, including that of the remains of Radiolaria in the Gondwana Shales of Sriperumbudur. In the Current Science review, Sorkhabi writes, "Perhaps AKC’s greatest geologic discovery was thorianite, a mineral found in granitic rocks, which he reported from the Bambarabotuwa District, Ceylon in 1904. AKC sent samples of this economic mineral deposit to Wyndham Dunstan, Sir William Crookes, Sir William Ramsay, and Marie Curie for further examination. Ranganathan, who has examined these correspondences (given to him by the late D. N. Wadia, who was the Mineral Advisor to the Government of Ceylon in 1938), writes that Madame Curie suggested the new mineral be named ‘coomarite’ after AKC; however, this unselfish scientist did not promote this name...."

Some of AKCs writings appear in unexpected places- like Myths and Legends of the Hindus and Buddhists which he wrote with Sister Nivedita, and which is published by the Advaita Ashrama, Kolkata. A steal at Rs 160, "the aim of this work is to relate, in a manner close to the original, such of the myths as are more or less familiar to every educated Indian."

With the passage of time, many of the books for which he was so well known- "The living thought of Gotama the Buddha" for instance- get increasingly more difficult to find (although it has been reprinted recently by Rupa), but as many of you know, at Scholars we like nothing more than to help you get the books you need, even if it means a nonlinear search!

The number of scholarly books on Coomaraswamy are increasing- and those from IGNCA are just a few. Look around our site: AKC appears on many pages- Essays, Religion, Music, Art...

Deconstructing Langevin, Markov, Fokker, Planck...

The publication last week of Elements of Nonequilibrium Statistical Mechanics by V Balakrishnan of IIT Madras is very welcome. Partly because it is not often that we get to write about books in the natural sciences, but more because a book from Bala is sure to carry the stamp of clarity that has characterised his teaching over the last thirty or so years.

Those who have heard him lecture- regardless of the precise topic- know that he brings not just a formidable knowledge of physics to his teaching, but also much thought on pedagogy and the process of learning. Couple that to a keen wit, a sense of observation and a good taste for physics, and one has all the ingredients for a great text! This book deals with the basic principles and techniques of a subject whose importance is growing rapidly in view of the advances being made, both experimentally and theoretically, in the study of nonequilibrium phenomena in statistical, chemical and biological physics, complex systems, and several other areas. The book should be accessible to senior undergraduate students and post-graduate students and should provide a clear exposition of many things, among them the Langevin equation, Markov chains, Fokker-Planck equation and the Kubo Green formalism.

A very welcome addition to our Physics list, the book is published by Ane Books in New Delhi. Ane has a select number of original publications (listed on our site, of course) in addition to a large number of important reprints. Come explore!

Hardcover, 336 pages. ISBN 8180521559, Rs 595.

We are like this only

Human Rights. Lack of awareness - and the lack of literacy- sees many groups in India denied some of their basic rights. An organisation that has done a great deal to help these groups- ranging from children to dalits, the differently abled, farmers, HIV positive people, the homeless, indigenous people, prisoners, refugees, religious and sexual minorities, women, workers, and sex-workers among others is HRLN, the Human Rights Legal Network.

is huge. They provide pro bono legal services, conduct public interest litigation, engage in advocacy, conduct legal awareness programmes, investigate violations, and participate in campaigns. And very importantly, they publish a number of books and other 'know your rights' materials, all of which are now available through Scholars.

One of their publications is Humjinsi, edited by Bina Fernandez is about Gay, Bisexual and Lesbian legal rights. A guide to Combating sexual harassment at the workplace. The title says it all: a comprehensive guide to what you need not tolerate. Combat Law is their bimonthly magazine that addresses issues of current legal interest.

There are few aspects of public life where basic human rights are not involved, and HRLN has something to say on all of them. Be it on Health Care, on Water, on Communal violence... the list is long.

And its not just books. There are pamphlets, posters, documentaries. Not all are listed on our site, but write in- we'll be happy to get them for you. Treat this as part of your right to information.... and as your right!

Our other mountains

More ancient than the larger and better-known Himalayas to the north, the Sahyadris harbour the most intact rainforests in peninsular India. Countless species of plants and animals live here, many of which are found nowhere else on earth, and countless of which are still being discovered. Matching this incredible biological richness is the ethnic and cultural diversity of the Western Ghats. Sandesh Kadur and Kamal Bawa, in their book SAHAYADRIS published by ATREE, Bangalore, take you on a visual journey through this range of mountains also known as the Western Ghats.

The book is, truly speaking, exquisite. Lavishly produced, it does full justice to the superb photographs that document the flora and fauna of this wonderland. Many- ranging from E O Wilson ( "The book is an incredible reflection of the magnificence of the Western Ghats.") to George Schaller ("No one can look at the book and not be entranced and emotionally connected. The combination of photography and text is superb and truly conveys the great diversity of life in both reality and spirit.") - have been lavish in their praise, but when you see the book, you know it is well earned.

In our Natural History Section, ISBN 9780977021109. Rs 2950

In another category, but on the same subject, is the two-volume Sahyadri: The Great Escarpment of the Indian Subcontinent edited by Y Gunnell and B P Radhakrishna, for the Geological Society of India, also based in Bangalore. This book contains several papers reviewing the morphological evolution of this remarkable landform marking the western border of India. A geologists delight, this is the ideal companion to the other title listed here, and with which it takes exception, particularly on the age of the mountains.

In our fledgling Earth Sciences section, Rs 1500. ISBN 81-85867-45-3

Breaking a mould

Women's movements have correctly identified patriarchy - a loaded word if ever there was one- as the "real" enemy, not men. Nevertheless, there is little realization that men are often victims of patriarchy as well as being beneficiaries. Today's Hindu carries a review of a new book Breaking the Moulds from MAVA (Men Against Violence and Abuse) Mumbai and Purush Uvach in Pune and published by Books for Change.

"The book is a serious and pioneering attempt by men to understand the shaping of multiple masculinities in the Indian context and would serve as primer on Men's studies in India. The book includes fresh write-ups exclusively by men on a wide range of gender and sexuality matters. It has all forms of expressions: short stories, first-person accounts, interviews, plays, poems, analytical articles, group discussions and interviews. The publication records the impressions by sensitive, concerned men who have questioned and in their own way attempted to change patriarchal, male-dominated stereotypes in society. Among the write-ups in the book, is a lot of experiential sharing which help in breaking the myth of masculinity as a monolithic construct and brings out the diversity, complexity, pain and richness of experiences of men who are attempting to break out of the patriarchal moulds."

The foreword to the book is by Maithreyi Krishnaraj who says "The present book shares with us the exploration of the difficult journey of modern post-feminist, gendered man through the treacherous terrain of relationships and ideologies through the process of examining masculinity by bringing to us experiences and not just high theory…. What I liked most about the book is the hope it brings to us that there is a tremendous possibility to all of us becoming more human than just gendered beings."

In our Gender Studies section. Rs 195

From Saligao to Mandalay and back

Asia's first Gutenberg-inspired printing press arrived in Goa in the year 1556. Four and a half centuries later, Goa 1556 makes its debut. Publishers after our own heart, "they have "a quest to do things differently, and with goals that are different. Their aim is to democratise the production of knowledge.... in their own small, alternative way."

Among their first titles is Songs of the Survivors edited by Yvonne Vaz Ezdani. This book looks at migration by Goans to Burma and focuses on a dramatic point in history. The World War II Japanese invasion had a major impact on the lives of the Goans- as well as the other Indians- settled there. Ezdani lived in Burma till the early 1980s, along with a large extended family from Saligao that has largely since resettled here. "In an instant (during the War in 1942), the Goans' comfortable and serene lives were shattered and they were plunged into chaos and fear." Many trekked back to India, through jungles and mountains and streams, and the oral history of this generation, slowly fading away with age and memory, is recorded in this book. But some Goans even decided to stay on during Japanese occupation. When one reads their stories, the perils of migration and its impact become all that more stark...

Goa 1556 promises to bring out interesting titles- their Goa Readers are a planned series of texts, that explore diverse aspects of Goa, and the influence of this tiny region in diverse pockets of the globe. The first is already out as an e-book, and deals with critical essays on the media in Goa.

In our Culture section. Rs 295.

Maximum Cities

In the past few years, "city biographies" have appeared at regular intervals, sometimes even making it to the bestseller lists. By now this seems to be a distinct genre, within travel writing or within sociology, and the cities that have been biographied are a select group: Mumbai, Bangalore, Lucknow, and now Delhi, among others, have their stories told and retold.

Suketu Mehta's Maximum City: Bombay lost and found was among the first that I became aware of as a city biography (well... there was Diana Eck's Banaras, City of Light earlier). MC has been described as "a stunning, brilliantly illuminating portrait of the megalopolis and its people—a book, seven years in the making, that is as vast, as diverse, as rich in experience, incident and sensation as the city itself."

In contrast, Janaki Nair's The Promise of the Metropolis : Bangalore's Twentieth Century is a more scholarly book of course, more sociology than biography, but still a city's tale, and urban history where she "analyses how the city has been shaped by ideologies and principles of planning, instrumentalities of the law, and by the mobilization of 'City Beautiful' aesthetics. She also discusses the unanticipated uses of space that fashion a city quite different from the one envisaged by planners and technocrats revealing ways in which citizenship and democracy are being reconceptualized."

In a different category is Veena Talwar Oldenburg's collection Shaam-e-Awadh: Writings on Lucknow that fleshes out that city, both its older form, and the new more modern one, in a collection of essays that "celebrates the unique character of this city of carnivals and calamities". There will always be time for that last game of chess....

And Delhi. Ah, Delhi! Ranjana Sengupta's Delhi Metropolitan is a very recent offering from Penguin. But what's the subtitle about, the making of an unlikely city? Other than Jericho, there haven't been many cities (imperial or otherwise) with that much longer uninterrupted histories. At any rate, the book is a welcome addition, and documents the evolution of the city in modern times, even if it is a bit patronizing ("this largely unloved city deserves to be loved. Delhi is home to the most diverse population of any city in the country. The unceasing influx of migrants has unleashed new urban architectures of opulence and deprivation.")

We love the city, and its a city well worth loving. The book (and the others listed here ) are available on our site. Listed in the General and other sections. We shan't start a CB category....

The Anatomy of an Assassination

Manohar Malgonkar's The Men who killed Gandhi was recently reissued by Roli Books, in time for the World Book Fair. Stuningly produced, this edition, the 11th, goes beyond the previous 10 with the inclusion of new illustrations and photographs, and documents that could not have been included when the book was first published during the Emergency years.

A valuable addition to our Gandhi Studies section, the book is gripping. Written carefully- the background research itself took decades- and with insight- the book has the flamboyance of Malgonkar, with the added benefit of recent technology and access- in particular to Gopal Godse's home where some of the photographs included in this edition were found.

In the General section as well. Rs 395, ISBN: 9788174366177

Taare Zameen Par

Ever since I started reading out The Very Hungry Lion to my daughter, I've felt that Scholars should list some of the books from Tara, the Chennai-based niche publishing house that specialises in handcrafted books with amazing folk and tribal themes and graphics. Well, we start listing their titles today...

At the ongoing (apology for a) World Book Fair in Delhi, their stall is a veritable treasure trove- its great to see all their titles together and to see the richness of their creative efforts. In an article last year in the Hindu, the founder Gita Wolf was quoted "Our business model is different. We have kept the business small and creative.'' And different is right- Samhita Arni is one of their authors wrote The Mahabharatha-A Child's View in 2 volumes when she was 12!

Each of Tara's books have this quality, of being unusual, and captivating. One that caught my eye (and which I instantly bought!) yesterday is The Book Book, a book about making books, for children 8 years and above. By Sophie Benini Pietromarchi, this beautifully produced book is full of ideas and inspiration to help readers write. And construct their own. A book that will appeal to educators, parents, and book lovers as well.

In our For Children section. Rs 625, ISBN: 978-81-86211-24-3. Look for other Tara titles also!

Two by Three

Two new titles from Three Essays Collective, Gurgaon.

The Everyday Life of Hindu Nationalism: An Ethnographic Account by Shubh Mathur is an account of the rise of Hindu nationalism in Rajasthan during the period 1990-94 that looks at the transformation of cultural meanings in everyday life that make possible the political success and the anti-minority violence of the Hindu right. Media and academic accounts of the Hindu right that present images of religious frenzy and fanaticism are misleading because they draw attention away from the world of the everyday and the ordinary, from the homes, workplaces, schools and communities where the realities of Hindu nationalism are created and maintained. This book takes seriously the claims of RSS activists that theirs is a
cultural organization, and that its main task is character-building, in order to answer the central question: How does one comprehend the selves that are capable of the extraordinary violence witnessed in India at the turn of the millennium?

The patterns of anti-minority violence that accompanies the rise of Hindu nationalism show that it follows not a political or economic logic, but a cultural one. The geographic and demographic distribution of violence maps and confirms cultural beliefs about the nation and its enemies. Finally, this book argues that media and academic discourses on Hindu nationalism function to produce what has been called cultural anesthesia, diffusing and deflecting questions about agency and accountability while silencing the experience of the victims and excluding the cultural idioms which provide them means of comprehension and healing.

DECOLONIZATION AND EMPIRE: Contesting the Rhetoric and Reality of Resubordination in Southern Africa and Beyond by John Saul examines the "grim reality of post-liberation southern Africa and also the forms of resistance that the re-subordination of the continent now calls for. In the process he exposes and contests the rhetoric that serves as apologia for the Empire of Capital, and shows the linkages between inequalities and injustices reinforced by the free market on the one hand and, on the other, by the assertive religiosity and ethnic messianism that the Empire helps to emerge and then uses as justification for renewed imperialist intervention. His book makes a significant contribution to the discussion on Imperialism and resistance to it in the present day.

The basic premise of this book is a straightforward one… The world is a horribly unequal and exploitative place. Capitalism, serving as the chief engine of empire, has been…the key force in making it so." Tell us about it...

In our Publisher Lists, in the TEC page.

My friend Mr Haldane

There have been few Indian scientists of the stature or calibre of J B S Haldane. We can indeed claim him as ours- he moved here in the 1950's and took up Indian citizenship... and what counts, participated in full measure and much as he did in Britain, as a fierce opponent of humbug, scientific and social! He had many admirable qualities- he was a brilliant scientist who worked right to the end, committed to the cause. As many have noted, among them Vigyan Prasar, there have been few popularizers of science of his calibre.

A pioneer biologist, biochemist and geneticist, Haldane helped provide the mathematical foundation for Darwin's theory of natural selection. A professed Marxist, and as chairman of the editorial board of the Daily Worker (the mouthpiece of the Communist Party of Great Britain) he wrote a large number of popular science articles, with a view of making it accessible to ordinary workers. Many of these essays were later collated into books, and these have now been reprinted. My friend Mr Leakey is, of course a children's classic, and whats even nicer, has many touches of India in it....

Both Everything Has A History and My friend Mr Leakey are available from Vigyan Prasar, as are a number of other classics (including Darwin's Autobiography). Its VP's mandate, of course, but by now they have over 100 titles. The Haldane titles cost Rs 45 and Rs 40... These, like almost anything from Vigyan Prasar, are amazingly good bargains. Look for the books on their page in the Publisher's lists. Some, like Mr Leakey, are in the For Children section as well.

India. The view from above.

What does our country look like from the air? Most often, the only view one gets is from the window seat of passenger planes, which are therefore very limited.... by the time the plane is low enough for features to be distinguishable, one is on a prescribed flight corridor. Ocean to Sky: India from the Air by Dipti and Kunal Verma from Roli Books, New Delhi, is a new book that offers new aerial perspectives. 

Over eight years in the making, the book is a "dramatic photo exploration of the Indian subcontinent from the air. The breathtaking visuals – many of them taken from over 30,000 feet from the cockpit of MiG fighter planes, and others from AN-32 aircraft and choppers – are a poetic mosaic of the stunning variety of India’s landscape, from ocean to sky. A visual feast unlike any attempted before, the book extends from the southern tip of the Andaman Islands to the northernmost point on the Siachen Glacier. It brings alive the relentless beauty of nature’s handiwork together with human embellishments over the ages." The authors, both flyers and aerial photographers, are to be warmly commended for affording us all such a unique view of our country.

In our General section. Rs. 1295. ISBN: 81-7436-380-7