REVIEWS
The holy lake of the acts of Rama Charita Maanas–A Translation: by W. D. Hill. Orient
Longman Ltd.,
The Ramayana has had its
translations and versions in the various languages of
With a heart saturated
with unalloyed surrender to his hero, Tulsi Das has
taken liberties with the original epic in many places. Even at the outset, the
narration of the story is from the lips of the Lord Sankara
to His consort Parvati. You get the whole episode of
Goddess Uma’s marriage with God Siva in the Baalakaanda (‘Childhood’) in Hill’s translation. There are
enough changes effected in the incidents so much so we find Parasurama
with irrepressible ire appearing even in the very scene of Rama’s
breaking of the bow of Siva. Again, we find King Janaka
joining the deputation led by Bharata to persuade
Rama on the Chitrakuta to return to Ayodhya and reign as king in the place of his deceased
father. It is interesting to note that Hanuman is made to drop the ring bearing
the letters of Rama’s name on it before Sita in the Asoka Vana as a devise to draw
her to him for a dialogue. Also it is much more intriguing to see Bharata intercepting Hanuman on his flight to the
Hill’s introduction
gives us in a succinct account some of the details of the life of Tulsi Das as also of his own efforts to be as far faithful
to the original as he could in the work of rendering the ‘Avadhi’
of Tulsi Das into English. Indeed, it is a stupendous
task for any translator to have done the whole of the ‘Ramacharita
Maanas’ into flowing English. If persons such as
Rajaji had already spoken well of Hill’s work in the English garb, it is hardly
necessary for others to doubt the value of such a venture.
–K. CHANDRASEKHARAN
Gandhi: Theory and Practice: Social Impact and
Contemporary Relevance: Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Simla-5. Price: Rs.20.
The Indian Institute of
Advanced Study, Simla, conducted a series of Seminars
of which one was on Gandhiji during the October of 1968. The result of the
proceedings was a number of valuable papers which were collected and edited
carefully into a volume of considerable size running into 685 pages, inclusive
of the introduction at the beginning and the index at the end.
The entire proceedings
are divided into three parts: the first one entitled ‘Inauguration’ contains
the introductory addresses of Nihar Ranjan Ray and Nirmal Kumar Ghose. The second part is again divided into sections A to
E, covering a vast range of topics such as ‘Gandhi on Social Cohesion and
Social Change’, ‘Gandhi’s Economic Ideas and their Implementation’, ‘Gandhi’s
Political Ideas and Movements’, ‘Gandhi’s Legacy and Contemporary Relevance’.
The third part relates to the report of discussions on all the papers read in
the various sections.
Das Gupta’s estimate of
Gandhi’s impact on the Freedom Movement is very cautious in that he would not
give the entire claim to Gandhiji’s influence but
would add that historical perspective, if given its due place, would recognise the Terrorist Movement organised
by Subash Chandra Bose, as
I. N. A., as having provided a good deal of action along Gandhian
lines. A critical assessment of Gandhi’s ideas is made by T. K. Mahadevan some
of whose points provide a fresh approach to Gandhiji’s
mind. He has severely charged the interpreters of Gandhian
ideas as having based their views on the extant anthologies of Gandhi’s
thoughts which are often a mere collection of Gandhi’s utterances without any
relevance to their contextual origins. In conclusion he has strongly stressed
the need for an objective study of Gandhiji’s mind.
For he says, “Two factors must be taken into account; first like all great men
Gandhi had his fair share of what I would call ‘great failings’. One of the
most disastrous of these was his procrustean tendency to force reality into a
pre-conceived mould and to reach conclusions that were prima facie questionable.
Given the premises with which he started, these conclusions were doubtless
unimpeachable; but then no human premises are ever absolute...there can be no
finality about Gandhi.”
There are about thirteen
papers with substantial material bearing upon the social cohesion and change
brought about by Gandhiji’s influence. Seven papers
deal with Gandhian thought relating to economic ideas
and the attempts to bring them into actuality. Political ideas and the movement
launched by Gandhi occupy the next section and there are nearly seventeen
valuable tracts treating of them. The next section on Gandhian
legacy and its relevance to contemporary times contains eleven contributions
from the pens of some of the constantly discussed Gandhian
students. The third part, producing short summaries of the discussions, is also
a source of stimulating study to the informed reader.
On the whole the heavy
tome is not the usual collection of articles on Gandhi’s mind and action but an
earnest study from various angles of Gandhiji’s
entire philosophy of action. If we have to point to a good number of very
interesting reflections on Gandhism and its projection into the many aspects of
Indian contemporary life, we can certainly benefit from the serious studies
grouped here which are fairly comprehensive in their contents and expressed
with much of penetrating analysis.
In a short review it is
not possible to deal with individual contributions apart from saying that the
Institute has justified its existence in having conducted a Seminar of this
kind which would require enormous organised
preparation and guidance to contributors, in addition to the purposeful lead
given to them for gaining a scholarly and academic standard in the total
evaluation.
–K. CHANDRASEKHARAN
Tej Bahadur
Sapru: Edited by K. N. Raina
and K. V. Gopala Ratnam.
Universal Book Company,
The Rt. Hon. Dr. Tej Bahadur Sapru was an
outstanding figure in the public life of
His record of services
for the motherland was really worthy of being preserved in any chronicle of the
times if written. Having been a member of the Executive Council of the Viceroy
during the British regime and having served as an inestimable participant in
the work of committees such as the Muddiman
Committee, the Joint Parliamentary Committee of the Round Table Conference as
well as a joint collaborator with Motilal Nehru of a
famous report on the future Constitution for India, he had enough opportunities
to make in his own manner great contributions towards the advance of India’s
destiny in times to come. Held in very high esteem by Mahatma Gandhi, C. F.
Andrews and a host of representatives of both
The present volume in
commemoration of his life and achievements is the result of material collected
for a Seventieth Birthday Souvenir during his own lifetime, but which
unfortunately did not reach fruition owing to his ban on such a volume. Anyhow,
useful as such material happened to be for being published, his own grandson
along with the joint-editor Gopala Ratnam has brought out this garland of tributes to his
memory. No doubt a reading of this volume will create only a feeling that a man
of such real public service and brilliance of attainments should have been immortalised in a full-length biography.
–K. CHANDRASEKHARAN
Voice of Valluvar: By Rao Sahib S.R.V. Arasu,
This tiny volume of
ninety pages in print contains the kernel of verses of the famous Kural of Tamil Nad along with
available necessary translations, and reflections of the author, whose claim to
recognition as a scholar of substance has already been proved by his earlier
book ‘Kural and Democratic Socialism’.
It is needless perhaps
to impress on readers of the volume how the author started on this work, as his
preface itself gives an account of the feeling he had cherished to show to the
world of the great relevance ‘the book of practical wisdom’ has to our own
times. The effort here is more to show that the maxims of the Kural have an eternal value and they, if studied with care,
can be of immense aid to the removal of many of our ills both in the domestic
as well as public spheres.
About 250 of the verses
alone are gathered here and explained with a sense of perception of their ever
fresh source of inspiration to the man of actual employment in administration
as well as a true servant of
The author deserves much
appreciation for having enabled the lay reader, unfamiliar even with Tamil, to
sense the importance of the immortal work of Valluvar
by a devoted yet incisive knowledge of the profundity of the original and
expressed it with refreshing originality and clarity.
–K. CHANDRASEKHARAN
Glorious History of Koh-I-Noor:
By N.
P. Sen. Published by New Book Society of
This is a biography of
the most brilliant and most precious heritage of
The author traces the
origin of the Kohinoor to the dawn of Indian history before the times of the
Mahabharata. He seems to identify it with the legendary “Shyamanthaka
Mani” to which references are made in the Vishnu Purana and the Bhagavata. The author then traces the
history of this diamond, through the puranic legends,
and seems to suggest that this was given by Lord Krishna to the Sun-God, who
gave it to Karna, the legendary hero of the
Mahabharata, from whom it passed on to Arjuna, who
presented it to his brother Yudhishtira. The author
suggests that this diamond then adorned the crowns of various kings and
successors of the Pandavas through Parikshit, the grandson of Arjuna.
From this lineage, the diamond passed on to Raja Samvardhana,
who is believed to be one of Ashoka’s grandsons and
then it was with the Hindu kings. Even during the invasion of
The author then proceeds
to state that there is no information as to how this diamond passed on to the
Sultans of Delhi.
Nearly two centuries ago
Nadir Shah from
The purport in writing
the book seems to be a very patriotic one viz., that the Kohinoor which is a
great national asset of our country, should be returned back to us.
In the absence of any
other corroborating evidence, historical research workers may find it
difficult, at the present stage of our knowledge, to accept as historically
correct, the equation of this diamond with the legendary puranik
“Shyamanthaka Mani” and its
further course as described by the author in this book.
–DR. N. RAMESAN
Nritta Ratnavali: By Jaaya
Senapati. Edited by Dr. V. Raghavan,
M.A., Ph.D. Publishers: Government Oriental Manuscripts Library, Madras. Pages
222. Price: Rs. 22.
This is a most valuable
addition to the existing literature on Natya and
Andhra History. The author of this work Jaaya was a
commander of the elephant forces of the Kakateeya
King Ganapati who reigned, according to official
records, from 1202 A. D. and who was the first Telugu king that unified the
Telugu peoples and established an Andhra Empire as such. It is in the reign of
this King Ganapati that the dance sculptures in the Ramappa temple were done.
The first chapter of
this work opens with the definition of Natya and its
four constituents, the four Abhinayas and the
different aspects of dance. Chapter two takes up the four Abhinayas,
from the point of view of dance proper, the Angika,
and sets forth its several classes as related to the different limbs of
the body and parts of the face. The gestures of the hands are also included
here. In chapter three are described the Charis,
Sthanas and Mandalas.
Karanas and Angaharas
are set forth in the 4th chapter. All the above material is drawn from Bharata, but in many places the author has interpreted Bharata correctly after noticing all the differences in
post-Bharata traditions, and thus he improved upon
other writers on Natya or commentators on Natyasastra. The second half of the book is the main
contribution of Jaaya. Chapter five devotes itself to
the Desi varieties of Sthanas,
Karanas, and Bhramaras.
Desi varieties of the Paadas,
Desi Charis, Desi Lasyaangas and Gatis are dealt with in the sixth chapter. Chapter
seven devotes itself to general topics, most important among them being dance
dress, importance of Bhaava, the need for the eye and
mind to follow the motion of the hand, the orchestra for the dance, several
interesting Desi nrittas
like Parani, Prekshana,
Suda nartana, Rasaka Carcari. Natya Rasaka, etc., and
concludes with the three types of theatres. Some of the remaining general
points are dealt with in the last chapter.
The value of this book
is much more enhanced by an exhaustive and critical introduction running into
164 pages by the world renowned research scholar Dr. V. Raghavan.
The learned scholar discusses about the author and his patron. Sanskrit
literature under Kakatiyas, Natya
Sastra in Andhra, Nritta Ratnavali and its contents, authorities cited by Jaaya, writers indebted to Jaaya,
noteworthy points in Jaya’s treatment, Desi dance in Jaaya with a
concordance of the Desi varieties of Karanas as set forth by different authors Someswara. Jaaya, Sarangadeva, and Parsvadeva; Desi forms, the Theatre. Jaaya’s
poetry and an evaluation of Jaaya’s contribution–a
rich fare indeed for a research student. Notes to the text, index to the
authorities cited in the next, and other indexes added at the end make the
publication an ideal one. Photos of some dance sculptures ornament this book.
This is a book that is indispensable to students of Indian dance.
–B. KUTUMBA RAO
The Chiistian Concept
of Man: By
Jung Young Lee. Published by Philosophical Library, New York. Price: $ 5-95.
All philosophical
systems, codes of conducts, creeds of religion and the rules of logic are for
man. Man is the centre of all creation. He is the highest category of human
thought. The volume under review is a clear and competent analysis of the
nature of man and his real essence contrasted with his appearance. The approach
adopted is the Christian standpoint. The key concepts in the light of which the
concept of man is examined are YIN-YANG categories. The author is a trained
theologian and priest with a persuasive style.
The learned author
interprets the Christian theology in terms of the classical Chinese category
Yin-Yang relationship. These two principles enunciated for the first time in
the Book of Change of Chinese cosmology explains that everything in the
world is the result of the interaction of the two principles. They respectively
represent the opposites SHADE and LIGHT. They are the complimentary process of
making the rounded whole. The Yin is feminine and Yang is the masculine
principle. The interaction of the two produces the essential elements of fire,
water, metal, wood and earth. Late Chinese thought in works of Taoists reduced
the two under the principle Chi and described them as being covered by Li.
In the light of these
two principles our author explains the Christian concept of man. Man is not a
physical object like other things in the world. He is a subject that knows. He
is a being that too not a mere rational being. He is made not only in
the image of God, but is a divine being created to carry on God’s work on
earth. He is in essence a divine being. The book is a sustained interpretation.
Metaphysical Psychology of Henri Bergson (a critical study): By A. Lakshmana Rao, Andhra University, Waltair.
Price: Rs, 15.
Sri Lakshmana
Rao’s volume is a valuable study of the celebrated
French Philosopher Bergson’s Psychology. We have many
books on his metaphysics–for example, the compact book by Wildon
Cair, and the long articles on him by Dr. S. Radhakrishnan. Two decades ago the late Dr. Seshagiri Rao Naidu wrote on the
New Light on Bergson’s Thought and Philosophy. Bergson and Brodlay have been the
favourite philosophers of India. Historians of Indian
Philosophy have luminously compared the Buddhist doctrine of these with Bergson’s class vital.
Sri Rao in ten substantial
chapters has sought to comprehensively cover the views and contribution of Bergson. The topics treated are Mind-Body Problem, Sensations,
Feelings, Emotions, Perception, Instinct, Intelligence, Memory and Attention.
We have also interesting accounts of Bergson’s
theories on sleep, dreams and para
normal Phenomena. There is the discussion on Bergson’s
aesthetics in the concluding chapter. We have in the book interesting
comparisons instituted between Bergson and other
contemporaries. In short the book is a valuable study of Bergson
from the psychological point of view. The book carries an appreciative
foreword from Dr. Satchidananda Murthy
and an opinion from Dr. P. T. Raju.
–Dr. P. NAGARAJA RAO
Philosophy for the New Age: By Alan Fletcher Markun. Publishers: Philosophical Library, New York. Pp.
85. Price: 7-50 dollars.
After eighteen years of
study, experiment and thinking, the author wrote a book on the New
Revolution some ten years ago, setting forth his ideas, hopes and fears of
the imminent changes in the life of humanity at large. The present book takes,
stock of the events that have taken place, the tendencies that have gathered
strength during the last decade and forms a kind of postscript to the earlier
work.
The writer envisages a
rapid growth of the occult knowledge and practice with the breakdown of institutionalised Religion; a movement towards political
unification on a federal pattern; further spread of Communism as the economics
of poverty are still compelling; wider emancipation of women, freer (and yet
wholesome) attitude to sex.
By and large the
author’s vision and experience is limited to the continent of America and to
that extent the conclusions need to be qualified.
–M. P. PANDIT
Essays on Vedanta (Matter and Method): By Swami Satchidananda Saraswati. Adhyatma Prakash Karyalaya, Holenarsipur. Pages:
16 plus 167. Price: Rs. 6.
This is a critical study
of the Upanishads and the commentaries of Sri Sankaracharya
on the Prasthaana traya
intended to find out the unique doctrine propounded by the apparently
contradicting statements of the Upanishads, and the method adopted therein to
propound that doctrine. The findings are substantiated by relevant quotations
from the Upanishads and Sri Sankara’s Bhashyas. Swamiji proves that all
the Upanishads have the uniform purport of teaching the doctrine of one Atman,
and that the method adopted is adhyaaropaapavaada–superimposition
and negation. It is also shown here, how by an application of this method, “a Vedantin can seriously hold himself to the Upanishadic teaching of the Advaitic
Brahman or the Absolute without the slightest tinge of any specific feature,
and can talk in the same breath of avidya
and maya, of being and becoming, cause and
effect, God and creatures, the Universal and the particular, the individual
soul and the Universal Atman, states of consciousness and pure consciousness,
bondage and freedom, discipline and the goal, and such other distinctions which
can apply only to a pluralistic Universe.”
Aagama is the sole Pramaana and reason based upon intuition is the only reason
that can be employed to ascertain the nature of the Brahman. That Advaitins are not crypto Buddhists is ably proved by the Swamiji in the 6th chapter. The conception of the Absolute
as Pure Being “asti” is a device in Vedanta used for
the purpose of discarding empirical being and becoming with reference to Atman.
According to the Vedantins there is really nothing
born, the only Reality or Atman being one without a second. But he has a Maayaa Satkaryavaada also to
offer to inquirers who wish to harmonise all Vedantic texts. The Vedantic ananyatva of the cause and effect is
different from the Saankhya’s ananyatva.
The distinction of Isvara and Jiva
is only a distinction without difference. These and many other such important
conclusions are arrived at after a critical study of Sri Sankara’s
Bhashyas alone and thus this book is indispensable to
any student of Advaita Philosophy, if he wants to have a clear grasp of the
essence of and the method adopted by the Advaita Vedanta of Sri Sankara.
–B. KUTUMBA RAO
Essence of Hinduism: By D. S. Sarma. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bombay. Price: Rs- 3.
Hindu Ideals: By K. Balasubramania
Iyer. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bombay. Price: Rs. 3.
Dr. Sarma’s
survey of Hindu Scriptures, Rituals, Myths, Ethics Theism and Philosophy is
satisfying and comprehensive. He rightly notes that the fundamentals of
Hinduism are: the ultimate authority in religion is not Sastra
or Tarka, but spiritual experience; there is a law of
Karma operating at all levels of existence; yoga is the means to lift oneself
out of the mechanics of this law; God is one but He is realisable
in many ways and forms; like individual life, collective life also has a divine
purpose.
The writer’s analysis of the different movements of Renaissance in India is interesting. He observes: “The present Renaissance is probably the sixth of its kind in the long history of Hinduism covering about fifty centuries. The Upanishads with their message of a universal spiritual religion coming after a long period of complex sacrificial religion of the Brahmanas probably represent the earliest Renaissance in Hinduism. But, as no definite dates could be assigned to this Renaissance, we may say that it belongs to prehistoric times. Within historical times there came out next Renaissance in the second century B. C. after the fall of the Mauryan empire, and as a result of it we have our great didactic epics–the Ramayana and the Mahabharata including the immortal Gita. The third Renaissance came in the fourth century A. D. during the brilliant Gupta period of Indian History. And as a result of it we have not only our great system of philosophy out also those popular scriptures, the Puranas and the Tantras which were designed with the object of educating and training the masses in Hindu Dharma. The fourth Renaissance came in the eighth century A; D., when after a period of confusion following Harsha’s death, Hinduism absorbed foreign invaders on a vast scale and Rajput kingdoms were established in Hindustan. The results of this Renaissance are seen not only in the works of Sankara who has given a firm philosophic basis to Hinduism, but also in the great Bhakti movements in Vaishnavism and Shaivism in Southern India. The fifth Renaissance came in the fifteenth century, when as a reaction from the excessive formalism of scholastic philosophy, there arose the later Bhakti schools of Ramananda and Kabir in Northern India. The sixth Renaissance amidst which we are living today may be said to have begun in the last quarter of the nineteenth century.”
Sri K. Balasubramaniam’s lectures are a fluent exposition of the
aims and objectives of man–the purusharthas–in
the total perspective of Hinduism and the service of the realised souls to the rest of mankind as illustrated in the
lives of countless saints and seers of India.
Both the bookspresent Hinduism in a nutshell.
–M. P. PANDIT
What is Advaita?: By P. Sankarnarayanan. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bombay. Price; Rs. 3.
An authentic exposition
of the fundamentals of the Advaita philosophy: Prof. Sankarnarayanan
clearly defines his terms: “Advaita is not a mata, theory, it is a tattva,
truth.” He explains the full import of maya, mithya, the nature of the Self, its identity
with Brahman, etc. He also dwells upon the doctrine of vivarta
vada to explain the becoming of the Infinite into
the finite.
The author avers that
the Advaita has contributed to the generally tolerant attitude of the Hindu
religion and helped towards a reconciliation of the diverse sects and sadhanas. While clearing some of the misunderstandings
regarding Advaita, the learned writer points out that Advaita was not first
propounded by Sankara nor was the Acharya influenced
by the monotheism of Mohammed in his approach.
–M. P. PANDIT
Bhaktiyoga: By Aswini
Kumar Datta. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bombay. Price: Rs. 3.
In this famous work
(translated from the original in Bengali) Aswini
Kumar Datta gives a comprehensive survey of the way
of Devotion based upon the Sutras of Narada and Sandilya, Bhagavatam and the
later Vaishnava literature that grew up after Rupa Goswamin. The main topics
dealt with are: Devotion, Qualifications for its attainment, Obstacles, Aids to
devotion, Stages of devotion, Characteristics of a devotee and the Culmination
of Devotion into Love.
Speaking of the true
criteria of Bhakti, the author quotes from Sandilya:
“And we learn from the Smritis such
signs in abundance as Respect, Honour, Joy,
Forlornness, Ignoring the existence of any object other than God, Celebration
of His praise, Living for His sake, Considering everything as His, Perceiving
Him in all things, Resignation to His will.”
The writing is full of fervour and sincerity.
–M. P. PANDIT
Mahatma Gandhi–100 Years: Editor: S. Radhakrishnan; Associate Editors: R. R. Diwakar,
K. Swaminathan. Gandhi Peace Foundation, New Delhi. Distributors:
Orient Longmans. Pages 401. Price: Rs. 17-50.
Gandhi - The Writer (The Image as it grew): By Bhabani
Bhattacharya. National Book Trust, India. Distributors: India Book House Pages:
328, Price: Rs. 9.
Jawaharlal Nehru - A Man of Letters: By V. N. Chibber. Foreword by V: K. R. V. Rao. Vikas
Publications, 5, Darayaganj, Ansari
Road, Delhi - 6. Pages 210. Price: Rs. 22-50.
The Gandhi Birth
Centenary saw a spate of publications in English and other languages in this
country. Among the most notable of them in English is the volume brought out by
the Gandhi Peace Foundation. Its editorial board consists of such seasoned Gandhian scholars as Messrs. R. R. Diwakar
and K. Swaminathan, under the leadership of Dr. Radhakrishnan. This apart, the contributors are drawn from
all parts of the world and all fields of activity.
Hardly anyone of
importance, who has had anything to do with Gandhi or Gandhism (as also some
who had nothing to do with them like some heads of State and Government, but
who must have been happy to associate themselves with the event) is omitted.
World-famous journalists like Louis Fischer, historians like Arnold Toynbee,
critics like Herbert Reed, writers like Michael Sholokhov,
besides Gandhites including Sushila
Nayyar and G. Ramachandran,
as also elder statesmen, Rajaji and Acharya Kripalani
are all here, among the sixty-odd contributors. Dr. Radhakrishnan
could be speaking for all of them, when he concluded the introduction with the
words: “Gandhi is the immortal symbol of love and understanding in a world wild
with hatred and torn by misunderstanding. He belongs to ages, to history.” The
volume is as well produced as it is well-planned.
Dr. Bhabani
Bhattacharya’s study of ‘Gandhi, the Writer,’ made possible by a grant from the
Ford Foundation shows signs of inadequate material hurriedly eked out to
complete a project, otherwise well-conceived. He does, of course, discuss the
literary merits of The Story of my Experiments with Truth, and the value
of Hind Swaraj and the regular contributions to Young India and Harijan, but not in great depth. The early
influence like Tolstoy’s Gospels and the Kingdom of God and
Ruskin’s Unto The Last, as also other writers, are repeatedly
underlined. But one does not see the true relevance of the chapters relating
to interlude in Europe–cultural contacts, visit to Rolland, meeting with
Tagore, where they have no direct relation to Gandhi’s writing. Similarly the
one on Martin Luther King and World’s Homage and other chapters towards the end
give the impression of padding to swell the volume rather than useful material
to add to the substance. Perhaps a good beginning for others to work upon.
The book on Nehru was
prepared in the form of a doctoral thesis by a student of English literature.
It is well documented, showing ample signs of familiarity with the writings of
Nehru, including the three main works, The Glimpses, An Autobiography and
The Discovery of India. But the analysis is anything but sharp, the
comparison with other writers far from aptly pursued. For instance, the author
chooses to say: “He may well have become a second Rabindranath Tagore, had he
concentrated on his writing.” With the best of concentration, Nehru cannot be a
Tagore, nor Tagore a Nehru with less of concentration
and the best of intentions. It is good that they are themselves and no
other. Comparisons may or may not be odious, but a comparison like this one is
hardly tenable in an intelligent discussion, not to speak of a research work.
–D. ANJANEYULU
Images of India: Edited by B. G. Gokhale.
Popular Prakashan, Bombay. Pages 196. Price: Rs. 30.
The book is one of the
volumes in Asian Studies Series, brought forth by Wake-Forest University,
America and projects images of India, as seen in the writings of Western travellers.
All the articles
compiled are source-based and written by specialists. Of these the papers on
Indo-Burma relations and Self-images are void of fictitious element and stand
apart.
The structural materials
come handy through narrations of travellers, explorers, traders, and
missionaries hailing from Germany, Russia, England, France and Spain. And their
self-enlightened interest is purely mercenary and not intellectual.
Profiles of social,
political and religious life of India are drawn with lots of fantasy thrown in.
Most of the versions take on a patina of myth and legend. And objectivity
remains modest. India is to Westerners a huge segment of humanity with moral
and political codes of their own and a land of inexhaustible resources and
exotic regions and colourful people where things can
be picked up with toes.
The reader encounters,
as he progresses, nabobs rolling in wealth, be-jewelled
Rajahs, crafty brahmins, manikins a foot high who
mature at four and die at eight; self-immolating women, people who kill their
old parents and eat them, and dark beauties who sell their charms to whites for
a “Shetel” or two.
But here and there one
finds a brief mention of the scripture and religious beliefs of the Hindus. On
the whole the book presents an image of India of an earlier date and not that
of 20th century India with its technological and scientific bias.
But the sheer quaintness
of the original sources (15th and 16th centuries) simply delights the reader.
And he is amply repaid for his labour.
–K. SUBBA RAO
Studies in Indo-Anglian
Literature: By
Dr. K. N. Joshi and Dr. B. Shyamala Rao. Prakash Book Depot, Bareilly,
India. 1972. Pp. 125. Price: Rs. 10.
Any book on Indo-Anglian Literature reminds us of Professor K. R. Srinivasa Iyengar’s great book, Indian Writing in English, which
is an intensive exploration and exposition of the literary glories of Indo-Anglian writers. The present tiny volume may be invited as
an ancillary book. Perhaps joint authorship of literary studies sounds rather odd:
it may be all right concerning any other subject. ‘The authors make little
claim to originality for these “studies”.’
The book comprises
seventeen chapters covering most of the outstanding Indo-Anglian
writers: Toru Dutt, Sarojini
Naidu, Harindranath Chattopadhyaya, Rabindranath Tagore, Sri Aurobindo, the ‘Big Three’ (Mulk
Raj Anand, R. K. Narayan, and Raja Rao), and Bhabani
Bhattacharya. The chapters appear to have been carefully compiled, collecting
material from standard and non-standard critics, in a useful manner. The book
is somewhat unbalanced: special stress is laid on particular portions. And the
authors rightly claim that “The present book aims at giving, to the
post-graduate students preparing for their examination with Indo-Anglian Literature as one of their special papers,
introductions to some Indo-Anglian writers and some
of their major works.” Occasionally appears an incorrect statement like: ‘Coolie,
is not only Anand’s first novel, ...’ (Indeed, Untouchable
is Anand’s first novel.) There are many printers’
errors too, which are to be corrected; otherwise, there is the possibility of
these errors going into the answer scripts of those for whom the book is
intended.
There is also some
excessive reiteration or use of superlatives, and the tone of the chapters
appears eulogistic, which ought to have been avoided in view of the fact that
“all the geese are not swans, though there are swans among our geese.” However,
the sincere effort of the authors deserves commendation.
–Dr. K. V. S. MURTHI
Prakasam: A Political Study: By G. Rudrayya Chowdari. Orient Longman.
237 Pages. Price: Rs. 25.
Can everybody shine in
politics? Or, to put it in another way, is politics a specialized field of
activity like space technology, calling for specialized skills? To any
contemporary observer the answer is only too obvious.
While on today’s
political canvas a successful figure is one who mobilises
the greatest number of votes, some two decades ago–and especially before
independence–integrity, both intellectual and moral, was the hall-mark of a
popular politician. However, an essential requisite for success in politics
then (as now) was tact.
Tanguturi Prakasam
was conspicuous by the complete lack of this precious commodity. And when it is
remembered that he also did not possess intellectual brilliance to a high
degree, the question arises how he became the most prominent and popular
political leader in South India, particularly among the Andhras.
But these deficiencies
were more than compensated by his extraordinary courage and childlike
simplicity. What Gandhi was to Indians, Prakasam was to South Indians. And yet,
ironically, these two giants had their own mutual confrontations: no one other
than Prakasam could have dared defy and challenge the Mahatma (as, for example,
in the khadi episode) and still remained the minion
of the people.
But while Prakasam’s popularity with the people at
large–intellectuals as well as the laity–never sagged, he was deified, damned
and dethroned by his close associates. All because he always showed an
independence of spirit and never conformed to the run-of-the-mill policies when
he was convinced they were wrong even when he realized what personal stakes
were involved. He preferred isolation to subordination. Indeed, as S. Gopal puts it, he was “the Maverick of South Indian
politics.”
Here is a political
biography of the man who earned the endearing and enduring title “Andhra Kesari” for his incredible courage. The uniqueness of the
book is that it originally constituted a doctoral thesis. Inasmuch as it is
published on the eve of Prakasam’s birth centenary
and it is a comprehensive treatise on the remarkable man, the book is a timely
and valuable publication.
The author has taken
great pains in collecting and collating a good deal of material from diverse
sources (the entire bibliography is appended to each chapter) and his
observations bear a stamp of absolute sincerity. A close and disinterested
perusal convinces the reader that the author has not defended some apparently
indefensible postures of his hero just because he took it into his head to do
so for the purpose of writing the biography but because he was totally
convinced of the need for the defence.
While in the earlier
chapters the author does not impress, he has certainly measured up to the
standards of journalism in the later chapters–especially those entitled
“Economics and Politics of Khadi”, “As a Journalist”
and “Madras Legislature Congress.” A little more attention, though, would have
obviated the few errors in English.
This is a book the
reviewer particularly commends to ever Andhra who was born just before and
after independence.
Saraswata ryasamulu:
Published
by Andhra Pradesh Sahitya Akademi,
Kala Bhavan) Saifabad, Hyderabad-4.
Vol. I. Compiled by Dr. G. V. Subrahmanyam. Price: Rs 6-00.
Vol. II. Compiled by Puripanda
Appalaswamy. Price: Rs.
3-00.
Vol. III. Compiled by Dr. G. V. Subrahmanyam. Price: Rs. 6-00.
Vol. IV. Compiled by Puripanda
Appalaswamy. Price: Rs.
6-00.
Creation implies criticism
and criticism anticipates further creation. It is a perpetual process towards
perfection. In philosophical literature, for instance in Kama
Kala Vilasa, Siva is
described as ‘antarleena vimarsah’
while Siva and Sakti are
separately denoted by ‘Prakasa Bindu’
and ‘Vimarsa Bindu ‘
respectively. The process of either critical creation and / or creative
criticism is, by nature, organic (ayogaja - in the
logician’s terminology) and never synthetic. Thus a work of literary art, while
it is organic in its production it is as in critical as much it is insouled. Criticism has to be creative in some degree, to
be criticism at all. It is the same Sakti denoted
as ‘Vimarsa Bindu’ which
is configurated as Saraswati by Mammata and others. It is the same word Sakti
which is used to denote the creative genius called ‘Pratibha’
in all our literature. And that settles the point that criticism is as much
an Art as is creation and that it can never be a science.
It is said that critical
writing in Telugu is not sufficiently developed. Dr. G. V. Subrahmanyam,
compiler of the first and third volumes cited above, has expressed himself
candidly in this regard, in an article in another anthology of essays called ‘Mahati.’ The present reviewer agrees with him regarding the
unsatisfactory state of affairs in Telugu criticism. The reasons are not far to
seek. Criticism needs a certain inspiration, good taste and a ‘familiar style’
apart from the necessary expertise. Uninspired writing revels in drabness only.
Good taste may be derived from ‘a nice harmony between imagination and judgement.’ A ‘familiar style’ is not easy to acquire. It
is neither vulgar writing nor is it writing at random. It requires a lot of
precision and purity of expression. ‘Best words in common use are to be chosen
to result in ‘ease, force and perspicuity.’ It has to have ‘universal force and
applicability.’ The writer has to show wit, sense, humour
and learning as is expected of him. It is a matter of profound commonsense, not
that of heiroglyphics or mock writing. Ignorance and
want of taste lead, as Swift pointed out, to a continual corruption of
language. False refinements like maiming of words, abbreviations, etc., are in
vogue today. Spelling as we speak and seeking to avoid pedantry are our other
pretensions. Coming to the critical expertise, it has to be remembered that it
is not like the profession of a general practitioner. One has to be trained or
cultivated in the methods of criticism like the Textual, the Biographical, the
Historical, the Formal, the Psychological, the Sociological, the Moralistic and
the Archetypal types of criticism with a discerning knowledge of their
application and limitations.
The four volumes of
literary essays presently under review are the result of a laudable effort on the
part of the Andhra Pradesh Sahitya Akademi and the
compilers Dr. G. V. Subrahmanyam and Puripanda Appalaswamy. The object
is to make some of the very valuable essays published in the literary magazines
of late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, available to the public. The
articles are chosen by the compilers both for their matter and the manner of
the reputed essayists. There are no ‘Dick Minims’ in these volumes. All are
reputed scholars or poets or critics or inspired researchers, each a stalwart
in his or her own field.
The first volume
compiled by Dr. G. V. Subrahmanyam covers almost all
the major poets in Telugu Poetry written by thirty reputed scholars and these
are collected from the earlier volumes of “Andhra Sahitya
Parishat Patrika”, ‘Bharati’ and ‘Andhra Patrika New
Year numbers’–all well-known for their dedicated service to literature and
arts.
The second volume,
compiled by Puripanda Appalaswamy
from the erstwhile literary magazines like ‘Amudrita Grantha Chintamani’, “Granthalaya Sarvaswamu”, ‘Telugu Saraswata Sarwaswamu’ ‘Pratibha’, ‘Sujata’ and ‘Kinnera’ has an interesting miscellany.
The third volume,
compiled by Dr. Subrahmanyam again, has been given a
technical slant. Thirty-three essays in all, they deal with Sanskrit literature,
Prakrit, Sastraic criticism like alamkara
sastra, Grammar and Prosody, Philology,
Linguistics and some more Telugu literary topics. These are selected from the
‘Andhra Patrika New Year Issues’, ‘Sahitya Parishat Patrika’, ‘Bharati’ and ‘Sarada’.
The fourth volume,
compiled by Puripanda Appalaswamy,
has in all thirty-three essays selected from ‘Andhra Bharati’,
‘Trilinga’, ‘Saraswata Granthalaya Sarvaswamu’, ‘Ugadi Sanchika’, ‘Bharati’ ‘Prabuddha Andhra’, ‘Udayini’, ‘Vaisakhi’, ‘Navodaya’, ‘Prabha’ ‘Jayanti’ and ‘Parisodhana’. This is essentially a volume of essays in
criticism.
These volumes are very
readable. As Bacon would have it, these studies serve ‘for delight, for
ornamentation, and for ability.’ For those who use them wisely they give ‘a
wisdom without them and above them, won by observation.’ Highly educative to
the common reader they are indispensable to the student of Telugu literature as
well as Telugu scholar. A very rich fare at a low cost. The Akademi
and the compilers are to be congratulated at this very fruitful endeavour.
–PROF. SALVA KRISHNAMURTHI