The Blog of Small Things

  Name : Countdown Author : Amitav Ghosh Year of Publication : 1998 Genre : Non-Fiction, International Relations Rating : **** (4 stars out of 5) A short travelogue written in 1998 in the aftermath of the Pokhran tests is eerily relevant today as well. The author visits the villages near Pokhran (where radioactivity has led to public health issues) , Siachen glacier (where soldiers succumb to climate rather than enemy fire), Wagah border ( where muscular soldiers are involved in a comical ritual every day), the then Defence minister George Fernandes (who is cynical about the political lot he belongs to), the fiery Pakistani activist Asma Jahangir (who underlines the moral crises India and Pakistan are going through) and anti-nuclear activists (who estimate the possible deaths in the eventuality of a nuclear strike on New Delhi). Arundhati Roy has written on the same topic in a rabble-rousing manner in her essay "The End of Imagination". Amitav Ghosh creates a similar impact w...

Name : The Nine Lives of Pakistan Author : Declan Walsh Year of Publication : 2020 Genre : Non-Fiction, Pakistan, International Relations Rating : ***1/2 (3.5 stars out of 5) In 1983, Tariq Ali memorably asked, "Can Pakistan Survive?" in the title of his book. Since then, many writers, local and foreign, have grappled with the fact that Pakistan has, somehow, survived. Declan Walsh, a journalist who spent many years in Pakistan, is the latest. He tells the tale of Pakistan by profiling nine people who encapsulate the country's contradictions. It is telling that many of those nine met a violent death. The author mixes daring reportage with history : For example, in a chapter on a Pashtun chieftain, the author introduces the subject playing around with guns, gives an overview of Pashtun history and then jumps right back to the subject playing a life-or-death battle in the tribal hinterlands. That the author survived these challenging assignments itself is an achievement, wr...

  Name : Avaladhu Veedu Author : S.Ramakrishnan Year of Publication : 2020 Genre : Fiction, Short Stories Rating : *** 1/2 (3 and a half stars out of 5) S.Ramakrishnan introduces his readers to an universe of interesting characters in this curated collection of his short stories : A woman who rents a spacious house and lives a parallel life alone without informing her family, A husband who expresses his anger with the world by walking backwards, A woman who scares her husband by safeguarding her father's pistol under the pillow all the time , A school girl who is teased by classmates for her "mustache", among others. The best story has to be "Empaavaai" which relates to how a woman oppressed in a patriarchal household finds joy for a brief time when her favorite writer comes to the town for a program. Another noteworthy one is where he makes Anton Chekhov as a character in his story showcasing his love for Russian Literature. When noble thoughts meet lyrical wri...

Name : The Great Unravelling : India after 2014 Author : Sanjay Jha Year of Publication : 2021 Genre : Non-fiction,  Politics, Contemporary India Rating : ** 1/2 (2 and a half stars out of 5) A former spokesperson of the Indian National Congress reveals his angst on how the Grand Old Party is struggling to stay afloat. While the chapters on Modi and Economy reveal nothing new, the chapters on Media (and his relationship with the rabid Arnab Goswami) and Congress (wherein he puts forth passionate proposals for structural overhaul) are important for a contemporary follower of Indian politics. That such a sincere votary of Nehruvian ideals has been expelled from the Indian National Congress reveals as much about the party as his book does.

Name : Locking down the poor Author : Harsh Mander Year of Publication : 2021 Genre : Non-fiction,  Society, Politics Rating : ** * (3 stars out of 5) The author, a former bureaucrat and a social activist, continues writing books for members of the society who cannot read his books. This book is not merely a searing indictment of the regime which mercilessly locked down an entire nation with an advance notice of four hours ; Rather, it excoriates the elite sections of the society which looked away while the poor were robbed of their dreams in the name of a pandemic. The author is no literary giant but his conviction and compassion more than compensate for shortcomings in flair. Books such as these ought to be not merely read but passed on as a baton to others so that the flame of a strong moral centre burns bright in our hearts.