The Dhamma
Man by Vilas Sarang
Penguin.
Pages: vi+171. Price: Rs. 250/-
It’s a familiar tale of the Sakya
Prince Siddhartha Gautama who became Buddha (circa 563-483 BC). A seer predicts
that he will become an ascetic and attain glory. Shuddodhana, Siddhartha’s
father, tries to protect him from world’s miseries. He gets him involved in the
affairs of the state as well as worldly pleasures. But, when Siddhartha
confronts misery accidentally and realizes the ephemeral nature of worldly
existence, he leaves his wife Yashodhara (a.k.a. Bimba in this novel), son
Rahul as well as the luxuries of palace life to seek answers to the various
questions buffeting his mind. He focuses on “dukkha” (pain or misery) as
the major, if not the only, poser facing human existence. He meets various
types of ascetics, philosophers and heads of ashramas – some genuine and some
charlatans. Ultimately he decides to eschew seeking knowledge from others and
do it on his own. After doing great penances, suffering in various ways and
experimenting with different forms of meditation he ultimately becomes the
Enlightened One.
Written in lucid prose this novel
skillfully weaves history, philosophy and mythology into the narrative. Whether
it is Buddha’s encounter with King Bimbisara – and the latter’s tragic end at
his son Ajatshatru’s hands – or the potentially melodramatic confrontation with
his wife and father, as also son Rahul, Sarang has successfully portrayed a
range of emotions without getting too loud. Most importantly, he has shown
Buddha as a human being with failings not expected of the Enlightened One. The
treachery of Devdatta, though understated, adds to the narrative’s attraction.
However, two grouses – firstly, Sarang wibble-wabbles between first person and
third person for no apparent reason; and secondly, pages 11, 14, 15, 18, 19,
22, 23 and 26 are missing and have been replaced with 63, 66, 59, 62, 71, 74,
67 and 70 respectively. How the publishers pulled this off is a mystery but it
certainly mars reading pleasure.
Empowering
Women by Kiran Bedi
Sterling
Paperbacks. Pages: viii+152. Price: Rs. 150/-
Kiran Bedi needs no introduction.
She is known for her zeal and positive approach to whatever task comes her way.
Apart from being a celebrity IPS officer she has contributed immensely towards
fighting drug addiction, reforming Tihar jail and several other socially
relevant causes. Her spouse, Brij Bedi, too has been an activist for a long
time now. A prolific writer, Kiran Bedi has focused on the women’s cause in
this volume. Eschewing feminist verbiage, she has, in her forthright manner,
portrayed different real life situations to drive home the point that women too
are responsible for their current low social and familial status. When even
educated women put up with unreasonable behavior of their husbands and relatives-in-law
how can an average woman be empowered? The different case studies in this book
are thought provoking.
Foreigners
who loved & served India
by KC Brahmachary
Diamond
Books. Pages: 276. Price: Rs. 150/-
While indulging in patriotic-xenophobic
hyperbole fanatics often overlook the fact that there have been many foreigners
whose contributions in various fields have enriched India. Names like Mother
Teresa, Mira Behn (Madeleine Slade), Sister Nivedita (Margaret Elizabeth
Nobel), Annie Besant, etc come readily to one’s mind. Apart from these the
author has also included Charles Freer Andrews, Angarika Dharamapala, Ananda K.
Coomarswami and many others who served in such varied fields as politics,
education, philosophy etc. Readers in the region would be interested in reading
about Samuel Evans Stokes (a.k.a. Satyanand Stokes) an American Quaker who
singlehandedly turned Himachal Pradesh into a thriving “Apple State”. His
contributions in the fields of education, politics and social service too have
been immense. The other pen-portraits too are quite interesting, especially for
young readers.
Published in The Tribune dated 02 October 2011
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