Reviews of the latest books from and on Southasia

Marrying Anita
A Quest for Love in the New India
by Anita Jain
Penguin, 2008

Here is a tedious book about an Indian-American woman's experiences with love and marriage in Manhattan and Delhi. Rather than a comedy of manners, this is a snide book about alienation in our times. Sneering asides about pre-liberalisation India don't help us get over the fact that this is less a book about the "new India" and more about a small fraction of urban India who now navigate the new social identities produced by cash and real estate, by privacy and an end to privation that was not afforded an earlier generation of the middle class. (Vijay Prashad)

Prostitution and Beyond:
An Analysis of Sex Work in India
by Rohini Sahni, V Kalyan Shankar, Hemant Apte (Eds)
Sage Publications, 2008

Topics as sexy, literally, as sex-work, are bound to spawn a slew of writings. Projects, programmes and theses on sex work and prostitution have mushroomed over the past couple of decades, when issues of HIV/AIDS, sexuality and sex work became visible. There is much-needed debate on these issues, but the present work, edited by Rohini Sahni et al, is a disappointing medley of uneven pieces. Some chapters, such that by Svati Shah on the "Politics of Red Light Visibility in Mumbai", and the "Scripting of Stage Actresses as 'Prostitutes' and 'Fallen Women'" by Lata Singh are undoubtedly thought provoking. The rest of the book, for the most part, is a hastily assembled collection of odds and ends. A pity, since this contentious issue would certainly benefit from incisive analysis and in-depth research. (Laxmi Murthy)

People's Diary of Freedom Struggle
by Sitaram Yechury (Ed)
People's Democracy Publications, 2008

Sixty years after 1947, struggles to define India's place in the sun continue. This book revisits the stories of those who fought for a socialist India. The names ring out: Punnapra-Vayalar, Kayyur, Ghadar, Tebhaga, and on. Subodh Roy's reflections on Chittagong are worth the price. He ends with this, "I became a communist in the Andamans and I am a party worker since I returned to the Indian mainland in January 1939. Today, when I look back, I feel within myself the same urge to always work for the people and be with them, without ever being tamed." (VP)

Prachanda:
The Unknown Revolutionary
by Anirban Roy
Mandala Book Point, 2008

For a novice on the Maoist insurgency turned democratically-elected political party in Nepal, this book by Assamese journalist Anirban Roy, provides a comprehensive chronology of events leading up to the 15 August 2008 election of Pushpa Kamal Dahal (aka 'Prachanda') as prime minister by the Constituent Assembly. From the young leader's inauguration as a full member of the Communist Party of Nepal in 1979 to the 1995 launch of the CPN (Maoist) party to the adoption of the Prachandapath doctrine in 2001, this quick read is a Prachanda-heavy historical record of what the Maoists did behind the scenes, without further scrutiny into the rationale and motives behind crucial decisions. Falling short of a compelling biography with fresh and insightful anecdotes, Roy employs a more superficial and swift approach, inserting scattered transcripts of interviews with relatives and associates of Prachanda, unsupported by critical analysis. Despite the paucity of flavour, the book does stay true to the author's intentions of writing a simple book for a broad readership, 'while avoiding any form of analysis'. (Smriti Mallapaty)

A Town Called Dehra
by Ruskin Bond
Penguin, 2008

Ruskin Bond's A Town Called Dehra is essentially a book of nostalgia. Reproduction of his earlier stories – including chapters from his first book A room on a roof – are engaging with their sharp portrayals of the quirky characters from his childhood. Equally charming are Bond's description of Dehradun's nooks and crannies, and his many escapades in these locations. The later stories, extracts from Bond's journal entries, are essentially reminiscings on the Dehradun that was. Readers familiar with Bond's work may well find the anthology rather redundant. On a side note, the chapters of poetry scattered throughout the book are far inferior to the prose. Exploring, as they do, the same themes as the stories, the reader wishes Bond had stuck to the latter form, one at which he is far more skilful. Certainly not a must read. (Surabhi Pudasaini) 

Strong Religion, Zealous Media
Christian Fundamentalism and Communication in India
by Pradip Ninan Thomas
Sage Publications, 2008

With its opening lines, "Even the Taliban uses the Internet", this book lives up to its provocative title. Taking head-on the delicate matter of minority fundamentalism, Thomas gives the reader insights into a less discussed phenomenon – the communication strategies adopted by the Pentecostalist traditions, old and new. The growth of conservative forms of Christianity and the manner in which the media, mainly television and radio, has been used by these new churches is explored. The increasing use of new media is particularly interesting given the "Bibical distrust of 'graven images'" and the fact that the media was seen as the "Devil's medium". Thomas chronicles a fascinating history of the use of the media by the Protestant church in India. 'Bringing Christ to India', a radio programme produced in 1955 in Tamil and Malayalam, broadcast over Radio Ceylon, was one of the first of its kind. Programmes such as the 'Voice of Love' and 'God TV' are now aired on television is several Indian languages. The close nexus between the church and media must also be seen in the context of the role of the church in "nurturing communities to become full participants in the consumer economy", beginning with what Thomas boldly calls the "consumption of a commodified Christianity". A good read for those interested in religious fundamentalism, the media and society. (LM)