Reviews of the latest books from and on Southasia

The Co-wife and Other Stories
by Premchand
translated and introduced by Ruth Vanita
Penguin Modern Classics, 2008

Ruth Vanita's fine translation of selected writings is a wonderful opportunity for non-Hindi and -Urdu readers to sample the works of Premchand, one of Southasia's greatest modern fiction writers. Classics such as "Kafan" (The Shroud), "Poos ki Raat" (A Winter Night), "Mritak Bhoj" (The Funeral Feast), "Do Bailon ki Katha" (The Story of Two Bullocks) and, of course, "Saut" (The Co-wife) provide a glimpse not only into his well-known involvement in the freedom struggle, but also his deep humanism and empathy with Dalits, the poor, women and animals. More than 70 years after his death, Vanita's brilliant introduction brings this major writer alive. (Laxmi Murthy)

Disappearing Peoples:
Indigenous groups and ethnic minorities in South and Central Asia
edited by Barbara Brower & Barbara Rose Johnston
Left Coast Press, 2007

Belongingness, ethnicity and origins abound in anthropological discussions that rarely change things. At the same time, they are unwanted in political discussions. Disappearing Peoples attempts to undo that, by recording the travails of communities that are disappearing thanks to globalisation. Unfortunately, biases of the volume's contributors make the book fail miserably. Arjun Guneratne is dispassionate in describing forces that have made the Tharu of Chitwan a minority in their own land; Aparna Rao and Michael J Casimir detail the plight of Kashmiris with a semi-clinical detachment; and Paul Robbins celebrates the Raika of Rajasthan, but refuses to recognise the necessity of state protection for disappearing peoples. Resignation seems to be the underlying theme of the book: people appear and disappear in response to forces beyond anyone's control, and there is not much that can be done about it. In the end, this collection is neither anthropological nor political, and falls flat between two stools as an unabashed apologia of empire and globalisation.
(C K Lal)

Mountains Painted with Turmeric
by Lil Bahadur Chettri
translated and introduced by Michael Hutt
Columbia University Press, 2008

Originally published in Nepali during the 1950s, this classic novel tells the story of Dhane, a poor farmer in eastern Nepal, who is forced to leave his ancestral village following a series of financial and social mishaps. Without sermonising, the narrative depicts the inherent unfairness of a system that allows the powerful few to have absolute control over all resources. It is impossible not to feel the helpless frustration of the hardworking Dhane, who is left with no options after having been robbed even of his agency by the 'big men' of the village. Basain, the book's Nepali title, which roughly translates to 'dwelling' or 'residence', highlights the underlying themes of migration and displacement much better than the English title. But this is one of the few weaknesses of Hutt's otherwise excellent translation, which, through both the introduction and the detailed glossary, goes to great lengths to remain true to the original. (Surabhi Pudasaini)

Patterns of Middle Class Consumption in India and China
edited by Christophe Jaffrelot and Peter van der Veer
Sage, 2008

From karaoke and food in middle-class China to glossy bridal magazines, upper-caste apathy and the power of consumer culture in India, this work looks closely at the famed middle classes of two of the fastest-growing economies in the world. In one of these essays, Carol Upadhya probes the spending patters of the iconic Bangalorean software engineers, as well as their views on culture, familial and social relationships. Those who claim that American television shows transform youth values can smugly point to Jaqueline Elfick's study in Shenzhen, where she finds young middle-class women using "Sex and the City" to gauge the state of their sex lives. For a smattering of interesting topics, however, the book slips into cumbersome theory, and is anaemic in terms of concrete examples. Nonetheless, it does provide another window into the lifestyles of the Chinese and Indian middle classes. (Neha Inamdar)

Technology in Health Care: Current controversies
edited by Sandhya Srinivasan & George Thomas
Forum for Medical Ethics Society and Centre for Studies in Ethics and Rights, 2007

In this anthology of selected articles from the Indian Journal of Medical Ethics, health-care professionals, researchers, community workers, activists, patients and their relatives, present all-around stimulating debates regarding the ethics of the health-care industry. Convincing arguments on, for instance, why life-saving drugs, including for HIV, should remain non-patented as 'public goods' in a country where an estimated five million people are living with HIV, are timely. The dilemmas around 'Do not resuscitate' orders by relatives during end-of-life care are likewise meaningfully illustrated, particularly in a context in, given better geriatric care, the ageing population is quickly growing. While the arguments themselves are stimulating, the insiders eventually win out. Other than the personal testimonies, the overly technical language used here will make the collection largely inaccessible to a general readership. (Carey L Biron)