Monday 30 July 2012

The Perry Mason Series - A Review


The ‘Perry Mason’ series by ‘Erle Stanley Gardener’ is a brilliant blend of courtroom drama and a whodunit mystery with elements of law, forensic medicine and science (remarkable in itself since forensic science was still in very nascent stages during the time when the series was published, 1930s to 70s).

The protagonist ‘Perry Mason’ is a defence attorney who loves working on challenging cases and tries to avoid mundane activities as far as possible, much to the chagrin of his devoted secretary ‘Della Street’. Most of his cases involve unusual clients in unusual circumstances, often with a murder somewhere which brings in his expert detective ‘Paul Drake’. Paul Drake is the good-old-fashioned detective in an era where there are no mobiles or any electronic gadgets, yet he delivers every time. The three of them work hard towards protecting their client and unveiling the real culprit while always trying to stay a pace ahead of the police. The stories usually culminate in a courtroom scene which gives the reader a great look at the working of the legal system and may even tempt some to take up law!

The trademark characteristic of the series is the brilliant cross-examination by ‘Perry Mason’ of the witnesses often providing comic relief and sometimes even revealing the true murderer!
The books will keep the reader at edge throughout as the plot twists and unfolds towards a jaw-dropping end. It’s a definite must-read for lovers of mysteries, whodunits or courtroom stories.

Review by Smita Singh (PGP 2012 - 2014)

Wednesday 18 July 2012

Indian Fiction at Bookrack

This week we are suggesting titles from our Indian authors which in our opinion is a shining example of how to make a good collection :P. A few recommendations:

1. Stranger: Stories by Satyajit Ray: Satyajit Ray made great films. He also was an ad-maker, an artist (he has developed 2 fonts) and an author (Feluda stories). This book has short stories dealing with the supernatural and incidentally the last story in this collection was also made into Ray's last film 'Agantuk'

2. Ruskin Bond Minibus: If you have ever read Bond's short stories, take this to read more. If you have never then you are missing out on some real pleasurable stuff. This collection also has The Blue Umbrella, Susanna’s Seven Husbands which were made into films.

3. Fasting, Feasting by Anita Desai: Anita Desai is one of the most celebrated Indian author writing in english and this book, to quote from the Times Literary Supplement: "From the overpowering warmth of Indian culture to the cool center of the American family, it captures the physical -- and emotional -- fasting and feasting that define two distinct cultures"

4. Family Matters by Rohinton Mistry: Mistry you may have heard as the author whose book was banned on the behest of Aditya Thackeray by University of Mumbai. This book has the usual Mistry trappings: Parsis, Bombay, family troubles, deep humanity, bleakness and hope. An easy yet deep read, it leaves a lasting impression and to quote Sonia Chopra from Curled Up With a Good Book site "Family Matters triumphs because its characters are alive and because it captures the moods and conflicting emotions of three generations. This book further seals Mistry’s reputation of excellence and brilliance."

5. The Calcutta Chromosome by Amitav Ghosh: We are surprised no one has borrowed this gem of a book yet. The book is loosely based on the life and times of Sir Ronald Ross who achieved a breakthrough in malaria research in 1898. It was the recipient of the Arthur C. Clarke Award in 1997. You can read a good review here: http://diptakirti.blogspot.in/2012/01/mine-by-arnab-ray-review_28.html

6. The House of Blue Mangos by David Davidar: David Davidar was the head of Penguin India and a celebrated head who helped uncover many an Indian talent. This book was his first effort in writing. From the Amazon review: "Davidar's ambitious novel set in India relates many stories in one, each ineluctably merging into the other. We are shown three generations of an old family in the oceanside village of Chevathar. The patriarch Solomon strives to maintain equilibrium as caste struggles begin to create harsh conflict in the village, while his sons endure triumph and disaster as India inaugurates its battle for independence and his grandson, who may be the last of the line, undertakes his own bid for independence. All of these characters are drawn with a mercurial vividness, and Davidar has a Tolstoyan sense of the larger canvas--his epic covers the spectrum of heroes and rogues, clans and dynasties, the ugly and the beautiful."

7.  How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life by Kavya Vishwanath: Kavya was a high school student in USA when this book was published. It was seen as a nicely written chick-lit till the allegations of plagiarism surfaced. Subsequently the book was withdrawn and the case was actually quite messy. Nonetheless this is a nice breezy read and to quote someone on the Amazon site "The plot concerns an overachieving Indian girl whose dream of sailing into Harvard is derailed when the admissions officer tells her to stop studying so much and get a life, which she then tries clumsily to do."

8. The Pakistani Bride by Bapsi Sidhwa: Bapsi is a well known Pakistani author on whose book the film Earth was based. From Amazon: Zaitoon, an orphan, is adopted by Qasim, who has left the isolated hill town where he was born and made a home for the two of them in the glittering, decadent city of Lahore. As the years pass Qasim makes a fortune but grows increasingly nostalgic about his life in the mountains. Impulsively, he promises Zaitoon in marriage to a man of his tribe and the crux of the story is the clash in values of these 2 people and Zaitoon's bid to remain a free bird. From a review by Niranjan Iyer: "The Pakistani Bride is a very moving read. This book is clearly born of sincerity and passion. Sidhwa's compassion for the young Zaitoon single-handedly elevates the book into something approaching greatness."


9. RK Narayan Collection: We have 15 books by him! We will cover the great man in a separate post sometime later.


Wednesday 11 July 2012

Library Info Series II

Last time we talked about accessing Harvard Business Review. This week we are posting the method for a very basic activity; knowing your account status and information about the books in the library itself.

1. Log on to the sarvam portal:
http://sarvam.iimb.ernet.in/
Username: Your mail id, eg. rameshk11
Password: Mail password

2. Go to the 'Library' tab and click on the 'Online Catalogue'
 3. Your account status will be visible. Use the 'Browse' tab to search for whatever you want and see if it is in the library.


The Complete Verse - Rudyard Kipling

Today we will talk about a Kipling book. Now he is known more for The Jungle Book and Kim but do you know he was a prolific verse writer too!

We have this book, The Complete Verse with us in Bookrack. Considering the upcoming exam week (for the PGP2s) and the test overload (for the PGP1s) we feel this would be a good breather in between your studies. There are many many excellent verses there; here is one we like (and this will appeal to the Animal Lovers out there):

The Power of the Dog

There is sorrow enough in the natural way
From men and women to fill our day;
And when we are certain of sorrow in store,
Why do we always arrange for more?
Brothers and Sisters, I bid you beware
Of giving your heart to a dog to tear.

Buy a pup and your money will buy
Love unflinching that cannot lie --
Perfect passion and worship fed
By a kick in the ribs or a pat on the head.
Nevertheless it is hardly fair
To risk your heart for a dog to tear.

When the fourteen years which Nature permits
Are closing in asthma, or tumour, or fits,
And the vet's unspoken prescription runs
To lethal chambers or loaded guns,
Then you will find -- it's your own affair --
But . . . you've given your heart to a dog to tear.

When the body that lived at your single will,
With its whimper of welcome, is stilled (how still!)
When the spirit hat answered your every mood
Is gone -- wherever it goes -- for good,
You will discover how much you care,
And will give your heart to a dog to tear.

We've sorrow enough in the natural way,
When it comes to burying Christian clay.
Our loves are not given, but only lent,
At compound interest of cent per cent.
Though it is not always the case, I believe,
That the longer we've kept'em, the more do we grieve;

For, when debts are payable, right or wrong,
A short-time loan is as bad as a long --
So why in -- Heaven (before we are there)
Should we give our hearts to a dog to tear?

------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks to the net these 'poems' are there online; here's a link:
http://www.poetryloverspage.com/poets/kipling/kipling_ind.html

But if you are of the kind who prefers the crinkle of paper come on down to Bookrack!

Monday 2 July 2012

Library Info Series I - Accessing Harvard Business Review

Many of us don't really know of the resources which our Central Library provides. For eg. The whole repository of HBR articles can be accessed almost instantly from the comfort of your room. Here we present to you the process for accessing the journal.

1. Log on to the sarvam portal:
http://sarvam.iimb.ernet.in/
Username: Your mail id, eg. rameshk11
Password: Mail password

2. Select the library tab and goto Journal Finder.



3. Type in the name of the journal in the search tab.


4. Select the link to go to the online repository of all the issues from 1922!


5. You can search for specific topics in the magazine using the search tab.


Enjoy!

Sunday 1 July 2012

The Reluctant Fundamentalist - A Review


“I was, in four and a half years, never an American; I was immediately a New Yorker.” But Changez’ perfect New York world came crumbling all around him in the aftermath of 26/11. Not because of the often clichéd targeting of the Asian Muslims in America, but because of the demons brewing up inside his own head. “I was a modern-day janissary,” he says, “a servant of the American empire at a time when it was invading a country with a kinship to mine.” 

The story unfolds as the protagonist meets an American stranger at Anarkali Bazaar in Lahore. He engages him in conversation, which is a cleverly written monologue of his understanding, love and the subsequent loathing of America. The excessively vocal Changez comes across as a person to be vary of, while the silent American seems to be unwillingly drawn up into the conversation. But here again Mohsin strays away from clichés as we realise that the real fundamentalist is not the long bearded Pakistani from Lahore, but the suited and sophisticated capitalist from America.

While talking to the American, Changez reveals his past of an $ 80000 a year earning, Princeton pass out working at Samson Underwood. The story meanders through his romance with Erica, the daughter of a New York Investment banker. The love story, though endearing, is entirely irrelevant to the real purpose of the book, but even here, Mohsin skirts away from the usual Anti-Asian tone that a cross cultural romance in the shadow of 26/11 supposed to have.    

Changez’ reluctant fundamentalism comes to fore when on a trip to Manila, he hears about the 26/11 terrorist attack and can’t help feeling elated at the fact that someone had the courage and wisdom to strike at the US. Though, the transformation of the protagonist from a hardworking evaluator to a reluctant fundamentalist is not entirely clear, the writer tries to unsuccessfully attribute it to Changez being mistaken for an American oppressor by the workers at the firm in Manila.  

 Changez’ disenchantment, though not very well depicted, is not hard to understand. His hate of America is not a result of any high Islamic values, but of entirely his own patriotism coming to fore. His return from Pakistan with a beard and his botched up assignment in Peru are just mere physical manifestations of what he always in him; a Reluctant Fundamentalist.

Mohsin Hamid has written a good book, but with topic as relevant and fresh as this one, better things could have been done. Thus a book that could have been an epic, remains at the most a good read. In a terse and engaging language, Mohsin shows the Americans how they look in the eyes of the rest of the world. The Anti-India undertone in the book is hard to miss, but that was expected from a book written by a contemporary Pakistani author. But what worried me most after I read the book was that if a man who had so much going for him, is ready to give it all up for fundamentalism, albeit reluctantly, then what would a man who has nothing, not even education, be ready to give up.  


A Review By Varun Saini, PGP 2011