BOOK REVIEWS
ENGLISH
My solitary songs of Pain and pleasure By Dr. C. Jacob, Narsapur 534275
Dr. C. Jacob,
District Judge, (Retd.) is a prolific writer of English prose with a poetic
touch. He is a keen observer of human nature in its myriad colours. His recent
book of poetry is a true reflection of his poetic genius. His verses are a
perennial spring from which come his spontaneous and brilliant expressions of
his inner self. There is no subject he leaves untouched.
The author deals at length with the ills
that beset our motherland as a whole. ‘Our India’ gives a bleak image of our
country. ‘Cows and bulls in busy markets, frenzied processions block high way
for weddings of gods and demons’ bring a gruesome image of Indian roads and its
people. The writer almost wishes for a situation where ‘the druggist’s wife
died of spurious pills’, ‘the milkman’s beloved daughter died of diarrhoea’, in
‘Self Bite’. The verse ‘Self Bite’ strongly speaks of the poet’s condemnation
of wide spread corruption. The same thought is carried forward in the short
verse ‘Corruption’. The writer’s heart cries out
‘How in the
broad day light
The shameless
corruption proudly walks
Along the
crooked sheets of life
Kissing every
vice as it’s dear child!’
But there is
hope in ‘The Incorruptible Mind’. He ‘who is not tempted for treasure of gold
to speak untruth’ holds hope for future world as he who is himself unmoved
‘moves other by dint of will.’
The romantic side of the writer is revealed
in his ‘Dream Love’. The lover’s pathos is exqusitely expressed in ‘why the
parting pain should parting joy surpass?’ His yearning for perfect love has a
dream-like quality.
‘Every inch
of you is made of gold
your eyes do
shine more in the night.’
The writer
has a word even for ‘White Ants’ who ‘feast’ on Milton’s immortal “Paradise
Lost” and “Munch Shakespeare.” “He calls them a slip in ‘Nature’s plan’. He
reminds the young men to ‘know their parents suffering’ and ‘look at the sunken
eyes of your parents’. The nostalgic yearning for the past flashes in ‘Distant
Memories’. The role of the parent and the teacher is well explored in the verse
‘children’ who ‘take shape we give at home’.
One is
reminded of Shakespeare’s ‘Sweet are the uses of adversity’ on reading ‘The
Song of Sorrow’.
‘The songs of
sorrow are sweeter than
The songs of mirth and merriment’.
His shorter
verses also contain profound thoughts. ‘Poverty’ becomes a welcome mate as its
virtues are ‘precious more’. The world is likened to relentless cosmic drama in
‘The Cosmic Drama’. One is reminded of Tennyson’s lines “Old order changeth
yielding place to the new”. The book abounds in moral instructions like “Great
men are strong not by the food they eat, but by their relentless fight against
fate”. In short the writer has brought his discerning and profound thoughts to
his charming and alluring verses. ‘The Balance’ is struck in ‘The World of
Contradictions’. The writer has a rare felicity of expression in discussing
“All things under the sky’. The verses have a lyrical quality of the Romantics
that touch our heart. At the same time, they are thought-provoking and
reflective having come from a judge’s pen. The poet in him brings a charm to
the sharp and impartial judging qualities. The collection of poems are truly
the songs of pain and pleasure, that need to be read by all book lovers.
- K. Gopal Krishna Murthy, A. Padmaja
SPOKEN
ENGLISH AND ART OF PUBLIC SPEAKING: By I Satyasree, 207, Sumanjali Apartments, 1-1-780/1&2,
St. No. 2, Gandhi nagar, Hyderabad-500 080. Pages 51, Price-Rs 50/-
English
language fell from grace in 1947.Efforts are afoot to set the clock back and
see that this language regains its lost glory in this country. Every
conceivable effort is being made to restore the lost ground and help this
generation realise the importance of this international interactive medium.
The world has
become a big global village with the advent of I.T. Hereafter the only language
that would be spoken in this big village for commerce, trade, science and
technology would be English. Keeping this in view as part of restoration
efforts, Mrs. I. Satyasree authored a guide book entitled “Spoken English and
the Art of Public Speaking.” This book contains dialogues of situational
conversation in daily life, vocabulary, idiomatic expressions, proverbs and the
art of public speaking. The difficulties that beset the learners are pointed
out so that learning is made easy for them. Pit-falls in structure are
illustrated.
The chapter
on public speaking creates interest as it contains remarkable speeches of great
orators of national and international repute like Lincoln, Martin Luther king,
Vivekananda and others.
The author
who brought out this book in a charming style is an experienced teacher who has
been teaching English for two decades. The book is prefaced by Prof. I.V.
Chalapati Rao. Everyone should use this language book and reap the benefit. The
present day students are well equipped with the subjects they study but owing
to a lack of adequate knowledge of English they cannot communicate effectively
and fare well in conversation. Books of this nature pave the way for a better
grip and grasp of the language. This
remains a source book for teachers and students alike.
-K. Gopala Krishna Murthy, Vijayawada
TELUGU
MANAVA
JEEVITA NIBANDHANA (2 parts); (Tr. Telugu) Dr. Ratnakara
Balaraju, Saketa Nilayam, 21, SBI
Colony, Anantapur, 515001; Rs 200
The book
written by the well-known writer on spiritual subjects is complete in two parts
translated from an Indian Manuscript written by an Ancient Brahmin –As stated
by Dr. M. Sivaramakrishna in his foreword .This book is a unique book and also
a continuing link in the chain of other translation of Dr. Balaraju’s spiritual
books such as Sitaramanjaneya Samvadam, Buddha darshanam and Dhammapadam,
Brahmasutra, Sri Yoga Vasista Sangrahamu, etc. All these books with their
thorough and exhaustive introductions, cross refrences and commentaries are
treasures to the preserved.
“The Economy
of Human life discovered in Lhasa translated by an unknown author and dedicated
by him to the Earl of Chesterfield, made its first appearance in 1751 and by
1812 ran into fifty editions and got translated into various languages. The
Manuscript written by an unknown Indian sage for the welfare of mankind was
found in the ancient library of Grand Lama at Lhasa (Tibet) and translated into
English by an anonymous Englishman at the Command of the Earl of Chesterfield
in the year 1751. The Economy of Human life is a manual which helps in
cultivation of virtue and the quest of knowledge. This is a spiritual book now
made available to the Telugu reading public by Dr. Balaraju, a scholar who
received commendations from philosophers like Dr. S. Radhakrishnan and
spiritualists like Swami Ranganathananda. The intertexts provided by the author
at various places evidences the knowledge and scholarship of the author.
“The Economy
of Human Life” is in two parts, part-I consists of seven chapters and Part II
is of five chapters.
The first
chapter of part I covers the virtues of thoughtfulness, obedience, efforts,
desire to win, vision, contentment, state of equilibrium, eating and drinking
habits etc. The second chapter covers the positive traits of hope, happiness,
kindness, love, desire etc. The Third chapter discusses the qualities a woman
should possess, the fourth about various relationships, the fifth about the
differences created by God in Life, The sixth about the social norms and the
seventh about religion.
Part II of
the book delves into the formation of human body, the senses, the soul, life
and its benefits in its 1st chapter. The second chapter discusses
the weak points of a human being and the third about the negative traits which
need Control and Elimination. The fourth chapter discusses the great qualities
of Generosity, Honour, Greatness, Knowledge, Scholarship etc, and the last
chapter deals with dangers, diseases, sorrow and death which are beyond Human
control.
The book
reasonably priced at Rs. 200/- makes a useful and interesting reading and the
praise-worthy book will be a welcome addition to adorn any library.
-I. Hara Krishna