Nostalgic accounts of travellers who rode the earliest trains in India,
personal journeys of men who who have written memoirs of their life and
struggle in the US and East Africa and former union minister Salman
Khurshid's account of Muslims in India. IANS bookshelf this weekend
offers these delights. Take a look:
1. Book: Halt Station India; Author: Rajendra B. Aklekar; Publisher: Rupal Pages: 205; Price: Rs.395
From
the arrival of the first train and the subsequent emergence of a
pioneering electric line - all in Mumbai, this book rekindles the
romance with Indian Railways by highlighting the the rise of India's
original rail network.
Written by journalist Rajendra B. Aklekar,
the book draws from journals, newspapers and archives, along with
"nostalgic accounts" of those who have traveled by the country's
earliest trains.
It also captures the "economic and social revolutions spurred by the country's first train line".
With a foreword by journalist and author Mark Tully, the book is peppered with images, maps and sketches.
2.
Book: Building Bridges: The Role of Indian Americans in Indo-US
Relations; Author: Swadesh Chatterjee; Publisher: Rupa; Pages: 224;
Price: Rs. 500
Not satisfied with simply being an immigrant
success story, the author decided it was time to give back - both to his
adopted land and his motherland. He took on a leading role in the
burgeoning movement of Indian Americans seeking rapprochement between
the United States and India after decades of Cold War misunderstandings
and resentment. The author helped shape this movement and its strategy -
and in the
process developed a new play book for the political empowerment of immigrants.
This
memoir is a chronicle of the ups and downs of that movement, a
blueprint for younger Indian Americans and other immigrant groups
raising their voices in the
United States - and a deeply personal family story.
3. Book: And Home Was Kariakoo; Author: M.G. Vassanji; Publisher: Penguin; Pages: 384; Price: Rs. 599
The
author was born in East Africa, and like many Indian East Africans of
his generation, he migrated to the West and made a life for himself
there. But Africa
remained his primal home - the land whose colours
and smells most beckoned to him, the land in which his family roots went
deepest.
In this book, he travels to his homeland to draw a
vivid portrait of East Africa today - always the melting pot of Asia,
Africa and Arabia - and tells the story of the Gujarati Indians of that
region for whom Africa is both home and not home.
4. Book: At Home in India: The Muslim Saga; Author: Salman Khurshid; Publisher: Hay House; Pages: 392; Price: Rs. 699
As
a former union minister who has held several crucial portfolios, the
author, on the basis of his vast and varied experience, recounts how
Muslims in India accept
this country as their own despite many provocations and allegations doubting their patriotism.
In
the process, he reinforces his contentions by providing numerous
real-life examples of how the community has proved its commitment and
capability by making immense contributions in almost all fields.
This
timely volume, which covers a wide span from the late 19th century to
the present, succinctly brings out the pivotal roles played by a galaxy
of distinguished
Indian Muslims. The author describes how the Aligarh
Muslim University in Uttar Pradesh and the Jamia Milia Islamia, Delhi,
came into being and how many of their
alumni became part of the freedom movement and maintained communal harmony.
