This was the first book I bought to get ready for my trip to Nepal. I have not gone on that trip yet, but after reading this book I felt ready to tackle any travel encounters that may come my way. This book has extensive travel information to Nepal, dozens of phone numbers and up-to-date internet URL's related to Nepal and travel needs, as well as good information about hotels, restaurants, sights, you name it. This is a fantastic book to start out with if you are planning on visiting Nepal, and the price here is much less than what I paid for it at B&N. Happy traveling!

The evaluations of activities were accurate, and the helpful hints on planning really helped us optomize our trip. When you use this guide, you'll imagine that the author is really there with you.

It is generally easy to posthumously denounce a well-reputed personality. In the case of Gandhi, it is absolutely a breeze for anyone willing to look (*willing* being the operative word).

PERSONAL LIFE AND BELIEFS. Little do people know about his sheer disregard for his family amid his soaring popularity (the pretext of course being the usual: Nation comes first), a topic that has been discussed at length by his grandchildren in several plays over the last few years in India, all of which happened to be "controversial". This is a man who let Kasturba (his wife) die of pneumonia when she could have been saved with a shot of (British) penicillin, on the grounds of it being an "alien medicine". All this would have been high and exalted but it must be noted that when he himself contracted malaria shortly afterward he accepted for himself the alien medicine Quinine, and that when he had appendicitis he allowed British doctors to perform on him the alien outrage of an appendectomy.

SOCIAL LIFE: Little do people know (ok, people in the know know of this one) of his sleeping with pretty teenage girl followers in the buff in the "ashram" who cuddled the nude septuagenarian in their arms. Pretext: he was "testing" his vow of chastity in order to gain moral strength for his mighty struggle with Jinnah. Meanwhile, his daily morning greeting to his women followers in the morning was "Have you had a good bowel movement this morning, sisters?"

POLITICAL LIFE: Little needs to be said in this department. Try holding anyone else accountable for the morbid massacre of 20,000 or so innocent lives that occured during partition (and countless more since, as Pakistan and India remain at constant loggerheads). His nepotistic support for Nehru (who doted in return of course while being totally useless in any other manner) affected India even after his death as Sardar Vallabhai Patel was pretty much relegated to the backdrop of Nehru's cambridge-motivated Fabian ideas. And as far as the sublime message of non-violence goes, it is instructive to stop for a moment and think how Gandhi would have done under an antagonist like Hitler. He was lucky to be left alive, which speaks volumes about British rule. In the kind of civil disobedience he advocated, several people lost their lives haplessly facing a storm of bullets from the British hoping they were martyrs (e.g., Jallianwalla Bagh).

Anyway, whatever vein you wish to study Gandhi's persona/convictions in, and I mean study instead of reading the myriad paeans sung to the great Father Of The Nation, the one glaring defining feature of his character turns out to be his dogged obsession with his own preachings of simplicity (which are all great, unless imposed, as done under him) and his egregious notions of sanctity that came from renunciation of anything not indigenously produced in India (Civil Disobedience). This theorem was not much more than a gutless pandering to the agro-based masses of India, and arguably something that have long since affected India's wishes to stand back on its feet with global collaborations. He was a man who clearly revelled in the throes of his saintification at the expense of everything else, but to his credit and gain, sported topnotch interpersonal skills and a very smart agenda at a very right time. In short, "celebrity material".

If you find any of this inappropriate, you may want to keep away from the book, it will show you pages of history that are buried under the GreatGandhi rubble. It is sad, and somewhat symptomatic of the herd-belief systems that most people WISH to maintain, that this book is labeled "Out of print/Low availability".

This book appears to be an extension of a movie review; that is, it all started out as a Highly Negative review of the movie "Gandhi." Grenier points out several things that may be easily overlooked: the film should have been advertised as a "paid political advertisement by the Government of India" (that government contributed millions and exerted control over the product) as well as all the things they don't want us to know about "Saint Gandhi" -- including his service with the British Army in the South African wars, his rigid caste beliefs ("a member of Caste X pollutes at 85 paces") and a whole bunch more.

The edition of the book which I own is badly marred by a preface written by a Christian evangelical -- a TV preacher I believe.

Highest recommendation!

This is a wonderful, moving academic book. It dispels the myth of monolithic patriarchy in Indian society by showing how women attempt to master their own fates. The author has done the best job in recent years of getting inside the life of a village in India, and we are given vivid descriptions of how women battle male attempts to control them. As a college teacher I plan to use it in courses dealing with women's issues and in cultural studies of India. I recommend it as a reading in intermediate and upper level undergraduate courses on India and on women.

This is an excellent, in-depth portrait of the life of women in India, and in particular how women exert influence in a strongly patriarchal society. As a college teacher I am planning to use it regularly both in teaching about India and about women in traditional societies. It might also be useful alongside a text in an introductory course in social anthropology or women's studies.

The author deserves great praise for a very well written account on a subject often ignored by historians. The people of Sindh have been excellent traders for a few thousand years and the author has done well to describe the development of 2 Sindhi networks developed in the past couple hundred years.

I'd highly recommend this book (and not only because it covers the history of my ancestors).

sb

BY LAKSHMI SUBRAMANIAN

The Global World of the Indian Merchant 1750-1947: Traders of sind from bukhara to panama

By Claude Markovits, Cambridge, Price not mentioned

This is a book many of us have been waiting for. Periodic pronouncements have been made about the resilience and prescience of the Asian trader operating within and against the writ of the colonial economy of the 19th and 20th centuries. Along with these, the long debate on the world economy has sustained a level of interest and enquiry about the dynamics of non-European commercial activity in widely dispersed areas of the globe. Serious gaps and doubts have, however, remained and we are often left wondering, "Whose world economy was it anyway?" Was Asian enterprise a tedious aggregate of small, but countless, transactions indulged in by the colonial state with its own calculations and compulsions.

On the other hand, the visibility and movement of Indian merchant groups in the emerging global economy since the 19th century have invested the Asian experience with a certain significance, which, in turn, warrants a closer examination of the process, its antecedents and its projections. Claude Markovits's study attempts precisely to do all this and more, with the result that we have a narrative that is rich in detail, sensitive to the play of historical configurations and supported by a theoretical framework that is balanced and not overly ambitious. He focuses on two communities - the Shikarpuris and the Sindworkis, and through them proceeds to weave a story of dispersal and circulation, rather than that of a unitary diaspora with overarching Indian connotations.

Markovits argues that south Asian merchant movements were essentially temporary migrations and that the settlements, when these did occur, were largely involuntary. Nor did these correspond to any unitary category of caste, territory or religion and were in every sense the outgrowths of regional compulsions and local realities. The experience of the two communities chosen by Markovits, the Shikarpuris and Sindworkis, illustrates the juxtaposition of local processes with that of the global economy, where the activities of merchant groups took on a fuller meaning.

Obviously, such an approach is admissible when dealing with the operation of a colonial economy and not that of a national one, and it is no coincidence that the study should stop at 1947. Within this framework of local and global history, Markovits teases out a fascinating story of the merchant networks of Sind region, that has suffered an overdose of orientalizing descriptions. He also traces their emergence in the context of 18th century transition politics and their expansion in the high noon of British imperialism and Russian centralization. There is also the story of their spatial advance from Bukhara to Panama. The relocation of the south Asian merchant networks in the world economy in the 18th century is a well-established fact, even if its implications are not so well drawn out. The 18th century, in particular, is seen to have constituted a turning point in the positioning of the Asian merchants who suffered major reverses and in the process facilitated the marginalization of Asia in the newly emerging world economy centred firmly in Europe. The process of relocation was not coeval with that of decline and dislocation, and according to Markovits, it was marked by sharp regional and sub-regional variations.

Additionally, the establishment and workings of the colonial economy reared a sub-stratum of commercial functions and operations that were deftly handled and taken over by enterprising indigenous groups. It is within this context that Markovits positions his communities. He argues that far from operating in a residual space left open by the colonial dispensation, these merchant networks adapted successfully to a trading world dominated by European capital through a complex process of collaboration and conflict. The Shikarpuri and Sindworki networks developed under very different circumstances. The surge in Indo-Central Asian trade from the 1840s enabled the Shikarpuris to rework an existing network of caravan commerce and credit transactions under the dispensation of the Uzbeg khanates of central Asia. Meanwhile, the Sindworkis regrouped under the British dispensation and took advantage of the extension of the colonial economy from Bombay into Sind to operate a trade of truly global proportions. The Shikarpuri network was forced out of its base in Sind by changes that followed in the wake of colonial subjugation and changing configurations of commercial exchange. They exploited their old connections with central Asia, Iran and Afghanistan to emerge as principal moneylenders and traders, especially in the khanate of Bukhara. The details of the network have been deduced from a mass of legal material that the Russian authorities felt compelled to share with the British government in the eventuality of any death-related succession dispute involving a British Indian subject. One of the most striking features of the network to emerge from this legal discourse is the working of Shikarpuri panchayats in most localities of central Asia. The Sindworkis, on the other hand, were very much part of the colonial economy and began as modest peddlers of native crafts to a European clientele. This venture expanded substantially to include, in subsequent years, a wide range of curios that found their way into the European markets. Their initiative and intrepidity were quite remarkable. Consider the trader who protested against Australian immigration restrictions and flashed his credentials as a trader of repute who bought and sold exotic goods besides carving the occasional tortoise shell or setting a piece in jade. Curios became doubly important as the tourist traffic caught the fancy of European visitors, enabling a massive expansion of Sindhi enterprise on both sides of the Suez that soon turned to trade in textiles and financial speculation.

In all, this is a fascinating story of commercial dynamism. What makes the story even more fascinating is the exploration of the proclivity to spatial and social mobility among the networks. Caste did not play a central role in forging solidarities. The affinity seemed very much to lie with the region and with the ability to travel extensively and, in the process, ensure a circulation of skills and entrepreneurial labour.

Circulation however, remained confined to males, very rarely did wives accompany their partners. The absence of female company did not, however, deflect the passion for riches as merchants alternated between celibacy and permissiveness to balance the sexual economy of circulation.

I am an alternative practitioner and have been interested in ayurveda for a number of years. Out of the numerous books I have explored in the field, this has to be one of the most concise introductions. The first few chapters lay the foundation to what turned out to be a very fascinating read. The book demonstrates the importance of ayurveda in a modern lifestyle which makes it all the more relevant in this day and age. Included are numerous case studies and preactical tips. The book is well illustrated and included contact details for further information.

This is an absolutely fantastic introduction to the complexities of ayurveda. The narration is clear and concise and more importantly it is easily accessible to those with little or no understanding of the subject. From the outset Dr Godagama highlights the importance of ayurveda in the modern western world, and provides practical advice and tips which can be incorporated into the modern lifetsyle. In addition, throughout the book Dr.Godagama's draws on his own personal wealth of experience in treating patients with numerous conditions, stemming from irritable bowel syndrome to diabetes. This is a must read book for anyone requiring an easy to understand introduction to this fascinating science.....I found it a pleasure to read.

This book is just marvelous! Little Four(the little gray kitten on the cover) follows Bengal into the jungle to learn how to be like a tiger, so that he may earn his name on naming day. I was struck by how Four perseveres, and eventually triumphs, despite all those around him who doubt. This book has everything; exciting action, great moral (without being preachy)and the illustrations are as magical as the rest of the book.(Be sure to look for the hidden tigers!) Positive, empowering and beautiful, it's everything a picture book should be. I read it to my son's 2nd grade class; it was a hit, it really got them excited and talking.

I sent this book and "Quick Quack Quick" by the same author, to my niece and nephew. They really enjoyed it, and my sister enjoyed reading it to them. Many thanks for such a great story.

It is not often that one reads a book that changes one's outlook drastically. This is one such book. I am really impressed. Sooner or later, the ideas propounded in this book will prove to be a major challenge to many disciplines like anthropology, religious studies, and such like.

Although the theory on religion that is submitted in this book is generally found to be highly controversial, Balagangadhara's arguments are so strong that one cannot simply dismiss this theory as intellectual 'spielerei'. His account identifies crucial constraints on Western thinking about other cultures and the social world in general, and convincingly explains why even 'giants and geniusses' have not been able to surmount these constraints. I heartily recommend this fantastic book. In the legendary words of one reader: "it might even change your world view."

The most readable and trustworthy account of the history of the Sikhs yet. Sikhism has stood the test of time and stands for universal brotherhood. Here is a book that narrates the history of this glorious religion without emphasizing its recent dirty and divisive politics (as opposed to Patwant Singh's attempt at 'history')

Highly recommended for uninitiated westerners, serious scholars and history buffs.

there millions of sikhs all over the world, who would like to know about their heritage, in a nondistorted way. there is no reliable text that one could refer to. kushwant singh probably is the most reliable source at this point.we should not be deprived of this source of enlightenment.

This is probably the most detailed and thorough guide available to the sacred sites of Buddhism in South Asia, where it first developed. Today this land includes not only the various regions of India, but also Nepal, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, and "Holy Places of the Buddha" includes all of them. Each site is given a full description, including its place in Buddhist history and its condition today, and much of the text is accompanied by helpful maps and photographs. It would take a very long review just to list the many sites that are covered. The real value of this book is in providing a background understanding of the Buddhist holy places, but separate guidebooks (such as the Lonely Planet guides) will be required for instructions on how to get to each place. For anyone interested in Buddhism or South Asian history, and especially for anyone interested in making a pilgrimage to any of the sacred and historic places of Buddhism, I can't recommend this book highly enough.

This book was a friendly companion on my trip to India and Nepal. It fully describes events of the Buddha's life that occured at each location. In doing so it brings these Holy Places to life both then and now.

This book is a powerful message to all Indians especially the youth. Dr Kalam's vision of a developed India, his stress on technological and scientific engines to propel us into a higher orbit in the new millennium is well known. In this book, Dr Kalam is on mission mode - to ignite the passion in the minds of our children to achieve this vision. His numerous interactions with school children, political leaders, saints, scholars and industrialists have a common theme- India can do it.

India is a land of cultural and religious diversity and the world's largest democracy. The challenge is to harness this diversity and channelise our energies in nation building. Great leaders of all religions seem to be in perfect agreement on this. I was moved by an example Dr Kalam has cited in this book. In the southern Indian town of Kanchipuram, there exist a mosque and a Hindu mutt side by side. When there was a move to shift the mosque further away to reduce congestion , the Hindu saint vehemently protested - "In fact , when at 4:30 AM the call for namaz comes from the mosque, it acts as a wake-up call for my divine duties". This is the message the nation needs most at this moment.

This book to some extent repeats from "Wings of Fire" and "India 2020". But to me it is not repetition, but reinforcement. The challenge to remove poverty by 2010 and achieve the status of a developed nation by 2020 is no simple task. This is a call to all Indians to join forces in this great mission.

On 30 September 2001, Dr Kalam narrowly escaped unhurt in a helicopter crash. This event seems to have had a strong impact on his mind , resulting in greater vigor and resolve to accomplish his mission . God has been kind to him and to us the citizens of India, in saving this noble man and assigning him the responsibility to the highest office of this country.

"Dream, Dream, Dream
Dreams transform into thoughts
And thoughts result in action."

The time for action in NOW.

APJ Abdul Kalam, is a spokesperson for the collective desires of the people of India. In this simple book, he writes in lucid words, what Indians want for their country.

This small book puts the goal of a developed India in the hearts and minds of its people.

APJ Abdul Kalam, now the President of India is a living example that decent, honest, people can still suceed. His books are a refreshing read to any Indian.

This book is inspiring and full of hope for India. As an Indian, it reminds me who we are and what we are capable of. Dr. Abdul Kalam is the current president of India, father of India's satellite and missile technology.

However, his passion is to ignite young minds. I have heard that even now, with his busy schedule as the president of the largest democracy, he spends much of his time teaching young people both in person and via the Internet. I understand he has a goal of personally meeting 100,000 students. I believe he is more than half way there.

My daughter has ADD. When she picked up this book she read 80 pages in one morning. To my knowledge, this is the fastest she has ever read any book. This book inspired her and I'm sure it will inspire any teenager.

I encourage parents of East Indian origin or anyone who cares about India or wants to know about India, to read this book and encourage their children to read it. This book shouldn't just sell briskly, it should be flying off the shelves. Lets ignite the minds of our next generation, who can and will make a difference.

Parmod Gandhi
Principal
InSync Speech Technologies