Subodh's Updates

Subodh added 'Whole Numbers and Half Truths'

Tue, 22 Apr 2025 06:41:03 -0700

Subodh gave 4 stars to Whole Numbers and Half Truths (Hardcover) by Rukmini S.
I expected more. Numbers can be very effective in making a point. However, the numbers used in this book tend to get lost in the narrative and the patterns do not emerge effectively. The one take away is that statistics are not reliable in India, particularly now when the government of the day is actively suppressing inconvenient truths.

Subodh added 'Lords of Earth and Sea: A History of the Chola Empire'

Wed, 09 Apr 2025 06:18:20 -0700

Subodh gave 4 stars to Lords of Earth and Sea: A History of the Chola Empire (Kindle Edition) by Anirudh Kanisetti

Subodh added 'Lorenzo Searches For The Meaning Of Life'

Sat, 05 Apr 2025 20:44:22 -0700

Subodh gave 5 stars to Lorenzo Searches For The Meaning Of Life (Kindle Edition) by Upamanyu Chatterjee
Upamanyu Chatterjee burst on the literary scene with his English, August: An Indian Story in 1988. Agastya Sen, the protagonist, is an IAS officer from an English speaking privileged background who lands up in a mostly rural district and has to get used to dealing with people with a totally different background. In the present book the protagonist Lorenzo is an Italian with strong religious leanings who becomes a monk in the face of his family's opposition. Later he joins a branch of the Italian abbey in Khulna, Bangladesh and has to deal with the culture shock.

The culture shock that Lorenzo faces is bigger than what Agastya Sen faced, but he responds to it with greater empathy. Agastya has the typical upper class cynical attitude towards the masses and notes the peculiarities of their behaviour with a supercilious amusement. Lorenzo also finds many thing unsettling and unintentionally humorous, but he is keen to relate and succeeds.

Both protagonists are based on real people: Agastya Sen is Upamanyu himself. Lorenzo is based on Upamanyu's friend Fabrioso Senesi, as acknowledged by the author at the beginning of the book.

It is a relief to read a book by Upamanyu that is not laced with cynicism. However, he has gone to the other extreme in this book. Everything is perfect. The abbey at Praglia, where Lorenzo spends his initial years as a novice and then a monk, follows the rule of St Benedict perfectly. There are no monks indulging in practices frowned upon by the church. Everyone seems to be perfectly content doing what is expected. Same when the scene shifts to Bangladesh. The Italian members of the mission tolerate the heat and squalor stoically and dedicate themselves to doing good an spreading the God's word. The locals worship them for their dedication and respond positively.

Unlike the other books of the author, this one in not a difficult read. It is, in fact, quite engrossing. I read the last hundred pages at one sitting. The characters of the book came alive for me and stayed with me for a long time after I had finished the book.

Subodh added 'Ardhakathanak'

Mon, 31 Mar 2025 19:11:10 -0700

Subodh gave 4 stars to Ardhakathanak (A Half Story) by Banarasidas
I was excited to learn that there is an autobiography by an Indian from the seventeenth century. One mostly learns about India's past from accounts by foreign travellers, as Indians were not in the habit of writing travelogues or autobiographies. This one by a Jain merchant with spiritual leanings could have offered a valuable window to that world.

However, there is not much one learns about the times from this book. Unlike foreign travellers, Banarasidas is used to the life he led and doesn't find it necessary to record his observations about little things that could build a picture of that age. We learn about events in his life and his ancestors' lives, but we don't learn about what he wore, what he ate, the kind of house he lived in, what the street scenes were like.

The only insight one gets is about the popularity of Akbar, the Moghul emperor. The news of his death was shocking enough for Banarasidas to faint. The general life was disrupted, but that was out of concern for possible anarchy rather than love for the late Emperor. Normal rhythm of life was restored when prince Salim was duly installed as Emperor Jahangir.

Why a 'half' story? Banarasidas finished his book when he was 55, and he expected to live for 110 years. Ambitious!

This edition has the original Devnagari text along with an English translation. The glossary at the end of the book is exhaustive.

Subodh is 99% done with Ardhakathanak

Sat, 29 Mar 2025 22:50:36 -0700

Subodh is 99% done with Ardhakathanak.

Subodh added 'Karla's Choice'

Sun, 09 Mar 2025 20:09:52 -0700

Subodh gave 5 stars to Karla's Choice (Kindle Edition) by Nick Harkaway

Subodh added 'Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI'

Sat, 08 Mar 2025 07:46:17 -0800

Subodh gave 5 stars to Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI (Kindle Edition) by Yuval Noah Harari

Subodh made a comment on Tandav �� Ek Recipe

Tue, 07 Jan 2025 01:46:53 -0800

Subodh made a comment on Tandav �� Ek Recipe

This is not the Rachna Singh who has written Raghu Rai: Waiting for the Divine. The correct profile needs to be added.

Subodh added 'Raghu Rai: Waiting for the Divine'

Mon, 06 Jan 2025 07:38:34 -0800

Subodh gave 5 stars to Raghu Rai: Waiting for the Divine (Paperback) by Rachna Singh
I attended the book launch on Saturday and picked up a copy. Normally, books purchased at book launches remain unread. However, there was something very honest about the way the author Rachna Singh spoke at the launch that gave me an irresistible urge to read the book. I started on Saturday evening, and finished it this morning in less than 48 hours - a record for me for a non-fiction book.

The introduction on Amazon invites the reader to 'step into the world of Raghu Rai.' The book does a lot more than that. One does not just step into the world of Raghu Rai - India's most famous photographer - but lives and breathes in that world. One gets to know not just the photographer, but the man. Raghu Rai has been very open with the author in his conversation, he has bared his heart and soul in these conversations.

Interestingly Raghu Rai took to photography quite late - in his early twenties. His elder brother S Paul was an established photographer. Raghu Rai lived with him. Once he accompanied Yog Joy, a photographer friend of his brother, to Joy's village on a whim, and carried a camera given to him by S Paul. He took a few photographs. His brother was delighted with his work and sent one of them - of a baby donkey looking at the camera - to the London Times. The photograph was published prominently and Raghu found his passion and vocation.

One gathers from the intimate glimpses into Raghu Rai's art that his approach is not mechanical but intuitive, one could say spiritual. He connects spiritually to his subject and his camera captures the connection. That is roughly what 'Waiting for the divine' means in the book's subtitle.

It is not just Raghu Rai who comes alive in these pages but his mentors, family, friends, and - above all - his famous subjects: Mother Teresa, Indira Gandhi, Dalai Lama, MF Husain, Shabana Azmi. These celebrities apart, some of his most moving images depict ordinary people, even inanimate objects.

Rachna Singh is not new to writing. She has published five books before this one, and edits an online literary magazine. She first met Raghu Rai when she interviewed him for her magazine. She was not sure whether he would agree to let her write his biography and her doubts grew when he didn't respond to her message for a long time. But then he sent a message confirming his interest and she worked with him for eighteen months, talking, gathering material, researching.

It is not a biography in the conventional sense but a series of intimate pen-portraits organized roughly like a biography. At the end of the book I feel I know him personally, although I have never met him in person. Like millions of others I have always been an admirer of his work but now, after reading this book, I would look at his work with a new eye and find a spiritual connect with it.

The book is not profusely illustrated, but it does contain some of his most famous photographs that are necessary to complement the narrative - starting from the picture of the baby donkey!

Here is what Raghu Rai himself says about the book:

"It is rare to encounter a writer who, while interviewing a creative artist, truly resonates with their emotions, capturing the essence of their spirit. Rachna Singh has accomplished this with exceptional precision. Through her thoughtful approach she has authentically and uniquely encapsulated my life, philosophy, creativity, and relationships with family, friends, and colleagues. Anyone reading her work would unhesitatingly say, "Yes, that's Raghu Rai and no one else."...

Elsewhere in the book he responds to a chapter shown to him by the author with 'Isme meri khushboo aati hai.' - it contains my fragrance -What more can an author want?

I am sure this book will be a best-seller and establish Rachna Singh as a frontline author.

Subodh added 'The Plant Paradox: The Hidden Dangers in "Healthy" Foods That Cause Disease and Weight Gain'

Wed, 25 Dec 2024 04:26:31 -0800

Subodh gave 4 stars to The Plant Paradox: The Hidden Dangers in "Healthy" Foods That Cause Disease and Weight Gain (Kindle Edition) by Steven R. Gundry
A quiz: which of the following foods are healthy/not healthy?

Whole wheat
Brown rice
Beans
Tomatoes
Potatoes
Peppers
Corn
Cucumbers
Aubergines
Gourd
Lentils
Peanuts
Cashew

How many did you choose as healthy? According to Dr Gundry all these foods are unhealthy because they are high in lectins, proteins that plants synthesize to protect themselves from being eaten. They cause various problems in the human systems - primarily leaky gut, which is the source of a multitude of problems.

So, what should one do? Some foods are best avoided: peanuts, cashews, whole-wheat bread, corn. There is hope for beans and lentils: soaking and pressure cooking them removes most of the lectins. For tomatoes, aubergine, and peppers the remedy is to remove the skin and seeds.

The author cites numerous research studies in support of his thesis. He makes a convincing case. I have already given up two of my favourite foods: peanuts and cashews; and trying to do without whole wheat. Let us see if the prescriptions work!