Books and Authors - Current Affairs for October, 2015

India and France signed an MoU to conserve the written heritage of Kolkata Library for development of digital co-operation, sharing of technical and other expertise, competency, skill-building and cultural co-operation between the two countries. The MoU will assist a programme on digitisation of old manuscripts and documents that commenced 7 years ago in France. The government has also announced the building of a National Virtual Library in India.

Bhimtal based butterfly expert on Indian species Peter Smetacek has authored a book “The Synoptic Catalogue of Butterflies of India”. It has been edited by him and retired Additional Director, ZSI, Dr. R. K. Varshney. The catalogue features 1318 new butterfly species in India and gives details of state wise and sub species of butterflies in the state.

The new species belong to six families-the Swallowtails (Papilionidae) 89 species; Skippers (Hesperiidae) 277 species; Whites and Yellows (Pieridae) 92 species; Punches and Judies (Riodiniidae) 19 species; Blues and Hairstreaks (Lycaenidae) 380 species and the Brush-footed butterflies (Nymphalidae) 461 species. Butterflies were assessed based on literature records, museum collections and recent publications. Contributors for the book include experts from Japan, Thailand, Singapore, Russia, France, Nepal and Czech Republic.

The book entitled “Dreaming Big: My Journey to Connect India” was launched on 19th October 2015. This is an autobiography of Satanarayan Gangaram Pitroda authored with the aid of American writer David Chanoff. Pitroda is considered to be the father of the telecom revolution in India. The career of this telecom guru spans from USA to Titilagarh, Odisha. Book signals his return to India and assistance to former PM Rajiv Gandhi in spearheading the telecom revolution in the nation.

Well known film critic Maithili Rao’s new book “Smita Patil- A Brief Incandescence” has finally been released on 18th October 2015. This book was launched to coincide with the actress’s 60th birth anniversary. Amitabh Bachchan was the chief guest at the book launch ceremony.

Well known Rajasthani and Hindi writer as well as former Director, DD, Nand Bhardwaj has joined other Sahitya Akademi winners in the protest against religious intolerance in the nation. Bhardwaj returned the award he had received in 2004 for the novel Samhi Khulto Marag. He expressed solidarity with late rationalist M. M. Kalburgi. He is also the Rajasthan coordinator for Jaipur Literature Festivals since it was conceived. This takes the number of authors who have returned their Akademi award to 29 and around 5 writers have also resigned from official positions in the literary body.

Marlon James has won the Man Booker prize 2015 for his novel entitled “A Brief History of Seven Killings” marking the first time a Jamaican has won a Booker Prize. This is also the first time an independent publisher (Oneworld Publications) has claimed the Man Booker Prize. The book for which the award was won is a fictionalised historical account of attempted murder of reggae singer Bob Marley in the 1970s. James’s book was chosen from a shortlist of 7 writers. Along with 50,000 pound prize and trophy, James was also awarded a designer bound edition of the book and 2,500 pounds for being short listed.

Punjabi writer Dalip Kaur Tiwana has announced she will return the Padma Shri to protest against rising communal tension in the nation. Tiwana was honoured with the Padma Shri in 2004. She is also the winner of a Sahitya Akademi award in 1971.

To mark his 8th death anniversary, well known writer M. N. Vijayan’s biography by K. Balakrishnan was released. The book details the exit of Vijayan as editor of Deshabhimani weekly. Book also highlights the numerous internal conflicts within CPI (M). The book was released by academician K. P. Narendran.

Well known writer, critic, editor and Hindi poet Mangalesh Dabral has returned his Sahitya Akademi award becoming one of the many since Uday Prakash started this form of protest over the killing of MM Kalburgi. Fellow Hindi poet Rajesh Joshi also returned the Sahitya Akademi award. Also among the 7 writers who returned the award were 5 noted Punjabi writers- Ajmer Singh Aulakh, Atamjit, Gurbachan Bhullar and Waryam Sandhu and Shiromani Lekhak award winner Megh Raj Mitter.

Eminent Kashmiri writer and poet Ghulam Nabi Khayal has returned the Sahitya Akademi award which he had won for his book “Gashik Minaar” in 1975 in protest against the threat being faced by minorities in the nation. This is one of the latest authors to protest against the rising communalism and intolerance in Indian society following the Dadri lynching. This marks the first time a Kashmiri writer has made the decision to return the literary honour for protesting against the communal atmosphere in numerous parts of the country.

Book by Bernanke was released during the first week of October 2015. Through this book, the author has asked questions regarding the inflation targeting policy used by Fed Reserve during the recession and proposed NGDP policy to deal with meltdowns such as the 2008 financial crisis. The book explains the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression in the 1930s in America. It provides an insider’s account of policy initiatives taken to battle the crisis.

Book entitled “The Clintons’ War on Women” written by Robert Morrow and Roger Stone was in news in October 2015 for highlighting how Hillary Clinton is allegedly volatile and prone to outbursts against her husband even as she is a campaigner for women and girls rights. The best selling authors have focused on how the Clintons abused women to gain power and wealth, chronicling the crimes and cover ups. The book is to be launched on 13th October 2015.

Following the returning of the Sahitya Akademi award by authoress Nayantara Sehgal, poet Ashok Vajpayi has returned the literary honour for PM Narendra Modi’s silence regarding recent killings of M. M. Kalburgi, Govind Pansare and Mohammed Akhlaq. Earlier, Hindi writer and noted literary figure Uday Prakash had also returned the award for the same reason.

This book was released Dr. Jitendra Singh, the Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North-Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space in presence of Dr. Najma Heptulla, the Minister for Minority Affairs and her Minister of State Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi. The book was released at Exhibition-Cum-Sale “Jashn – E – Usttad’ showcasing the crafts documented in it. It includes details of 18 identified crafts and their standards ranging from stone to wood, to metal to cloth, and technique from weaving to print and from painting to inlay. This book will promote conservation of crafts of minority communities.

Book on “Lata Mangeshkar: A Musical Journey” written by Hindi poet and author Yatindra Mishra with complete cooperation of Lata ji was translated by Sahitya Akademi Award winning writer Ira Pande. It contains facts and anecdotes of the life of the Queen of Hindi Music from 1940s to current times.