India Books

Bose's beautiful prose style is exceeded only by the sharpness and originality of her insights. A must have for anyone interested in post-colonial theory, historical analysis of the region, or just curious thinkers interested in a great read.

In her first book, "Organizing Empire: Individualism, Collective Agency, and India," Purnima Bose musters strong archival skills, rhetorical elegance and theoretical sophistication to reveal (powerfully) the ways that colonial and anti-colonial forms of political discourse and historiography created domesticated models of "rogue individualism" and "heroic individualism" to explain away, disavow and sublimate into accomplishment the epistemic, legalized, and routine domination of the British Empire in India and Ireland. Modes of "feminist nationalist" and "heroic nationalist" forms are also exposed in relentless critical detail to show the makings of elite-subaltern forms of agency, narration, and resistance. Everywhere, the mode of analysis here is informed, engaged, fully situated and complex in its vision of agency, discourse, hegemony, and the state; no easy or comforting model of "postcolonial hybridity" is offered by her here to assuage the analysis of culture and discourse, as subjected individualism, under the enlightenment regimes and discourses of British empire.

The incredible language and images of the master poet Kalidasa are brought to life in this translation as it conveys the ideal vision of True Love of the Divine for itself.

Kalidasa is considered the greatest poet/playwright of India, and this work not only his best but the best long poem in classical Sanskrit, as well. Rich in allusions to the mythology and stories of the Vedic hymns, epics and Puranas, the poem retells the story of the birth of Kartikeya, son of Lord Shiva and Parvati, Daughter of the Mountain, who was born destined to destroy the demon Taraka. Graceful Kalidasa's ("servant of Kali") blessed tongue (blessed by Kali to speak only words of pure gold) shines through every phrase in this superb translation. Although not considered a devotional work, the love expressed for Lord Shiva and his consort Uma, Mistress of Tapas, flows from every line of the poem, overflowing with that voluptuous spirituality known only in India. This work puts to shame translations of better known devotional works such as the "Saundaryalahari" or "Tripurasundari" of Sri Shankara--in English translation, that is. (One of my life-goal's might become to master Sanskrit in order to translate those works of Sri Shankara properly).

The work also makes me think: we have been so decieved by modern Western secular education that we fail to see how the original inspiration of poetry, literature and music is love for the Divine. How could we have missed it? "Art" in the olden times was inspired, in-spired, it breathed of Spirit. Today, fallen from classical standards whether Greek or Vedic, "art" is a cheap, standardized, ritualized, adolescent devaluation. How much we have lost. How much we stand to gain. If you can find it, buy this book and read and treasure it.

Mary Anne Kelly proves to be a gifted & talented writer that gives the reader a storyline that is so intriguing, it quickly draws you in and keeps your attention.

The story of Claire is compelling as we can all relate to the journey we each must take to discover ourselves and what it is we desire out of life. I got to know Claire in such a way that I feel like I want to get to know her better (which I will do by getting the previous novels Mary Anne has written).

Mary Anne takes us to wonderful and exciting countries with the ability to vividly describe the environment.

You must get this book, and all of her others!

I picked this up because I thought the title seemed interesting. I found myself in Borders reading page 32. I figured I should buy it. I came home, got the kids in bed, made myself a cup of tea and cuddled up with this book. I was up all night. I went on a great adventure living life through the main character Claire. She goes on a soul searching mission to India and I can tell you, she has quite the time meeting new men, having relationships and yes girls there is plenty of passion in these pages. I love the author's style of writing. I am now on amazon ordering a few of Mary Anne Kelly's mysteries. She is my new favorite author.

There are very few contributions to the literature of economic development which bring a totally unique approach to analyze the issues facing a developing economy. Instead of a traditional "economic factors can explain all" hypthesis this book adopts a multi-discipinary approach combining economic and non-economic factors in explaining the Pakistan paradox i.e. high growth rates with poor social developoment.Those who are interested in going beyond simplisitic prescriptions will find this book extremely illuminating. For those who wish to learn about Pakistan and Muslim countries in general this book is a must reading.

The book provides an incisive review of the issues and challenges facing Pakistan's economy on the eve of next millennium, and proposes a rich agenda of changes needed. This is done in the socio-political context of the country and the system of governance, recognizing that economic policy formulation or implementation is deeply rooted in the system of governance. Typically, books on the economy of any country, Pakistan or others, are confined to the tedious chronology and analysis of economic events, sprinkled with a few standard policy prescriptions, which is beyond the attention span of common readers. What makes this book an interesting reading is its underlying theme, that in developing countries like Paksitan, economic progress is simply not a matter of policy formulation. Instead, their success is inextricably intertwined with the institutional processes essential to their implementation and follow-up. In Pakistan, as the book traces out, there has been no dearth of policy formulation or policy advice over the years. From time to time various expert groups were commissioned, but their recommendations are piled up in a mound of massive reports without much progress to show for all the efforts made. Recognizing this, the author goes beyond the routine format of economic reportage and elaborates on the system of governance. The book points out how an elite group consisting of the landed aristocracy, the army, the senior bureaucracy, and a select few rich and resourceful families have kept their stranglehold throughout much of the rather turbulent history of Pakistan. It details how the system of governance has been compromised to sustain the rule of this elite group, and how the organs of government have been shaped or reshaped to this end. It shows how the existing political system has disenfranchised several parts of the Pakistani society giving rise to social unrest and upheavals; and why a large number of the young and educated are turning to protests and violence. Further, the book shows how the leading institutions of the country in critical areas like education and the judiciary have been systematically eroded away from within. The book shows that Pakistan faces rather daunting challenges of rebuilding a society that would be in harmony with the needs of 21st century and outlines an agenda essential to achieve economic and social progress.

I bought this book out of interest after having read a few (disappointingly) introductory books, and this was really quite a pleasant surprise as it is so detailed, yet comprehensive.

There are quite a few pointers, tips, and topics in this book that I have never seen in other palmistry books out there, and I have to say that it has been very helpful to me, as I own a pair of hands with very complicated lines and I also do some readings for people who have markings on their palms that I had to read based on intuition alone.

This is a good book for people who have read perhaps an introductory book and want to go a step further, though it is also suitable for keen beginners. (I'd recommend the Benham's book for intermediate learners, by the way) The illustrations are limited, but clear enough to be understood by the reader. Also, referring to the text that accompanies and elaborates on the illustrations is easy and, as previously mentioned, very comprehensive.

This book is highly recommended!

Douglas does an excellent job in explaining the art of palm reading. He provides the reader with examples and interpretations that the reader can relate to. The easy to use reference area in the back enables the reader to see the various lines, islands, and planets with brief yet informative explanations all in one section of the book. The hand illustrations in the book are a great aid when it comes to trying to locate a certain feature on your own hand or someone else's hand. Reading this book will not instantly make you an expert palm reader, but it will enlighten you on the world of palmistry, and it will enable you to hopefully better understand your inner self.

This is an elegant book. It is at once philosophical, poetic, and visually stunning. The text and images beautifully complement each other. After reading this book, I not only appreciated the richness of the Parvati tradition, but also of the Hindu artistic and philosophical tradition. Never again will I look at work of Indian art as merely beautiful at a sensory level. Hindu art exists harmoniously within a cultural, philosophical, and literary context, as does this wonderful book.

Of the many Indian art books I would rate this the best as it not only is visual but poetic and philosophical at the same time. I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in reading about this Indian goddess.

Of the many books written about Indian immigrants, Joan Jensen's doctoral dissertation published as a book with the above title (Yale Univ Press)is by far the best and most comprehensive one that I have read. It is a pity that this book is now out of print. It is well worth the efforts of Indian organizations in the US to have this book reprinted again so that Indian-Americans will get a more comprehehnsive understanding of the links between India and the US, almost from the times of the early colonial settlements in Salem, MA, the indentured Indian laborers who passed thro US ports en route to West Indies, those who worked on our railorads alongside the Chinese immigrants, the ignoble US Supreme Court judgment against Thind (Thind vs. the US) who was stripped of his US citizenship etc.. all meticulously documented by Jensen. It is a great book worth reading by every Indian-American.

You thought Chinese were the only ones who worked in the early railroads in America? Wrong.. some Indians also did. And they faced incredible hardships and racial discrimination. At the end, some married Mexicans and assimilated.

After reading this book, I was able to sit down with my son and discuss issues we had never before discussed. It put things in such perspective. Priya Agarwal has written a masterful piece of work.

I bought this book on a whim from Amazon.com and finished it in 2 hours flat! It was almost as if it was written for me. Extremely insightful and still timely even though it was written several years ago. Any American of Indian origin should buy several copies and distribute it among their family members. Bravo!

This study by Miranda Shaw is a must for everyone trult interested in the finer aspects of Tantric Buddhism. The author thoroughly explores the role of women in the development of vajrayana and comes to the justified conclusion that women's role has been much greater than is usually admitted by both Tibetan AND Western scholars. Rufus C. Camphausen

Many of the books I have read on Tantra are basically garbage. This one, however, is that jewel that makes it worth while sifting through the garbage. It is well written, well researched, and can be understood by westerners. I highly recommend it.