India Books

This book is very important in my life. I first read it in 1970 when I was on a furious hunt for 'Truth', the meaning of life, etc. At that time I owned several books by Sri Aurobindo, including the "Life Divine". But they were all heavy, erudite tomes. Then I read Satprem's poetic, inspiring treatment of Aurobindo's life. I cannot describe here the ecstatic opening of consciousness that reading this book gave. It was as though every word was on fire. And the same with Aurobindo's book on "The Mother".
Sri Aurobindo (and the Mother), are Co-Avatars of the Supramental. But that's another story.

The author is a student of Aurobindo's and 'The Mother'. Aurobindo's experience and description have an uncommon breadth and depth to them. Where most disciplines stop (Nirvana) Aurobindo is just getting started. This book is well written in readable english. Satprem does a fine job of presenting some history of Sri Aurobindo as well as the core teachings of this rare individual.

Sri Aurobindo was, in the opinion of many yogis, the greatest saint who was generally available to the public in modern times. (The caveat is because there are great souls who prefer to remain hidden.) Though his wisdom was vast and his discoveries in deep meditation greatly advanced our understanding of humanity's capabilities, his writings are so huge and dense, that comparitively few have understood the majesty of the man's philosophy. That is why Sat Prem's book is so valuable. You will never find a more succinct or readable tome on Aurobindo. It is the perfect introduction to the work of this great master, who deserves to be much better known in the West.

Sri Aurobindo was, in the opinion of many yogis, the greatest saint who was generally available to the public in modern times. (The caveat is because there are great souls who prefer to remain hidden.) Though his wisdom was vast and his discoveries in deep meditation greatly advanced our understanding of humanity's capabilities, his writings are so huge and dense, that comparitively few have understood the majesty of the man's philosophy. That is why Sat Prem's book is so valuable. You will never find a more succinct or readable tome on Aurobindo. It is the perfect introduction to the work of this great master, who deserves to be much better known in the West.

The writings of Aurobindo are enormous. As much as one might wish to bathe in the wisdom of this extraordinary man, the task is too much for most of due to the massive tomes we would confront. However, Satprem has magnificently synthesised the life work of Aurobindo. Not only has he accomplished this task well, but the subtelty, the depth of vision that Satprem manages to convey, says to me that he is himself someone who has great insight, has great life experience and spiritual maturity.

Stephen Bezruchka has prepared a valuable and complete guide to trekking in the Nepal / Everest region. The book offers practical advise from years of personal experience for anyone thinking about a trip to the area. Bezruchka also creates a much needed ecological awareness and offers substantial insight into the culture of Nepal. The book is much more than a travel guide and just plain interesting. I don't often give books five stars, but this work was beyond my highest expectations - a labor of love. Highly recommended!

This is the book that first opened my eyes to Nepal and its culture. It's much more than a guidebook: it has a sensitivity and compassion for its subject that is almost unique in the field of travel writing. It doesn't coddle you with if-it's-day-three-this-must-be-Namche route descriptions, but lets you find your own adventure and gain profound insights along the way. It also has an extensive medical section.

This is the most fantastic travel guide I've ever used and the only one you will need in Nepal. Bezruchka's love and respect for the Nepali people is evident in every line and will enhance your journey to Nepal as well. We followed his advice and had a much richer experience for it. We watched other tourists who didn't follow his advice being laughed at and ignored. The language book and tape that you can order were incredibly helpful, way better than any dictionary. We were able to converse competently which made a huge difference in our experience. Don't bother with the Lonely Planet guide, which just tells you how to get through the country as cheaply as possible. There is so much more to experiencing Nepal than saving a buck here and buck there.

While the completeness of Bezruchka's guide cannot be faulted the tone and style certainly don't compare to Jamie McGuinness's book on the same topic. In comparison this book was quite a chore to read especially since it is peppered with sermons on globalization. An extremely capable guide but there are good alternatives you may find more enjoyable.

Fifteen years ago I started my trekking company's operation in Nepal with information from this book! The trek descriptions and the information on organizing a trek offer all the nuts and bolts. The background information is fascinating as are Dr. Bezruchka's views on poverty and culture shock.

Jay Kinney, in "Whole Earth Review," wrote of this work:
"Frithjof Schuon's Understanding Islam...delves into the depths of Islam... Schuon does not hesitate to draw parallels between Islam and other faiths, particularly Hinduism. He also takes the reader into the esoteric (or inner) essence of Islam, where traditions and laws are given unexpected twists. If you have ever had any doubts about Islam being a satisfying framework for intellectual inquiry, this book should lay them to rest."

This book presupposes a basic familiarity with Islam. Rather than being an encyclopedic source of information, it offers keys to elucidating the universal symbolism of Divine Reality as manifested within the Islamic revelation. At the same time, it gives excellent comparisons between different world religions viewed in their essentiality. Highly recommended for serious readers.

I just started reading the book.
It is written in a very subtle way. Lots of insight. I can't wait to finish the last page. It would be a good recommendation for anyone interested in understanding Islam and Muslim thinking. It also is a good reading for someone who has enough knowledge about Islam for it gives more food for thought and challenging perspectives.

What an amazing book. Somewhat difficult to read, you need a dictionary next to you. But what amazing insights this man has not just into the world of Islam but religion as a whole. I should clarify that the insights he has always existed in religious traditions, what is amazing is his ability to convey it clearly to the modern man. I cannot recommend this book enough. You will need a good understanding of Islam to really appreciate it. Some of his insights has left me in awe. Truly has changed my outlook towards things. It's interesting to note that above all the religions he has studied and known intimately, he chose to accept Islam.

Although i have my doubts about Schuon as a person and as a sufi,especially considering his absurd behaviour in later life(Allahualim),this book is an indespensible companion to anyone serious about learning Islam.

It is a book which one will constantly refer to..as the points it makes,become clearer over time and experince.The greatness of schuons work is that his ideas are from the realm of experience not specualtion alone .You can only feel what he writes about,or only understand it having experinced it.This is not the work of a dry scholar,who speaks artfully,but soulessly from a pedestal,to a religous public he intellectually scorns.This is the work of a man who lived what he talked about,to the point or past the point of losing his mind.
The downside to Schuon is that his work is too involved at the level of the intellect(even though he refers to it as the divine intellect) and can consume you in a world of concepts. At a certain point one will have to abandon such a mentally overwhelming approach and adopt simplicity.
Whilst all orthodox paths may be valid as Schuon states,in his persoanl life he tried to reconcile too many opposing streams of divine influence and became exactly the kind of victim he was so opposed to?
A friend of mine who tried for years to find Schuon was advised by Ann Marie Schimmel,that Schuons books were very useful,but meeting the person himself was otherwise.
Very valuable as mentioned,but dont take everything as gospel..even though its intitial brilliance will dazzle you.!

Long regarded as a masterpiece, this book should be read not only as an original, profound and beautiful view of the spiritual philosophy, rituals, art and culture of Islam, but also as a much needed intelligent introduction to Religion in general, Religion with a capital "R", Religion as such. In this respect, the "genial" insights of Schuon concerning the inner treasuries of Christianity (especially in the 4th chapter) should be emphasized.

Schuon was an intellectual and a spiritual genius, and in this book this genius is shown simultaneously in his visions of Islam, of Christianity, and of Religion as such.

The book starts with a powerful dialouge, "I wish to be a human once." This story is based on a true incident that occured in BHOPAL, a place in India. A chemical industry, Union Carbide, now owned by Dow Chemicals, had its factories located in the vicinity of the city. On the ill-fated winter of Dec, the poisonous gas leaks out and nearly 20,000 people are dead. For more details about the true incident, please go to http://www.studentsforbhopal.org/

STORY --> The narrator of the story survived that night but at the cost of his legs. He has to now "walk" like an animal. He soon joins a group of young people who are fighting for justice. Through his eyes you shall know about the characters in the story, their struggle and also his secret love.
I loved this book and the simplicity of its narration. In the story, the narrator is actually narrating the incident and life style of the Indian city to an American journalist, so the Indian words are well described in the book.
Also this was shortlisted for the prestigious Booker Prize - 2007

I picked this book up purely by accident and I am so glad I did! For reasons unknown to me, I'm a sucker for Indian authors (Rohan Mistry being one of my favorites). To the best of my knowledge, there is not a drop of Indian blood in me (I'm Puertorrican, for goodness sake!)but the stories written by these authors about the people, the culture, the misery and the joy always leave me wanting to read more. Animal's People is such a book. Animal is a person I wish existed because I would love to meet him. He is quite a character (stay away from his lund, though!). Do yourself a favor and pick this book up. It takes a few pages to get used to the manner in which the story is told and the words used (it took me a while to realize that Kampani meant "company") but it is well worth it.

An unusual and moving coming-of-age story and my pick for the first half of 2008. Animal's voice will stay with you long after you close the book.

This is one powerful novel. It's written like few, if any other stories I've ever read. It's a strange world that animal lives in and he explains it in complete unabashed honesty. It appears to have a lot of truth to it, since it was based off the Bhopal disaster of 1984 involving the the Union Carbide. It's not for the feint of heart, it is intense and will move you in many different directions, while in the end it will leave you with a better understanding of hope and courage.

It's rare to come across a book with a truly original voice, but that occurs in Animal's People. The protagonist, Animal, is a brilliant, damaged young man who had survived most of his life by his raw intelligence. Because of this -- because of the harsh environment he has grown up in, the abuse he has suffered, etc. -- it is jarring to hear him speak and think like a "normal" person. And yet he does. Animal, despite his apparent madness at times, is one of the most fully developed HUMAN characters I have seen in a novel.

Beyond the wonder of experiencing Animal, the reader is taken on an adventure through the hells of an insubstantial legal system. Justice is a major theme in the book, but the story leaves the reader wondering just how one is supposed to obtain justice if it cannot be obtained through the courts or the government. Should one resort to violence? Peaceful protests? And at what point should one give up on the search for justice?

This is a nice book (and a good value) but the only real connection between Bombay and Miami Beach is that the author lived in both places. Sure, both cities have Art Deco but as I looked through this I was startled that the authors tried to make a Miami Beach connection, when the buildings in Bombay appear to be "separated at birth" from places you see in London or Sydney. Have a look at the Victoria Coach Station in London and you'll see what I mean.

Of course this makes sense since India, Australia and New Zealand were all outposts of the British empire.

Bombay Art Deco is a beautiful book in many ways. The colorful photos of the Art Deco buildings complement the well-written prose. Navin Ramani is the perfect person to write such a book. He grew up in a Bombay Art Deco building as a child and now lives in South Florida and has immersed himself Miami Beach Art Deco. He truly loves and respects the architecture and is an advocate for its preservation. He takes beautiful photos, too.

As a Miami Beach Art Deco guide myself, I loved the chapter on BoMi(BOmbay-MIami Beach), A Tale of Two subtropical Deco Cities. The chapter compares the similar climate, seaside geography, optimism and Hollywood ties of Bombay and Miami Beach. On one page is a Miami Beach landmark and on the facing page is a comparable Bombay landmark. The similarities are truly amazing and one could easily be interchanged with the other. For example, the Indian Merchants Chamber (1935-40) is juxtaposed to what is now Jerry's Famous Deli (1940). The caption is "Curves folding in on curves."

I recommend this book to anyone who likes Art Deco. AFter reading this book, you will want to travel to Bombay to see these buildings for yourself.

Myself and my wife have just bought an art deco apartment in Sydney's inner western suburbs where there was a proliferation of small (generally 4-8 residence) deco style blocks built through the 20's, 30's and early 40's. When we were searching out books to learn more about the style elsewhere in the world this book on Bombay Art Deco really stood out, partly because my wife is an early career South Asian historian (with a specialization on modern Delhi) and neither or us had any idea that there was this collection of buildings in Mumbai. Dehli has its own Art Deco architecture exemplified by buildings like the Imperial Hotel which is a mix of Art Deco luxory and imperial Raj projection of power. However the style in Bombay exemplified in this book looks like it's something different again; sub-tropical and closer to holly-bolly-wood glam in parts than imperial grandeur. We'll be traveling to Mumbai next October for the first time to see these buildings first hand and to take some photos - we reckon this book has given us some great ideas on where to go and what to look for.

A superb tribute to the whole art deco movement, this book is also a loving tribute to one evocative facet of Bombay,her art deco glory.

Excellent job Navin, brings back memories of those beautiful cinema halls where we would take in morning shows bunking off from college, walks along the Oval maidan (hearing Wilson Pickett at your place) and up Phirozeshah Mehta road and across Fountain to Rhythm House...past Dhanraj Mahal and into the Sea Lounge for endless refills of coffee patiently poured by Mr D'Souza until closing time.

One of those rare books that makes one say WHAT a city!!

Who would have thought that Bombay would have the largest concentration of Art Deco buildings outside of Miami Beach. There is a photo on pages 272-273 of Marine Drive, Bombay and you could be forgiven for thinking, at a quick glance, that this might be Ocean Drive, Miami. Navin Ramani reveals the background to this remarkable architectural heritage in the front of his book: the opening of the Suez Canal, a merchant class settling in Bombay, the city becomes the center of the Indian architectural profession and extensive land reclamation from 1929 all helped to create a unique Far Eastern Deco habitat.

The book's many photos show plenty of apartments and commercial buildings with their concrete curved lines, geometric floor patterns and streamlined appearance. It's unfortunate though that the photos also show plenty pipe-work and aircon units spoiling the external look of so many of them. It is the movie palaces that really show off the Deco style. The interiors of the five featured bubble over with streamline curves, recessed lighting and flamboyant marble floor patterns.

Ramani's book will surely be the definitive one about Bombay deco but I was rather disappointed with many of the author's photos. They lack a sharpness and the color is rather muted and dull. I became aware of this when I compared them with Arnold Schwartzman's clean, focused photos of Deco LAndmarks: Art Deco Gems of Los Angeles and in fact there is a good example of the photographic difference in Ramani's book on pages 256-257, on the left is a dull, flat photo of 63 Marine Drive, Bombay and the right a similar looking Hotel Victor in Miami but the photo is sharp, clean and colorful. Still, despite this Bombay Art Deco is certainly worth having if you love this exuberant architecture.

***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

As a non-Indian, I had no idea where to begin with cooking Indian food. It all seemed so complicated and alien. Enter this book: extensive descriptions of what should be in your pantry and what to use it for, spice blends, oils, rice, chapati, and so much more it makes my head spin! Granted, the author is a little hardcore when it comes to prep, shortcuts are easily found (she wants you to grind all your own spices and blend them right before cooking, blanche tomatoes, make your own cashew paste, and other VERY time consuming and unnecessary things that I doubt anyone does unless they just have to). I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn about Indian cooking, not just recipes, but the principles of putting together a fragrant and flavorful dish with spice.

This is an excellent cook book and a must-have for every kitchen; each dish is very tasty and delicious.

I am relatively new to Indian cooking but this book provided easy-to-make recipes that were quite appetizing; each recipe has the author's own personal story, making it an interesting read as well.

All the recipes that I have tried from this book have turned out to be excellent. The book is very fun to read, with some interesting childhood stories from the author. The dishes are very easy to make and all of them are extremely delicious. This book is meant for anyone who enjoys cooking a wonderful meal for their family.

I was always on the look-out for recipes that covered Indian cooking methods from the basic foundation of making your own spices to elegant pairings of traditional Indian and Western ingredients. When my husband came home with 'The Dance of Spices', given to him as a gift at a seminar, I was surprised by the level of detail, care, and passion. Things that my mother cannot explain to me because of the miles between us, Laxmi has done comprehensively in her new cookbook. I have learned simple techniques like how to make my own ghee at home, understand the marriage of spices, and most importantly, how to make finger-licking Indian food in a San Francisco home. I hope you all enjoy this book as much as I have.

I read this book voraciously from start to finish when I was in 7th grade and have never forgotten it. It illustrates how important it is to have faith in a dream and to go after what you want even when everyone tells you it's impossible. And if you've ever dearly loved a pet, this is the story for you.

Momo, a young Tibetian girl, yearns to own a Lhasa Apso, but an expensive pedigree dog like that is beyond her family's meager budget. Undaunted, Momo hopes and prays for one to come her way, certain that it will. Her faith and tenacity pay off when a traveling merchant presents her with an adorable Lhasa puppy, whom Momo promptly names Pempa. All is perfect in Momo's world until the day Pempa is stolen by thieves on their way to India. You will learn a lot about that part of the world as Momo tirelessly treks through Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, and finally India to retrieve her beloved pooch.

She stumbles into a lot of interesting characters along the way, making this story an even more enjoyable read.

Like another reviewer, I read this book in junior high and never forgot it. I remember trying to make hot buttered tea, as the heroine drinks it all the time; I found it undrinkable. My granddaughter has a Lhasa Apso now and I've been trying to find the book - 7th grade was 45 years ago and I'd forgotten the title. Thanks to many online searches using: dog, Tibet, girl, childrens' book etc. here it is and I'm ordering it for her today.

I thought that this book was great because it shows what an amazing relationship a child and a dog can have. It also is so very detailed and descriptive, that at some parts I almost thought I was reading a book of poetry. Momo stands up for herself and proves she can.
Beautifully written. Great Characters.

This book is a wonderful story&it is especially won-
derful to read in this the 50th anniversary of the achievment of
the summit of Mount Everest by Sir Edmund Hillary&Tenzing Norgay.
Momo showed courage as she made her way out of Tibet&down to In-
dia.I also loved the way it introduced another culture&religion.

I Loved this book to death. I fell in love with it. I don't think that it could've been writen any better then it was. I feel into the book, and I didn't want to come out. Even though the ending was upsetting, because I felt he should go back to indians, I realized that that was his home, that was where he needed to be. This book could've been writen about any person changing, and nowing they belonged. Everyone has a place they just need to find it. Jim Keath didn't now who he was, he always felt like somebody else, he needed to belong, and to change. He changed, and he realized he needed to stay for Dan'l. It's an awesome book that'd I recomend to any one.

I shall add little to the other reviewers of this extraordinarily fine account of the history of Indian (particularly North Indian) music and how it was introduced to Western ears and influenced modern popular and classical musics. I will instead say that having myself lived that history--being exposed in 1955 to the first LP recording of Indian Music and watched Ali Akbar Khan on CBS Sunday's Omnibus, having been among the first to purchase the World Pacific and Prestige recordings of Indian musicians, having attended numerous concerts of Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan, Bismillah Khan, Jasraj, Shivkumar Sharma and other Indian masters, and having become a Friend of the Ali Akbar College of Music, where I met John Handy, Terry Riley, and Ravi Shankar, as well as having followed the influences and explorations of Indian modes and rhythms in classical music and rock as a Bay Area academic hippie--I can attest that this book is amazingly well researched, comprehensive, and gets it right. Indeed, through the many insightful interviews, we go well beyond the mechanics and structures of musical infusion across cultures into the realm of spirit, humanistic motivation, and metaphysics. For instance, Mickey Hart's interview expands and details his own previous accounts of his and the Grateful Dead's musical transformation by interactions with Shankar Ghosh, Alla Rakha, and Zakir Hussain (a two-way street for the latter). Other useful interviews are with (from the classical world) Philip Glass, Zubin Mehta, Terry Riley; (from the Indian tradition) Ali Akbar Khan, Zakir Hussain, Anoushka Shankar, Tanmoy Bose, George Ruckert, Shubhenra Rao; (from jazz and rock) David Crosby, John McLaughlin, Cheb i Sabbah. But the interviews are only spice to the meat of the text, which explains the uniqueness and detail format of Indian music, supported by a glossary, and the origins and construction of the various instruments. When our world is plagued by fear and misunderstanding of other cultures, music arrives as a source for common ground. This book demonstrates its power and its promise.

Musician and author Peter Lavezzoli presents The Dawn Of Indian Music In The West: Bhairavi, a history of the recent yet amazing infusion of East Indian classical music into western culture. Though Indian music was largely unheard of until 1955, when Ali Akbar Khan issues an LP called "Music of India: Morning and Evening Ragas", its appeal steadily gained ground, to the extent that Indian and Western disciplines began to borrow concepts from one another to aid in composition and training. When "Music of India" was re-released as a compact disc in 1995, it won a Grammy. The Dawn of Indian Music in the West follows the influence and impact of Indian classical music in extensive detail, meticulously researched and presented especially for intermediate to advanced music scholars and theorists. Highly recommended especially for college library and music reference shelves.

Among the many thought-provoking quotes in Peter Lavezzoli's new book is this one from tabla player Tanmoy Bose. "If you talk to any music lover in the West, they know more about [Indian music] than Indians ... they have a thirst for it, and they are very critical in the West for that reason." At first, I was tempted to reply that these Western fans are so enthusiastic because they (we) are such a small minority. In India, interest in Indian classical music runs the gamut from devotion to mild interest. There is, for example, a sense of national pride that makes Indians feel they ought to like classical music even if they don't. In the West, you are either a devoted fan or completely ignorant on the subject, and it often seems to us that all the devoted fans are gathered in the Bay Area. However, Lavezzoli paints a significantly different picture, arguing quite convincingly that Indian music has deeply influenced both American and European music for over half a century.

Peter Lavezzoli's first book, "The King of All, Sir Duke," took a controversial approach to biography. He devoted relatively little space to Duke Ellington, the book's ostensible subject matter, and instead wrote about Ellington's influence on other prominent musicians (including Frank Zappa, Stevie Wonder, and George Clinton). His newest book, "The Dawn of Indian Music in the West: Bhairavi," follows a similar format, but it is not a story of one musician's impact on other musicians. It is the story of the influences of one entire musical culture on another, and the tracing of those influences from connection to connection is the perfect format. Lavezzoli's goal is to document every aspect of that impact with interviews and historical summaries. The result is a long and engrossing read, full of remarkable anecdotes and thoughtful discussions with some of the most important creative people in many different Indian and Western musical domains.

About a fifth of this book will probably produce a sense of déjà vu for regular readers of this magazine. There are detailed interviews with many local artists, including Cheb i Sabbah, Ali Akbar Khan, Zakir Hussain, Terry Riley, George Ruckert, and Mickey Hart. If you know little or nothing about these people and their music, you get all the introduction you need. But no matter how much you may think you know, Lavezzoli has new information for you. Those of us who live in the Bay Area know that there are lots of Americans and Europeans who have carefully studied Indian music. But Lavezzoli shows us who was first, where they did it, and how things developed from there.

The book is subtitled "Bhairavi" because the first significant musical contact between Indian and Western classical music was a recording of that raga in 1955 by Ali Akbar Khan. Bhairavi is also a morning raga traditionally played to close a concert that has gone on past midnight, so Lavezzoli also uses the word as an allusion to the "dawn" of Indian music. This recording was the first 33 rpm long-playing record of Indian classical music. Prior to this, the only recordings of Indian music were 78 rpm records, which had poor sound quality and lasted five minutes or less. This was also the first performance of Indian classical music in the West, except for an unrecorded concert at Columbia University by Inayat Khan. (It is a tribute to Lavezzoli's thoroughness that what little is known about that Columbia concert is in this book.) The Bhairavi recording included a verbal introduction by Yehudi Menuhin, who had discovered Indian music while touring India. Menuhin's endorsement helped to convince his colleagues that this music was a serious disciplined art form, not an exotic ethnic curiosity. Lavezzoli has some interesting parallels between the harsh pedagogic methods used by both Indian gurus and Western conservatories, which justified labeling both traditions as "classical."

There were, however, parallel influences occurring in rock and jazz, spearheaded by George Harrison and John Coltrane respectively, who were both great admirers of Ravi Shankar. Rock and jazz musicians were attracted not only by the complex use of rhythms and microtones, but also by the freedom to improvise, and by altered states of spiritual consciousness. These musicians usually associated altered states with drugs, creating a controversy that endures to this day. For most Westerners during the 1960s, Ravi Shankar's sitar was the soundtrack for drug experiences. This was a serious misunderstanding: Shankar did compose scores for psychedelic movies like Chappaqua, but he also insisted that his audiences not use drugs. Lavezzoli asks almost all of his interviewees about drugs, and discovers a spectrum of opinions that reveal another great contribution of Indian music to the West.

Western music had fragmented into two conflicting elements: the emotional drug-tinged intensity of improvised jazz and rock, and the tightly controlled intellectual discipline of European classical music. Because Indian music had never separated emotion and thought, it could show Westerners how to reunite them. It challenged rock musicians to acquire discipline, enabled jazz musicians to see their improvisation as a spiritual practice, and reminded European classical musicians that music is not just marks on paper, but is played by a musician, and heard with the ears. Sometimes Western musicians tried to capture the mood of Indian music with little awareness of technical details. Other times, they took Indian techniques and reworked them to create very different moods. But Lavezzoli shows us that all forms of Western music now have a healthier relationship to each other, and to the rest of the world because of the Indian influence. Perhaps in the new millennium, there may even be Westerners who will be great virtuosos of Indian music. Will this music then still be Indian, and will its players still be Westerners?

This historical study is full of detailed information about a disparate collection of the most inventive musicians of the 20th century, all drawn together by the thread of a fascination with India. The book gives equal attention to legends like John Coltrane, and more marginal avant-garde figures like Don Cherry, John Mayer (of Indo-Jazz Fusions), and John Handy. It also refers to rock stars like David Crosby, and contemporary classical composers like Philip Glass. Each musician's biography is woven into the text, so the entire book (nearly 500 pages) gives you an intense impression of the deep spirituality of this generation of musicians.

Peter Lavezzoli is a very astute critic of the key albums of this movement, and I learned a lot from his detailed discussion of Duke Ellington's "Far East Suite," Coltrane's "India," and Don Cherry's "Mu." When reading this book, you really feel you are being guided by someone with a highly developed intuitive feel for integrity and truth in music, as he himself is a musician who is concerned, as he admits, with "the connection between musical and spiritual expression."

In this book, historical narratives are interspersed with interviews with the leading musicians in Western and Indian music, such as Terry Riley and Shujaat Khan. These interviews are not your average magazine interviews, however, as the central concern of Lavezzoli is always wisdom, and his questions are always subtle and searching. If you glanced at this book, you might be put off by the way the text is crammed on the page, the lack of margins and smallness of type making it seem somehow a hurried book or not carefully thought out, but do not be deceived by bad design--this book is a true labour of love. It will inspire all musicians to take their work on to the next level, and it will inspire all record collectors to rush out and get hold of Alice Coltrane's "World Galaxy."

This is a fantastic book for many reasons; Peter Lavezzoli has done an amazing amount of research, delivering a lovingly written treasure trove of well-rounded details that will interest music enthusiasts from many different schools and tastes. Fascinating connections are drawn from the histories and influences of Indian music on rock, jazz, western classical and more. Included are vivid chapters on the pivotal history of Allauddin Khan, teacher of Ravi Shankar and the father and teacher of Ali Akbar Khan; Yehudi Menuhin's discovery and presentation of Indian music to western audiences (he is pictured with Ravi Shankar on the cover); the fabulous chapter on George Harrison; and a powerful section on John Coltrane, to name just a few personal favorites, with numerous connections to Ravi Shankar, who is widely referenced and featured (in too great a depth to summarize in a brief review).

A good portion of the book features the musicians and associates themselves having their say through remarkable interviews with Ali Akbar Khan, Mary Johnson Khan, Mickey Hart, Zakir Hussain, Jim Keltner, Terry Riley, Cheb i Sabbah, Zubin Mehta, Anoushka Shankar, Ravi Shankar, Tanmoy Bose, John McLaughlin, Bill Laswell, Shujaat Khan, George Ruckert, Shubhendra Rao, Suskia Rao-de Haas, David Crosby, Roger McGuinn, and Philip Glass. The author asks good questions and gets rich answers, making for a highly enjoyable reading experience.

This is a book I can spend hours re-reading. I've learned enormous amounts about a wide variety of music forms within each chapter. Readers with virtually any level of music interest will find something of value here. A real stunner! Highly recommended.

A DIVISION OF THE SPOILS by Paul Scott is the last book in his series known as the Raj Quartet. The four books are classics, that have been read and will continue to be read centuries from now as readers attempt to understand what happened during the last days of the British Raj in India. I read history but I am also a great fan of well written historical fiction and these books are extremely well written historical fiction. Having read them, I am much more enlightened about the struggles which continue today betweem Hindu and Muslim.

Many of the characters from the earlier books converge in DIVISION, and the book introduces a new character, Guy Perron, who is a Chillingborough-Cambridge educated historian whose "period" and place are mid-19th Century India. Guy's character is used to tie up all the loose ends.

After arriving in India as a British army sergeant (he has elected not become an officer although his education and class clearly warrent it), Guy has the misfortune to be "chosen" by the recently-promoted-to-LtCol. and very wicked Ronald Merrick as his aide-de-camp. Merrick is still riddled with class envy, and sees in Guy an excellent opportunity to abuse someone he despises. Fortunately, Guy is able to escape from Merrick through the graces of his Aunt Charlotte who pulls strings to have him released from the army.

Fortunately for Guy, he doesn't escape Merrick before he meets Sarah Layton. Their story is told in this fourth volume and certain elements of the tale bring to mind the earlier story of Hari Kumar and Daphne Manners. In fact, it is through Guy's meeting of Merrick, Sarah, and another Chillingburrian, Nigel Rowan (who interviewed Hari Kumar in prison) that he becomes interested in the events at Mayapore in 1942 and the subsequent consequences for all involved.

As with other great classics, in DIVISION things do not always evolve as the reader would have wished. This book is very realistic -- sorrow and joy are mixed. In JEWEL IN THE CROWN, the first book in the series, Lady Chatterjee says she does not want to go to a heaven that excludes joy and sorrow because being human requires one to feel joy and sorrow.

Perhaps it is because humans can experience sorrow they are capable of experiencing joy. In the end, the reader discovers Hari Kumar's fate and the identity of Philoctetes as well as the difference between Dharma and Karma. This is a powerful series and a fabulous ending to the tale.

The Raj Quartet comes to its spectacular conclusion with "A Division of the Spoils." Of the four books, I perhaps enjoyed this one the most. The main character (Guy Perron) is observant, funny, and human, so he's easy to like. He is a complete opposite of the story's antagonist, Ronald Merrick. The scenes in which they must work together (Perron is a sergeant and Merrick his officer) are some of the best. I could hardly put this book down and finished it in just a few days.

Please do not let the length of this series dissuade you from reading it! The books are all very compelling and well-written. If you like historical fiction, they are very much worth your time. I would recommend you watch the mini-series (I rented it from Netflix), read the 4 books, and then watch the mini again. You'll get quite a bit out of it that way.

Enjoy!

Anyone reading the reviews for the previous 3 books, knows I have struggled to read these series. However, Scott absolutely redeemed himself with this final book.

The first book focused on the British occupation of India during WWII and introduced us to the "Manners" case - the only interesting bit in a book that had long waffly passages describing India. Who needs to read a history book? This book would have done it... The 2nd book focused more on the "Layton's" and was much more readable as it was the changing India as seen through the eyes of a few key characters. The 3rd book was a boring repetition of the 2nd book and this last book, about the end of the British occupation and WWII was just brilliant!

Like his much more enjoyable 2nd book, this one is told almost exclusively through the eyes of key characters we met in previous books - and it introduces us to the rakish charm of Guy Perron. I always remember Charles Dance's interpretation of Guy Perron in the BBC series making a strong impression on me, but I found the character in the book even more engaging.

This last book in the series was absolutely stunning and made persevering through the whole series somewhat worth it. I say somewhat, because it has been a real trial getting through the denser parts of Books I and III and I wouldn't push this series on anyone, even though the last book is a literary accomplishment.

I try to think if this book is readable without having read the previous books, and although I suspect it is (Scott continues to go back over vast chunks of history from someone else's point of view), it would be a shallow interpretation without the reader gaining all the knowledge from the first 3 books.

This book is just as impressive as the three others of the Raj Quartet. Once again, the cast of interesting characters is huge; the atmosphere of the time is brilliantly captured and the variety of scenes/plots is well mastered. The book is instructive and yet enormously entertaining. The Raj Quartet is one of the most rewarding pieces of literature I have ever read.

The four volumes of the Raj Quartet overlap and complement one another, while at the same time forwarding the main storyline of the slow twilight of the British ascendancy in India, always with the rape of a white girl by Indian men as the central lodestone everpresent in the background, the nightmare which is seldom mentioned but which none can drive from their minds. Events occur, are discussed, witnessed as newspaper reports, court documents, interviews, vague recollections from years later, or perceived directly by the main characters. Then the next volume will take two or three steps back into previous events, and these same events will be perceived from another angle, perhaps only as a vague report heard far away across the Indian plain, or witnessed directly by another character, or discussed in detail long after their occurrence over drinks on a verandah. This may at times seem like rehashing, indeed as one reads the four volumes one will be subjected to the account of the rape in the Bibighar Gardens many times over; but what will also become apparent is that additional details, sometimes minor variations in interpretation and sometimes crucial facts, are being added slowly to the events discussed, as though the window to the past were being progressively wiped cleaner and cleaner with successive strokes of Scott's pen. In this way he draws the picture of the last days of the Raj not in a conventional linear fashion, but recursively, and from multiple angles. One gets the clear impression of life in India during the first half of the 20th century as similar in nature: Fragmented, multifaceted, largely dependent upon perspective and experience and never perceived whole or all at once.

Book 4 is the tour-de-force of the series, the longest and the one that covers the greatest distance, emotionally and chronologically. Into the Laytons' social set come Nigel Rowan, an officer in the political branch whom we have met before in Book 2 interrogating Hari Kumar some years after his imprisonment, and Guy Perron, a sergeant in the intelligence service who is "chosen" against his will by Ronald Merrick to serve in his unit. Merrick seems deliberately to surround himself with people who dislike him: Guy Perron, Sarah Layton, and before them Daphne Manners and Hari Kumar. Rowan and Perron, incidentally, are former schoolmates of Kumar's at the posh Chillingborough Academy in England. And they're not the only ones: The British in India seem constantly reminded that Kumar symbolizes the insoluble problem of India's Britishness. He's too British for the Indians and too Indian for the British. Perron is an excellent guide through the final days of the Raj, stolid and proper yet inwardly seething with intellectual outrage. An explosive yet sombre climax in 1947 details the very end of the British presence in India, the beginnings of the Hindu-Muslim riots throughout the country, and gives an expansive sense of just how far one has come from the small town of Mayapore and the darkly deserted Bibighar Gardens.

We started our five week tour of India with Let's Go India Nepal, and found the Footprint guide four weeks into our tour. After looking it over, we quickly realized how much detail, clarity, and completeness we were missing. We didn't open Let's Go again, other than to retrieve our bookmark.

Some of the telephone numbers were slightly off, but that is par for the course in India. The correct numbers were easily located via directory assistance, which the book informed us of.

We stayed at two of the highly recommended hotels between US$5 and US$6 a piece and were delighted by the overall quality and cleanliness we found.

Its descriptions of some of the sights surpassed even that of our tour guide.

We liked this guide so much that we now use Footprint guides for our travels wherever they are available and up to date.

WARNING: The guide warns that the prices for many tourist attractions will go up on Jan 1, 2001. They actually went up on October 18, 2000. Now at most major tourist sites in India, foreigners pay the same number of dollars as Indian's pay rupees.

A comprehensive guidebook to India which proved indispensable during our three month trip. Detailed descriptions of the history and layout of the various tourist sites renders local guides and guidebooks largely unnecessary. A broad based guidebook of nearly 1400 pages, it includes digestible background sections covering history, language, religion and politics which enhanced enormously our appreciation of Indian life and culture. Despite the wealth of information its handy size, hardcover and tough binding stood up well to the rigours of backpacking. The up-to-date hotel and restaurant sections cater for the full spectrum of travellers - from budget back packer to luxury holiday makers. The opinions offered are balanced and fair, providing enough information to plan and enjoy your trip without unfair bias - in contrast to many of the other India guidebooks we consulted. An added advantage of using this little known guide was that we avoided the ubiquitous "Lonely Planet" bores who tramp through India reciting parrot fashion the recommendations and opinions of the LP authors and researchers.

The India Handbook is a thoroughly well-researched and detailed guide. The most informative guide on the market, it provides invaluable information which is useful to both the short and long-term visitor to India, particularly by the inclusion of accurate large and small scale maps. It is also strong and compact. However, perhaps the most appealing feature is it's direct and non-chatty text, packing important and need-to-know facts into a notey yet precise format, leaving the reader to form his/her own opinions on people and places.

I spent one month travelling all over India with the 1999 edition of the India Handbook and what a life saver it was. The book was fantastic with its information and right on the money everytime with hotel rates, ferry schedules, etc. The brief anecdotes were especially helpful and I really appreciated the open mind the book had quick not to judge a country full of many different aspects. The book was enlightening and in my hand all the time, but my mind was still open to new experiences which were not preconceived by the authors. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to anyone who really wants to experience India in a different light!

We hav just completed an excellent three week journey through India. Much of this would simply have not been possible without the help and guidance of this excellent guide. For instance we have just come back by road from Goa to Mumbai through some very varied and interesting countryside including a trip up into the Ghats which was quite hairaising anlong narrow, twisty roads. The road conditions were such that it took us much longer than we anticipated. The Handbook did not let is down but suggested an excellent hotel at Kiplung. In addition, we found that the descriptions of the sites more than compensated for not having guides available at Orccha for instance. The only time we had problems was when we did not consult the guide sufficiently!