A trip to the last Shangri La

Nehru: The invention of India (Penguin, Rs 250) by Shashi Tharoor is, by the author’s own admission, not a “scholarly attempt” to rediscover Nehru, but a “reinterpretation” of the life and career of an extraordinary figure of the 20th century. Tharoor weaves in personal anecdotes with historical developments, thereby shedding light on the various phases in Nehru’s life — his pampered childhood,initiation into politics and transition into one of the brightest statesmen in independent India. Tharoor also proceeds to analyse the relevance of the tenets of the Nehruvian legacy — democracy, secularism, the principle of nonalignment and socialism — that have come under increasing scrutiny in contemporary India. This new paperback version may not be a pathbreaking literary work. But what is commendable is the author’s attempt to remind Indians of the country’s debt to a visionary.

Close enough to kill (Avon, Rs 195) by Beverly Barton talks about the terror that is let loose on Adam’s County, where “everyone knows each other’s business” and “doors stay unlocked”. But it is soon time to bolt the doors shut as a deranged killer starts kidnapping and slaughtering young women after wooing them with gifts and love letters. On the killer’s pursuit is Sheriff Bernie Granger who is determined to put an end to the grisly murders. This, Granger knows, will not only help her crack her first big case, but also further her career. Would Granger manage to outwit this dangerous killer? Or would the hunter turn into the hunted? Perhaps it is best not to find out. For it would mean plodding through a shoddy plot laced with steamy sequences that could not have been written more unimaginatively.

Tarbela Damned — Pakistan tamed (IndiaLog, Rs 195) by C.N. Anand brings together the combined might of an Indian intelligence agency, the Mossad and the Irish Republican Army to combat the evil designs of Pakistan, supposedly a roguish State. The protagonist is an ex-IITian, who, for some inexplicable reason, emigrates to Israel to join the Mossad. There, he teams up with his schoolmate, a RAW officer, with whom he shares a deep empathy for the IRA. The two men then go about their plan to bring the enemy to its knees, their target being one of Pakistan’s strategic installations. Predictably, Anand makes use of popular stereotypes to demonize a country which, to some Indians, is the root cause of all their problems, both real and imagined. This is pure kitsch, which would delight the hawks on this side of the border.

Bhutan (Rupa, Rs 595) by Koko Singh is yet another offering from the “Driving Holidays in the Himalayas” series, which offers information to travellers who are “fond of driving”, “have their own wheels”, and “love mountains”, possibly not in that order. This time, the focus is on Bhutan, a tiny, picturesque country at the foot of the grand mountains. This compendium is a traveller’s delight. It packs in a lot of useful data on Bhutan’s history, culture, climate as well as its flora and fauna. The book also contains a detailed travel plan section, highlighting the places of visit, shopping and sporting options along with important tips such as medical facilities and what (or what not) to put into the travel bag. Singh’s language is crisp, and the accompanying photographs would certainly lure holidaymakers to plan a trip to what is known as the last “Shangri La”.