An honest take on the issues that matter

What next? Surviving the twenty-first century By Chris Patten, Allen Lane, Rs 795

It is a brave man indeed who, in today’s world, can raise the question — what next? — and then proceed to answer it. Chris Patten is that brave man. This is a book explicitly addressed to the big questions. Energy, food, water, arms and drug trafficking, global warming and terrorism are some of the issues that come in for discussion in this book. Given Patten’s experiences, there is no denying that he is well placed to raise these issues and to suggest solutions. There is no dearth of either information or opinion in this book. What makes the book attractive, however, is the way the author presents the data and his analysis. Patten writes with a natural elegance and brio. There is wit and fearlessness in his writing, and a refreshing honesty. This book is a tour de force.

A poor copy

1857: An illustrated history Compiled and edited by Som Prakash Verma, Oxford, Rs 995

This book is neither a history nor properly illustrated. All the illustrations in this book are from a volume called Narrative of the Indian Revolt from its Outbreak to the Capture of Lucknow by Sir Colin Campbell. This is a well known book to scholars of 1857, and its illustrations are by no means spectacular. The 150th anniversary of the revolt has produced a clutch of books and exhibitions that made public a fantastic array of visual images relating to that dramatic year. Compared to those, this book pales into complete insignificance.

The history part of the book is haphazard: it begins with Fort William, moves to the chapattis and then to the outbreak in Meerut. But the story of the greased cartridges comes towards the end of the book. This conveys the impression that no thought has gone into arranging the pictures and the notes that go with it. They have been arranged mindlessly or perhaps as they were arranged in the volume from which the illustrations are taken. The bibliography is woefully incomplete. It shows the depths to which OUP has sunk that it could lend its imprint to this book.

Voices from below

Dalits in modern India: Vision and values Edited by S.M. Michael, Sage, Rs 395

This book is devoted to arguably the most significant social and political entity in India. It looks at how Dalits have transformed their own lives. It explores the origins and development of untouchability, delving back into history. It then goes on to analyse how and why the Dalit vision is so radically different from that of the upper castes. It then moves on to the more local and concrete: how the adivasis of Gujarat were brought into the Hindu fold; how Dalit power grew in the politics of Uttar Pradesh, and so on. Another section looks at the economic condition of the Dalits.The book is interdisciplinary in nature and the contributors are drawn from the various subjects that come under the rubric of social science. The essays are insightful and some are even passionate. But the commitment never comes in the way of the analysis. This is not a book that can be ignored by anyone trying to understand the social dynamics that will probably transform India’s political landscape.