For a greener planet

The Parrot Who Wouldn’t Talk And Other Stories (Puffin, Rs 125) by Ruskin Bond should come as a relief to Bond fans because here at last is a collection that does not just rehash the stories which have already appeared elsewhere. However, some stories here, indeed the very one from which this book gets its name, are to be found in other collections. But the disheartening repetition can be said to have been compensated by some delightful new stories such as “We Capture a Ghost”, or “Here Comes Mr Oliver”. Most of the characters in the stories, like Grandfather, Uncle Ken or Aunt Mabel, should be well known to those familiar with Bond. They reappear here with all their quirks, thankfully in new situations. Mr Oliver, the unlikely scoutmaster of young Rusty’s school, is a welcome addition to the array of characters who keep popping up in Bond’s tales.

East Of The Sun (Orion, Rs 295) by Julia Gregson is a fairly well-written novel set in the early nineteenth century about husband-hunting butterflies who embark on a voyage to India to seek their fortune. Although the three girls at the centre share a common fate in that each gets rewarded with a handsome and successful husband, the tribulations they have to go through in the process are depicted with enough sincerity to make them convincing. The pivot of the novel is Viva, who is a bluestocking, and is neither young nor rich. But it is her life around which that of the others are arranged and her story is the one which gets the most romantic ending.

Biodynamic Farming And Gardening (Other India, Rs 250) by Peter Proctor will be of interest to environmentalists, Deep Ecologists and all those who realize the importance of organic farming in maintaining the fragile ecological balance. Proctor is said to be the guru of ahimsak kheti — a kind of farming that dispenses with the use of chemicals and pesticides and instead relies on the ancient methods of agriculture as revealed in texts like the Vedas or the Upanishads. This book, which explores the “philosophy, principles, practice” of biodynamic farming, speaks in detail about the ways of preparing compost, improving the soil and controlling the weeds in accordance with the phases of the moon or the seasonal cycle.

The Simians of South Block And The Yumyum Piglets (IndiaInk, Rs 195) by Ranjit Lal will be loved by adults and children alike. The monkeys that recently caused havoc in the capital are the villains of this book. The diabolical horde, led by Gutka the Gross, is deported to the remote Shikhargunj National Park from the verdant lawns of Delhi’s South Block. All the animals in the park, are, well, “dumdums”, that is to say, foolish, and the horde has an easy way with them initially. But not for long. As Dhoomdham the bungling leopard, Bholu the gatecrashing elephant, Handbag Gucci the wily croc, and the Yumyum piglets plunge into action, the day is saved and the marauding simians are packed off into the Palace-on-wheels to raise hell in the lives of the foreigners touring exotic India.

A Pebble For Your Pocket (Full Circle, Rs 95) by Thich Nhat Hanh should not be judged on the basis of the rather alien-sounding name of the author. The writer is a Zen Buddhist monk from Vietnam who now has a retreat in southwestern France where he practises, and teaches others to practise, the “art of mindful living”. The writings in this slim volume meant for children are simple and touching. The illustrations add to the charm of the book.