Book Reviews : Biographies

Chandrashekhar

-Madhuri Shanbhag

Raajhans Publication

The book gives a detail insight into the life and work of Dr Subramanian Chandrasekhar, Nobel laureate in Physics (1983). Reading it makes oneself feel inspired and motivated.

Frankly, I had a feeling of anger against this man, since he opted for American citizenship. But as he himself said, ''For one thing, I couldn't have done this kind of work in India; the environment, the facilities just didn't exist then...and secondly, I feel that Science goes beyond the limits of nations."

I am glad I read this book; it cleared up my grudge and also made me aware of different facets of his personality. We know him only for the work he did on black holes. Apart from it, he has written well-researched books on variety of subjects ranging from Beethoven (Music), Shakespeare (Literature) to Isaac Newton (Science).

One of his remarks made me wince a bit ..." It is very difficult for someone to work in India... other people are busy putting you down."I wonder, have the conditions changed for the better during last 50 years? I hope they have.
Other books which I would like to recommend in this context are :

1. Chandrasekhar and His Limit: G Venkatraman

A bit technical ...but nevertheless can be easily understood by any science graduate.

2. Frozen Star: George Greenstein

There is an entire chapter dedicated to the work of Dr Chandrasekhar and his clash with Arthur Eddington. It makes a thrilling read !!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alfred Hitchcock : The Man Who Knew Too Much

- Yashwant Ranjankar

Raajhans Prakaashan

Don't get fooled by the name; the book is in Marathi.

I have seen about half a dozen movies by Hitchcock, most favourite being "Psycho". Undoubtedly he was a genius in his field. During his career spanning almost five decades, he directed 65 movies and was rightfully entitled as the "Master of Suspense".

The book gives an insight into the making of the Hitchcock as the man as well as the director. We get to read the labour that went into making his movies, anecdotes and moments of fame and despair.Good printing quality and more than 75 photos make the book a pleasure to read.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I Am Alive

- Kittie Felix Hart

Many ppl who seem to hero-worship Adolf Hitler. For these , I would recommend this book.
It is autobiography of a Jew girl who, along with her family, was captured by Gestapo, the German secret police, and sent to concentration camp named as Auschwitz.
By the time allied forces freed them three years later, her father and brother had perished, but Kittie and her mother had survived due to sheer determination.
In the book, she recounts the horrifying details of the life at the concentration camp…. the torture, the inhuman medical experiments, the gas-chambers, everything. It sends chills down the spine when you read it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shubhra Kaahi JeevGheNe [Marathi ]

-Ambarish Mishr

Raajhans Prakaashan

The book outlines the lives of maestros like Shobha Gurtu, Begum Akhtar, Saadat Hasan Munto,O.P. Nayyar, Sajjad Hussein & Pankaj Mallik. Of these, I especially liked the matter on O.P. and Sajjad.

Here are some other books in this category, which I have read over past few months.
1. Phule Vechitaa : Lata Mangeshkar

It was admittedly a surprise to see a book written by the Nightingale herself. It is a collection of various articles she has written from time to time. The nature is more of personal reflections and memories rather than any analysis.

2. Saptak :Dr Mohini Varde

This book is about the Mangeshkar family which gave seven 'sur' to Indian music : Dinanath Mageshkar, Maai Mangeshkar and their five children Lata, Asha, Usha, Meena and Hridaynath. It details musical background of each one of these and discuses many beautiful songs.

3. Noorjehan te Lata : Isaak Mujaawar

This one attempts to compare two female playback singers par-excellence, Noorjehan and Lata, with emphasis on their styles, strengths and finer details.

4. Gaaye Chalaa Ja , Yaadon Ki Baarat : Shirish KaNekar

Written in the famous "KaNekari" style of his, The books make a great reading.

5. Lata Mangeshkar - A Biography: Raju Bharatan

The only ''proper'' biography, I would say. Here you will find a chronological sketch of Lata-ji's rise as India's prominent singer, as well as a thorough analysis of her important songs, her strengths and , yes, her short-comings, too. A book really worth reading.

Yours,

-Gautam.