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The Book Review

Volume XXXVI

No. 4 April

Contents
Peter Friedlander

Boddhsattvas of the Forest and the Formation of the Mahayana by Daniel Boucher

Amar Farooqui

Bombay Islam: The Religious Economy of the West Indian Ocean, 1840-1915 by Nile Green

Vijay Prashad

Cultural Entrenchment of Hindutva: Local Mediations and Forms of Convergence edited by Daniela Berti,
Nicolas Jaoul and Pralay Kanungo

Saba Naqvi

Green and Saffron: Hindu Nationalism and Indian Environmental Politics by Mukul Sharma

Arindam Banerjee

Minorities and the State: Changing Social and Political Landscape of Bengal edited by Abhijit Dasgupta,
Masahiko Togawa and Abul Barkat

Supriya Sharma

The Naxal Threat: Causes, State Responses and Consequences edited by V.R. Raghavan

Sajal Nag

Empires Garden: Assam and the Making of India by Jayeeta Sharma

11

Shatam Ray

Sindias and the Raj: Princely Gwalior c. 1800-1850 by Amar Farooqui

12

Sucharita Sengupta

Old Delhi: Living Traditions by S.Y. Quraishi

13

Arun Vishwanathan

Emerging China: Prospects for Partnership in Asia edited by Sudhir T. Devare, Swaran Singh and
Reena Marwah

14

Wilson John

Indias Foreign Relations, 1947-2007 by Jayanta Kumar Ray

16

Neha Kohli

Empires Apart: America and Russia from the Vikings to Iraq by Brian Landers

17

N. Kamala

India and France: Moving into the 21st Century

18

Gayatri Sahgal

Rethinking Work: Global Historical and Sociological Perspectives edited by Rana Behal, Alice Mah, Babacar Fall

19

Ajaya Kumar Sahoo

Diversities in the Indian Diaspora: Nature, Implications, Responses edited by N. Jayaram

20

Manoj Kumar Jena

The Andr Bteille Omnibus: Caste,Class and Power; The Idea of Natural Inequality and Other Essays;
Equality and Universality

22

Mujibur Rehman

Patrons of the Poor: Caste Politics and Policy Making in India by Narayan Lakshman

24

Surinder S. Jodhka

The Grammar of Caste: Economic Discrimination in Contemporary India by Ashwini Deshpande

25

Harish S. Wankhede

Caste in a Different Mould: Understanding the Discrimination by Rajesh Shukla, Sunil Jain and Preeti Kakkar

26

Narender Kumar

The Making of the Dalit Public in North India Uttar Pradesh 1950-Present by Badri Narayan

27

Nirmal Kanti Bhattacharjee Divine Music: A Novel by Suruchi Mohan

29

A.J. Thomas

A Summer Nightmare and Other Poems by Ranajit Das

30

Nishat Zaidi

Closure: Some Poems and a Conversation by Kamala Das and Suresh Kohli; 50 Poems: 30 Selected 20 New
by Zulfikar Ghose; Slow Dance by Saleem Peeradina; Poems by Margaret Chatterjee; Luminous Illusions
by P.K. Mohanty; Whispering Mind by K.P. Shashidharan; Seventeen Oceans by Sandeep Mitra

Amit Ranjan

31

Reading Literature Today: Two Complementary Essays and a Conversation by Tabish Khair and
Sbastien Doubinsky

33

Malati Mathur

Nandanvan & Other Stories by Lakshmi Kannan

34

Asma Rasheed

The Temple and the Mosque: The Best of Premchand translated by Rakhshanda Jalil

35

Vikhar Ahmed Sayeed

JS & The Times of My Life: A Worms-Eye View of Indian Journalism by Jug Suraiya

36

Editors
Chandra Chari Uma Iyengar
Consultant Editor Adnan Farooqui
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The Book Review / April 2012 / 1

tinct about the hawkers was that their salespitch was not a mundane announcement, but
poetry and ditties. Also part of the econo-mic
network of the city were water-carriers, barbers, ear-cleaners, tonga-drivers, and warqbeaters. Ear-cleaners can still be spotted around
the city, wearing their red caps, but some other
professions have been wiped out, and the
practitioners reduced to penury. Calligraphers
or deed writers are no longer in much demand
(though a rickshaw ride down Chawri Bazar
towards Jama Masjid will reveal a couple of
hole-in-the-wall shops that are still up and
running), or that the citizenry of Delhi enjoys
poetry the same way as it used to once upon a
time. Present day Dilliwallas also do not have
the leisure for traditional games and recreation
such as kite-flying, pige-on-keeping, wrestling or
chaupar. Swimming, a favourite pastime of the
old city, has moved from the Yamuna and the
baolis to swanky swimming pools accessible
only to those who can pay for the services.
The author describes life in the household, but concentrates mostly on the kitchen.
And why not, for Delhi has a great culinary
heritage. He describes, with much pleasure,
both popular dishes and desserts of the day, as
well as utensils used for cooking and serving.
The section on Eating with Hands stands out
as an unabashed celebration of our own methods of eating, a tradition that is often browbeaten at the altar of modern day etiquette.
That the author takes the culinary tradition of
Delhi very seriously is proven in the recipes
provided as an Annexure, with a hot favourite,
Stew, spelt charmingly the way it is pronounced in India, Ishtu.
As a tribute to the syncretic culture of
Dilli, Quraishi dedicates an entire section to
places of worship in the old city, catering to
believers of several religious persuasions.
These were sites where people mingled and
socialized once they had paid obeisance to
their respective deities. Arising from the same
culture of co-mingling were the many festivals,
celebrated by all irrespective of which religion
they were born into. A very special festival
arose from this Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb of Dilli
Phoolwaalon ki Sair. This is a festival
dedicated to communal harmony, and has
been celebrated in Delhi for almost 200 years.
Quraishi conducted over thirty interviews
with some of the oldest residents of Shahjahanabad. My only grouse with his book is that the
readers would have enjoyed reading those interviews in greater detail. Having said that, the
book is a beautifully freewheeling, straight-as-abat jargon shorn account of some very precious
memories, all of which will go a long way to
ensure that the younger generation develops a
greater appreciation of the Dilli that used to be.
Sucharita Sengupta is Assistant Professor in the
Department of Political Science, Indraprastha College, Delhi, and was the Guest Editor of the Special
Issue of The Book Review on Delhi.

Shifting Balance of Power


Arun Vishwanathan
EMERGING CHINA: PROSPECTS FOR PARTNERSHIP IN ASIA

Edited by Sudhir T. Devare, Swaran Singh and Reena Marwah


Routledge, New Delhi, 2012, pp. xxii+412, `995.00

he (re)emergence of China over the


last couple of decades as an economic
powerhouse with significant military
and technological prowess has a direct bearing
on India in particular and the global order in
general. The re-emergence of China and India
in particular has resulted in a shift in locus of
global economic power with Asia taking a
central role in the current scenario. The SinoIndian tango during the 2008-9 global economic downturn and their efforts to arrest the
global economic slowdown has further cemented their place on the international stage.
This edited volume is the outcome of a
three day international conference jointly
organized by the Indian Council of World
Affairs (ICWA) and the AAS between November 21 and 23, 2009 in New Delhi. The conference has been slated to be the first in the
series of Asian Relations Conference to mark
the foundation day of the ICWA. The excellent
design of the themes, chapters and selection of
authors is a result of the planning and foresight
of the conference organizers which has definitely added value and provided focus to the volume which is in general missing from conference proceedings.
The book is a collection of twenty-two
essays divided into three sections which broadly analyse firstly, the various aspects of Asian
multilateralism, secondly, Chinas regional
vision, strategies and how its neighbouring
countries like Japan, South Korea, Myanmar,
Nepal, among others have responded to Beijings vision and thirdly, Sino-India equations
in the context of an emerging China with
India too staking claim to its place under the
sun. It grapples with the important question of
the likely implications of a rising China for
other countries in the Asian region and India
in particular. One of the questions that the
book seeks to answer is whether the continued
rise of China inevitably makes such a relationship adversarial or are there any prospects for
partnership?
The regional linkages in Asia and the rise
of Asia began in the early 1990s as a result of
the establishment of the Association of South
East Asian Nations (ASEAN). This process
was assisted by the economic growth witnessed
in the region especially in China, India, Japan
and South Korea. However, despite the growing interlinkages especially at the economic
level, the rise of China has and continues to be
viewed sceptically by the other Asian countries. The editors very correctly point out that
14 / The Book Review / April 2012

a reason for the continued economic diversity


and disconnect as well as equally incoherent
political perspectives in the region which
sometimes work at cross-purposes are partly
the result of the fact that the Asian nations
were never really territorial states until their
interface with colonialism and this dichotomy
continues to underwrite their knowledge of
self and other, which complicates their
mutual policies and perceptions. This is what
makes their epistemological contrast with
Europe so evident. As the editors point out,
Asian values, thus, need instead to be grounded and located in those basic norms of behaviour that are discussed as well as accepted
across much of geographical Asia.
The first section of the book focuses on
the various Asian multilateral frameworks in
the form of the ASEAN, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), the SAARC and
several newer forums like the Boao Forum,
CICA among others. The pioneer and still the
most important amongst these forums is the
ASEAN. Beginning in 1967 as a grouping of
largely anti-communist countries, the organization has grown exponentially by formulating
a stratagem by which it keeps its focus on
economic and trade related issues and relies
on political commitment of member states to
enforce agreed upon yet non-binding directives. The rationale driving Chinese engage-

The re-emergence of China and


India in particular has resulted
in a shift in locus of global
economic power with Asia
taking a central role in the
current scenario. The SinoIndian tango during the 2008-9
global economic downturn and
their efforts to arrest the global
economic slowdown has further
cemented their place on the
international stage.

ment with multilateral forums like ASEAN,


given that it could be easier for China to
accomplish its objectives in a bilateral framework, leads one to question whether the logic
driving Chinese engagement with such forums
are tactical at best. Unlike the ASEAN, other
groupings like the SCO and SAARC despite
their potential have not done as well. The
Chinese aim to keep the US out from the
SCO and the complex, unresolved issues between India and Pakistan have proved to be
stumbling blocks for these organizations.
In this section, chapters by D.S. Rajan
and John Garver deserve special mention.
D.S. Rajans essay looks at the prevailing security environment in East Asia where Chinas
top priority is to exclude the US from holding
sway in the region. The Chinese desire is at
cross purposes or at the least distinct from the
approach followed by India, Japan, Australia
and even the ASEAN. The author thus concludes that the prospects for greater economic,
political and security integration in the region
possibly similar to the European Unionis
quite bleak unless the players can arrive at a
consensus on how to forge a partnership and
the broad contours of doing so.
John Garvers article analyses the composition of India-China trade, and the export
of manufacturing goods and especially of high
technology goods. The asymmetry between the
two countries especially in these two crucial
sectors which greatly contributes to the growth
of military powers as history has clearly demonstrated. John Garver, in light of the above,
concludes that India would probably lag behind in its military strength vis--vis China.
Garvers assessment has an ominous ring to it
and only goes to highlight the point that the
next one or at the most two decades are the
most crucial for India in case it wants to catch
up with China.
The second section of the book studies
Chinas regional vision and the nature and
scope of its engagement with neighbouring
countries in Asia. This section has chapters on
Chinas relations with Japan, South Korea,

Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Nepal and


Myanmar. In this section the chapters on
Japan, Sri Lanka and especially Renaud Egreteaus analysis of Sino-Indian competition in
Myanmareasily one of the best chapters in
the volumedeserve an in-depth reading. As
brought out in Tomohiko Taniguchis chapter
titled Chinas Rise: Changing Contours of
Japans Foreign Policy very correctly points to
the deepening of Indo-Japanese relations over
the years. Yet despite a very clear fit that the
two countries sharegiven their concerns about
Chinas rise for historical, strategic and geopolitical reasonstheir bilateral relationship
still punches much below their weight. Given
the close historical, cultural, people to people
and economic relations that India and Nepal
share, one feels short-changed given that the
former Nepalese diplomat Mohan P. Lohani
does not take his Sri Lankan counterparts cue.
The essay on Nepal would have added more
value if only itlike the chapter on Sri Lanka
had studied the increasing Chinese influence in Nepal and given a Nepalese perspective
on such developments in light of Indo-Nepalese
relations.
The third and probably the most interesting section of the book, China-India Equation has six chapters. The section begins with
a strong note of a chapter titled The Trust
Deficit in India-China Relations by Tansen
Sen who in a very erudite essay delves into the
historical misrepresentations in the nature and
scope of Sino-Indian linkages. The author
emphasizes the need for the countries to study
and understand each other in a better manner
in order to foster mutual under-standing and
trust (p. 304). This is followed by Christian
Wagners chapter, which puts forth the argument that economic interdependence will drive
increasing cooperation between India and
China despite rivalry in territorial aspirations,
quest for resources or claims for geo-strategic
influence. Wagner claims that despite the
border question, both the countries will hold
joint military exercises, develop common security interests and joint initiatives in the field of
global governance. Though one can agree or
disagree with the above argument, the point
that Wagner tries to put across is that both
these aspectsdifferences on the border and
other issues and cooperation in other areas
are mutually exclusive.
The penultimate chapter by Hu Shisheng
and Peng Jing begins by outlining as to what
partnership between India and China could
mean. It then goes on to delineate the broad
common interests which could form the bedrock of the bilateral relationship and the reasons for the lack of such a partnership. The
authors bat for building up physical connectivity, increasing popular culture and people to
people interaction as means to build a partnership relationship between India and China,
reduce negative knee jerk reactions and reduce
misunderstandings.
The Book Review / April 2012 / 15

The final chapter in the book titled


Where are India-China Relations Heading?: A
Futuristic Outlook is authored by retired
Indian diplomat, Ranjit Gupta. The first half
of the essay makes an interesting read and
highlights the vastly different historical legacies
of these two countries, which greatly contributes to the different statecraft strategies and
policies the two countries employ in the current situation. In the second half of the essay,
the author studies Chinas bilateral relations
with countries in Indias neighbourhood, the
wider region and in the Indian Ocean region
which according to the author are influenced
by the India factor. The recent deterioration
of the bilateral relationship which began in
November 2006 with the then Chinese
Ambassadors statement on Chinese claims to
Arunachal Pradesh. The increasing border
incursions by Chinese security forces, Chinese
statements during the November 2008
Mumbai terrorist attack and the issuance of
stapled visas to Indian officials and nationals
from Arunachal Pradesh and Jammu and
Kashmir have further vitiated the atmosphere.
The current tensions between the two countries are termed by Ambassador Gupta as
being reminiscent of the worst period of
bilateral relations in the early 1960s (p. 394).
This being the case, the author (p. 396) is
highly pessimistic that Indo-China relations
will be a tension free and normal relationship,
let alone a partner relationship.
There are myriad opinions on the implications of a re-emerging China and how peaceful such a rise will be for other countries like
India. The book under review too puts forth
several views about how India and China will
balance each other and how they might be able
to cooperate despite their continuing difference and completion for resources and strategic
space. The book given its expansive coverage
and expert analyses is a must read for all
scholars studying China and the implications
its rise will have for Asia and the world.
Arun Vishwanathan teaches at the International
Strategic and Security Studies Programme, National
Institute of Advanced Studies, Indian Institute of
Science (IISc) Campus, Bangalore. He was previously
Assistant Director, National Security Council Secretariat, Government of India. He can be contacted
at arun.vishwanathan@gmail.com.
Book News

Book News

The Eagle and the Elephant: Strategic Aspects of


US-India Economic Engagement by Raymond E.
Vickery through case studies of major efforts,
including civil nuclear cooperation, services
outsourcing, anti-terrorism, and electricity generations and the environment presents both successful and unsuccessful instances of complex
collaboration between the two nations.
Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 2011,
pp. 336, `695.00

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