"Sights and Monsters" by Oliver Goldsmith

The essay, "Sights and Monsters", is taken from a collection - The Citizen of the World. In 1760, Goldsmith began to publish a series of letters in the "Public Ledger" under the same title. Supposedly written by a Chinese traveller in England by the name of Lien Chi, the letters used this fictional outsider's perspective to comment ironically and at times moralistically on British society and manners.

Goldsmith, in the voice of a Chinese traveller, tells the readers about the several sources that cause people to react are indeed ironical and this inspires their civility. Here, the English prefer the traveller to be a source of "wonder" and not a mere "entertainment". He puts forth to the readers quite a few instances that explain the curiosity and the interest that the English have developed for the strange and unusual. The first narration is a story of a person who exhibits himself as a "wax-work". This person made his living by simply standing like a statue - motionless and lifeless. The business was a real hit, only if it was not for his involuntary fit of sneezing which "brought him to life" and ruined his business.

He then chose to paint his face replicating an Indian King, also imitating the King's "howl" - with this he frightened several ladies and children, and made his living anew. But he was in a huge debt because of his earlier business as a wax statue. Consequently, his next choice was to paste "mummies", and had sold seven petrified lobsters to a noted collector; thus, made his living a fairly sufficient one. His last wonder was nothing more than a "halter" (a hangman's noose). The rope was made using silk threads and was also intermixed with gold. The writer sarcastically points out at people's behaviour, saying that they had come to see the designed rope and not the capital punishment. Such was the attitude of people, where they paid in order to amuse themselves unusually.

The English wanted to see and admire things which were indifferent in its portrayal, and they rejected those that appeared to be in its original, unaltered form. Goldsmith gives an example of a woman who worked considerably well with the needle, but was not employed anywhere. After having met with an accident and losing her hands, cut off from the elbows, the woman became famous enough and also made a living as people paid to see a "Mantuna-maker who wrought without hands". Goldsmith further narrates a story of how a painter had made a painting which was inferior in rank of art but had received good credits - for the painter drew the whole picture with his foot, he held the pencil between his toes. The traveller ended up buying this painting for a heavy price, and not for the art-sake but for the way it was made.

Goldsmith then mentions how a young author, a man of good-nature and learning, was unable to make a proper career. While, someone else, with even less or rather no knowledge at all, who had learned to "whistle double", was rewarded, applauded and caressed. People from the east could certainly make their living, for their practices and culture is something that could be 'wondered at'. One such would be the looking-glass (mirror) of Lao, which reflects the mind as well as the body. It is said that the Chinese ruler, Emperor Chusi, used to make his ladies dress their heads and their hearts in one of these glasses every morning; while the lady was at her toilet, he would frequently look over her shoulder; and it is recorded that not one was found whose mind was beautiful than the person herself. The traveller relates this with the English ladies, but should one ever peep over a lady while dressing, one might not find gaming or ill-nature; neither pride, seduction from duty, nor a love of pleasure. Ironically, these ladies would find greater pleasure in this very utensil than in anything else.

Thus, Goldsmith, in the words of a Chinese traveller, has tried to critique the oddness of the ways of the English, that anything normal would be seen as dull and uninteresting, while the strange and the grotesque would kindle their curiosities. Since, these observations are made in the name of an outsider's perspective, the essay carries striking wit and humour, for the ways of the English seem to be sarcastically commented upon.

"Wife of a Hero" by A.J. Cronin

"Wife of a Hero" is a short story written by A.J. Cronin. It is taken from his last book titled Adventures of a Black Bag which is a collection of short stories. Cronin was a novelist and a short story writer. His short stories revolve around every day common themes yet bringing out the effectiveness in what we mostly consider trivial or unimportant. The present story too deals with one such theme where he draws a contrast between a selfish and callous popular hero and his unselfish and uncomplaining wife who dies by the end of the story.

This is a story which talks about how a footballer, Ned Sutherland, makes his mark in the field of sports. He has traveled across the globe, and has played in different countries, and now he is in Levenford to play a match against the Rovers. Ned was addicted to drinking and because of which he had a decline in his career. Yet he was a much celebrated player, and people always held him in high status. Quite contrarily, the same people considered that Ned's wife and his five children were a complete burden to him and that it was because of them that he hadn't been able to play well off late.

Mrs. Sutherland or Jenny Sutherland, Ned's wife, was a humble and self-giving woman. It was out of sheer necessity that she would wait for her husband outside the stadium whenever he was playing. She would take the money from him and leave which gave a different picture for others - where they assumed that she had married him only for his money and fame. But only she and a few close to her knew the truth behind this action. She had to fend for her family, or else Ned would waste away all the money on drinking.

Throughout the story, Cronin describes a football match and how Ned saves the match, and a parallel narrative runs through which gives equal weightage to the wife as well. We learn that Jenny is suffering from a major illness. She has melanotic sarcoma and her body grows very weak eventually. She deliberately hides this news from Ned because she does not want him to get distracted and lose the match. She waits until the match is over but her body is rapidly giving up. Ned had promised his sponsor that if at all the Rovers win the match then it would be over his dead body. The irony of this statement is brought to the readers at the end of the story - when he wins the match and wants to tell his wife about how he played and emerged victoriously before the people, he tries to repeat the same lines but unfortunately he jumbles the words and says that he won the match "over your (wife's) dead body".

Cronin plays with words to bring out the hidden pain and sufferings of the true hero, the wife, who silently works for the family's well-being. She remains uncomplaining throughout and stands as an invisible support to her husband. Her sacrifices remain unacknowledged, or rather unnoticed, yet it is through Jenny that Cronin tries to define a true "hero".

"Forgotten Civilizations: The Rediscovery of India’s Lost History" by Rupa Gupta and Gautam Gupta

The following review is also published in Deccan Herald, on 23 January 2022 [edited].

The Briton, the Buddha and the Bhagavat-Geeta

The British rule in India has invited abundant research on examining the relationship between the coloniser and the colonised. While volumes of studies have invested their aims in the criticism of the British ideology (political, social, economic and cultural), there are a few works that have critically examined the same from the vantage point of contributors of the West. Forgotten Civilizations: The Rediscovery of India's Lost History is one such work that has shed light on the contributions made by British colonial officers to the historical and cultural heritage of the Indian subcontinent. The book is a well-articulated compilation of fifteen narratives that stand out as interesting exceptions accounting the history of cultural symbols, ancient scripts and ornate architecture. The co-authors, Rupa Gupta and Gautam Gupta, have brought together interdisciplinary perspectives on the British colonial rule in India.

Art of Reading and Translation Forgotten Civilizations focuses on the translations of many texts that bear testimony to the spread of India's glory. The immersive reading of the ancient texts which were mostly written in Sanskrit proved to see resemblances in Greek and Latin. In William Jones's words, the antiquity of Sanskrit language "is of a wonderful structure; more perfect than the Greek, more copious than the Latin, and more exquisitely refined than either". The study of the old texts, to mention a few - William Jones's translation of Kalidasa's Shakuntala (Sacontalá or The Fatal Ring), Jayadeva's Geet Govind, Hitopadesa and Manusmriti (seven volumes); The Bhagavat-Geeta, Or Dialogues of Kreeshna and Arjoon in Eighteen Lectures translated by Sir Charles Wilkins; Nathaniel Halhed's translation of Upanisad and Mahabharata (unfinished translation); and Mitākṣarā  and Dāyabhāga (legal commentaries on Hindu laws of inheritance) translated by Henry Colebrooke - have all invited the West to look at the subcontinent as one of the oldest civilisations. These works stand as exceptions for they have not only contributed to restoring India's literature but also as independent discourses that have consciously prevented the European prejudices from seeping into their works.

Restoring the Architecture in Bricks and Words While on the one hand there were texts attracting serious reading and unbiased interpretations and translations; on the other hand, was the study of buildings and monuments. The tales of James Prinsep, Thomas and William Daniells, James Fergusson, Sir Alexander Cunningham and Sir John Hubert Marshall usually surface in introducing the subcontinent as one of the oldest civilisations, rich in history, science and culture. The extensive ink-sketches of ancient buildings, temples, mosques and minarets have added weightage to the fact that India's cultural heritage was built by minds that expressed tradition and individual talent. James Prinsep's Benares Illustrated is an apt example, where a collection of seventeen of his drawings introduced Benares to the Western world making the holy city garner its recognition and fame across the globe. The credit of decoding the long-forgotten scripts of Brahmi and Kharoshti (ancient writing systems) also goes to Prinsep. Similarly, Fergusson attempted to learn India's past through "the imperishable records in the rocks, or on sculptures and carvings", which gave him more details of monuments and the faith and feelings that they represented. Some colonial explorers did make appeals to the colonial government requesting their intervention in restoring and protecting the heritage buildings of India. This gave much exposure to the ornate structures and thus began the recognition and appreciation of Indian art.

Study of Buddhism Brain Hodgson, an English officer, is known to have been a collector of original documents on Buddhism that had up to that time been ever gathered. His supply of materials to the Asiatic Society of Bengal proved to be beneficial to scholars and helped them in their investigations and research on the study of Buddhism. Famous works such as The Sanskrit Buddhist Literature of Nepal by Dr. Rajendra Lal Mitra and Introduction à l’histoire du Bouddhisme Indien (“Legends of Indian Buddhism”) by Eugène Burnouf were based on the manuscripts presented by Hodgson. The contribution of Hodgson demands thorough appreciation as a collector and as an author. He was the largest and the most munificent collector of ancient texts and vernacular tracts that have served as a vital source for research matter to his contemporaries and for the future researchers. Quite interestingly, Forgotten Civilizations provides snippets on how colonial officers like Hodgson proposed the establishment of vernacular colleges for local schoolmasters. This, however, was not implemented and Macaulay’s arguments influenced the government to choose English as a medium for education. 

The writers have situated the study mainly in the eighteenth century, drawing on sociology, history and political science that has aided in examining the important social and cultural events that took place in the set time frame. The book is a comprehensive account of those important few who were responsible for popularising oriental studies in Europe and helped restructure perceptions about India to the rest of the world. The structure of the book appeals to the general readers and the lucid writing style in narrating the history grips the attention of the readers.

"The Mirror & the Light" by Hilary Mantel

The following review is also published in Deccan Herald, on 19 April 2020 [edited].

'History' - Wooed with Verses and Undressed with Wit!

"It is the historian who has decided for his own reasons that Caesar's crossing of that petty stream, the Rubicon, is a fact of history, whereas the crossing of the Rubicon by millions of other people before or since interests nobody at all." - The twentieth century English historian, E.H. Carr makes his remark with great caution. However, when we speak of 'historical fiction', the work is partly subjected to being speculative; yet, one must remember to acknowledge the fact that there exists a conscious interrogation of the relationship between history and fiction which tries to provide an insight into those stories that have been displaced in time and space. In Hilary Mantel's works, we get a glimpse of how tides of history break inside the narration and the possibility of their current furnishing an engaged experience.

The Mirror & the Light (2020) is Mantel's third installment to the Cromwell trilogy, and the first two being Wolf Hall (2009) and Bring up the Bodies (2012), which made Mantel a Booker Prize awardee as well. The trilogy chronicles the rise and fall of one of the most significant members of King Henry VIII's court, Thomas Cromwell. As prominent a figure that Cromwell surfaces in the dog-eared pages of history, there is still a wide gap in accounting his early years and his experiences as an individual. There are voluminous works, both historical and literary, written on King Henry VIII and his reign in the 16th century England, however, there has been no substantial accounts of one of the most important proponents of the English Reformation - Thomas Cromwell, who was indeed an important cogwheel in altering England's political structure. Mantel's trilogy supplies biographical details of Lord Cromwell through fiction with the usage of literary tropes.

The narration begins with the news of the execution of Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII, and the first queen to have been beheaded. The writer has ensured her consistency in narrating the story in a manner where the third book begins from the point where the sequel ended, without much delay. Cromwell's introduction in the new book can be read in parallel to the making of a new England. While the first two books talk of Cromwell's beginnings and rise to power, the third narrates a grand story of a man who has had a huge appetite for work and life. It is here that we see a different Cromwell, unlike the usual caricature villain as he has appeared in other historical works. We begin to comprehend the situations that arose and decisions made from Cromwell's perspective.

As a historical novelist, Mantel presents before her readers an archetypal story spread over three books, where a brewer's son leaves home, is unable to return and yet has to find means to survive. This historical character, Thomas Cromwell, a lawyer and Chief Minister at Henry VIII's court, is approached in a manner very different, more organic precisely. The employment of present tense gives the readers an access to that particular age, where we intuitively begin to see that there is no leisurely time for Cromwell and the other characters to engage in introspection, rather they all survive and act out their next few breaths. In fact, at one point we see Cromwell saying that he is just trying to survive the week, and it remains thus where survival becomes one of the imperatives that enable the several characters to act impulsively.

Even though it is the story of a historical character that Mantel has narrated in her 'Wolf Hall' trilogy, we, as readers, begin to see Cromwell in the present and simply as an individual who steps into myriad experiences in his life of power and rule. Unlike a historian, Mantel treats time differently and invests herself in comprehending the inner experiences of the subject. The readers are given a story where Cromwell is not cast in binaries of good and bad, instead he is presented as a man whose identity shifts from obscurity to fame, and as an individual of singular experience fishing for some inkling of what comes next. The text, no doubt, is a 'historical fiction', but Mantel doesn't make things up or exaggerate unnecessarily; instead her imagination is just enough and is placed in the context of a familiarity with the age she is talking about.

The third book completes Cromwell's journey, where Mantel traces Cromwell's final years. It is a grand story that investigates how an ordinary man would behave when he acquires power. The individual now, with power, builds a modern nation through his actions that emerge from conflict, passion and courage. The narration is rich, for there is a lot to account for, and Mantel's way of writing induces paradoxes subtly and surprises the readers.

"Panipat" by Vishwas Patil

The following review is also published in Deccan Herald, on 15 March 2020 [edited].

It's the Theatre of War

The defeat of the Marathas at Panipat has gone down as a disastrous and a shameful event in the annals of Indian history. The publication of Vishwas Patil's Marathi novel Panipat (1988) and its subsequent translations into Hindi and other regional languages has changed the perspective of the readers towards this historical episode. Although the forces and allies of the Afghan ruler, Ahmad Shah Abdali, wangled victory, it was veracious that the Afghan empire too was overwhelmed by the buoyant Maratha empire. Today, the Third Battle of Panipat is seen as an event that reminds us of the resilient and unyielding Maratha soldiers. Therefore, one of the best ways to describe this historical episode is that it encapsulated an epoch of both belief and incredulity.

Handcuffed to History The first two battles of Panipat marks the beginning of the spread of the Mughals in India, but the third battle which was fought between the Maratha and the Durrani empire is etched as one of the biggest and most significant battles in India, in the eighteenth century. Patil's narrative of this historical episode serves as an allegory of an arduous journey taken up even in the direst crisis. The battle is noteworthy in terms of the was strategies adapted. The Marathas led by Sadashiv Rao Bhau and his ally Ibrahim Gardi used European fighting tactics; while Abdali's army made up for their lack of field artillery in brutally effective mobile artillery - the tough soldiers. The Maratha plan didn't work out well, and soon the majority of the army was defeated by dwindling resources and grave hunger. The narrative effectively highlights certain aspects like the lack of the Maratha's ability to persuade the masses, the capability of the Afghan to lead the troop of soldiers and the role of women and children in the entire ritual of war. It also narrates how the great battle changed the power equations in India. Though the Afghans emerged victorious in this war, they could hardly rule any further.

Har Har Mahadev and Allah hu Akbar The war was given a religious colour, and the chants that reverberated on the grounds of Panipat embraced the gods in a manner of poisoning the mortality of humans. The distinction between right and wrong had vanished. Vilification campaigns were carried out on a great spree, and there was no possibility, though several attempts were made, of arriving at a truce. The battle did not decide who was to rule India but rather who was not. This furthered the already existing gaps between different sects, and strong animosities were now built within the armies; and these internal squabbles, in a way, unintentionally paved a clear path for the rise of the British power in India in the late eighteenth century. While the religious tinge marred the hearts, the tales of betrayals deepened the wounds and the scars of failing to gage people became a terrible weakness of the Marathas. Alongside, there is the presence of the unsettling rhythm of Nature which affected the Maratha soldiers severely. Death was Nature's remedy for all things! Patil provides a striking narrative in terms of describing the role of Nature and its unfabourable conditions for the Maratha soldiers. The significant water body, Yamuna, and its disconcerting tides became symbolic in predicting a horrific future for the Maratha empire. The Afghan empire too witnessed the effect of nature in larger terms. Nevertheless, despite the wanting of food and fodder and depleting treasury in both the empires, the battle became a testimony which reiterated the tale of brave escutcheons.

Quintessential Read The historical account retold in fiction has carefully looked at its sources to stamp authenticity. At the same time, the narrative is emotionally charged and Patil has managed to bring out the wisdom and foolishness that went into the bloodshed. The unhurried and articulate story-telling style grips the attention of the readers, and simultaneously allows them to visualize and recreate in imagination the entire war scenario. Nadeem Khan, the translator, has done a fine job in trying to retain the flavour of the original language as much as possible. Panipat is a fitting historical fiction that has managed to imagine and capture the details of war scrupulously, and it deserves a read for its meticulous attempt of retelling history through fiction.

"Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari

Humankind: Diverting Energy from Biceps to Neurons

Sapiens is a popular science book that was first published in 2011 in the Hebrew language, and was later published in English in 2014. The time from then has simply added more gravitas to this magnificent work of art. Harari makes an empirical approach to tracing the history of 'humankind'. Spread across four parts, the book provides a sound understanding of the transition from cognitive to agricultural to religious to scientific revolution. The elaborate discourse on the historiography of the evolution of humankind is immensely multi and interdisciplinary.

The Cognitive Revolution Foraging in new spaces, humans began their journey from being the lowest in the food chain. The ability to use and transform language for the purposes of communication and memories, humans have become unique in their physical and biological structure, which has catapulted them in only close to 2.5 million years to becoming the apex predator in the food chain. We have modified ourselves greatly as different regions and seasons demanded. We then created 'culture' and credited ourselves with ethics and morality.

The Agricultural Revolution The time and efforts that the sapiens invested in manipulating the lives of a few animals and plant species changed the course of human events that were to follow. The very act of one's capability to grow varieties of grains and rear selected animals for meat truly became a revolution in the way humans lived. Harari refers to this juncture as "History's Biggest Fraud", for agriculture required a lot more commitment and hard work from people, yet today, it has become one of the significant aspects in terms of building blocks of any nation. This was the beginning of the barter system, which eventually metamorphosed into 'money'. It is imperative for one to also notice how the 'trap' of agriculture paved way for 'private property' and the appropriation of materialistic wealth.

The Religious Revolution The birth of the nation of 'unification' of humankind began with a shared system of myths and beliefs that someone superior is present and is always watching our actions. The laws of religion assert that the result of human caprice is ordained by an absolute and indisputable authority. The agricultural needs in a manner paved way for the Gods to be created in humans' minds. Much of mythology is in fact a legal contract in which humans make a bargain with the imagined deity and make promises of devotion in exchange for mastery over plants and animals. The discourse of Sapiens also traces the history of how 'polytheistic' religions gradually got erased and how monotheistic religions started to prevail in the guise of civilisation.

The Scientific Revolution The current phase of humankind is the attempt to achieve success in the Gilgamesh Project, a quest towards attaining immortality. The many expeditions into far away lands and many conquests led the empty maps to be filled with not just the coordinates of latitudes and longitudes but also with 'knowledge' of the lands and environment. Science and Empires grew together. Today, science has progressed farther than humans could have imagined, and this has fueled capitalism to rise to the brim. In order for this to come to realisation, humans digitised data. Now, we speak in the language of 0 and 1, the binary coordinates.

Overall, the discourse provides a deeper insight into not just understanding the growth of humankind on this planet but also what human beings have made of themselves. Harari's Sapiens is a profound and a gripping narrative. It invites a variety of readers belonging to different disciplines of study such as anthropology, history, humanities and sciences. The book makes a really good read, especially given the pandemic situation, it offers different perspectives to see ourselves in a better light, and also mull over the imaginary constraints that we have built for ourselves over these centuries.

"The Liberal Virus" by Samir Amin

In a webinar conducted on "Negotiating Postcolonial Spaces", I was introduced to Samir Amin's The Liberal Virus.

Amin theorizes a strong argument on the need for the periphery ('poor' nations) to de-link from the world economy, in order to create autocentric development and rejecting the imperialism of the Triad (United States, Europe and Japan) inherent to Modernisation Theory. Amin explains the impingement of the American model on the rest of the world, and outlines its economic and political consequences. He argues how the American hegemonic system retards the growth of both citizenship and class consciousness and aborts any political crystallization. He calls this the "low-intensity democracy", and emphasizes on the fact that democratization is an ongoing process, rather than a rigid formula designed to support the logic of capital accumulation.

It is interestingly informative when Amin examines the fundamental problem, that has risen to be known as a 'liberal virus', is in fact analogous with self-destruction. It is important to understand his explanation on the distinction between the imaginary market and real capitalism. He attempts to shatter the translucent veil that the 'market' brings to the common person the opportunity for liberty. He affirms that the concept of equity has been realised as central to European liberalism. His strong critique on the production of market ideology in relation to politics and economics provides a balanced introduction to and understanding of the evolution of 'ideology', 'American hegemony' and the idea of 'liberalism' which otherwise is portrayed as 'reform' by the dominant classes.

"Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer's Guide" by William H. Coles

The following review is also published in onlinebookclub.org, on 27 December 2019 [written as per the guidelines of host platform].

The function of fictional stories is to entertain through drama - which involves conflict, action and resolution. An effective fictional story will enlighten its readers as well. William Coles's Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer's Guide is a must handbook for creative story writers. The book provides enough guidelines that cater to adding meaning and momentum to a story, and chart out criteria for an engaged reader's story.

Coles has invested ample thought in delineating the multifarious elements that make a creative piece. Having elaborated on the many elements (or jargons), he has conveyed to the readers and learners an understanding of how even the most trivial aspect demands good attention while constructing a story. There is a fine differentiation done in explaining, through examples, how plots or characters or scenes are not discovered and described, rather they are imagined and created for attaining a maximally effective story.

The book is structured in a two-part engagement, where the first part - "The Literary Story in Fiction" - gives a great deal of information in terms of narration, character-sketch, constructing a humorous plot, conflicts in dialogues, and avoiding cliched and misleading metaphors. While the second part - "Creating a Literary Fictional Story" - makes use of the detailed analyses done in part one and instructs the readers into the proper praxis of creative writing.

Coles explains how it is important to make a creative literary piece into a living entity. The story must have real-world truth and credibility. The author is required to have an in-depth understanding of humanity and must learn the broadest worldview for effective plot, characterization and opportunities for including irony and enlightenment. It is important for one to note, as an amateur writer, how one forgets to learn what exactly makes a creative piece a living entity. One of Coles's elaboration of an example befits this particular line of thought, where the writer has to structure the story to demonstrate what it means to be human through character-based plotting and make the story significant.

Overall, Creating Literary Stories serves as an apt guidebook for writers who are trying their hand at creative writing. This practical guidebook comes with series of analyses of popular scenes from best fiction and drama, which help the readers learn by way of looking into many examples and understanding how they affect the entire narration. As an index to a creative writer, this book deserves three out of four stars.

"India in Chaos, Only Judiciary can Save" by K.C. Agarwal

The following review is also published in onlinebookclub.org, on 30 November 2019 [written as per the guidelines of the host platform].

India in Chaos, Only Judiciary can Save appears much like a timely publication. Given the perplexity that the general public expresses in terms of grappling with the judiciary, this book comes across as a guideline to many who are at least making their debut in understanding one of the core entities that define democracy.

In an elaborate fashion of three-part engagement, Agarwal delineates the perpetual failures of our government with a sincere attempt to provide certain guidelines in abiding the basic law and to ensure smooth functioning of the judiciary. The book serves as an index which charts various disparities that emerge in the system of courts which interprets and applies law. It is here that one must note the ambiguities and absurdities that get conveyed, unintentionally though, through the several interpretations of the codes of law.

Agarwal's argument runs parallel to the ills of an only monetary profit-oriented society or economy. He argues that the scams and the financial mismanagement have led to a regressive economy which in turn has inflicted colossal inflation and the common man is forced to bear the brunt. The book reveals many such stands where Agarwal has charged directly at the incapability of the guardians in creating means and avenues to counter the impediments which hinder development.

The first two parts of the book become an attempt to briefly historicise the many mismanagements and misrepresentations of the conduct of the government. While, the third part provides a well-thought proposal which demands the interested readers and thinkers to probe into several fields right from the grassroots. The multifarious areas addressed closely are the optimum use of resources, improvements in education sector, water and disaster management, population control, building of city centres and improving the environment at large.

India in Chaos, though it serves as a beginner's guide into understanding how judiciary's role becomes indispensable, Agarwal ends up discussing isolated perspectives in terms of restricting to a particular discipline of study. It is here that a reader belonging to a different discipline would find the one-sided engagement problematic. It is perhaps difficult for one to follow what development is in today's demands of the many. Agarwal's work would have gained more weight if there was an engagement with how most terms are perceived today and whether they ought to be redefined. There is an absence of investigation of the univocal meanings or interpretations that get associated with terms and examining how these meanings then get consolidated as well-established norms which are ought to be followed.

In all the other aspects of a debut learning of the role of judiciary, Agarwal's India in Chaos contributes much in terms of research. However, the constant emphasis of a mere opinion under the guise of an argument appears jarring and at times seems like the writer is conveniently dismissing the varying voices and thereby unconsciously and unintentionally adding to the further marginalisation of the other. Having made the aforementioned comment, India in Chaos is given three out of four stars.