Ruminations- 2012 !!!

Each year that passes seems to have its own character, and as I look back over these past twelve months, I know that it has been about as eventful and difficult year as it can be. Last year had been quite daunting and if the first month of this New Year offers any indication, there seems to be no respite either!

Nonetheless New Year is the perfect time for reflection and rejuvenation of hope for the future.
Whilst I struggle to spare time to blog, thankfully I did manage to rummage through several interesting books. Let me start the New Year 2013 by ruminating upon books that I enjoyed reading last year.

Well 2012 started with ‘The Ascent of Money’. Like 2011, I have again listed the books under various categories.

Books on Politics/ Society / Economy etc:
India: From Midnight to the Millennium– Shashi Tharoor
Shashi Tharoor continues to remain one of the prominent newsmaker with his witty and sardonic tweets and clearly testifies that the pen (key pad) will continue to remain mightier than the sword! Undoubtedly Shashi Tharoor is intelligent, charming and a learned politician but more than that he will always remain a prolific author. His books are evocative and extremely objective. Although there are innumerable books on Incredible India, Shashi Tharoor has presented a wonderfully researched book, ‘India: From Midnight to the Millennium’ where he shares his views on diverse topics like caste, Indian democracy, the legacy of Indira Gandhi, the partition of India and India’s transition from a socialist economy to a free market economy.

Radheya – Ranjit Desai
Ranjit Desai’s incredible book in Marathi language “Radheya” on Karna, one of the principal characters in Mahabharata is a must read for all. This book has been translated in many Indian languages. Karna is the most fascinating and tragic of all Mahabharata's heroes. Raised without the love of parents; target of great envy and hatred; falsely ridiculed for being of low birth; constantly humiliated at the hands of his inferiors; Karna is at once the most riveting character in the Mahabharata! Karna was generous beyond generosity, made immense sacrifices, and was brave to the point of foolhardiness and therefore the author feels that every man can resemble himself with Karna’s life.

Mahabharata – A modern rendering - Ramesh Menon
The Mahabharata is The Book of Life: in its variety, majesty and, also, in its violence and tragedy. Two years ago, Ramesh Menon’s two thick volumes caught my attention at Crosswords. The volumes were neatly bundled in a box and ever since I bought them, I never had the time to read. Finally last year, I managed to read both the volumes and realised that I should have read it earlier. The book is written in a lucid language and each chapter is a revelation of sorts. Menon has indeed done an extraordinary job rendering this 5000-odd year old epic that describes a Great War and the events that led to it into powerful, simple, resonant prose. The book is intriguing, incisive and informative and it’s difficult to put down.

Books on Cricket:
Standing my ground – Mathew Hayden – Hayden’s book is similar to his captain Steve Waugh’s beautiful autobiography “Out of My Comfort Zone”. The book narrates his struggles to get inside the champion Aussie side, compete with Mark Taylor for his place in the team and finally retire as one of the Greats that brought aggression as test opener.

While Hayden came across as an arrogant, hefty and belligerent player often loathsome of other international opponents however in his autobiography you get to see the other side of his personality- a likeable, adventurous, hard working, resilient and sensitive human being. Unlike other south paw there wasn’t much of elegance and style but Hayden went on to become a prolific batsman who disdainfully clobbered fast bowlers and cleverly used his feet and pads against quality spinners. In his autobiography, he also shares his passion to cook and surf in deep waters around the world.

A Year in the Sun - Michael Vaughan
This book is an interesting read. Described as the most exciting batsman to emerge since David Gower retired, Michael Vaughan provides a view of his own achievements during 2002. He also contemplates the controversy that surrounded England's ill-fated World Cup mission, and discusses the real story behind the decision not to go to Zimbabwe. Vaughan's thoughts about Nasser Hussain, the captain he has served most, and his other international and county colleagues are also shared. Every aspect of an intense and exciting year gets Vaughan's complete consideration - from being given out handled ball in India to clean bowling Sachin Tendulkar, from being targeted by Glenn McGrath to winning the Player of the Series award in the Ashes battle, and on to the World Cup fiasco.

The Devils Pack – Balwinder Sandhu & Austin Coutinho
This is an exciting short book and I am glad someone has finally published a book on India’s maiden World cup win. The book will bring fond memories to all those who had witnessed Kapil’s Devils making history. I can still distinctly remember as a child, how many crackers I burst with my friends on Sunday on the night of 25th June 1983. Balwinder Singh Sandhu provides some interesting insider account and describes the events, the match plans and everything that happened as India won its maiden World Cup victory. In the book Balwinder has devoted one chapter for every member of the winning team and the book therefore seems similar to another book Idols by Sunil Gavaskar which is indeed fascinating.

Bishan - Portrait of a Cricketer by Suresh Menon
“Jim Laker once remarked that his idea of heaven was Lord’s in the sunshine, Ray Lindwall bowling at one end and Bishan Bedi at the other.” With a foreword by Anil Kumble and a flow that makes it as easy to read as, Bedi was to watch, this is a cricket book worthy of a place on the shelf. The author is a prolific writer but somewhere I felt Menon has restricted himself to about 190 odd pages. May be he could have been more descriptive. Nonetheless Menon’s incisive insights make the book especially readable. He makes no attempt to gloss over Bedi’s flaws and idiosyncrasies.

Sach by Gautam Bhattacharya
The book beautifully describes the journey of Sachin Tendulkar, “The demi- God of cricket" from his early childhood till date. Hopefully there will be many books deservedly written about Sachin. Till then this book is a collector’s item for some rare photos. The book features about 83 interviews by eminent personality on what Sachin means to them. There are many interesting anecdotes. You feel sad to learn that Sachin’s brother who was instrumental in making Sachin a cricketer had to struggle and stand outside the stadium while someone tries to organise a pass.

Bradman and the Summer That Changed Cricket: The 1930 Australian Tour of England - Christopher Hilton
In 1930 Bradman arrived in England, a callow youth whose lack of technique, or so the English thought, would be mercilessly exposed. By summer's end he had redefined the possibilities of the game and changed it forever. This fascinating book reconstructs that Australian tour from the first day to the last, in the liveliest detail, including every run in Bradman's legendary 300 scored in one day during the Leeds Test. Using a host of contemporary sources - from regional Australian newspapers and original score sheets, to English provincial and national newspapers and players' memories - Christopher Hilton brings all aspects of the 1930 summer tour vividly to life and also revisits every controversy surrounding one of the sport's most momentous occasions.

Inside Out: Writings on Cricket - Gideon Haigh
Inside out is a remarkably written by one of the best living writers on cricket- Gideon Haigh.
The book features some interesting pieces on cricketing greats from Don Bradman to Sunil Gavaskar, inferences about the enduring significance of the Bodyline series, informative history of Baggy Green Cap and much more.

Classic Cricket Clangers - David Mortimer
This volume is an amusing collection of accounts of cricket players who have thrown away victory for all kinds of embarrassing and highly regrettable reasons. It covers two centuries of cricket.

Book of Cricket - Barry Norman
Barry Norman's Book of Cricket delivers a wealth of information about every aspect of cricket and how its rules developed from its 18th-century beginnings till date.

Management Books:
I sometimes find it a drudgery to read management books especially when there is nothing new. However the books that captured my attention last year:

Managing Organizational Deviance - Roland E. Kidwell
This is an exceptional book and brings to light the various deviance and dysfunctional behaviour in organisations. The book features incisive short cases and draws together contributions written by recognized experts and thereby offering practical guidance to those faced with ambiguous situations of deviant behaviour in the workplace.

The Ascent of Money - Niall Ferguson
If the author concludes by saying “Markets are like the mirror of mankind, revealing every hour of every working day the way we value ourselves and the resources of the world around us. It is not the fault of the mirror if it reflects our blemishes as clearly as our beauty" then definitely this book is worth reading isn’t it. The book provides fascinating history of money, markets, banking and is indeed riveting.

Six Disciplines of Execution - Gary Harpst
This book is short, enriching and worth reading. The author provides an excellent guide on managing business growth through strategy and execution. While the book is designed for entrepreneurs and smaller firms to become better at execution, the lessons in the book are equally relevant and applicable for even larger organisations to anyone who wants to think and become an entrepreneur or work like an intrapreneur.

Firms of Endearment (FOE)- Rajendra Sisodia, David Wolfe, Jagdish Sheth
The book authored by three imminent management thinkers identifies 30 companies which are called Firms of Endearment. The basic premise of the book is that with consumers and employees seeking more in life than simply money, companies need to adopt more meaningful goals than the simple pursuit of profit. These firms treat their employees well and inspire them to be innovative, respond readily to consumer needs and complaints, show interest in their community and maintain high moral standards. The authors have done fabulous research and the book reveals some startling insights into the workings of organisations that are great employers, great corporate citizens and highly successful.

Classics
The Waves - Virginia Woolf
'I am writing to a rhythm and not to a plot', Virginia Woolf stated of her eighth novel, "The Waves". Widely regarded as one of her greatest and most original works, it conveys the rhythms of life in synchrony with the cycle of nature and the passage of time. Six children - Bernard, Susan, Rhoda, Neville, Jinny and Louis - meet in a garden close to the sea, their voices sounding over the constant echo of the waves that roll back and forth from the shore. The subsequent continuity of these six main characters, as they develop from childhood to maturity and follow different passions and ambitions, is interspersed with interludes from the timeless and unifying chorus of nature. In pure stream-of-consciousness style, Woolf presents a cross-section of multiple yet parallel lives, each marked by the disintegrating force of a mutual tragedy. "The Waves" is her searching exploration of individual and collective identity, and the observations and emotions of life, from the simplicity and surging optimism of youth to the vacancy and despair of middle-age.

Fiction:
Unaccustomed Earth - Jhumpa Lahiri
I enjoy reading Jhumpa Lahiri and find her book evocative and sensitive. In Unaccustomer Earth, Jhumpa Lahiri presents heart rendering stories of immigrant families that reveals how even the most ordinary lives have their dramas and tragedies.
Very Good Jeeves – P.G. Wodehouse

“To dive into a Wodehouse novel is to swim in some of the most elegantly turned phrases in the English language.” - Ben Schott

It's been ages since I picked up a P G Wodehouse and to come across the adventures of the British dilettante Bertram Wilberforce Wooster a.k.a. Bertie Wooster and his wry valet Reginald Jeeves, who is often the cause of his salvation from increasingly entangled social situations is simply ecstatic. I guess everyone’s during their college years must have rummaged Wodehouse books and no matter how many times you read, his writing remains immortal, and keeps you in splits. Very Good Jeeves is a superb book and just like all his 92 books including 11 novels, another literary treasure.

Books on Travel & Adventures:

The Ice: A Journey to Antarctica - Stephen J. Pyne
Stephen Pyne's book on the stark and largely unknown continent combines a geophysical examination of the ice with an inspirational survey of how one of the most alien landscapes of our planet has shaped and affected man's life on earth throughout the centuries. The sheer immensity of the ice sheet is staggering. Its weight is sufficient to deform the globe. This book is an all-encompassing guide to the continent which remains the ultimate symbol of the natural world.

The Middle Passage - V.S. Naipaul

I have enjoyed reading Sir Naipaul’s book and find his writing sharp and thought-provoking.

Naipaul's first work of travel writing is an account of his journey in 1950 from London to his birthplace, the Caribbean island of Trinidad. It is both a journey to the familiar and to the strange and Naipaul records it all with immense sensitivity, honesty and clear analysis. He journeys to British Guyana, Surinam, Martinique and Jamaica and forms a provocative and at times piercingly funny study of societies whose common heritage of colonialism and slavery is examined with unique insight.

A Turn in the South - V.S. Naipaul
"A Turn in the South" is a reflective journey by V. S. Naipaul in the late 1980s through the American South. Naipaul writes of his encounters with politicians, rednecks, farmers, writers, ordinary men and women, both black and white, with the insight and originality we expect from one of our best travel writers. Fascinating and poetic, this is a remarkable book on race, culture and country.

India: A Million Mutinies - V.S. Naipaul
V.S. Naipaul's fascinating account of his journey around India approaches this shifting, changing land from a variety of perspectives. Through interviews with people from many different walks of life, he builds an oral history of a country constantly on the move.

Man-eaters of Kumaon - Jim Corbett
This is the best known of Corbett's books, and contains ten fascinating stories of tracking and shooting man-eaters in the Indian Himalaya during the early years of 20th century.

Autobiographies/ Biography / Memoirs:
Along with Biography and Memoirs of cricketers, there were others books, which were far enriching and exciting.

Margaret Thatcher: v.1: The Grocer's Daughter - John Campbell
When Margaret Thatcher unexpectedly emerged to challenge Edward Heath for the Conservative leadership in 1975, the public knew her only as the archetypal Home Counties Tory Lady, more famous for her hats than for any outstanding talent. Yes almost overnight she reinvented herself. Journalists who set out to discover where she came from were amazed to find that she had grown up above a grocer's shop in Grantham. Within weeks of her becoming Tory leader an entirely new image was in place, based around the now famous corner shop beside the Great North Road; the strict Methodist upbringing; and her father, who taught her the 'Victorian values' which were the foundations of her subsequent career.

Being a Scot – Sean Connery
Being a Scot has many beautiful pictures, is well-presented, and is an informative. The book focuses less on Sir Sean, and more on his interests and causes. In its own grindingly literal fashion, Being a Scot will tell you a lot about Scotland. However, there is one enduring mystery the book sheds no light on: if Connery likes the place so much, why doesn't he live there?

Books on Science:

The Sun: A Biography - David Whitehouse
This is a comprehensive biography of the sun, written by David Whitehouse. Since man first became conscious he has sought to understand the nature of the sun; he has worshipped it, been inspired to produce great art about it, researched it and even died for it. Understanding the nature of the sun is key to understanding our universe and to life on earth. The author skilfully weaves his extraordinary scientific knowledge with history, philosophy, archaeology and religion to produce this fascinating account of the life and future of the sun.

Books on Gourmet Delights

The Hour of the Goddess: Memories of Women, Food and Ritual in Bengal - Chitrita Banerji.
Eversince I read ‘Eating in India’ by Chitrita Banerji, I have started enjoying the delectable Bangla food. Chitrita is a splendid food historian and In ‘The Hour of the Goddess’, she describes her memories of food, its associations with Hindu rituals and the roles of women, contextualized within the broad culinary traditions of Bengal. The book is composed of a collection of short essays, coupled with mouth watering recipes and personal anecdotes.

Music (Biography)
A Secret History - Alastair Taylor
Alastair Taylor was with the Beatles right from the beginning. With this book, he offers his inside view on the band's highs and lows, and reveals exactly what split the band apart.

Read Again:
Alexander the Great's Art of Strategy by Partha Bose. This book is ain interesting and must read for all.
Books by Sunil Gavaskar - Sunny Days, One Day Wonders & Idols

And again this year, I hope to spare some time to read books that are pleadingly looking at me from the shelves. Until then, Have a Great Year Ahead!!