Representing India

Conceive her in any way you wish to
In any language you want to,
You may choose Persian, Arabic or
Any of the modern European languages
To locate the hypostasis of Al Hind, Hindustan, or India,
You may dig into its geological, linguistic or technological warrens
And come up with religious conflict, squalor and disease,

You may as an Indian envision her
As an iconographic matryabhumi,
Mythologize her to serve a nationalist cause,
Even transform her into a male entity of King Bharata
And call her Bharatvarsha
Or eulogize her rectitude and aesthetic
Through the lyrics of Tarana-e-Hind,

You may imagine her as Mother India or Mother Teresa,
Privileging social justice over family revenge,
Serving irrefragable bahujan hitye,
You may try to contain her
Through your imagination, literatures,
Myths, celluloid representation, but
India will always have something more to prefigure.

You can also read the poem on Boloji.com, June 15, 2008
at the following address:
http://www.boloji.com/poetry/4001-4500/4288.htm

The White Magnolia Tree

Towards the end of March
When the white magnolia flowers
Open upon black barks
Like unblemished bridal dresses
Expectant, quivering, immaculate,
Feeling the primordial emotion of clouds
Like any other cherry tree,
They little know the world they inherit.

As you stand under the white lanterns
And sway with their enceinte desire
You are compelled to believe
In the purity of good intentions,
The joys of elemental fecundity,
Not in the least suspecting
The jealousy of the pink cherry tree,
Or the besotted mood of spring rain.

Representing India, The Nation and Its People

Here is a recently published book on India that you might find interesting. If you wish to read a review of the book please visit Literary India at the following website under the title "Representing the Indian Nation and its People" by Ruchika Mohan:

http://literaryindia.com/Literature/World-Literature/Book-Reviews/Representing%20the%20Indian%20Nation%20and%20Its%20People.html


Representing India: Cultures, Politics, and Identities by Mukesh Williams and Rohit Wanchoo published from Oxford University Press, 2008, Pages 368, Price: £ 24.99 (United Kingdom), Rs. 695 (India) Hardback ISBN-13: 978-0-19-569226-6
The book can be bought from any of the amazon websites.

Obviously every book gives you something, but you have to wait till the very end of the chapter or sometimes even till the very end of the book to find something useful and significant. Representing India gives you tightly packed information in every page. It is obvious from the beginning of the book that Williams and Wanchoo know the subject as well as the best in the area. The book is unique in the sense that it is simply written taking the reader step-by-step from simple to difficult concepts. Both the authors have used their rich and wide-ranging experience as teachers and scholars, both in India and Japan, to deal with the most complicated ideas in a simple, matter-of-fact language. If you wish to write a research paper on India or get an overall view of Indian diversity, the book is worth reading. To give you an idea of the large sweep of the book here is a list of the chapters included in it:

1. The Sanskrit Heritage: Bengali and Hindi Literatures
2. English and Indian English Literature
3. Representing the Nation in the Hindi Media
4. Hindu Politics and the Nation
5. Religious Identities and Politics
6. South Asian Disapora: Negotiating Des Pardes

The footnotes are a beehive of well-documented references and cross-references. It is possible to use the footnotes to develop your newly acquired knowledge about India and delve deeper into any of the areas treated in the book, from languages to Diaspora.