The forgotten people, The Hindu 12Dec06

Early in this book, G.N. Devy offers what he calls "a random list of what we have given the adivasis" through 60 independent years, but perhaps going back centuries. Here's part of that list: "Forest Acts depriving them of their livelihood; a Criminal Tribes Act and a Habitual Offenders Act; ... existence as bonded labour; forest guards and private moneylenders; mosquitoes and malaria; naxalites and ideological war-groups; ... and perpetual contempt." Sobering reading. What did this country's original inhabitants— its adivasis— do to deserve this? And does it explain the `silence' in the book's subtitle? >>>

A Bird’s Eye View Lucknow Newsline 15Nov06

On one particularly arduous expedition for a bird study somewhere in North India, after having to make do with dal chawal for weeks on end, Dr Salim Ali spotted a flock of geese in the sky and noted the following in his pocketbook, “Oh, for a gun and a roast goose on the menu”.

Known for his razor-sharp observations of bird life as much for his witty take on life, many such jottings by the late Dr Ali now promise to be an insightful read into the mind of one of the most accomplished ornithologists in the country. >>>

A Bird's Eye View, Mumbai Newsline, 14Nov06

Compiled by Tara Gandhi, a former student at the Bombay Natural History Society, A Bird’s Eye View, consisting of two volumes, puts together Ali’s short essays and some of his pocketbook observations that he made while he gazing at birds. The book, published by Orient Longman and Permanent Black, was launched by Pheroza Godrej at the BNHSon Saturday. >>>

NatureQuest forum launched in city, The Hindu 12Nov06

The forum which was conceptualised in Chennai three years ago as a collaborative effort between the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust, Trust for Environmental Education and Orient Longman had conducted 32 programmes there, so far. Offering a common platform for those interested in environment, it would be organising another programme at Vidyaranya High School, Saifabad on November 25. >>>

East India Company can't be wished away India eNews 5Nov06

India's triple anniversaries next year - 250 years of the battle of Plassey, 150 years of the 1857 revolt and 60 years of independence - will be a perfect time to reflect on the legacy of the East India Company that became a forerunner of the modern multinational, says author Nick Robins.

'It's not about finger-pointing. It's about how we recognise shared history. The East India Company is a huge part of modern history,' said Robins, the author of 'The Corporation That Changed the World'. >>>

Nick Robins brings to life the East India Company, Delhi Newsline, 27-Oct-06

Call it a fresh take on history, an effort to draw lessons from the not so glorious past, but the colonial hangover just refuses to fade away. This season, it seems to have resurfaced in literary circles. After William Dalrymple’s The Last Mughal: The Fall of a Dynasty, Delhi, 1857, it’s Nick Robins’ The Corporation that Changed the World: How the East India Company Shaped the Modern Multinational (Orient Longman, Rs 295). >>>

A Life of Our Times, Frontline Oct 21 - Nov 03, 2006

"Came January 30, 1948 when the Mahatma, that supreme apostle of peace, fell to a bullet fired by an RSS fanatic. The whole tragic episode left me sick at heart" (A Life of Our Times by Rajeshwar Dayal; Orient Longman; pages 93-94). It was this very G.B. Pant who deftly avoided removal of idols from the Babri Masjid in December 1949 flouting Nehru's wishes. >>>