On the shelf

Shiva and Shakti: Mythology and Art
By Ganga Somany
Published by Ravi Kumar
Price unstated

This well-produced hardcover coffee-table book is a new primer in documenting a fascinating aspect of our living culture. Written by a believer, it is pleasant to read, despite a sketchy narrative of myth, because of the intimate tone of the writer, which is an emotional luxury not found in books by western Sanskritists. The first 19 chapters re-tell a large corpus of Shaiva lore, while the remaining 11 take a brisk journey through artistic representations of the Great Dissolver. Of special value in this book is the number of examples of Tanjore paintings on Shiva-Shakti. Usually, in such books, there’s a plethora of Pahari miniatures, which, though charming, give the reader a feeling of sameness when found in yet another book of mythology! But the miniatures selected here are also unusual, which makes for an over-all interesting addition to the shelf.

—Renuka Narayanan

A Twist In Destiny
By Sujata S Sabnis
Lotus Roli; Price Rs 295

Great suffering spawns great literature, or at least great amounts of it. This book explores a parallel universe where the Congress Party refuses to accept the Partition and in so doing pushes independence back three years. The altered political scenario lends itself to alternate stories of the ordinary characters who populate this novel. The narrative moves to 2001 when India is an acknowledged super power counting Lahore and Dacca amongst its most advanced metropolises. There is the ‘‘striking’’ Home Minister Farzana Hussain who along with the CBI chief Parvez Ali Beg is trying to avert the crisis that faces the sub-continent. In the tradition of a fast-paced thriller, the reader jogs to the end only to find it very quiet.

—Anastasia Guha