Dear Readers,

 

We are happy to add this new feature on ChitrapurEbooks.com. As we have so many publications sourced from the Community pens, and minds, of the past years digitised on the website, we thought it may be a refreshing idea, as we move forward into the 21st century, (which has already brought out many unimaginable changes into our lives), to include a fresh segment on select Book Reviews / Essays to give a peek not only into the Community past, but also present a wider perspective on the contemporary world.

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Book reviews are of different kinds, and appear in well known and read newspapers/journals, academic or otherwise, and their length can vary between so--called “thumbnail” reviews to Review Essays that go into some depth with the issue, try to ‘get under the skin’, so to speak, of the author`s thoughts, and tease these out for the reader so the latter can get a fresh perspective on the subject. Such essays tend to be lengthy, as they consider a gamut of issues that are germane to the subject, and may also present fresh perspectives.

 

The reviews included in this new feature are all in the nature of Essays; the topics are varied and may provoke opinions. All have appeared at different times in the New Delhi Sabha Quarterly Newsletter, which had a life between 2018 and 2024, and has since become a part of the Sabha`s history and memory. We felt however that these Essays are of sufficient relevance and interest to be read again, the ideas mulled over in our minds. Reviews examine the minds and creations of others, in that sense they are not books - at the same time the ones included here are not cut and paste jobs, nor are they creations of A.I. ; they occupy an original terrain, and can stand as an independent body of thought. As an analogy, we can say that book reviews are like a graft on a plant, which blends in with the parent plant, and enhances its value by the same measure. It is for this reason we thought it useful to create such a feature in the first place.

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The books reviewed here broaden the perspectives from a community oriented one to a wider, more contemporary one; some subjects may be national, while others transcend national boundaries and are supranational in nature. By their very diversity, they encourage ideas, moving forward. [It may be mentioned that the authors of one book reviewed here “Power and Progress….” shared the Nobel Prize for Economics this year 2024]. By reviewing such books on our website, we hope the subjects would be exposed to a wider audience, and encourage readers to read the original books.

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We hope you will enjoy reading (or re- reading) these book reviews, and they would rekindle and refresh your thoughts on the subjects covered. Our sincere thanks and gratitude to Sh. Rohan Kaikini for earlier placing the book reviews so attractively in the New Delhi Quarterly magazine. Sh. Shantish Nayel (Bangalore) has since done an extremely magnificent job of formatting the new feature  Book Review Essays. It makes for a refreshingly readable and visually attractive get -up for the readers.

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The month of November 2024 marks the Shashtyabdapurti celebrations of our beloved Parama Pujya Srimat Sadyojat Shankarashram Swamiji. We pray to Lord Bhavanishankar and the hallowed GuruParampara that Swamiji is granted Good Health and Long Life, and that He continues to guide our Samaj for many, many more years to come! On this auspicious occasion, we would like to dedicate this Review feature to Parama Pujya Swamiji.

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As always, we welcome any responses to the reviews that readers may have over time.​

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