Bookstalkist - October 2017

“The most heinous and the most cruel crimes of which history has record have been committed under the cover of religion or equally noble motives.”, said Gandhi. The fact that Gandhi’s statement holds true even after his death makes it peremptory to initiate a discussion to get our basics right and amend the persisting flaws. This edition of Bookstalkist magazine intends to do that through the article ‘Religion and Discrimination’ and our interview with Professor Makarand Paranjape titled ‘Nationalism, Intellectualism, and Us’.
Religious affiliations might be brewing the turmoil for the world, but India has additional complications like the caste system. Like religion, caste has also become more organized and business-like. The article, ‘Caste Politics and Bihar’ discusses how the fate of an important part of the largest democratic system in the world is decided by these power-hungry organizations. ‘Let’s build a village’, which is a take on Raja Rao’s ‘Kanthapura’ also speaks about how caste has become ingrained in our consciousness.
Amidst much speculation Kazuo Ishiguro has won Nobel Prize for Literature. Although it is coincidental, Ishiguro’s ‘The Buried Giant’ has been reviewed in this edition.
We are extremely grateful to all the contributors who believed in the spirit of Bookstalkist and keep us moving with their writing. If these articles make you pause and ponder, that would be another milestone accomplished for us. If they make you want to discuss further, we are available for you here – mag@bookstalkist.com