Book reviews: Ink In My Veins – A Life In Journalism, From the Streets of Kathmandu

Ink In My Veins – A Life In Journalism, is an autobiography of an eminent journalist, S Nihal Singh. It gives a rich account of the major ­revolutionary and other events that have set India on a new path...

Not just another personal memoir
This book is an autobiography of an eminent journalist, S Nihal Singh. It gives a rich account of the major ­revolutionary and other events that have set India on a new path. It talks about events like the 1969 split in the Congress; Indira Gandhi’s coming to power; the Emergency imposed during her rule in June 1975; the rise and fall in her political career, her downfall, and her phoenix like rise; her assassination; too many faces as PM in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s; instability in Congress, the stormy India and Pakistan relationship; the 1991 Gulf War and the litany of scams that buffeted the Manmohan Singh Government. The book, in detail, mentions the challenges witnessed by India then and now. Overall, the author ­presents the world of politics from a journalist’s view. It gives the reader a better understanding of the role of the media ­during the crucial events and movements that have shaped India over the years.
Title: Ink In My Veins – A Life In Journalism
Author: S Nihal Singh
Publisher: Hay House
Price: Rs 499

Book-cover-Ink-In-My-Veins-A-Life-In-Journalism

Kathmandu chronicles
A little boy in Kathmandu only has the memory of a story his father told him over and over again, from the time he was just six months old until the latter passed away, when the child was five years old. It is the story of his father’s love affair with his mother and betrayal. The nameless child does not even know the name of his father or mother. He only knows their clan names from two countries that seem distant. This is the story of a child who names himself Basu Rai. He travels the corridors of the world, to arrive finally at the country he identifies as his own — India. This is an inspirational story that points towards the ­loopholes in the social welfare ­system, the education system and the family system in India. It directs us to the vacuum that children are often forced to grow up in.
Title: From the Streets of Kathmandu
Author: Basu Rai
Publisher: Vitasta Publishing Pvt Ltd
Price: Rs 245

Text: Devyani Srivastava