HT Picks; New Reads
On the reading list this week is a book that looks at the key mathematical structures that underpin both human creativity and the natural world, a collection of folktales from the Kashmir Valley and a volume on what led to the downfall of the founder of Bangladesh
The connection between mathematics and art
Many artists are unaware of the mathematics that bubble beneath their craft, while some consciously use it for inspiration. Our instincts might tell us that these two subjects are incompatible forces with nothing in common, but what if we’re wrong?
Marcus du Sautoy, acclaimed mathematician and Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science at the University of Oxford, looks to art, music, design and literature to uncover the key mathematical structures that underpin both human creativity and the natural world.
Blueprints takes us from the earliest stone circles to the modernist architecture of Le Corbusier, from Bach’s circular compositions to Radiohead’s disruptive soundscapes, and from Shakespeare’s hidden numerical clues to the Dada artists who embraced randomness. Instead of polar opposites we find a complementary relationship that spans a vast historical and geographic landscape.
Whether we are searching for meaning in an abstract painting or deciphering poetry, there are blueprints everywhere: prime numbers, symmetry, fractals and the weirder worlds of Hamiltonian cycles and hyperbolic geometry. Nature similarly exploits these structures to achieve the wonders of our universe.
In this innovative and delightfully bold exploration of creativity, Marcus explains how we make art, why a creative mindset is vital for discovering new mathematics and how a fundamental connection to the natural world intrinsically links these two subjects.*
Of clever tricksters and jaded jackals
Kashmir is the land of legends, rich in lore and folktales that are as unique as they are universal. In Folktales from Kashmir, Vinita Zutshi brings together 18 of these stories passed down the generations but seldom heard beyond the Valley.
Within these pages, foolish kings, clever tricksters and ambitious old women rub shoulders with jaded jackals, daring daughters and unlucky thieves. Whether it’s the tale of someone whose greed gets the better of him or a bald man outwitting a gang of robbers, these are stories where wisdom hides within wit and everyday life is woven through with magic. Beautifully designed in four colour and richly illustrated by Charbak Dipta, this collection invites readers young and old to discover — or rediscover — a rich storytelling tradition. Let the tales unfold. Let the stories take root. Because in the end, we are all made of stories.*
Revisiting historical errors
The book critically examines several successive blunders committed by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman after becoming the chief helmsman of Bangladesh. Disregarding warnings of his well wishers, he appointed pro-Pakistani quislings to key positions in his government and the military, who were later utilised by Bhutto and the Pakistani establishment to exact revenge for the dismemberment of their country and the humiliating surrender in Dhaka.
Mujib also sidelined figures like Tajuddin Ahmed and other tested comrades who had carried out his instruction to steer the liberation war through difficult days. Despite his secular ideals, he founded an Islamic foundation, which was hijacked by Islamists to promote fundamentalist tenets.
But his most grievous blunder was to launch one party rule under BAKSAL and in curbing free press, despite Tajuddin’s dire warning that this would lead to conspiratorial politics and endanger him. His desperation to secure Islamabad’s recognition to counter India’s growing influence in Bangladesh, ultimately led to his downfall.*
*All copy from book flap.
