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What You Guys Reading These Days?


dalsingh101

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Just finished Charles Dicken's 'David Copperfield'; it was mind blowing.

Started Mary Shelly's 'Frankenstein'. I was surprised a bit of Christiancentric Islam bashing in the book?!

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Lol what? In Frankenstein? I don't believe it.

It is; in the way a character who is the daughter of a Turk is portrayed (well the way the father is depicted).

Also, my mental image of Frankenstein's monster is based on old Boris Karloff films I saw growing up which depicted him as a lurching, dumb, almost docile creature.

In the book the creature is anything but. It's more of a piece about exclusion and alienation than a horror story.

What was so mind-blowing about it? (no spoilers please)

Where do I start? The man is to writing what Davinci is to art!

The enduring themes of the work, the expressive and subtle language used. The way he has integrated very personal autobiographical episodes into the narrative. The way he illuminates the reality of the colonisation of Australia and childhood neglect in Victorian times. His humour and use of pathos. The characterisation of the actors in the work with its piercing perspective of human nature! The clever way he shines light on the English class system...... it goes on.

Edited by dalsingh101
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  • 1 month later...

I have bought some books from India, well quite a lot actually.

Arthshastra

Gazetteers of undivided Panjab

Panjab 100 years ago (written in 1840s)

Umdat ul Twarikh (5 vols)

Four centuries of Sikh literature

about 10 books on partition of India

inc Governors reports on Panjab, Partition Observed

Sunset of the Sikh Empire

Gurbilas 6

Guru kian Sakhian

Lahore 1947

Master Tara Singh (biography)

and loads more!

Can you provide more info on Lahore 1947 is it worth reading ?

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Reading:

Spartans. A new history by Nigel Kennell

It's a serious historical study so it presumes a certain level of previous background knowledge (that I don't have) but that aside I was quite shocked at some of the contents. Like the battle at Thermopylae immortalised in Frank Miller's graphic novel (and the movie!) 300 doesn't appear to have any contemporary corroboration.

One of the most interesting discoveries (for me) concerns 'helots' who were a slave underclass kept by Spartans to do farm work:

'Random state-santioned killing probably took place on a more or less continuous basis, since Sparta regularly sent young elite soldiers out into the countryside as armed death squads to murder any helot they found on the roads after dark or any working in the fields they thought too robust.' pg. 84

Looks like it wasn't such a fair and exemplary society as projected by modern day Europeans at all?

'

Edited by dalsingh101
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yes its very interesting. its a collection of short stories about experiences of Sikh, Hindu and Muslim families from Lahore.

It provides very insightful details of that part of history, told by the common man.

I always wanted to know why Muslim dominated Gurdaspur was given to India But lahore whose urban area was dominated by Hindus end up with Pakistan.

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Three of Gurdaspurs four tehsils were non muslim majority, these ended up in india, but the fourth tehsil "zafarwal" ended up in pakistan. that tehsil was the biggest and all put together would have made the muslims a majority in gurdaspur.

there was also a rumour that nehru asked mountbatten to include gurdaspur in india, as it provides the best land access to Jammu and Kashmir.

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Three of Gurdaspurs four tehsils were non muslim majority, these ended up in india, but the fourth tehsil "zafarwal" ended up in pakistan. that tehsil was the biggest and all put together would have made the muslims a majority in gurdaspur.

there was also a rumour that nehru asked mountbatten to include gurdaspur in india, as it provides the best land access to Jammu and Kashmir.

Can you suggest some books where i can read all this ?

Edited by amar_jkp
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  • 5 weeks later...

For people who wonder about the ultimate fate of the Spartans:

"The capture of Sparta by Alaric's Gothic force in 396 was a turning point. While physical evidence of destruction is slight, the walls surrounding the acropolis, so prominent a feature today, was probably first built around this time, when the Spartans again realized their aging defenses were inadequate. Into the construction of the new circuit went statue bases, inscribed stelae, and blocks from now superfluous public building, as Sparta was transformed into a medieval city. It survived in a considerably shrunken state, essentially the old acropolis and agora areas, until the remaining Spartans fled to the Mani peninsula and the coastal slopes of Parnon when the Slavs invaded during the 6th to 9th centuries."

Edited by dalsingh101
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  • 1 year later...

Gut by Giulia Enders - the inside story of our body's most under-rated organ.

Great read for those interested in biology or the digestion process. Not academic but informal style of writing. 

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The Proudest Day.

Geezer it's normal protocol to mention the author of works too....

Edited by dalsingh101
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Geezer it's normal protocol to mention the author of works too....

thanks but I'm a little embarrassed I forgot the authors names when I typed it up.

It's "The Proudest Day: India's long road to Independence" by Anthony Read and David Fisher.

Learned quite a lot from it.

Edited by chatanga1
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thanks but I'm a little embarrassed I forgot the authors names when I typed it up.

It's "The Proudest Day: India's long road to Independence" by Anthony Read and David Fisher.

Learned quite a lot from it.

Care to share?

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I was just trying to read this thread about to collect what others are reading and may be I'll find something more interesting, then something in my mind reminds me of a Bulleh Shah's one poem. Really good one, it showed me my exact (which happens to be wrong) direction where I'm heading to. So, I'm just sharing it with you guys the full poem. If you hear it, its more effective vs only reading the translations.

Parh parh ilm te faazil hoya, Te kaday apnay aap nu parhya ee na
You read so many books to know it all, yet fail to ever read your heart (yourself/inner-self) at all.

Bhaj bhaj warna ay mandir maseeti, Te kaday mann apnay wich warya ee na
You rush to holy shrines to play a part, Would you dare enter the shrine of your heart (inner-self)

Larna ay roz shaitaan de naal, Te kadi nafs apnay naal larya ee na
Everyday you fight Satan, But you never fight your own Ego. You are quick to attack the evil one, yet pride is a battle you have not won.

Bulleh Shah asmaani ud-deya pharonda ay, Te jera ghar betha unoon pharya ee na
Bulleh Shah you try grabbing that which is in the sky, But you never get hold of What sits inside you. You grab for a star you can control, yet fail to grasp the light in your soul.

Bas kareen o yaar
Let the race end, my friend

Ilm-oun bas kareen o yaar, Ik Alif teray darkaar
Stop trying to be the one who knows, for ‘God is One’ you need to know.

Bas kareen o yaar
End the race, my friend

Allah Sayyaan Allah Sayyaan
God is the Master, God is All

Nee main jaanaa Jogi de naal
I shall follow the Yogi {ascetic/sufi}

Jo naa jaane, Haqq ki taaqat, Rabb naa devey us ko Himmat
Those who deny the Strength of Truth, Lord does not give them courage

Hum Mann ke darya mein doobey, Kaisi nayya? Kya manjhdhaar?
We have drowned in the river of Self, the boat and the flowing waters do not matter

Bas kareen o yaar
End the race, my friend

Ilm-oun bas kareen o yaar
Stop trying to know it all, my friend.

Allah Sayyaan Allah Sayyaan
God is All we need! God is All!

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by das
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  • 2 months later...

Picked up Khaled Hosseini's The kite runner in graphic novel form. Only took an hour to read fully. It's about a boy that had to flee Afghanistan when the Russians invaded. Also highlights the antagonistic relationship between ethnic Hazaras and Pathaans. 

 

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57 minutes ago, amardeep said:

Im reading this at the moment.

http://www.amazon.com/History-Islamic-Political-Thought-Edition/dp/074863987X

 

After that its 'the prophet' by Kahlil Gibran.

What's the motivation with all the Islamic stuff out of curiosity?

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  • 3 weeks later...

Have started today on "Sri Gur Sobha" by Kavi Sainapati. I have read the 1st chapter (attempting to read one every day in Gurmukhi and English). I have to say I really enjoyed reading it.

Kulwant Singh of IOSS has done a translation of it, as with Panth Parkash, and it looks really good. Still a few typos though.

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