Reviews

Dodu and other Stories–By R. K. Narayan, Indian Thought Publications, Lakshmipuram, Mysore. Price Rs. 1-8-0.

Sri R. K. Narayan has made a name for himself as a writer in English on Indian themes. One therefore takes up this book by him with expectation and is glad not to be disappointed. There are seventeen short pieces in the collection and they deal with very varying themes. Some deal with children, some with unusual characters, others with the weird and some glance at peculiarities in our social setting, but there is a refreshing variety in the subject matter and a sense of artistic adequacy throughout. The description of Dodu’s or Leela’s or Seenu’s life shows Sri Narayan as a sympathetic student of children and the details are convincing and could come only from first-hand knowledge born of kindly insight and loving observation. This is the case also with Dasi, the half-witted lover of the cinema star. The story of Ranga, who refuses to learn at school and becomes a servant in a shop and loses his master’s money by betting in the races and drowns himself in the sea, is something of a jumble as a story, but the character itself is clearly conceived and convincing. The story of Samad, the coachman, who is deprived of his livelihood by the arrival of the motor car is full of detail and all of it is in place. One may question only the incident of the coachman heaving a brick at a bus in dudgeon at its having taken the bread out of his Mouth.

This story and the one about the one-armed giant show the easy simplicity and naturalness of a characteristic story by Galsworthy. The story of the father, who gets his prospective son-in-law to look at his daughter by boarding the train in which the young man is travelling, is beautiful, light satire. Those of the poor mother who is rude to her son and feels worried when that son does not appear in the night and goes out and finds him near the tank, and of the poor brothers, Murugan and Kannan, are touching as only the best writing anywhere can be. These stories describe our people like some that Guy de Maupassant has written of his.

Other stories are not equally satisfying. The Talkative man tells three of these other tales but he does not seem to be one man himself. The ghosts, in the Level-crossing story and in the Old Man of the Temple story are good enough for the stories but give the feeling of being constructed. The story of the magic beard or of the forty-five rupees a month and Gandhi’s appeal are merely ideas expanded. The humour of ‘Engine Trouble’ is rather heavy for Sri Narayan’s pen and the refashioning of the tradition regarding the sculptor Jakkanachari is too modernised and facile.

This, however, is merely to say that not all the writing is of the same level but of what book can this be said, unless the level is no level at all? It should also be added that the work even when not at its best is that of a competent artist. Sri Narayan’s English has been praised by English people and stands in no need of Indian approval. If, in spite of this, one may presume to say a word or two, the style, so far as an Indian–this Indian–can judge, is mostly good and has an ease and natural flow. If after all this I make a suggestion to Sri Narayan I hope he will not misunderstand me. That suggestion is that he should write in some language of our people. A writer of Sri Narayan’s ability does not need to be told that story-telling is not a matter of the language learnt in the classroom but from daily life and almost any reading. This would be accepted as true anywhere but in our unfortunate country. Writing in the country’s language, our author would get one of the highest places in our literature. He would please more people and would, to men like me, be also even more convincing than he is, for trying to picture the life described. When I meet sentences like, “You have wisdom, old girl “, “I do not need your certificate”, “A cuckold’s wife is everybody’s darling,” I catch myself asking how it was said in Kannada or Tamil or Hindustani. Having written originally in an Indian language, Sri Narayan would be welcome to write in English too. Indeed, if he adopts this course he will find that he has said things in the former which are too racy of the soil to go into English, and that, in consequence, his English will seem less successful but will have gone deeper into the heart of things.
MASTI VENKATESA IYENGAR.

Marathi Language Course–by H. M. Lambert, M. A., (Cantab), Published by the Oxford University Press, Nicol Road, Bombay. Pages XIV + 301. Price Rs. 10/-

The names of Rev. J. D. Bate and J. T. Thomson (in Hindi), Charles C. Brown (in Telugu), W. Carey (in Bengali), R. W. Yates and H. H. Wilson (in Sanskrit), Molesworth (in Marathi, Rev. W. Reeve, John Garret and Kittel (in Kannada) are, as western pioneers, still gratefully remembered by people of the respective linguistic provinces for the work done by them during the nineteenth century. Rev. D. L. Edward Fairbanks seems next to have introduced a general application of the “Direct Method” into the teaching of Marathi to foreigners. The author of the present work says that Fairbanks’s work inspired her to design the present one with a view to produce quick facility in speech, that is in the use of the forms heard in ordinary Marathi conversation. She has selected “Deshi Marathi” as spoken in the District of Poona as the standard form for this course. The course is divided into two parts. Part I has been planned to give practice in the use of the easier construction of sentences in which the verb and the agent of the verb agree. Part II deals with other constructions that present more difficulty to the English-speaking student.

The author breaks new ground in the employment of a phonetic alphabet developed to suit the language taught in this course. She has added nine modified letters to the English Roman alphabet and hopes that it might perhaps be the basis of a Romanised Indian Alphabet. The author seems to be quite conscious of the difference between the style of spoken language and the literary style. So she gives great importance learning of the actual spoken language rather than the use of forms found in a conventional grammar book or the ordinary book with its standard forms. So in teaching the spoken language, emphasis is placed on current sounds used in appropriate contexts, involving the training of the ear and the speech organs and the storing up in aural memory of sequence of sounds expressing ideas. The author has taken great pains trying to avoid complicated grammatical rules to make the course as possible for English-speaking missionaries who intend coming down to India and work in Maharashtra. An elaborate note on the phonetic concept, suggestions concerning the methods of using this course for the guidance of teachers and students, explanations of terminologies used in Phonetics form part of the Appendix. In spite of all this we are afraid that English-speaking teachers and students would find it hard to mater all the fine variations in quality and length of the sounds that are heard in the spoken languages of India. The adoption of the Balbodha or Nagari script alone seems to be the remedy. It helps the student to learn the alphabets of three languages, viz., Marathi, Hindi and Sanskrit. It helps in learning the correct sounds of other Indian languages like Kannada, Telugu or Malayalam. But the course worked out in this book will serve as a good guide to all English-speaking people to learn spoken Marathi through the phonetic alphabet. To make the alphabet advocated herein more popular, it may be hoped that this course will provide a basis for further publications, such as readers and storybooks.

D. K. BHARADWAJ

The Ivory Tower–by S. R. Dongerkery; East and West Book House, Baroda, Price Rs.2/-.

This is a well-got up book of verse written by the author in “moments snatched from a busy life of official routine.” Poetry certainly a pursuit for such moments. Abundant leisure when the heart is to deep and intense contemplation of the varied vision of life fully inspires the poetical mood. The mind that has to give the mood its literary garb must needs be equipped with a keen sensitiveness to the majesty of words for, as in other things, there are the nobles and the commons in the realm of words too.

Mr. Dongerkery has composed verses which bear ample testimony to his sensitiveness to the beauties of nature. He is also impelled to make expeditions into the realm of philosophic thought which invariably runs along the much-trodden path of popular Hindu concepts of love, life and death. In poems like ‘Overwhelmed,’ “Universal Love” and “Separation,” the author has not been able to rise above the commonplace conventional drabness of mediocre composition. But there are poems like the “Toil of Love” where he redeems himself and surprises the reader with newness and grace of conception and deftness of execution:

I went on plundering Nature’s store
And made the moon, the stars, the sun
Their treasures at her feet to pour,
And yet her heart I had not won.

But when my bleeding heart I poured
Before her eyes without a groan
A speechless victory I scored
And she could hold no more her own.

The poems are grouped under three heads Love, Beauty and Truth, which in itself is too much of a conventional classification. There are two poems well worth reading such as “Jog Falls,” “The Garden Of Brindavan” and “An Unextinguished Spark.” The sight of the beautiful and the sublime in nature have an influence on the author that give him the warmth and skill of expression and make a real approach to poetry.

There are two poems included in this collection, which are written by the author’s wife. They are “Too Late” and “Dual Role,” and both deserve great praise for there is great delicacy and freshness of imagery in them. “Dual Role” is addressed to the wind that has its awful as well as its gentle missions to fulfil:

Your presence makes the oceans roar,
Their waters dark to whirl,
And boats and ships, on sea, on shore,
Into sad wrecks you hurl.

You softly push the country craft
With cargoes moving slow;
Sweet music on your wings you waft
When you do gently blow.

Your real nature puzzles all
Who watch your dual role;
For though you bluster, bluff and brawl
You have a kindly soul.

The book is well-printed on feather-weight paper and the get-up in yellow cover and wrapper with an ivory tower drawn by the same delicate hands as wrote the poem cited above, leave nothing to be desired.

D. RAGHUTHAMACHARYA

“Indian Horizons” 1 by H. D. Sethna–Price Re. 1.

“Tomorrow” Part I Edited by Raja Rao and Ahmed Ali–Price Rs. 2-8.–Padma Publications, Bombay.

Indian Horizons by H. D. Sethna is the first of a cultural series, aiming at an interpretation of Indian culture. It is a collection of seven essays. The author is convinced that the awakening now witnessed in Indian national life is not a purposeless plunge into chaotic nothing but a renaissance informed with the spirit of religious idealism. Though the essays in the volume were written at varying periods, they have an under-lying unity of purpose. Ramakrishna and Vivekananda are given there due place in the cultural upheaval, the one as the apostle of love and the other as the messenger of hope. One of the essays deals with the valuable part to be played by literature. An attempt is made to present a philosophical interpretation of Satyagraha, but the ideal of “Universal man,” probably as taught by Sri Aurobindo, is presented as a higher stage, One feels, however, that the dynamic philosophy of Gandhiji’s new way of life, which transforms and elevates the individual into a higher plane of existence, has only been inadequately appraised owing to the author’s overstressing of the qualities of humility and sacrifice in Gandhiji’s gospel. Nevertheless, Mr. Sethna’s deep longing for the re-instatement of spiritual values in Indian life and his keen anxiety to reveal the soul of India to the Western world are evident in the essays.

Tomorrow stands on a different plane altogether. While Indian Horizons stands on the bedrock of the religious idealism of the past, for Tomorrow the “Past and the Present are illusions. The Editors “stand for the assumption of natural values.” The volume before us is a collection of fourteen contributions from eminent writers of different countries.

Andre Gide’s “Awaitings” is a brilliant piece of subtle wisdom applicable not only tomorrow but also today. “Gleanings” from Lu-Hsun, the most famous writer of modern China, is a garland of the choicest blossoms. There is fire and frenzy in every line; virility or wisdom in every thought. Vilem Haa’s critical account of Franz Kafka’s great writing has the power to whet our appetite to taste the original dish. Vatsyayana’s “Butterflies” has such an enchanting pathos about its story–if there be any story at all–that one is tempted to learn Hindi to enjoy it in the original. Ismet Chughtais’ “Little Mother” is a charming story spilling child-like simplicity from beginning to end. All these are good and enjoyable. But we fail to understand the motive of the Editors in including in this collection such an unpleasant story as the one selected from the pen of the celebrated Russian writer, Mikhail Sholokov. The story with its motto: “You cannot defeat an enemy without having learnt to hate him from the bottom of your heart,” may be good propaganda but poor and stultifying philosophy for tomorrow. The few poems chosen have an elusive fragrance and atmosphere about them, especially those from Le Chia.

The Editors deserve to be congratulated on this ‘international’ publication.
K. S. A.

‘The Educational System’–A double pamphlet by K. G. Saiyadain, H. V. Hampton, Amaranath Jha, Ranajit Chetsingh, K. Venkataraman and P. N. Joshi. Price: 12 as. The Oxford University Press. pp.64.

This is an excellent attempt at setting forth in a nutshell the important problems concerning our educational system for the information and understanding of the layman. Coming from very eminent educationists, the essays give evidence of deep insight born out of experience and present a good perspective. The essays are sure to be of added interest to the general public in the wake of the Sargent Plan and the Bombay Reform in Elementary Education, recently in the news.

All the five essays are delightful reading, especially, the first one on primary education. Mr. Saiyadain’s inference and diagnosis are well-founded when he says that the present deplorable state of affairs in Indian education is due to people’s indifference and the administration’s hesitation and timidity. He does not set any store by reforms introduced into the present set framework. “Reforms (like the Dalton plan and the Project method) have unfortunately failed to revolutionise educational ideology and technique because the piecemeal changes and modifications have been introduced into the set frame-work of the existing system, as though life, which is dynamic and free, could be forced into preconceived outworn and unsuitable moulds” (p. 16) Mr. Hampton similarly says (on p. 30): “The whole school syllabus is rigid and inelastic and characterised by a dull and monotonous uniformity,” when referring to secondary education. Prof. Amarnath Jha strikes the same note when he says. “Change and reform are signs of vitality,” He exhorts the Universities to adapt themselves to changed conditions. “Only a moribund institution can rest on its oars. Circumstances have altered. Old values are challenged.” But how far have our universities evinced any interest to adapt themselves to new situations and new values? Mr. Venkataraman, writing on Technical Education, also says: ‘A feature of our educational system is its rigidity” (p. 59). How all the four writers concur in their diagnoses of the present malady! Thus all the efforts and enthusiasm of reformers are stultified in the face of a dead steel-frame and the hesitation, if not the antipathy, of the administrator and lack of interest on the part of the public. The problem is Herculean and needs, in Mr. Saiyadain’s words, “an organisation of an enthusiastic educational crusade on a nation-wide basis.” This is applicable to all the grades of education.

The chapter on adult education is more a compendium than an original contribution on the subject. The fact that the country woke up to the problem only recently may be as much a reason for the brevity of the treatment as against it. But even as it is, it is instructive.

The Oxford University Press deserves congratulations on bringing out a book on a matter of such vital importance to the land, though in the present scheme of things education “suffers first in times of woe and war and is remembered last in times of weal.”
B. S.

Friend of Friend by Sir Colin Garbett–Oxford University Press. Pages 236. Price
Rs. 5.

Sir Colin Garbett, a member of the I. C. S., served in the Punjab and elsewhere for over thirty years and relates in this book the lessons of his administrative experience and also many interesting reminiscences and anecdotes. His views about India and its cultural life and ground in general erroneous, and highly controversial in places. Dutiful and hardworking, the author claims, and deserves, credit for effecting many improvements in agriculture, sanitation and education; tact and a knowledge of human nature helped him to settle amicably many communal tangles, patch up personal quarrels and secure private charity for public causes.

The dominant motive of the author, however, appears to be to inform the public that there are many cankers in the heart of the lotus which is India and that the British administration of this land is entirely to its benefit and therefore indispensable. The Hindu-Moslem question is raised with the pertinacity of a musical refrain throughout this departmental ditty. No claim is made that Government officials have attempted to compose this difference, but the author suggests education as a possible remedy (without reference to the length of time the process may take), as if educated persons are free from communal bias! Sir Colin’s conviction is that the Montford Reforms erred on the overgenerous side to India and this foretaste of liberty spoilt the Indians who not merely wanted a second bite of the cherry but aspired for complete independence! It is understandable, the author concedes generously, to parley with friends (this is the justification for the title chosen for the book), but how can any one think of negotiating with the Indian National Congress, a body of seditionists who desire Indian Independence and total severance from British connection? For the patent unwisdom of such a step, which even caused difficulties in provincial administration, the author blames Lord Irwin who negotiated with the Congress. Title-hunters, place seekers, lying witnesses and income-tax dodgers are not a tribe by no means peculiar to India but are often met with in the author’s native island as well. The fantastic claim is made on behalf of Miss Mayo, the author of Mother India, that she came out with the bare truth in her book not to vilify but to tell the Americans that the German propaganda against England was untrue and that ward India most needed Britain’s protection and beneficent rule. The author blames a temple bell, which he bought, for the death, disease and disaster which dogged his footsteps as long as he owned it; it is not quite clear if the inference to be drawn from this is that it is dangerous to acquire temple property or that the Indian gods are also Wicked! Though it cannot expiate for the other shortcomings in the book, the decision to pay the profits to the Red Cross Organisation is a generous gesture for which the author and publishers deserve praise.

C. R. S.

The Tell-tale Picture Gallery–(Occult stories by H. P. Blavatsky and W. Q. Judge. International Book House Ltd., Bombay Rs. 2)

The two well-known theosophists, W. Q. Judge and Madame Blavatsky, are the authors of the twenty occult stories in this collection. The admixture of fact and fiction in these tales may not be exactly to the liking of those who wish to study in a scientific manner the hidden psychic forces latent in man and understand the unexplained laws of nature which underlie occult phenomena. They may prefer only the facts without their being mixed up with the creative imagination of an artist or author, however eminent. Read purely as stories, the bunch grips the interest of the readers. Madame Blavatsky’s language is eloquent and poetical and her graphic descriptions haunt the mind: ‘Ensouled Violin’ is perhaps the most powerful story, in which a dead master inspires his pupil to play even better than the known best. Mr. Judge’s style is as limpid and perspicuous as a crystal stream and equally refreshing: the reader understands him with ease. An explanatory glossary helps the layman to understand occult phraseology.
C. R. S.

The Bihar Herald–70th Year Souvenir.–Editor: M. C. Samaddar.

The first English weekly to be started in Bihar seventy years ago, The Bihar Herald has continued to appear without a break all these years: a proud and enviable record, indeed. The Annual Number contains many interesting contributions from well-known writers. We wish the Journal a long and prosperous career.

C. R. S.

The Alladi Krishnaswamy Iyer Shashtyabdhapoorthi Souvenir Volume–The Souvenir is published to commemorate the completion of sixty years by Sir Alladi Krishnaswami Iyer, Advocate General of Madras. Besides an interesting biographical sketch, it contains the messages of good will and felicitations received from all over the country. Coming from the pen of so eminent a jurist, the articles, speeches, and addresses published are worth close study. Sir Alladi’s is a brilliant example of a self-made career and his munificence to many deserving causes (the ‘Triveni’ also is among them) no less than his intellectual acumen and forensic abilities have earned for him an honoured place in public esteem and affection.

C. R. S.

Crusade of Free Spirits–by Rt. Hon’ble Alexander Wamwetzos–published by the New Book Company, Bombay.

This book purports to be a draft of peace conditions. The disillusionment suffered by the author both in his own country before War and at the hands of the authorities of the United Nations after War broke out and he consequently became an exile, have not defeated his idealism, while it has been tempered and given a practical orientation. The war aims of the United Nations are generally understood to have been expressed in the Atlantic Charter. The future peace conditions visualised by the author have the Charter as their basis. But the vagueness of the Charter itself and the varied and very often contradictory interpretations that it has received at the hands of those in authority make it a very uncertain foundation. Nevertheless, the author’s scheme may be regarded as a valuable contribution to the growing literature on the future of the world by a detached and disinterested student.

The author has visualised the Indian problem as an integral part of the world problem which cannot be finally solved without solving the Indian problem. On the whole, the author takes a fair view of the situation and unhesitatingly comes to the conclusion that those who are in authority in Britain do not wish to give up their hold on India. How difficult it is for a foreigner, however detached he may be, properly to appraise the situation here is demonstrated by the author’s endorsement of the view that the Congress, while in office in the Provinces, conducted itself in such a way as to lose the confidence of the minorities. Incidentally it also reveals how powerful a weapon propaganda can be and how ruthlessly it has been used by the rulers of this land.

The value of the work is further enhanced by the material that it has incorporated from contemporary records as to the trend of events, as, for example, the Darlan incident.

While there can be no doubt about the author’s effort being a laudable one, we are left wondering with him, after the demonstration of French Imperialism in regard to the Lebanon incident, after the exhibition of unabashed racialism in South Africa and after all the experience India has had at the hands of Britain subsequent to the outbreak of the War, whether slogans like Justice, Freedom, Democracy, and Brotherhood, are sincere, whether the United Nations are really fighting for the cause of the weak against the strong, and whether we are, after all, moving towards a better world.

“N”

OXFORD PAMPHLETS ON WORLD AFFAIRS.
An Atlas of the U.S.A.–by J. H. Stembridge. Price 6 d.

This pamphlet by a well-known author contains a description of the country, the customs and manners of the people of the U.S.A. and their political and economic struggles. The pamphlet makes use of the map as the main as the main device and the attempt, therefore, is very successful. The maps have explanatory notes to render them understandable and useful.

An Atlas of India–by A. M. Lorenzo–Price Annas 8.

Brief but complete in itself, starting with the environmental setting of India and finishing with geopolitics and sociology, this small pamphlet is well-illustrated with twenty-two maps and pictorial representations of vital statistics. The size and scope of the pamphlet have perhaps precluded the author from giving possible solutions to problems which have been merely stated, like the readjustment of living space between the State and the British Indian Provinces, etc. The country must come to its own before it can introduce large scale and small scale industries to reduce the pressure on land, to raise the average income and to eradicate the many ills, social, economic and Political that the country suffers from.

It is a useful and informing publication.

The British Pacific Islands–by Sir Harry Luke. Price 6 d.

This pamphlet is on the Islands, which have now assumed world-wide importance as air bases. The author, in the chapters on the native races and the impact of the white man, has been sympathetic and fair to all concerned. The style and the presentation of the matter make the booklet reading.

H. R. R.

KANNADA

Bettada Jeeva–by Sri Sivaram ‘Karant–59-60 Manohara Granthamala, Dharwar. Price 1–14–0.

This is a story of a tough Malnad Life. The hero reminds one of Wordsworth’s Michael, and lives in a lonely and far-off hamlet hidden beneath the impenetrable woods of Malnad. He abounds in profound commonsense, is imbued with a strong sense of humour and inspired by a spirit of heroic action. A restless and untiring worker, he is not beaten by disappointments. He is highly cultured, though not, perhaps, educated in the usual sense. Being in touch with the currents of modern life, he has sent his son for higher English education. But unfortunately, by force of circumstances, his son falls under the evil influence of urban companions, altogether forgets his parents and is practically lost them. This desertion casts a gloom on their daily life. The hero bears heroically this filial ingratitude, but his wife pines away slowly under the pain.

All this is narrated by a stranger-visitor to the spot whose identity is not revealed at all. He experiences the cordial hospitality of his generous host. He seems to be an aimless traveller delicately bred up in town. This character is not vividly portrayed; and is perhaps not meant to be a sprightly one.

There are other minor characters depicted in a lively manner. Here and there we find flashes of vivifying description of nature in all her grandeur.

The language is simple and elegant. One may complain that the humour is sometimes too deliberate; also that there is also a wearying sameness in situations with patches of monotony in conversations, though happily they are far between. The last chapter however is arresting and interesting.

The author wields a pen that can portray a charming picture of graceful life as well as an awful environ surrounding it.

H. N. K.

‘Jahanara’–by Sri S. V. Parameswara Bhatta, Kannada Lecturer, Intermediate College, Tumkur. Publishers: Panduranga Press, Tumkur.

‘Jahanara’ is a long narrative poem, of which Jahanara, Shah Jahan’s daughter, is the heroine. She has been in prison as a result of her having taken sides with Dara, her eldest brother, against Aurangzeb. In the solitude of her prison she looks on her past life so full of sad events. She was in love with a Rajput who gallantly fought on the side of the rightful heir and died a hero’s death in one of the engagements. There seemed no end to her misery and wretched loneliness.

The heroine is portrayed almost as a ‘Hindu Sati’ in spite of her Muslim birth and breeding. Justification of this may be sought in the fact that she loved a Rajput.

The smooth flow of the narrative has suffered to some extent by the pensive mood overhanging it. The lines are occasionally laden with heavy Sanskrit compounds and there are quaint old Kannada terminations tacked on to new Kannada forms. We welcome this promising effort, and trust the gifted author will give us more of such historical narratives.
H. N. K.

TAMIL

Puyal–By Rabindranath Tagore. Translated into Tamil by T. N. Kumaraswami, B.A., Alliance & Co., Publishers, Mylapore, Price Rs. 6/-

Tagore as a writer ranks equal with the best in world’s literature. Perhaps no other can claim to be as versatile and great as he is in the employment of all kinds of literary forms for expression such as song, drama, dialogue, essay, novel and short story. Before the many Indian languages could absorb Tagore in full English and some of the other European tongues were translating him. No doubt the poet’s mind and art cannot be at their highest in a translated version, however ably done. Much less can they show off in the garb of English, which, according to some critics, is even less fitted than the other European languages to bring out the beauties of the oriental mind.

Any day translations by one from another of the Indian languages should have a better appeal to Indian readers because of the fundamental unity of culture and tradition underlying all diversities on the surface. May be the rhythm of words and the elusive form in the original Bengali are not transmitted in such renderings. But certainly much that is imperishable in thought will not be lost. Hence our peculiar pleasure in welcoming works of Rabindranath in Tamil, which has gained numerous votaries from English-educated intellectuals in an amazingly short time.

Sri Kumaraswami’s ability for the task of rendering Tagore into Tamil cannot be questioned. He is a student of Bengali literature and has a distinct advantage over others thereby. Again, his Tamil possesses much flexibility and resonance, so well-equipped for the purpose of retaining Tagore’s rich imagery and metaphors.

The story of ‘Wreck’ is so well-known to Indian readers as a high-class social novel that it needs no special inducement to be read. But to those who have not the benefit of knowing it in the Bengali, a translation of it in Tamil from the Bengali directly provides the next best satisfaction. A strange fear lurks in some quarters that translation stifles originality in the first instance. Again, it tends to develop an inferiority complex in one’s own efforts. True, such speculations may be useful, though this much can be always said that any day the attempt at translations of Indian authors of repute is a far more wholesome endeavour than rendering Russian and French authors into our languages. Whether belonging to Bengal, Maharashtra or Tamil Nad, writers in this country partake much of our own surroundings, and the same heart and pulse-beat quicken them to unfold themselves. Do we not need, then, more such beacon-lights as Tagore to shed a permanent glow on our path for the supreme end of being Indians first and Indians last?

Lastly, a word of hearty congratulation on the admirable way the publishers have chosen to give us this book with its neat get-up and clear-print.

K. C.

Kalki Deepavali Malar, 1943–Kilpauk Madras. Demy 4 Vo-Pages 320.

This Deepavali Number published by ‘Kalki,’ the popular Tamil Journal issued thrice a month) is a sumptuous production containing interesting and varied literary fare and numerous illustrations, including historical ones, and cartoons. There are stories by Rajaji, Suddhananda Bharati, K. Santanam, K. Savitri Ammal, K. P. Rajagopalan, Kalki and Sukhapriya; articles and sketches by T. K. C., Krishnaswami Iyer, K. V. Rangaswami Iyengar, Ambujammal, Rao Saheb Vaiyapuri Pillai and poems by Desikavinayakem Pillai and V. Ramalinga Pillai.

There are numerous portraits–those of Gandhiji and Kasturi Bai being noteworthy–and cartoons by Shankar, Sharma and others. The coloured and silhouette pictures of Kanu Desai lend distinction to the Annual. True to its traditions, the Annual reproduces portraits of contemporary musicians, actors etc., seeking to bring them to public notice. The numerous advertisements add colour and quality to a publication which must be considered a triumph in these days of paper scarcity. The publishers deserve hearty congratulations.

K.

MALAYALAM

The Perumpatappu Svarupam Grandhavari–Book 1–Record in Oriental Languages– Cochin State. Published by V. K. R. Menon, Cochin Government Press, Ernakulam.

The manuscript published takes up only sixteen pages of printed matter. But the publication contains an elaborate critical English Introduction and a Malayalam translation of it as well as many appendices. The publication is the first of the series undertaken in pursuance of the request of the Indian Historical Records Commission. The manuscript belongs to the 18th century according to Mr. M. Sankara Menon who first brought it to light and translated it into English, and purports to give a summary of the history of the Royal family of Cochin from the earliest times up to the conquest of British Malabar by Hyder Ali. A complete provisional chronology of the Cochin Rajas had already been published in 1863 A. D. by Dr. F. Day in the The Land of the Perumals on the basis of a single manuscript supplied by the then Dewan, Mr. Sankunny Menon. Access to fresh material from Portuguese sources led Messrs. K. P. Padmanabha Menon and C. Achyuta Menon to correct the dates given by Mr. Day. Both chronologies are given in the introduction facilitating comparative study. This chronology is again compared with that given by Tenkailanathodayam of Neelakanta, which belongs to the sixteenth century. A new manuscript called Patappattu, a war-ballad discovered in 1924, helped Ulloor to correct the chronology still further. A translation of a memoir written by Henriek Van Rheede, a Dutch Commander, describing the events leading up to the capture of the Cochin Fort is given together with the chronology corrected in the light of the new material. The present publication is interesting to the linguist also as showing the progress the Malayalam language has made within the last two centuries in matters of diction and construction. We dare say that the archives of the Cochin Government contain many more historical records which deal not only with the destinies of the Royal Family, but would throw light on the culture and progress of the people of the State, and we hope the Government would spare no efforts to unearth them and make them available to scholars.

T.­­