War zones, village life

NEW RELEASES

Granta 96: War Zones
Various contributors
255 pages
Rs 395

In his introduction to this collection of fiction and non-fiction stories written around the war theme, veteran Granta editor Ian Jack points out that wars had a remarkably good press among civilians until some years into the 20th century "" people cheered and looked forward to armed conflict, with its promise of heroic deeds and the vanquishing of the Faceless Enemy.

But this changed with the Great War: "After the First World War, the prospect of fighting between nations made people morbid, anxious and fearful. Ten million dead had knocked sense into them...it was no longer possible for even the most gullible patriot to regard modern warfare as a brave adventure where death, in the unlikely event it came, would arrive as a nice clean bullet through the heart. The foundation was laid for a new and realistic appreciation of war "" the constant cruelty and frequent stupidity of it "" that has coloured attitudes ever since."

These words are echoed in many of the fine pieces in Granta 96, including dispatches from the world of conflict, in the battlefield and in the home: James Buchan on Iran's nuclear weapons programme, Jasmina Tesanovic on the death squads of Serbia, plus new fiction by Edmund White and a photo essay on Britain's hidden military bases by Simon Norfolk and Neal Ascherson.

Making a Mango Whistle
by Bhibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay (Translated by Rimli Bhattacharya; Introduction by Sharmila Tagore)
Puffin Classics
Rs 150 216 pages

Aam Anthir Bhepu was first published in 1944, when the author's path-breaking Song of the Road (Pather Panchali) was abridged for children. Immortalised on film by Satyajit Ray, the story of Apu and Durga is a classic of Bengali children's literature.

Evocative of the joys and traumas of childhood, and filled with sensuous descriptions of nature, Making a Mango Whistle, now available to a wider readership in this brilliant new translation, is sure to touch hearts with its simple yet poignant story.

The plot centres on the lives of six-year-old Apu and his elder sister Durga in the little village of Nishchindipur. While Apu is curious and sensitive, Durga is restless to explore the world.

Together they roam the beautiful countryside, gathering fruits, getting into scrapes with other children, trying their hands at cooking, and even make a long trek to the railway line in the hope of seeing the majestic steam train "" until one day, poverty and fate deal a tragic blow.

This is a must-buy for anyone familiar with Ray's great Apu Trilogy and especially if you have children who aren't yet capable of reading Bandopadhyay's original.