Omar Abdullah
I am reading Gregory David Roberts' The Mountain Shadow . I thoroughly enjoyed Shantaram which offered a completely different view of Mumbai, where I had spent my college years. The cafes, libraries, shops and streets from his point of view offered experiences which were completely different from the ones I had. I am reading it on Kindle. You could say I have moved to the dark side, but the Kindle is convenient to carry. I will next read Neither a Hawk nor a Dove: An Insider’s Account of Pakistan’s Foreign Policy by Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri.
(Omar Abdullah is former Chief Minister, Jammu and Kashmir)
Priyadarshini Govind
I just read Women of Pride:The Devadasi Heritage by Lakshmi Vishwanathan. I loved the book, as Lakshmi writes beautifully. Going into the lives of the devadasis is always a fascinating story for dancers. I am also reading Beyond the Call of Duty , a compilation of essays by V. Raghunathan and Veena Prasad. It is about the lives and achievements of little-known men and women for whom their work was one of calling and not a mere job during the time of the British rule.
What I'd like to read next is the translation of the Thirukurral by Gopalkrishna Gandhi. Gopal Gandhi's language is beautiful and powerful and this is the Thirukkural , which always gives me great pleasure.
(Priyadarshini Govind is the director of Kalakshetra)
