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When I saw the title of the book I had been asked to review Death on Earth: Adventures in Evolution and Mortality I was apprehensive. I assumed that the book would be another treatise on the much flogged concept of Darwinian adaptive evolution: the superior importance of population and species survival over the death of any individual of a species. But what really got my interest was the introduction and the first chapter that discussed the concept of death as envisioned as a cessation of Life; and the rational of defining life and the misunderstanding that till now exist in our definition of ‘What is Life??’

Dear Aburva, I appreciate your reasons for writing this book. As a young person who reflects on a lot of things, you want to connect with others like yourself and like your parents so that they may understand each other. In this instance, you have focused on your passion for dance, bharatanatyam in particular, how you were briefly distracted from it owing mainly to peer pressure, and how you returned to it and performed the arangetram, your first solo public performance of bharatanatyam. Along the way you have shared your impressions of Oman, where you live; you have provided information about Chidambaram, the town your father hails from and also important for the temple dedicated to Nataraja and Govindaraja, and in Hindu thinking believed to be the venue of Shiva’s cosmic dance.

We all know of the legendary Khwaja Ahmad Abbas who was the scriptwriter of Raj Kapoor’s classic films like Awara, Shri 420, Mera Naam Joker and Bobby. He also directed award winning films like Saat Hindustani and Do Boond Paani and introduced an actor called Amitabh Bachchan. As Abbas’s niece Syeda Hameed writes ruefully in her introduction, he wrote hits for Raj Kapoor but his own films would flop at the box office. Few of us remember that Abbas was also an acclaimed writer, author of 74 books and wrote a column in the Blitz magazine for 45 years. One should thank Hameed for reviving this gem of a book where Abbas profiles five women who exemplify the Bharat Mata of his dreams. These are real women and that makes them resonate in the reader’s mind.

Imagine a time when people could ask the question, ‘What is a film?’ In 1913 a man stood yelling about a new show outside a Bombay theatre, ‘Fifty seven thousand photographs… two miles long… only three annas!’ Dadasaheb Phalke was selling a visual magic that no one had ever seen before. His film would instantly mesmerize people and within a generation lay the foundation of the film industry in Bombay. And today, within a century, we carry films in our pockets and watch them on the tiny screens of smart phones. This is the unforgettable legerdemain of moving and talking pictures. I still remember sitting in the dark at a puja pandal in Daryagunj in the 1970s, the audience around me whizzing with excitement.

For several years now, I have found it far more delightful to go through literature for children and young adults that is being published in our country, that is, in comparison with books targeted at adult audiences, especially those that are written in English. The prime reason is the far superior quality of writing, illustration and production. If books published for children and teenagers can enthral an adult so much, how much more pleasing must they be for the kids. Amid this encouraging and vibrant scenario, there is one aspect that appears to have either gone missing, or has declined in significance or visibility. This is the segment on monthly magazines for children.

How did the lion become the King of the Forest? Why does the elephant have such a l-o-n-g nose? How did the camel get its big hump? Why do rabbits have such long ears? And why on earth do tortoises carry shells on their backs? Enquiring young minds are full of such never ending questions! In Secrets of the Animal Kingdom—an attractive and amusing read aloud book by Ratna Manucha, every curious question becomes a delightful tale! Young kids are always fascinated by animal stories and will enjoy reading about how the lion defeated the elephant in a wrestling bout to become the King of the Forest. A real fitness freak, the lion exercises hard while the elephant is convinced that the more banana trees he eats the stronger he will become! As one can imagine, the wrestling bout eventually turns into a rather one-sided affair! The meddlesome elephant is always poking his nose into other animals’ affairs, and lands up with a long nose or trunk.