Here is a definitive conspectus of the economy of Tamilnadu, giving a succinct description of its structural features, some of them stubbornly resistant to change even after 40 years of independence; an update on developments since independence
This review covers five books, two of which are collections of papers. The unifying thread that runs through the books is the theme of Indian economic development, though each book concentrates on different aspects of this vast subject. Together, they provide some insights into the complex amalgam of social, historical, cultural, political and economic factors underlying India’s economic growth.
Refugees are the forgotten people. Witness, for instance, the festering Pale¬stinian issue, which remains after three decades. Essentially, the refugee seeks escape from intolerable persecution within his own country. But, he presents a pro¬blem to the international community.
This is a terribly disappointing novel. Updike has carved a niche for himself in the hall of literary fame as the map¬maker, non-pareil, of the peaks, valleys and uncharted fissures of suburban/middle¬class America.
Another clutch of Redbirds from the Writers’ Workshop aviary, this time trans¬lations of foreign poets, or ‘transcreations’ as P. Lal prefers to call them. The check¬list at the back of each ‘Birdbook’ shows a cartoon of a pair of eyes struggling to remain above a line, and the note ‘Simply submerged’.
India! Down the ages, travellers of every description, monks and missionaries, traders and merchants, poets and novelists; soldiers and administrators, plenipotentiaries and proconsuls have sought to describe something of the beauty and the pity, the squalor and the splendour of this country.