Review: Tiananmen Square: The Making of a Protest

Tiananmen Square: The Making of a Protest by Vijay Gokhale
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Hooter: First hand account of the protests at Tiananmen Square and the run up to it.

Vijay Gokhale, ex Foreign Secretary was in China during that eventful period of 1989 which has defined most Western views of the struggle for democracy. Vijay breaks that myth and explains why the Western version of events has a lot of generalisations, exaggerations to the actual events that played out. It wasn't so much as a protest for democracy as it was a power struggle between factions of the China Communist party - often painted as a giant well oiled singular monolith think tank to the outside world. He provides the run up to it from the 70s highlighting the key players and their struggles in the battle between political dominance and economic upheaval and the different thoughts on how to achieve the same. The book felt super dry and tough to trawl through initially making me wonder if I was prepping for UPSC but he warms up to his narrating style as he closes in on the actual events rather than a politico who's who biography of all the players.

If you are interested in Chinese political history and want a quick refresher on the players and the groups in the 80s primarily , this forms a good concise read on the same from the perspective of a former ambassador and an expert on China from an Indian perspective.


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Review: The Bombay Prince

The Bombay Prince by Sujata Massey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Hooter: India's only woman solicitor braves it out in a man's world in pre Independence Mumbai this time around dealing with a murder, a political conspiracy and the revolution.

Stand alone, this might not have been the best Sujata Massey book I have read so far but having read through the first two, I feel heavily invested in the growth of Perveen Mistry's career over the books and from that perspective, Sujata doesn't disappoint building on a la Agatha Christie style on a strong woman protagonist finding her way in the world.

Against the backdrop of the visit of the Prince to India - a historical event, a young Parsi girl is found dead - suicide / murder / accident ? As Perveen tries to unravel the various characters involved whilst dealing with the day to day patriarchy makes for an interesting read into the history of a living and breathing Mumbai from the lens of the upper middle class specifically the Parsi community. Mohd Ali Jinnah makes a guest appearance too in this book courtesy the circles our protagonist is a part of.

As a whodunnit, I find the plot underwhelming but if you mix up the character growth, a historical lens, social commentary of the 1920s era , Sujata Massey continues to impress.

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Review: The Henna Artist

The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A strong independent single woman navigating a newly independent India tiptoeing between tradition and modernity - an ageless struggle.

Strong female protagonists are rare to come by and Alka starts on the front foot with that. Using henna as a common thread often associated with numerous occasions in the traditional Indian household -Lakshmi is able to swing in from home to home capturing a glimpse of various Indias of that time. Fending for herself after a disastrous marriage at 15, Lakshmi has done well for herself till her ex husband turns up with her sister she didn't know existed. Turning into a maternal figure dealing with a teenager was never easy , even tougher when it is thrust upon you. The interplay of her growth as an individual , the colorful mosaic of a changing India around royalty, caste system and westernization around her make for an interesting read.

The book is targeted at the non-Indian audience that wants a fast food take out version of the exotic India filled with its stereotypes coupled with the recipes of rabri and dal batti and also henna. There is a deeper story to each of the characters which we probably may get to see in the future but are left wanting in this edition. That said, it does feel like a heartfelt ode to the author's mom - a life the author imagines for her if she hadn't married so early to which I agree - this is a beautiful in depth journey of a woman figuring her place out in a superficially set up evolving India.

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