THe Horse Whisperer by Nicholas Evans. read in Jan 08

 This book is about a 14 year old girl and her horse meeting with an accident - shattering the confidences of both as the girl loses a leg and the horse ,its orientations.The very successful mother of this girl who is cold blooded in her professional life somehow connects the emotional and physical recovery..of her daughter with that of the horse that is badly injued.

She begins to look for the legendary horse doctors of the past who could heal  devils of horses too. .........She hears of one across the US continent in Montana and flies to meet him then drives her horse and girl to his ranch there and slowly the two patients come round.

A good book for animal lovers.

CHOKHER BALI by Rabindra nath Tagore

A touching book set in the thirties or forties about a young widow and her freindship with her cousin's wife.

THe book deals with this very smart and intelligentwidow's transformation from an unhappy, jealous woman to an extremely respectable person.

Tagore was much much ahead of his times in feminism.THe book also deals with the decadence among Indian men of good families of that time.

THE LIFE OF PI ---read Feb 08

hmmmmm. AN unputdownable book about a young boy of sixteen who is a cast away as his father tranported some zoo animals across the Pacific to try his fortune in setting up a new zoo in the States.

A Royal Bengal tiger gives him company in a small life boat for about six months when they are rescued.

THE GREAT INDIAN MIDDLE CLASS by Pravin Varma------reading still

A well researched book on the changes that have crept into the attitudes of our middle class and the reasons for them.

It also analyses our hypocrisy and desensitivity to various social issues.

" the middle class today is too busy doing well to do any good" is the premise of the book

THROUGH THE TIGER'S EYE by Belinda Wright

I just bought this book and presented it to my cousin.

It gives a very comprehensive view of our wildlife Unlike most books by activists and conservationists whose writings turn out to be very personal accounts or love affairs with particular parks and its animals, this book is much wider in its vision.

It gives ample space to our flora as well as fauna and our indigenous forest dwellers . It also traces the causes of poaching India wide. Very very good book.

CIRCLE OF REASON by AMITAV GHOSH
THis was his first book. Is quite a book. He is a master story teller.His tales have that great charm of the ordinary of "oh that could happen to me too" in them.His research is so thorough that you cant help complimenting it. A racy read about the flight of a young bengali boy to Durban on a rickety ship. THe book celebrates the dispassionate researcher. 

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

“AH !!!finished the book just now. I think that the book is profound enough to start a discussion on it. In the loveliest of ways it carries these messages:
1. NAture is any day much much more mightier than man'
2. how god has gifted animals with graceful beauty and fine arsenal and how intelligent they are and sensitive too.
3. Frequent references to God in the book surely takes us to a higher realm.

Animal's People    by Indra SInha

“A must read. THe book relives the BHopal Tragedy through a boy twisted and contorted by it.Moved me enough to join the Bhopal Clean Up Movement that is aiming to rid the town of tonnes of chemical left by the DOW Company causing them to seep into its watertable and fighting for fair compensation to the victims