A. G. Noorani

A massive volume from Noorani, basically a collection of his various articles in periodicals and newspapers over almost five decades. The 800-odd pages thus cover in great detail every twist and turn in the Kashmir situation, and will afford the interested reader endless rewards on reading and perhaps revisiting particular episodes and aspects. The downside of this approach is that it often conceals the bigger picture, and the cause of a broader understanding may well have been served by a straight chronological, historical account with such of the author's own insights as he may find pertinent. Additionally, for all his deep knowledge and familiarity with the actors, the solutions or options he seems to be laying out may appear as impractical as some of the suggestions of others that he dismisses. It is apparent that he ascribes much of the blame to Nehru's confused responses, frequent about-turns, and duality in communicating the position to different audiences at different times. The whole account somewhat loses its relevance in view of the BJP government's bold move of cutting the Gordian knot by doing away with the special status and splitting the state up into two separate union territories.… (altro)

A collection of the author's short pieces on the Constitution, Parliament, role of the opposition, powers and processes of the President, and so on, pertaining to the 1990s. The credentials of the author, Noorani, are unquestioned, but the collection shows the downsides of bringing together such short pieces of evanescent interest, that fail to resonate with the reader so many decades later precisely because of their immediate topicality. The purpose could probably have been better served if the author had written an independent and fresh scholarly work on the subject, bringing to bear his razor-sharp analytical powers and his deep and wide reading. The unsavory political machinations and incidents referred to in such excruciating and almost day-to-day detail in the pieces included here, could have been better summarized and analyzed as so many cases cited, and their wider implications could have been discussed in greater detail for the benefit of future readers.… (altro)

This is a compilation of original documents by and about the Muslims of India, mostly belonging to the crucial half-century from the Lucknow Pact of 1916 to Independence and Partition in 1947 and its aftermath. As always, this author is precise and thorough, and offers a compilation that reflects well the professed ideas of the main actors involved. He does not provide any extended analysis or critique, except in the workmanly Introduction, where he offers some forthright views and advice for the sizeable minority of Muslims in contemporary India. To me as a reader, it appears that such problems will be eased only when people around the world decide to agree to a more metaphorical, less literal, reading and understanding of religious revelations.… (altro)