Book Review “ Death ends life, not a relationship ,” as Mitch Albom put it. That is why, we have so many rituals associated with death. Minakshi Dewan’s book, The Final Farewell [HarperCollins, 2023], is a well-researched book about those rituals. The book starts with an elaborate description of the Sikh rituals associated with death and cremation, before moving on to Islam, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and finally Hinduism. After that, it’s all about the various traditions and related details of Hindu final rites. A few chapters are dedicated to the problems of widows in India, gender discrimination in the last rites, and the problem of unclaimed dead bodies. There is a chapter titled ‘Grieving Widows in Hindi Cinema’ too. Death and its rituals form an unusual theme for a book. Frankly, I don’t find the topic stimulating in any way. Obviously, I didn’t buy this book. It came to me as quite many other books do – for reasons of their own. I read the book finally, having shelv
[ Laughs ] That is an interesting way of looking at it!
ReplyDeleteThe post was an interior monologue, Renard. I put it up here on an impulse.
Delete:) Cool.....still laughing...
ReplyDeleteGlad I could make you laugh, Prasad. But our pollsters must be making you laugh more.
Delete:D
ReplyDeleteGlad for you, Anil.
DeleteMake it look like promising the paradise.....amazing way of looking at it. Statistics,media and politics go hand in hand. What is revealed to us is the adulterated version of the actual statistics and then we have to put up with debates about those statistics and then also how great a leader Mr. Rahul Gandhi is.
ReplyDeleteMost statistics are manipulated in one way or another, it seems, Athena. Each pollster must be supporting one party or another, and make convenient predictions.
Delete:-D :-D..
ReplyDeleteHappy to have entertained you, Maniparna. In fact, much of Indian politics is a good entertainer.
DeleteNow that's an interesting way to look at it.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I second your perception. :)
We can console ourselves when we learn to see the funny side, isn't it, Nikhil?
DeleteTrue that Sir!
DeleteThat's the best we can do at times.
Good to know you have a raunchy side as well! :)
ReplyDelete... kept under control, Sid. :)
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ReplyDeleteThat's interesting and funny...And yes as you mentioned...Indian Politics is quite an entertainer...
ReplyDeleteAren't we lucky to have such free entertainment? :)
Deleteha ha :-))
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing my joy.
DeleteI love the Naya Chanakya's take - promising paradise :D
ReplyDelete... false paradises, Sangeeta.
DeleteWell the way we use statistics is like a drunken man using a lamp post, for support rather than illumination. With so many opinion polls sprouting up, with unknown backers, I guess it is a case of politicians using these statistics for support. Hence the wild variation.
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Sabyasachi
Loved your comparison to the lamp post and drunkard.
DeleteBrilliant Naya Chanakya..hehe
ReplyDeleteThanks, Bushra
Delete