January 2013 - National Book Trust India

Book Review
Two interesting books from CBT
The King and the Monk
He is shrewd. He is
ambitious. He is mighty.
Yet, the Bactrian King
craves for more. More
Battles….more spilling
of blood….’’Power
makes a man
arrogant..” “ But is it not
a king’s duty to expand
his kingdom..?”
Caught in a dilemma Menander gets
impatient. Still something about the Buddhist
monk arrests his attention. Years later they
meet again, the king in battle dress, the monk
in saffron robes and they walk
together…among the dead, the dying and the
wounded.
“Alas!” says the monk, “they died only to
satisfy an ambition… your ambition…”
Both fell silent. In the distance Menander
can hear the chanting of Buddhist hymns…
Would these impact his future?
A very interesting story with exquisite
illustrations.
Dances of India
The Indian
classical
dance, a
h e a d y
combination
of traditional
storytelling,
physical art
and musical
compositions
is a distin -
guished visual
art form that
impacts the
audience through its abhinaya, rasa, attire and
ornaments.
Captured within the pages of this book
is the essence of various dances explained
in a manner only a great guru can tell.
The King and the Monk
A. K. Ghosh
Children’s Book Trust
Rs 60/-
Dances of India
Leela Venkataraman
Children’s Book Trust
Rs 110/-
Readers’ Club Bulletin January 2013 / 33