Books by "Dr. Shamshad Begum"
3 books found
Treading the Beaten Path is a rereading of history through the review and critical analysis of fifty books. It is an in-depth analysis of major events that shaped the history of contemporary India. Amongst authors are B R Ambedkar, Rajdeep Sardesai Jai Ram Ramesh, Ramachandra Guha, Kuldip Nayyar, Zoya Hassan and a host of others. Major epochs in history like the Mughal period, Partition of India, the Emergency, Operation Blue Star etc. are included. The biographies of Sheik Abdulla, Feroze Gandhi and critical studies on S C Bose, Nehru and Gandhi form a part. Epochs of history include the partition of Bengal and Andhra Pradesh. A look at the two-part defense of Hinduism by Shashi Tharoor is a highlight. An evaluation of the Communist, Hindutva and Mandal movements is undertaken. On a lighter vein the biographies of Mohamed Rafi, Kishore Kumar and Sahir Ludhianvi are explored. The reviews have a personal touch as the author has thought out of the box to add his opinion to many a contentious issue at hand. In that sense it is not a review but a critical narrative with the book acting only as a template with the discussion many a time spilling beyond the confines of it.
This book hopes to capture some of the magic created by the famous stars –heroes, heroines, villains, comedians, character actors- as well as playback singers and music directors and of course, directors of the golden era of Hindi cinema that spanned the 1960s and 1970s.This magic still lives on and I hope this book will play a role in keeping it alive and passing it on to the coming generations. The genius of these towering personalities does not end with them- it provides a peep into a time that had a romance and artistic feel all of its own. I was fortunate to have been part of it since my childhood, when the love affair with Hindi cinema started. My parents simply loved to watch films and my brother and I always went with them. So we were initiated into this magical world quite early in life And it stayed with us alongwith lingering memories of songs and stars on cinema screens in theatres now long vanished. This magic, those memories, that fascination is now pushing me to put on paper my love for Hindi cinema’s most beautiful era. Through my personal fondness and emotional connection with the films and stars of this era, I hope to bring a warm touch to their profiles. With this nostalgic lens, I hope to bring out the features no longer visible in present-day films, their themes or characters. This book takes one back into a world where emotions, romance, melody and a very different set of moral values prevailed in our cinema. Charisma too was a dominant force on the silver screen and my book highlights its various ineffable aspects. Chetan Anand ‘s fine directorial skill, Raj Kapoor’s showmanship, Dilip Kumar’s perfection as the king of tragedy, Madhubala’s ethereal beauty and vibrancy or Dev Anand;s
Stamp Collecting The stamps are an excellent educational tool, as they tell a story of the country, its culture, history and heritage in a vivid fashion. This book provides a brief introduction to stamps and further provides a wide variety of themes and topics such as Environment, India's Rich Culture and heritage, Sports & Games, Scientists & Scientific Institutions in India, Magic of the Indian Cinema. It starts with briefly introducing the topic of Philately by introducing various philatelic terms, and some of the famous philatelists. It also provides hundreds of images of stamps both in black and color too. It also provides vital information such as Countries names as they appear in the stamps, also a helpful glossary of terminology. Further a set Philatelic Quiz questions also appear towards the end as an Appendix.