Ofcourse if I was anything more than an opinionated hausfrau, I would have goggled this:
http://www.knowledgecommission.org/members/pbProfile.aspx before I railroaded into Pratap Mehta. However, I still think he is long on rhetoric and short on review. He rightly deserves a pulpit, about the Pulitzer, I'm not too sure. Elisabeth --- Elisabeth Carvalho <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > I'm not too sure about the discussions that > preceded, > but I agree with Gilbert that the review of Holy > Warriors by Pratap Mehta, is disingenuous to say the > least. It is no secret that most reviewers earn > their > bread and butter, trying to be psuedointellectuals > pontificating over material they themselves are > incapable of putting together. Never having > published > anything of note, most reviewers spend their time in > tiny offices (if they are lucky) at major > publications > writing out book reviews when they're not doing food > reviews. As such, they are much like air stewardess' > who having failed to launch their acting careers > spend > their life harassing passengers on discount > airlines. > > Pratap Mehta, seems more infatuated with his own > writing prowess that with objectively reviewing > anyone > elses. Although gifted with the pen he wields it > much > too forcefully, in the event slaying all the wrong > dragons. For instance, he writes: > > "Fernandes embarks on her journey into the heart of > Indian fundamentalism > with a peculiarly shallow version of liberal > sympathies" > > What exactly is shallow liberalism? Either one > embraces the precepts of liberalism or one doesn't > but > what in Pratap's dictionary exemplifies shallow > liberalism, is left to the readers imagination. > > He goes on to write: > "Show that you > are even-handed by exposing fundamentalists of all > religions: assorted > Muslims ranging from Deobandis to the Imam of Jama > Masjid; Christians in > Goa clinging on to a Goan identity, to Baptists in > Nagaland trying to > create new ones, assorted survivors amongst Kashmiri > Pandits and victims > of anti-Sikh riots." > > This is not review but pure rhetoric on his part. He > cannot dictate to the author what does or does not > constitute fundamentalism; that remains the author's > interpretation. Perhaps to the author, "Christians > in > Goa clinging onto a Goan identity" does not > constitute > "fundamentalism" but rather people who are in > genuine > search of an identity when it is being railroaded en > masse by another identity with which they have no > wish > to identify. > > To me Pratap was long on rhetoric and short on > review. > He did manage to convince me that he was brimming > with > ideas on India and that he could be eloquent about > them but that doesn't call for a review, it calls by > ANOTHER BOOK by Pratap Mehta. > > Elisabeth > > > > > > > > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam > protection around > http://mail.yahoo.com > > _____________________________________________ > Do not post admin requests to the list. > Goanet mailing list (Goanet@goanet.org) > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com _____________________________________________ Do not post admin requests to the list. Goanet mailing list (Goanet@goanet.org)