THUG

HAD THE OPPORTUNITY OF READING THIS WONDERFUL BOOK!! SOMEHOW THE ENGLISH ARE ABLE TO WRITE BETTER BOOKS ON INDIAN HISTORY THAN INDIANS THEMSELVES...

THE BOOK IS WELL RESEARCHED AND THROWS LIGHT ON THE PROFESSION OF THUGGEE AS PRACTISED IN INDIA IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY AND THE ANTI THUG CAMPAIGN....

THE BOOK IS DEFINITELY WORTH A READ FOR ALL THOSE PEOPLE OBSESSED WITH COLONIAL INDIA (LIKE MYSELF).

HOWEVER, THE BOOK HAS CERTAIN MINUSES THAT NEED TO BE HIGHLIGHTED... THE AUTHOR HAS TAKEN A VERY BOOKISH APPROACH AND TAKEN RELIED HEAVILY ON COMPANY DOCUMENTS AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AT BRITAIN AS WELL AS INDIA, GIVING THE BOOK A VERY DRAB AND DRY FEEL, DEVOID OF ANY OF THE RACINESS AND THE ROMANTICISM THAT PEOPLE ASSOCIATE WITH THE THUGS AND THE SUBSEQUENT ANTI - THUG CAMPAIGN.

FURTHER, THOUGH THE AUTHOR HAS TRIED TO RATIONALIZE THE ATTITUDE OF THE COLONIALS TOWARDS EVERYTHING INDIAN (INCLUDING THUGGEE), HE HIMSELF HAS FAILED MISERABLE TO OVERCOME HIS PREJUDICES... THE NOTE IN THE BEGINNING OF THE BOOK SNIGGERS AT THE INDIAN ATTITUDE OF CHANGING NAMES OF PLACES, ETC., TO DISSASSOCIATE OURSELVES WITH EVERYTHING BRITISH... FOR INSTANCE THE AUTHOR HAS GIVEN THE INSTANCE OF CALCUTTA BEING RENAMED CALCUTTA AND JUBBLEPORE BEING RENAMED JUBULPUR. THE AUTHOR MISSES THE POINT THAT THESE WERE THE ORIGIONAL NAMES OF THESE PLACES (CALCUTTA WAS ESTABLISHED NEAR THE VILLAGE KALIKATTA, HENCE THE NAME KOLKATA AND JUBBLEPORE WAS ALWAYS JUBULPUR IN INDIAN PRONUNCIATION)... DOES IT NOT SHOW PREJUDICE ON THE PART OF THE AUTHOR TO MAKE SUCH SWEEPING STATEMENTS WITHOUT EVEN HAVING TO CHECK HIS FACTS FIRST OR IS IT THAT THE OLD COLONIAL ATTITUDE STILL SURVIVES IN THE AUTHOR, EVEN IF IN SMALL MEASURE.

INTERNIN

WELL THIS POST COMES AFTER A LONG LONG TIME... SOME WOULD SAY I HAVE LOST INTEREST IN BLOGGING... WELL, SUCH PEOPLE MIGHT BE CORRECT TOO... BUT YOU KNOW BLOGGING NEED NOT BE A COMPULSORY AFFAIR... ITS NOT SOMETHIN THAT I HAVE TO DO WITH A GUN ON MY HEAD... ITS ABOUT RANDOM THOUGHTS AND RANDOM HAPPENINGS IN THE LIFE OF ACHINTYA KAUSHIK FINDING EXPRESSION ON THE INFORMATION SUPER HIGHWAY... SO FOR THOSE PEOPLE I ONLY HAVE THIS TO SAY... "DON'T GIVE ME NO SHIT!!"

WELL I'M INTERNING WITH J. SAGAR & ASSOCIATES RIGHT NOW... ONE OF THE BEST INTERNSHIPS I'VE DONE TILL DATE. THE WORK IS OUT OF THIS WORLD... THE OTHER DAY I WAS ASKED TO ASSIST IN RESEARCH REGARDING ACQUISITION OF AN AIRCRAFT BY AN AIRLINE... A DEAL MORE THAN RS. 100 CRORE!!. NOW WHERE DO POOR PEOPLE FROM AIL GET TO WORK ON SUCH STUFF...

BUT ONE THING THAT I'VE REALIZED AFTER COMING HERE IS THAT OUR COLLEGE CURRICULLUM IS SERIOUSLY WANTING... I DON MEAN TO SAY THAT EVERYTHING CAN BE TAUGHT IN LAW SCHOOL, BUT OUR KNOWLEDGE SHOULD ATLEAST BE AT PAR WITH STUDENTS FROM OTHER LAW SCHOOLS, WHICH I'M SAD TO SAY, MINE IS NOT.

ON THE WHOLE, ITS A NICE EXPERIENCE, ALTHOUGH THERE'S NOT MUCH WORK DUE TO ABUNDANCE OF INTERNS. DEKHTE HAIN SHAYAAD KUCH SUBSTANTIAL WORK MILE, I'M JUS ONE WEEK AND ONE DAY OLD IN THE OFFICE, STILL THREE MORE WEEKS TO GO...

WELL THEY SAY THAT TO GAIN SOMETHING IN LIFE YOU HAVE TO SWEAT IT OUT... I DIDN'T KNOW THAT YOU LITERALLY HAD TO SWEAT IT OUT... MY PG ACCOMODATION IS PRETTY BAD... NO COOLERS, NO NOTHING, AND ITS ON THE TOP FLOOR SO AT NIGHT ITS LIKE AN OVEN... WELL, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!! ACHINTYA KAUSHIK IS LITERALLY SWEATING