Bibliofile

One of Ravi Shankar’s greatest contributions to his country, according to Anoushka, is the tune of a song (Sare Jahan Se Achcha Hindostan Hamara) as well-known as the national anthem. "Before Bapi composed new music for the lyrics (written by Mohammed Iqbal in 1904), the melody was slow and drawn-out, like a dirge." Anoushka is as pained as her parent that he has never received credit for it. "This is just not fair!" she says in her book.

Wonder if the inspiration for Roli’s Family Pride series came from John Bayley’s bestselling account of his marriage with Iris Murdoch? Reading his letter in the British Council journal, Connecting, one learns of yet one more British legacy we have: crook publishers. "The publishers behaved like crooks and kept the film rights," the ageing Oxford literary critic complains in his letter. More interesting is the account of Iris Murdoch’s friendship with Indira Gandhi. Iris and Indira were in school together and got on very well, according to Bayley. They even had an unexpected reunion on a small airfield when Indira was electioneering.