Askari Rashid, Nineteen Seventy One: Short Stories
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Book Review The International Journal of Community Book Review and Social Development 1(4) 357–359, 2019 © The Author(s) 2019 Reprints and permissions: in.sagepub.com/journals-permissions-india DOI: 10.1177/2516602619889245 journals.sagepub.com/home/cod Askari Rashid, Nineteen Seventy One: Short Stories. New Delhi: Rubric, 2019, 144 pp., $50/`500 (hardcover). ISBN: 9788193998427. During the 7th International Consortium for Social Development Asia Pacific biennial conference on ‘Social Unrest, Peace and Social Development’, hosted by the Islamic University, Bangladesh, 14–15 September 2019, I had a rare opportunity to meet with Professor Rashid Askari, Vice Chancellor of the Islamic University, who kindly introduced me to his book entitled Nineteen Seventy One. The title of the book reminded me of George Orwell’s book, 1984. The book, Nineteen Seventy One, resonated well with the theme of the conference. Although Bangladesh Liberation brutal war was fought nearly 50 years ago, the book title reminds us the lasting impact social unrest, conflict, war and violence can have on the affected people, directly or indirectly. In casual conversations, it is not uncommon for Bangladeshi people visiting 1971 deadly event, as if it has occurred yesterday. Reading Nineteen Seventy One in many respects achieves that, and thereby underscores the need for leading a life of peaceful coexistence. Set in rural and urban Bangladesh, Rashid Askari’s narration of 12 fictitious stories touch emotions of the reader. Sharp and minute detailed description of human behaviour, and pictorial presentation of events and settings in his carefully chosen words demonstrate Rashid Askari’s mastery in story writing/telling. As I have not experienced socio-economic, political and cultural aspects of Bangladesh, both in historical and contemporary contexts, I cannot claim that I have understood the stories as intended by the author. The stories and their genre and endings leave the reader to interpret and make meaning of them, both in philosophical and material sense. As a social researcher and social work and social development educator, in my view, these stories help to raise awareness of the social conditions and the impact of atrocities and war on people (see ‘Circumcision’, ‘Crossfire’, ‘The Virgin Whore’) and may facilitate ventilation of similar experiences so as to enhance their psychological well-being. The story of ‘The Human Cow’, depicts on the one hand, exploitation of poor people by moneylenders, and on the other hand, patriarchy and subjugation of women in families and society in general. Still we need to fight both. ‘The Longest Jam’ shows how wrongdoers, even serious one’s, manage to escape the justice system for a long time and the significance of bringing them to justice. We cannot allow injustice to continue; it must be redressed. ‘A Slice of Sky’ brings to light the consequences of omissions and commissions by those who are in power and position with responsibility. It seems to suggest the paradox of politics and powerlessness, and spineless politicians. ‘Co-wife’ speaks of some genuine life conditions and hidden realities. The Story 358 Book Review 1(4) of ‘Virus’ suggests the deadly dangers of military and non-secularism. In ‘The Proud Possessor’, one can see what dire want and poverty can lead to and how societal norms are compromised. The story of ‘Lottery’ shows how people have become victims of digital scams and the world is turning to fake things. In the ‘Poet’, one can read the impact of unrest on individuals and families and the problem of a lack of integrity in our society. The final story, ‘Jihad’, tells that the conditions of poverty can be sometimes exploited by artisans of violence and the need to end the wrongful indoctrination. Rather than thinking about the unknown next life, leading a peaceful life now is paramount. Through the creative thoughts of Rashid Askari, the book certainly helps to understand some aspects of the social realities of Bangladesh and I have significantly gained by reading these deeply engaging, conscience pricking and morally instructing stories. ORCID iD Manohar Pawar https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2836-1345 Manohar Pawar Charles Sturt University Wagga Wagga, New South Wales Australia E-mail: [email protected] K. J. Joy and S. Janakarajan (Eds.), India’s Water Futures: Emergent Ideas and Pathways. London: Routledge, 2019, i–xx + 336 pp., `1,495. ISBN: 978-0-367-1914-8 (Hbk); ISBN: 978-0-429-42352-9 (Ebk). DOI: 10.1177/2516602619895838 This book presents the changing ‘mindsets and worldviews’ around the Indian water sector and the policies governing it (p. 1). The editorial essay informs us that industrialisation and urbanisation are the biggest economic drivers today. Millions ‘of gallons of potable water are transferred from rural to urban areas every day and water is getting’ re-allocated ‘from agriculture to industries and urban areas’ (Joy et al., 2014 cited in Joy & Jankirajan, 2019, p. 3). Anantha and Bhadbhade present the idea of environmental flow. Its policy outcome is to ensure enough water flow in a river to see ‘that a river system remains environmentally, economically and socially healthy’ (p. 82). From this idea, the editorial essay advocates a policy case for making environmental flows ‘mandatory for long-term sustainability of rivers’ (Joy & Jankirajan, 2019, pp. 11–12). The editors inform us that ‘freshwater is finite and the bulk of it goes into agriculture’. These facts need to be linked to the larger fact that agriculture uses water inefficiently and need to reduce its usage (Gujja & Shaikh, 2019, cited in .