BOOK REVIEW BY NIZAR MOTANI
This latest addition to the expanding frontier of Gujarati studies offers eleven masterly chapters written by thirteen scholars representing several disciplines…..Out of the eleven chapters three of them focus on the current Ismaili Imam’s leadership style and the geet and ginanic traditions of his followers of Gujarati origin….Read More
Gujratis irrespective of their culture or the origins have always excelled in all aspects of human endeavour and I can very safely pinpoint two factors-among many others, and they are their loyalty to the spritual leadership and the qualities of generosity, kindness, deep sense of brotherhood, caring for the elderlies and patriotism. As long as we respect and cherish them they will continue to serve the humaniy in the right ways.
A friend, Ramnik Shah, gets an early very favourable mention. Apart his article and Mohamed Keshavjee’s article on Uganda Asians, most others seem to me to be academia run amock. Unfortunately the reviewer leads by telling us the two editors are Ismaili and highly placed at the Ismaili Institute. He tells us the same about the author that wrote the Uganda Asians chapter. I wouldn’t have known it. I expect those lines are an add-on for this Ismaili-oriented site where his review was republished, otherwise in the wider world people would look for favouritism towards Ismailis and Ismaili subjects. I’d say two Ismaili-subject essays in the book are of peripheral interest to the wider Gujarati audience. In my mumble opinion, of course.