This book is important because it identifies and elaborates upon this unfortunate state of affair with bluntness. The first step in treating a malaise is to diagnose it. Seventeen eminent contributors, including Pratap Bhanu Mehta, Barbara Metcalf, Syed Shahabuddin, Fali Nariman, Soli Sorabjee and Salman Khursheed, discuss Urdu's historical background and present constraints, analyse issues of identity and civic space, examine lacunae in educational policy, and deliberate on the legal framework of minority languages. An essential point that emerges is that Urdu cannot survive unless its teaching becomes an integral part of mainstream education. This is argued passionately by Khursheed in his preface, and is elaborated upon by several contributors, including the editor, Ather Farouqui.

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ACTION ORIENTED: Urdu can't survive unless it becomes a part of mainstream education

The book is significant for the critique it makes of the trivialisation and stereotyping of Urdu. Ghalib and Meer must be wondering whatever happened so quickly to their immortal legacy for now all kinds of substandard poetry masquerades as Urdu shairi. A language cannot merely be an adornment to the shallow stylistic pretensions of an ignorant elite. Its proper learning must be seen to be critical to one's cultural identity, and this is particularly important in the case of Urdu for it is an exquisite creation of India's assimilative and plural culture.

All Indian languages have suffered as a result of British colonialism. English has an obvious utility in a rapidly globalising world, but when people begin to devalue what is intrinsically their own in order to adopt what can never be theirs, they create a mimic civilisation. Most educated Indians have become linguistic half-castes, adrift from the literary wellsprings of their mother tongue while remaining barely functional in English. Hindi as the language of the majority has the muscle to reassert itself, and this is all for the good. But Urdu, in order to survive, and indeed to flourish, needs more help. The problem needs to be understood in all its complex ramifications, and the remedies analysed and projected. Mere nostalgia, or worse indifference, wilful or otherwise, will not suffice.

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This compilation of paintings and poems throws light on the rich diversity and fundamental oneness of religions. A jugalbandi of name and form, the book is a celebration of God's creation and a tribute to the timeless self. Succinct verses by Shailendra Gulhati, a Shaivite who lives in Jammu, are loaded with an all-embracing spirituality. Each poem-be it on the brooding yoga of Satchitananda, the simple wisdom of Kabir, the Bhagawad Gita's Soul Supreme, the joyous abandon of the Sufis, the resonant natural appeal of Goddess Kali, or on the experiential philosophy of Zen-is an effort to explore the formless essence that pervades, and finds expression in, all forms. Arpana Caur's colourful contemporary art is a perfect visual complement. At a time when we are striving towards a more peaceful world, Naam Roop, an expression of the absolute One, comes as a compelling allusion to the unity of religions and cultures. A force that moves one to look inward, it appeals as much to the mystic eye as to the modern seeker of metaphysical truth, inspiring one and all to lead meaningful lives.