Author: Dr Usha Agrawal
Publisher: Sultan Chand Draupadi Devi Education Foundation, New Delhi
(Pp 117, ISBN 978 81 8054 965 6, Rs 100)

The book Aushadh Sam Poshak Phal Sabjiyan is based on the thought of living a happy and longer life. And to achieve the goal of living at least hundred years, it describes the medicinal benefits of fruits and vegetables and their use for treating diseases occurring due to age and sometimes due to wrong food habits. The scientific description about ingredients available in fruits and vegetables in the book is very useful. The book focuses mostly on common fruits and vegetables used in Indian homes like: banana, pineapple, papaya, apple, guava, grapes, pomegranate, watermelon, etc.

- Shailendra Kumar

Illustrations by: Priya Kuriyan
Edited by: Lubaina Bandukwala
Publisher: Scholastic India Pvt Ltd
(Pp 328, ISBN 978-81-847-79783, Rs 275)

Want to enhance your general knowledge? Are you appearing for competitive exams? Do you want to be star at quizzes or projects? Then, this Yearbook is for you, which has an up-to-date round-up of the year’s information. Timelines, essays, facts and lists make this a must-have definitive current events reference book for all.

Children who do not like to read will also love to pick this up as its attractive layout and colourful illustrations make it all the more interesting. Readers can find information on the major events of the world, people in the news, popular awards, facts about India’s states and world’s countries, world history and Indian history timelines, sports highlights, environment news, development in science and space as well as news and views from the world of entertainment. Then, there are top ten lists of the biggest, highest, strongest in the world.

Each page is packed with information you would like to read and remember…a must-have book for all!

- Varsha Verma

Author: ABBE J A DUBOIS
Publisher: Lotus Press, New Delhi
(Pp 318 ISBN 978-81-8382-288-6, Rs 250)

Everyman’s Book of Hindu Religion and Mythology is a part of the master piece Hindu manners, customs and ceremonies written by Abbe JA Dubois or Jean-Antoine Dubois (January 1765 – 17 February 1848) who was a French Christian missionary who left his country to escape from the disturbances of the French Revolution and lived in India for over three decades.

Dubois's French manuscript was purchased for eight thousand rupees by Lord William Bentinck for the British East India Company in 1807. In 1816, an English translation was published, and about 1864, a curtailed reprint of this edition was issued. Abbé, however, largely recast his work, and in 1897, the revised text (now in the India Office) was published in an edition with notes by H K Beauchamp, a member of the Royal Historical Society and Royal Asiatic society.

The series editor Mahendra kulsarestha clarifies, “this is in part a revival of already published works of great quality by Western scholars over a century ago, thoroughly edited, keeping in view the mindset and requirements of the present day fast progressing youth, and the globalization of life in all its aspects.” The present work contains the religion and mythology parts of the whole books. This volume is a part of a series in which four dozen volumes have been published. The form, structure and design of the book makes it a collector’s item.

- GS Jolly

Authors: H Sarvothaman and KJ Anandha Kumar
Publisher: Asiatech Publishers Inc, Delhi
Pp 413; ISBN 81-87680-30-X, Price Rs 495

In an average, 1,51,600 people die across the world every day. The cause of these deaths could be of varied reasons, which include natural calamities in some form or other. These natural disasters could be developed either naturally or man has direct involvement in it. It could be earthquake, air pollution, landslide, volcano, tsunami, acid rain, noise pollution, global warming and so forth which may result in catastrophes that eventually cause the worst of the worst casualties to mankind. In-depth examinations have revealed that worst disasters on earth are due to natural phenomena in which human hands have little or no control over it. So, the answer to the question of whether disaster management is controllable or not will turn out to be both ‘yes’ and ‘no’ and the issues and measures are addressed in Disaster Management: Engineering & Environmental Aspects.

Even though a lot of natural calamities and casualties cannot be totally controlled, there is a way to avoid them. This is the central theme of this book. Chapters in this book are arranged sequentially to make every section stand out. Also analysed strategically in the opening chapter of Disaster Management: Engineering & Environmental Aspects is that 99 percent of natural disasters and 95 percent of total disaster-related deaths across the globe occur in developing countries. Chapters in the book cover topics, such as atmosphere-related hazards, hydro-meteorological hazard, ozone depletion, etc with strong supports of illustrations, photos and tables of factual data.

- Jyaneswar Laishram