Caste, tribes, film editing

3 NEW RELEASES

Hitchhiker
Vinod George Joseph
Books for Change
Rs 350, 395 pages

The controversy over Christian missionary activity in India forms the backdrop to this novel. This is the story of Ebenezer, the son of untouchable Hindus who converted to Christianity.

Joining the Global Evangelical Church has not altered Ebenezer's family's status in their ancestral village, where they are still treated as a backward class.

After his mother and sister are killed in caste-related violence,he plod his way through an unfair world: one where religion, caste and educational background play an overwhelming role every step of the way.

The one bright spark in his life is Gayathri, the daughter of a rich right-wing Hindu businessman. But as Ebenezer soon realises, it's unlikely that such a relationship can have a future.

Invisible: The Art of Renu Saluja
GraFTII
Rs 50, 100 pages

The late Renu Saluja was one of India's most noted film editors (her work includes Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron, Ardh Satya, Parinda and Bandit Queen), and this book is a homage published by GraFTII, the alumni body of the Film & Television Institute of India, Pune.

It comprises insights and memories from 26 people who worked with Saluja at some point in her career.

The result is a collection of anecdotes and personal asides, but also notes on one of the most vital aspects of the filmmaking process.

Contributors include directors like Kundan Shah, Ketan Mehta, Govind Nihalani and David Dhawan, and other personalities such as Om Puri, Khalid Mohammed and Tom Alter.

The book, which is illustrated with photographs from private collections, was initiated and developed by Praba Mahajan and visualised by renowned cinematographer K K Mahajan. It was edited and produced by Chandita Mukherjee and Jethu Mundul.

The Legends of Pensam
Mamang Dai
Penguin Books India
Rs 200, 192 pages

Like any other place on earth, the territory of the Adis in the mountains of Arunachal Pradesh is 'Pensam'""the 'in-between' place. Anything can happen here.

A mysterious boy who fell from the sky is accepted as a son of the village and grows up to become a respected elder. A young woman wounded in love is healed by a marriage of which she expected little.

A mother battles fate and the law for a son she has not seen since she lost him as an infant. The Legends of Pensam is a lyrical and moving tribute to the human spirit, an intricate web of stories, images and the history of a tribe.