Book on Indian independence to be released at NRI meet

To commemorate India's 60th year of Independence, "India Calling", a pictorial book compiled and published by a Delhi-based couple, will be released at the Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas, beginning at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi Jan 7.Inaugural copies of the 196-page illustrated coffee-table book, compiled by Neena Jha and Shivnath Jha, will be handed over to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other delegates at the meet."India Calling" is dedicated to all freedom fighters, political leaders, armed forces personnel and policemen who sacrificed their today for the country's tomorrow. "'India Calling' is perhaps the first book brought out in commemoration of India entering 60th year of its Independence," the couple said. The couple had earlier authored a monograph on Ustad Bismillah Khan, which was released by the maestro himself on his 91st birthday in March last year.The husband-wife duo has also launched a nationwide movement through books to encourage musicians, academicians, artistes, policemen and others who have brought laurels and pride to the nation. "The principle of non-violence must become central to the ethics of human culture. A society as diverse in its mosaic as India must truly practise non-violence and embrace brotherhood in our onward march as a nation. We must exult in India's unique racial and cultural diversity. Indian art and music symbolises this. We must save it from crude modernisation," Sibal has written in the forward to the book. Reliance Industries Limited chief Mukesh Ambani, whose article finds a place in the book, said: The goal of removing poverty should force us to rethink the whole concept of business.Containing rare pictures of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Rajendra Prasad and Indira Gandhi, "India Calling" carries profiles of other important Indian icons and various articles on globalisation, nuclear deals, economic prosperity, civil aviation, Indian polity, external relations, oil and natural gas, education and others besides eye-catching pictures of Indian heritage and monuments.A total of 2,000 delegates from over 70 countries have registered for the three-day annual event, organised by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).Indo-Asian News Service