Comments for Club France Bombay http://www.clubfrancebombay.com News and information about France in India including Bombay. Fri, 30 Jul 2010 06:30:58 +0000 hourly 1 Comment on Ring of Fire: An Indonesian Odyssey by Robert Lindsey http://www.clubfrancebombay.com/books/ring-of-fire-an-indonesian-odyssey/comment-page-1/#comment-355 Robert Lindsey Fri, 30 Jul 2010 06:30:58 +0000 http://www.clubfrancebombay.com/books/ring-of-fire-an-indonesian-odyssey/#comment-355 I had the pleasure of working with both Lorne and Lawrence Blair, separately, in Indonesia in the 1980's and 1990's. I have an autographed copy of the hard cover version of this book, "The Ring of Fire," as well as another book, "The River of Gems" about Borneo autographed by Lorne ("together we traveled the seven seas..."). Both Lorne (the older brother and videographer/writer) and Lawrence were magnificant story tellers (Lorne is deceased), and both were well-versed in the local "trade" language (Bahasa Indonesia - which became the national language of Indonesia after independence), traditions, religions, history and customs of the people living on the multitude of islands in Indonesia. Both lived on Bali at the time, and they often traveled with us on expeditions as interpreters, guides and lecturers. Through the two of them, I came to love Indonesia like no other place on earth, and some of my fondest memories are of those times and trips. Lawrence's spirited, spiritual, engaging speaking style spills over into his writing, and I can guarantee you, whether you have a current interest in Indonesia or not, you will become enchanted while reading this book and watching its companion DVDs. I would be willing to bet that you will go back to their source and read Alfred Russell Wallace's "The Malay Archipelago," the story of the original trip "the brothers Blair" recreated in their adventures while writing and filming "The Ring of Fire." And from there you will become curious about who really came up with the theory of "The Origin of Species," Darwin or Wallace (at the time of his death Lorne was trying to prove a theory that it was Wallace). And from there... oh, just read this book and watch the DVDs and become fascinated with another world, another land, another time... Rating: 5 / 5 I had the pleasure of working with both Lorne and Lawrence Blair, separately, in Indonesia in the 1980’s and 1990’s. I have an autographed copy of the hard cover version of this book, “The Ring of Fire,” as well as another book, “The River of Gems” about Borneo autographed by Lorne (“together we traveled the seven seas…”). Both Lorne (the older brother and videographer/writer) and Lawrence were magnificant story tellers (Lorne is deceased), and both were well-versed in the local “trade” language (Bahasa Indonesia – which became the national language of Indonesia after independence), traditions, religions, history and customs of the people living on the multitude of islands in Indonesia. Both lived on Bali at the time, and they often traveled with us on expeditions as interpreters, guides and lecturers. Through the two of them, I came to love Indonesia like no other place on earth, and some of my fondest memories are of those times and trips. Lawrence’s spirited, spiritual, engaging speaking style spills over into his writing, and I can guarantee you, whether you have a current interest in Indonesia or not, you will become enchanted while reading this book and watching its companion DVDs. I would be willing to bet that you will go back to their source and read Alfred Russell Wallace’s “The Malay Archipelago,” the story of the original trip “the brothers Blair” recreated in their adventures while writing and filming “The Ring of Fire.” And from there you will become curious about who really came up with the theory of “The Origin of Species,” Darwin or Wallace (at the time of his death Lorne was trying to prove a theory that it was Wallace). And from there… oh, just read this book and watch the DVDs and become fascinated with another world, another land, another time…
Rating: 5 / 5

]]> Comment on Ring of Fire: An Indonesian Odyssey by Anonymous http://www.clubfrancebombay.com/books/ring-of-fire-an-indonesian-odyssey/comment-page-1/#comment-354 Anonymous Fri, 30 Jul 2010 06:27:24 +0000 http://www.clubfrancebombay.com/books/ring-of-fire-an-indonesian-odyssey/#comment-354 Goes beyond your usual "travel tale", it is a marvelous adventure and thought provoking regarding the natural peoples of the earth. The chapter on the Dream Wanderers of Borneo will open doors of perception for an alternative world view. The author writes with clarity and quite a lot of humor. The entire book is very personal in its tone and gives the feeling of actually having shared the experience of the amazing journey. Rating: 5 / 5 Goes beyond your usual “travel tale”, it is a marvelous adventure and thought provoking regarding the natural peoples of the earth. The chapter on the Dream Wanderers of Borneo will open doors of perception for an alternative world view. The author writes with clarity and quite a lot of humor. The entire book is very personal in its tone and gives the feeling of actually having shared the experience of the amazing journey.
Rating: 5 / 5

]]> Comment on Ring of Fire: An Indonesian Odyssey by PPreble http://www.clubfrancebombay.com/books/ring-of-fire-an-indonesian-odyssey/comment-page-1/#comment-353 PPreble Fri, 30 Jul 2010 03:46:26 +0000 http://www.clubfrancebombay.com/books/ring-of-fire-an-indonesian-odyssey/#comment-353 An incredibly interesting tale and at times quite deep account of a 10-year joureny through the remotest islands in Indonesia. I wonder if the author is aware of how couragous he and his brother were to go to the places they went and meet such people as cannibals and headhunters and come back to tell the story! Not to mention the more subtle metaphysical comments here and there about the various religions they encountered and all of it presented with a very dry wit. Rating: 5 / 5 An incredibly interesting tale and at times quite deep account of a 10-year joureny through the remotest islands in Indonesia. I wonder if the author is aware of how couragous he and his brother were to go to the places they went and meet such people as cannibals and headhunters and come back to tell the story! Not to mention the more subtle metaphysical comments here and there about the various religions they encountered and all of it presented with a very dry wit.
Rating: 5 / 5

]]> Comment on Ring of Fire: An Indonesian Odyssey by Anonymous http://www.clubfrancebombay.com/books/ring-of-fire-an-indonesian-odyssey/comment-page-1/#comment-352 Anonymous Fri, 30 Jul 2010 02:26:28 +0000 http://www.clubfrancebombay.com/books/ring-of-fire-an-indonesian-odyssey/#comment-352 I was blown away by this book, as much by how spiritually aware it is and how well it was written. Wow! What an adventure! Rating: 5 / 5 I was blown away by this book, as much by how spiritually aware it is and how well it was written. Wow! What an adventure!
Rating: 5 / 5

]]> Comment on Ring of Fire: An Indonesian Odyssey by Dr. Vivienne Kruger http://www.clubfrancebombay.com/books/ring-of-fire-an-indonesian-odyssey/comment-page-1/#comment-351 Dr. Vivienne Kruger Fri, 30 Jul 2010 00:21:05 +0000 http://www.clubfrancebombay.com/books/ring-of-fire-an-indonesian-odyssey/#comment-351 British brothers Lawrence and Lorne Blair set out in the 1960s on a marvelous, thought-provoking, ten-year adventure through the 3,000-mile length of the remote Indonesian archipelago. Inspired by a dog-eared copy of Alfred Russell Wallace's The Malay Archipelago -and his nineteenth century voyage of scientific exploration and discovery--their unforgettable odyssey set sail out of the Celebes (Sulawesi) for the Spice Islands on a perilous schooner crossing with the seafaring Bugis. Tossed to and fro from home port Makassar to isolated Aru Island-stalked all the way by rotting ship beams and the specter of pirates-they were rewarded with one of the rarest sights on earth-the fluffy white plumage of the elusive Bird of Paradise.<br>Metaphysical, anthropological, and intellectual in tone-with a healthy dose of dry wit and humor-the Blairs take you along as they confront komodo dragons, chew betel nut in Sumba, witness a traditional Pasola battle, and herald the annual arrival on shore of the sacred nyale sea worms. Full of naive courage and boundless curiosity, they sought out Asmat headhunters/cannibals in the highlands of Papua New Guinea. Undaunted, these dream wanderers went eye to eye with the fiery blast furnace of simmering Krakatoa. They commandeered a longboat upriver and trekked through the leech-ridden jungles of Borneo with native guides on an arduous land search for the secretive, traditional Punan hunter-gatherers. Ring of Fire chronicles their cultural encounters on Java as they visited the sultan's court (and sacred "kris" knife) and an acupuncturist who harnessed yin/yang energy to heal the sick with self-generated electric charges. Open-minded and non-judgmental about the diverse religions and customs they encountered, the Blairs became deeply enchanted by trance, and by the shadow screen nether world of the wayang kulit. Their travels took them back to Sulawesi for the funeral of the last king of Tanah Torajah-into a unique architectural-animist pocket where boat-shaped roofs rise out of the cool forest floor representing ancestral sky ships on their descent from heaven to earth.<br>The thrill-seeking, nomadic Blairs unexpectedly found themselves permanently landlocked and suspended-mind, soul, and body-in the island Shangrila that they discovered in Bali. An artist friend in Pengosekan-a vibrantly creative community of farmers and painters-invited them to build a new house on his land. In true, cooperative Balinese style, the brothers had only to pay for the necessary raw materials (bamboo, coconut wood, and elephant grass) and the religious celebration at the completion of the structure. The people of Pengosekan freely contributed their skilled labor and artistic expertise; this shared investment in and commitment to each other's dwellings works to further bind the village together. Sleeping and learning in their open-air platform obervatory perched high above the sculpted jade rice terraces, the Blair brothers came to call Bali their very own, lifelong island of the gods. They would return time and again-in between sometimes dangerous, always enlightening meetings with natural peoples along the equatorial frontier-to their permanent home base in Bali. It is here that they fell in love with one culture and one island out of the hundreds that they visited. Lawrence and Lorne fully explored their adopted pied à terre-from startling footage of the eruption of Mt. Agung in 1963, to the cremation of famous 116-year-old Balinese artist Lempoad, to the opulent funeral procession of the last rajah of Gianyar. (When Lorne died on his beloved Bali in 1996, he was cremated and his remains returned to the sea in accordance with Bali-Hindu religious rites.) Their amazing adventures (available in book or video format) are the stuff of storybook legends-from the hidden rainforest peoples of Borneo, to islands where magicians still hold sway, to the sun-speckled spiritual haven of heart-shaped Bali. Rating: 5 / 5 British brothers Lawrence and Lorne Blair set out in the 1960s on a marvelous, thought-provoking, ten-year adventure through the 3,000-mile length of the remote Indonesian archipelago. Inspired by a dog-eared copy of Alfred Russell Wallace’s The Malay Archipelago -and his nineteenth century voyage of scientific exploration and discovery–their unforgettable odyssey set sail out of the Celebes (Sulawesi) for the Spice Islands on a perilous schooner crossing with the seafaring Bugis. Tossed to and fro from home port Makassar to isolated Aru Island-stalked all the way by rotting ship beams and the specter of pirates-they were rewarded with one of the rarest sights on earth-the fluffy white plumage of the elusive Bird of Paradise.
Metaphysical, anthropological, and intellectual in tone-with a healthy dose of dry wit and humor-the Blairs take you along as they confront komodo dragons, chew betel nut in Sumba, witness a traditional Pasola battle, and herald the annual arrival on shore of the sacred nyale sea worms. Full of naive courage and boundless curiosity, they sought out Asmat headhunters/cannibals in the highlands of Papua New Guinea. Undaunted, these dream wanderers went eye to eye with the fiery blast furnace of simmering Krakatoa. They commandeered a longboat upriver and trekked through the leech-ridden jungles of Borneo with native guides on an arduous land search for the secretive, traditional Punan hunter-gatherers. Ring of Fire chronicles their cultural encounters on Java as they visited the sultan’s court (and sacred “kris” knife) and an acupuncturist who harnessed yin/yang energy to heal the sick with self-generated electric charges. Open-minded and non-judgmental about the diverse religions and customs they encountered, the Blairs became deeply enchanted by trance, and by the shadow screen nether world of the wayang kulit. Their travels took them back to Sulawesi for the funeral of the last king of Tanah Torajah-into a unique architectural-animist pocket where boat-shaped roofs rise out of the cool forest floor representing ancestral sky ships on their descent from heaven to earth.
The thrill-seeking, nomadic Blairs unexpectedly found themselves permanently landlocked and suspended-mind, soul, and body-in the island Shangrila that they discovered in Bali. An artist friend in Pengosekan-a vibrantly creative community of farmers and painters-invited them to build a new house on his land. In true, cooperative Balinese style, the brothers had only to pay for the necessary raw materials (bamboo, coconut wood, and elephant grass) and the religious celebration at the completion of the structure. The people of Pengosekan freely contributed their skilled labor and artistic expertise; this shared investment in and commitment to each other’s dwellings works to further bind the village together. Sleeping and learning in their open-air platform obervatory perched high above the sculpted jade rice terraces, the Blair brothers came to call Bali their very own, lifelong island of the gods. They would return time and again-in between sometimes dangerous, always enlightening meetings with natural peoples along the equatorial frontier-to their permanent home base in Bali. It is here that they fell in love with one culture and one island out of the hundreds that they visited. Lawrence and Lorne fully explored their adopted pied à terre-from startling footage of the eruption of Mt. Agung in 1963, to the cremation of famous 116-year-old Balinese artist Lempoad, to the opulent funeral procession of the last rajah of Gianyar. (When Lorne died on his beloved Bali in 1996, he was cremated and his remains returned to the sea in accordance with Bali-Hindu religious rites.) Their amazing adventures (available in book or video format) are the stuff of storybook legends-from the hidden rainforest peoples of Borneo, to islands where magicians still hold sway, to the sun-speckled spiritual haven of heart-shaped Bali.
Rating: 5 / 5

]]> Comment on Hindi, Urdu & Bengali: Lonely Planet Phrasebook by Mark Schmieder http://www.clubfrancebombay.com/books/hindi-urdu-bengali-lonely-planet-phrasebook/comment-page-1/#comment-350 Mark Schmieder Sat, 24 Jul 2010 07:07:28 +0000 http://www.clubfrancebombay.com/books/hindi-urdu-bengali-lonely-planet-phrasebook/#comment-350 Although this combined edition is more accurate than the previous separate phrasebooks for Hindi/Urdu and Bengali, do not expect to use it to actually learn the languages or even get beyond a couple of dozen phrases. <br /> <br />Perhaps in conjunction with a formal language guide to Bengali, this phrasebook would be more helpful, but at the time of my recent travels, there was no English language language study guide available for Bengali/Bangla (I think the Teach Yourself series has one, but that series is currently going through a one-by-one reissue as the cover format and typeface have changed). <br /> <br />The main problem is the Bengali to English dictionary, which is listed from the point of view of the written form vs. how things sound or how they transluterate to Latin characters. This requires first learning Bengali script, which is quite difficult due to the bizarre rules in all South Indian derived scripts (including Thai and Khmer/Cambodian as well as Hindi) vs. Cyryllic, Latin, Greek, Hebrew, and Arabic. And besides which, literacy is not and should not be a requirement for developing the more important day-to-day fluency of speaking and listening skills in a new language while traveling. <br /> <br />The publisher would also be advised to make clear that there are significant regional variants within Bengali (if not also Hindi/Urdu), and thus one is not always understood even with basic everyday phrases as they are published here. They might also be advised to include the related Punjabi language/dialect in the next edition, to be more complete. Rating: 2 / 5 Although this combined edition is more accurate than the previous separate phrasebooks for Hindi/Urdu and Bengali, do not expect to use it to actually learn the languages or even get beyond a couple of dozen phrases.

Perhaps in conjunction with a formal language guide to Bengali, this phrasebook would be more helpful, but at the time of my recent travels, there was no English language language study guide available for Bengali/Bangla (I think the Teach Yourself series has one, but that series is currently going through a one-by-one reissue as the cover format and typeface have changed).

The main problem is the Bengali to English dictionary, which is listed from the point of view of the written form vs. how things sound or how they transluterate to Latin characters. This requires first learning Bengali script, which is quite difficult due to the bizarre rules in all South Indian derived scripts (including Thai and Khmer/Cambodian as well as Hindi) vs. Cyryllic, Latin, Greek, Hebrew, and Arabic. And besides which, literacy is not and should not be a requirement for developing the more important day-to-day fluency of speaking and listening skills in a new language while traveling.

The publisher would also be advised to make clear that there are significant regional variants within Bengali (if not also Hindi/Urdu), and thus one is not always understood even with basic everyday phrases as they are published here. They might also be advised to include the related Punjabi language/dialect in the next edition, to be more complete.
Rating: 2 / 5

]]> Comment on Hindi, Urdu & Bengali: Lonely Planet Phrasebook by Bryan Miller http://www.clubfrancebombay.com/books/hindi-urdu-bengali-lonely-planet-phrasebook/comment-page-1/#comment-349 Bryan Miller Sat, 24 Jul 2010 04:45:17 +0000 http://www.clubfrancebombay.com/books/hindi-urdu-bengali-lonely-planet-phrasebook/#comment-349 This is a compact, easy to use, and helpful little book for basic phrases you will use in India and other South Asia countries. Rating: 4 / 5 This is a compact, easy to use, and helpful little book for basic phrases you will use in India and other South Asia countries.
Rating: 4 / 5

]]> Comment on Hindi, Urdu & Bengali: Lonely Planet Phrasebook by John Scott http://www.clubfrancebombay.com/books/hindi-urdu-bengali-lonely-planet-phrasebook/comment-page-1/#comment-348 John Scott Sat, 24 Jul 2010 03:36:59 +0000 http://www.clubfrancebombay.com/books/hindi-urdu-bengali-lonely-planet-phrasebook/#comment-348 This book is good for basic phrases to get by. It's better to get a book specific to the language you will be using, or use the internet for a better view of the specific language. However, for the casual tourist who wants to know a few phrases, it can be helpful. See: Bengali Flower: 50 Poems from India and Bangladesh with Psalms, Proverbs & Scripture for some history on India, Bangladesh, culture, Rabindranath Tagore poetry, brief biography, and Bengali language. Rating: 3 / 5 This book is good for basic phrases to get by. It’s better to get a book specific to the language you will be using, or use the internet for a better view of the specific language. However, for the casual tourist who wants to know a few phrases, it can be helpful. See: Bengali Flower: 50 Poems from India and Bangladesh with Psalms, Proverbs & Scripture for some history on India, Bangladesh, culture, Rabindranath Tagore poetry, brief biography, and Bengali language.
Rating: 3 / 5

]]> Comment on Hindi, Urdu & Bengali: Lonely Planet Phrasebook by Pat Murphy http://www.clubfrancebombay.com/books/hindi-urdu-bengali-lonely-planet-phrasebook/comment-page-1/#comment-347 Pat Murphy Sat, 24 Jul 2010 01:29:11 +0000 http://www.clubfrancebombay.com/books/hindi-urdu-bengali-lonely-planet-phrasebook/#comment-347 I saw the previous version in a library and wanted my own copy. I bought the latest version - big mistake. So I went off and bought a second copy of the previous version. The publishers broke a very good product - a pity. <br />Why? The old version was Hindi and Urdu - the new version has Bengali also. Although the newer version is thicker, a lot of useful information <br />was either removed or condensed in such a manner that is very hard to assimilate. Also the number of entries in the dictionary was reduced. I only wanted Hindi. The only good point about the book that there is an enhanced culninary reader (i.e. menu decrypter!). <br />Buy the old one and please (publisher) - 'if it aint broke - don't fix it' <br /> <br /> <br /> Rating: 1 / 5 I saw the previous version in a library and wanted my own copy. I bought the latest version – big mistake. So I went off and bought a second copy of the previous version. The publishers broke a very good product – a pity.

Why? The old version was Hindi and Urdu – the new version has Bengali also. Although the newer version is thicker, a lot of useful information

was either removed or condensed in such a manner that is very hard to assimilate. Also the number of entries in the dictionary was reduced. I only wanted Hindi. The only good point about the book that there is an enhanced culninary reader (i.e. menu decrypter!).

Buy the old one and please (publisher) – ‘if it aint broke – don’t fix it’

Rating: 1 / 5

]]> Comment on Hindi, Urdu & Bengali: Lonely Planet Phrasebook by Mason Inman http://www.clubfrancebombay.com/books/hindi-urdu-bengali-lonely-planet-phrasebook/comment-page-1/#comment-346 Mason Inman Sat, 24 Jul 2010 01:02:21 +0000 http://www.clubfrancebombay.com/books/hindi-urdu-bengali-lonely-planet-phrasebook/#comment-346 I've been using the computer program Rosetta Stone to learn Hindi, and it's extremely helpful in getting a person started with learning the grammar, some basic words, and the script. But Rosetta Stone doesn't teach you the really crucial basic phrases, like "Hello, how are you?", "My name is Bob," or "Where is the bathroom?" <br /> <br />That's the specialty of this phrasebook--teaching you the basic phrases you'll need to get by. It also shows the basics of how to read the Urdu and Hindi scripts, but it's not necessary to learn them to use it, since the phrases all have phonetic renderings. One of the other reviewers complained that this phrasebook won't teach you the language. But it's not meant to; it's just supposed to help you get started, or to help you get by when you're not planning to actually learn the language. <br /> <br />The organization of the book is very useful, since it's grouped into sections for different kinds of phrases, making it easy to find the stuff you're most interested in. <br /> <br />The dictionary in the back, when you're going from Hindi or Urdu to English, is arranged in the order of the Hindi or Urdu alphabets. Maybe this doesn't make the most sense for English speakers, who if they're just starting aren't going to memorize the order of all the letters in the Hindi and Urdu alphabets. The other reviewer complained about this, but since the dictionaries aren't very long, I don't think it's a big deal. The dictionaries also have the phonetic spellings, so you can flip through pretty quickly to find the letter you're looking for. <br /> <br />My main complaint is that the Urdu font in this book is kind of hard to read. It might just be because I first learned the script from another book that used a different font, and that's what I'm used to now. But I think that with the font used in this book, it's inherently harder to tell which letter is which, making it harder on a beginner. Rating: 4 / 5 I’ve been using the computer program Rosetta Stone to learn Hindi, and it’s extremely helpful in getting a person started with learning the grammar, some basic words, and the script. But Rosetta Stone doesn’t teach you the really crucial basic phrases, like “Hello, how are you?”, “My name is Bob,” or “Where is the bathroom?”

That’s the specialty of this phrasebook–teaching you the basic phrases you’ll need to get by. It also shows the basics of how to read the Urdu and Hindi scripts, but it’s not necessary to learn them to use it, since the phrases all have phonetic renderings. One of the other reviewers complained that this phrasebook won’t teach you the language. But it’s not meant to; it’s just supposed to help you get started, or to help you get by when you’re not planning to actually learn the language.

The organization of the book is very useful, since it’s grouped into sections for different kinds of phrases, making it easy to find the stuff you’re most interested in.

The dictionary in the back, when you’re going from Hindi or Urdu to English, is arranged in the order of the Hindi or Urdu alphabets. Maybe this doesn’t make the most sense for English speakers, who if they’re just starting aren’t going to memorize the order of all the letters in the Hindi and Urdu alphabets. The other reviewer complained about this, but since the dictionaries aren’t very long, I don’t think it’s a big deal. The dictionaries also have the phonetic spellings, so you can flip through pretty quickly to find the letter you’re looking for.

My main complaint is that the Urdu font in this book is kind of hard to read. It might just be because I first learned the script from another book that used a different font, and that’s what I’m used to now. But I think that with the font used in this book, it’s inherently harder to tell which letter is which, making it harder on a beginner.
Rating: 4 / 5

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