MARGINLANDS - INDIAN LANDSCAPES ON THE BRINK BY ARATI KUMAR RAO

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BOOK NAME:  MARGINLANDS

AUTHOR NAME: ARATI KUMAR RAO

GENRE: NONFICTION

PUBLISHER: PANMACMILLAN INDIA

BOOK BUY LINK: https://www.amazon.in/Marginlands-Indian-Landscapes-Arati-Kumar-Rao/dp/9395624434


BOOK COVER IMAGE




BOOK REVIEW

Imagine having to live in a pretentious world where we are constantly made to believe that we are the supreme creatures and that everything and every other living being around is for us to cherish. And suddenly, someone snaps you into reality, showing how we are actually destroying this land in the name of development and modernisation. This book is a hard-hitting portrayal of the man-made destruction of natural resources, some due to overuse and some simply because we could.  


The author not only quit her high-paying software job to become an environmental storyteller, but she also made sure to look into the crevices and ripples in the environment to point them out subtly and skillfully. From the ill effects of de-desertifying the 'wasteland' of the Thar desert to how the construction of dams closed the portal to the outside world for West Bengal, this book is an eye-opener in all ways. 


The essay on endangered dolphins, coral reefs, vultures and sea anemones made me ponder about them for long. The book doesn't accuse humans blindly. It also points out how humans also become victims of civilisation, like women becoming the 'tiger widows' when tigers prey on humans who go crab hunting in the mangrove forests of Sunderbans, exposure to toxins from having to clean the toxic sludge in the seas and the fear of losing houses to sea swallowing. 


The author has spent a lot of time with the locals of each landscape she has stayed in and has analysed it in its entire depth, which is evident in the book. She has spoken about the problems of human encroachment of forests and coastlines with wit and power. The author impressed me with her narrative style, captures, and illustrations, which were enlightening and heartbreaking. I realised how much uninformed I was about environmental challenges, even though I thought I knew enough. This is a book that everyone must read and put their thoughts into. 



MY REVIEW: 5/5

This is a part of Blogchatter’s #TBRchallenge

#penbooksandscalpel


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