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5 Thrilling Reasons to Read ‘I Hear You’ by Nidhi Upadhyay

Posted on June 9, 2023June 9, 2023 by prathod

If you are a fan of spine-chilling and mind-twisting stories that keep you on the edge of your seat, I Hear You by Nidhi Upadhyay is an absolute must-read. This psychological thriller explores the unsettling life of the six-week pregnant Mahika, who has just walked into her fertility clinic when she discovers an anonymous note that discloses the ugly truth behind her pregnancy. Before Mahika can come to terms with the fact that her husband’s quest for perfection has marked its territory in her womb, she finds herself locked in her own house. But then she discovers that her unborn son has extraordinary powers. As weeks pass by, Rudra calibrates and recalibrates his powers with one aim-Mahika’s freedom. But Rudra needs more than his newly acquired powers to free his mother. He needs to betray his creator, his father. And he must do it before it’s too late.

I hear you has garnered significant attention from readers and in this blog, we have compiled a list of compelling reasons for you to dive into this enthralling tale. So, grab a copy and prepare yourself for a riveting and fear-inducing reading experience.

1. Unputdownable: Review by Bookhoarder_neha
I Hear You is a fast-paced thriller based on the lives and experiments of geneticists. The story is narrated from multiple perspectives, including Mahika, Shivam, and even the baby in the womb. The narration maintains a quick pace, avoiding excessive descriptions while keeping the mystery tightly wrapped. When revealed it made me feel like how could I miss this detail?
The author skillfully weaves intricate bonds among the characters, such as the impact of Mahika’s deceased father, the unspoken love and empathy shared between Mahika and her colleagues, and the gradual communication between the mother and the baby in the womb. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this mysterious story of a baby who responded from the mother’s womb and could not put the book down.
Source: Amazon

2. Great Read: Review by Prajjwal Jangra
I Hear You is a captivating sci-fi thriller that took me on an amazing reading experience. As someone who hadn’t tried this genre before, I’m glad I gave it a chance. The story follows the protagonist Mahika and her spouse Shivam, who is fixated on genetic purity. Shivam rejects every pregnancy that does not adhere to his strict requirements, despite Mahika’s wish to have a child in order to rescue her failing marriage. The book is a page-turning thriller that keeps readers on the edge of their seats right up to the very end while simultaneously posing significant queries about the ethics of science, playing God, and what it means to be human. This book is surely a journey of a roller coaster of emotions. And I am sure that you won’t be able to predict the story’s plot twist. Overall the story was well written.
Source: Amazon

3. Gripping Novel: Review by Hey_readaholic
I Hear You is a gripping novel that combines elements of science fiction and spirituality, chronicling the journey of a woman who is attempting to flee an abusive marriage with the aid of her unborn child. The narrative centers on Mahika’s husband, a man obsessed with achieving genetic perfection in their fetus, resulting in unexpected outcomes. As Mahika learns that her six-month-old fetus possesses extraordinary powers, she gains the courage to confront the reality of her marriage.This book is a captivating novel that features a fast-paced plot, including immoral scientists who manipulate babies for their own unethical gains, leaving readers on the edge of their seats as they cheer for Mahika and her child to stay alive. The book not only tells a compelling story but also prompts readers to scrutinize the world around them, making it an extraordinary read.
Source: Amazon

4. Wonderful: Review by Amrita Mishra
I Hear You is an enthralling tale that delves into the world of gene study, recounted through the perspectives of Mahika, Shivam, and even the unborn child in the mother’s womb. Mahika strives to safeguard the infant and unravel its true identity, while Shivam endeavors to safeguard the child and discuss his scientific undertakings. The infant’s sensory perception is heightened, and its reactions are unique. The narrative progresses with a brisk pace, devoid of overwhelming elucidations. The enigma at the core of the plot is captivating, and upon its revelation, one is left dumbfounded by their lack of prior awareness.
I found great enjoyment in a literary work chronicling a remarkable tale of an unborn child who possessed the extraordinary ability to communicate from within its maternal cocoon. So captivating was its narrative that I was compelled to consume its pages without end.
Source: Amazon

5. Highly Recommended: Review by Promita Ghosh
For someone who is very much into thrillers, a novel like this intermingled with science fiction is definitely a treat. The author, Nidhi Upadhyay has amazingly crafted her use of a narrative technique with a plot that is not so conventional: an unborn baby, Rudra, endowed with extraordinary powers, whose mission is to rescue his mother, Mahika, from the clutches of his father, Shivam. The author deserves much appreciation for providing a well-researched backdrop on genetics, adding depth to the story.
The book cover has a lot to offer: a motionless cradle for the baby’s innate sense of infancy is somewhere lost and he would have to take on the role of an adult and save his mother. Notably, the blurred word ‘HEAR’ in the title captures the essence of auditory sensations, mirroring the baby’s extraordinary ability to hear even while residing in the womb.
Source: Amazon

Browse our hottest June releases

Posted on May 31, 2023May 31, 2023 by amisra

With summer kicking in in full gear, it is the perfect time to indulge in the pleasure of reading. Whether you are lounging on the beach, sipping an icy drink in a cafe, going on a road trip, or simply unwinding on a lazy weekend, our June releases are here to keep you company through the summer. So, whether or not you have your summer body ready, your summer BUDDY is ready to go! Browse our hottest June new releases now:

Welcome to Aarampur by Dhruv Nath

Welcome to life in the sleepy little hill town of Aaraampur where you will meet Kaptaan Sahib who got his name because he ‘almost’ got into the Army. And the Pahalwaan Nai a wrestler who used his skill of pulling out the hair of his opponents to become a barber. And of course, Chetu the painter who specialized in making the walls of his customers’ homes appear patchier than earlier. You will visit the classy Aaraampur Club which would put the lesser-known Delhi Gymkhana Club to shame. You will also figure out why Aaraampur Cabs-that famous startup-was never available between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Not to forget the famous engineering college of Aaraampur popularly known as ‘The PITS’. Sit back and enjoy this charming and amusing book which will momentarily transport you far from the din of everyday life to a slower more agreeable rhythm.

I’m A Climate Optimits By Aakash Ranison

Whenever climate change as a topic pops up in a conversation, someone ends the conversation with ‘What can I do about it?’ I’m A Climate Optimist is the answer to those all, what can I dos. Covering all the aspects of day-to-day life like food, textile, transportation, tourism, beauty, home, education, business, etc along with Industry specific expert comments. Get hold of this June release to learn the art of making our planet more liveable and sustainable.

Icelight by Ranjit Hoskote

Ranjit Hoskote’s eighth collection of poetry enacts the experience of standing at the edge of life, a landscape, a world assuming new contours of going up in flames. Yet the protagonists of these poems also stand at the edge of epiphany. Icelight transits between audacious exploration and contemplative retreat, doubt and belief, melancholia and momentum. This is a book about transitions and departures, eloquent in its acceptance of transcience in the face of mortality.

Madam President By Sandeep Sahu

Madam President is the first-ever comprehensive and authentic biography of Droupadi Murmu, the fifteenth President of India, by senior journalist Sandeep Sahu. Murmu’s long and eventful political journey is a story of true perseverance and inspiration. Having battled early years of struggle in securing quality education, being struck by a series of personal tragedies such as the loss of her husband and two sons in quick succession, and suffering electoral victories and losses, Murmu has risen through her circumstances with grace, fortitude, and resilience that make her the well-revered leader she is today.

In this stellar biography, Murmu’s historic feat as the first Indian President from the tribal community, her phenomenal rise as an earnest and ambitious young woman, who would, with dedication and rigour, go on to become the most powerful woman in the country, presents a fascinating study of democratic empowerment in India.

India’s Secret War by Ushinor Majumdar

Triggered by the US-backed Pakistani junta’s brutal measures against the Bengalis, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman proclaimed the independence of East Pakistan on 26 March 1971. They needed the world’s support, and India was their first ally. The Border Security Force (BSF), an elite Indian force, was only five years old at the time and became central to India’s sustained military response in East Pakistan for nine months until the alliance of Indian and Bangladeshi forces won Dacca. The BSF’s founding chief, K.F. Rustamji, and his men went beyond their charter of policing borders to respond to one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises that was unfolding right next door to India.

With access to classified records and through exhaustive interviews with surviving veterans, award-winning investigative reporter Ushinor Majumdar has crafted this first comprehensive historical account of the BSF’s role in the Bangladesh liberation war, which changed the course of South Asian history.

Feeling Kerala By J Devika

The living, pulsating, and ever-changing entity that is Kerala is best represented by its astute, critical, and deeply insightful writers of the Malayalam short story, and in Feeling Kerala, a selection of some of the best and sharpest narratives from the region is now translated and curated for English readers to love and cherish.
While staying true to its literary form, these stories provide a tour into the heart and soul of contemporary Kerala and aim at getting past the twentieth-century characterizations of the state, say, as defined by communist egalitarian spirit or matrilineal families. After all, Kerala is unique in more ways than one, thanks to the heightened experience of migration and transnationalism, among other things.

Impactful Data Visualization by Kavita Ranganathan

Bringing her clear classroom-teaching style, which has helped hundreds of data wranglers, to this book, Kavita Ranganathan walks you through the myriad ways that graphs can mislead, helping to spot visualization traps and prevent misinterpretations. She illustrates core design principles for creating truthful and effective data visualizations, assisting you to master the art and science behind creating impactful and accurate graphs. Packed with examples to clearly explain the dos and don’ts of data visualization and backed by empirical research, this book will transform the way you create and analyse graphs and charts.

Office Secrets by Harish Bhatt

In the book, The Office Secrets, Harish Bhatt offers a selection of fascinating and useful secrets that can help you be far more successful at your workplace. As a bonus, they can make you happier as well. You will find within a range of subjects-whether the best methods of fighting exhaustion, organizing your work desk, the power of listening, why kindness is so important, workplace lessons from Hercule Poirot, and what you can learn from the cookies that your colleagues eat.

Harish Bhat wields his pen with his signature insight to delight, inspire, provoke, and change the way you see offices forever.

The Art & Science Of Happiness by Swami Mukundanda

The Art and Science of Happiness|| Swami Mukundananda

Happiness is a beautiful feeling. It floods our hearts with gratitude and enriches us with the exuberance of life. Happiness is what makes living worthwhile. That is why we pursue it in all we do. Yet, despite our best efforts, it remains elusive. Why?
This is the puzzle we must solve in life. What is the secret of finding everlasting bliss? What is the art of experiencing joy that is immune to vicissitudes? And what is the science of achieving happiness that is not dependent on externals?
In The Art and Science of Happiness, internationally acclaimed authority on mind management, renowned saint and bestselling author Swami Mukundananda draws on the ancient wisdom of the scriptures and current scientific research to address these questions. He also explains strategies for happiness in relationships, at work, and in the face of adversity. By applying these concepts in your daily life, you can be happy everywhere and at all times.

The Perfect Way by Osho

In The Perfect Way, Osho answers fundamental questions about what meditation is and how we can begin and sustain it in our lives. He does this with precision, thoroughness, humour, and compassion. Here is someone who knows, but who also knows how to convey what he knows. His genius in full flight, he points us as far as one can with words towards the inner world of the self, towards the zone of silence.

The Bikshu’s Love by Nandini Vijayaraghavan

After successfully fending off the Chalukya’s siege of Kanchi, the Pallava emperor Mahendra Varmar drives the enemy king, Pulikesi, to call for a truce. The statesman in Pallavar is keen to convert a foe into a friend, but a vengeful Pulikesi reneges on his commitment. While the Pallavas are successful in chasing the Chalukyas away, Pallava Nadu bears the brunt of Pulikesi’s wrath.

Fate wields its unpredictable hand further. A rash decision by the sculptor Aayanar and his daughter Sivakami results in her being abducted by the Chalukyas. Sivakami takes a momentous vow, little realizing how far-reaching the consequences will be.

The Bikshu’s Love, the action-packed third volume of Sivakami’s Vow, is unputdownable and sets the stage for the startling climax of this magnum opus in the fourth and final book in the series.

The Defiant Optimist by Durreen Shahnaz

When she launched the world’s first stock exchange for social enterprises, Durreen Shahnaz started more than a new financial system; she sparked a movement. Defiant optimism-the stubborn belief that systems that enrich the few can be transformed for the good of the many-requires an indomitable spirit. In these pages, Shahnaz illuminates what investing in those excluded from networks of power and opportunity requires.

From growing up with constrained life chances to working as the first Bangladeshi woman on Wall Street to becoming a global leader in impact investing, Shahnaz takes us on a mesmerizing trek of innovation, compassion, and enterprise. Changing how systems work and who they work for-isn’t for the faint of heart. But The Defiant Optimist offers strategies for placing women, the underserved, and the planet at the heart of systems. Together we can locate the levers of power and pull them defiantly in a new direction.

Dreams of a Healthy India edited by Ritu Priya & Syeda Hameed

Dreams of a Healthy India, the ninth volume in the Rethinking India series, is an attempt to demystify the issues of health care and health systems for the general reader and to simultaneously provoke rethinking on several critical dimensions through writings by policymakers and academics. Its introductory essay and the thirteen subsequent essays lay out the scenario as well as the challenges in this regard, and provide actionable solutions. These are solutions for the present times that can simultaneously contribute to sustainable health care for the future. Complex ideas are not made simplistic but are presented in simple language, with some illustrative case studies, vignettes, and data that speak for themselves.

Published in collaboration with the Samruddha Bharat Foundation, This volume suggests that an indigenously developed healthcare system, based on public-community partnerships, and respect for the plurality of needs, experiences, and knowledge, can generate such healthcare for every Indian.

Varavara Rao: A life In Poetry edited by N.Venugopal & Meena Kandasamy

Varavara Rao: A Life in Poetry is the first-ever collection in English of poems by the Telugu poet, selected and translated from sixteen books that he has published. Having begun to write poetry in his early teens, Varavara Rao, now in his early eighties, continues to be a doyen of Telugu modern poets. He was a consistent comrade-in-letters to all the social movements from the 1960s to the 2010s, and this volume is a capsule of momentous social history captured in his poetic imagination.

The Mistress Of Bhatia House by Sujata Massey

India, 1922: Perveen Mistry is the only female lawyer in Bombay, a city where child mortality is high, birth control is unavailable and very few women have ever seen a doctor. In The Mistress of Bhatia House, Perveen is seen as a symbol of perseverance and rebellion in a time when gender roles controlled one’s life. She is the sole female attorney in Bombay, and her very existence speaks volumes about her unflinching attitude. Perveen breaks the glass ceiling with unrelenting will as she fights the ingrained prejudice that surrounds her with each stride she takes.

Pugmarks And Carbon Foorprints by Rohan Chakravarty

Pugmarks and Carbon Footprints is a collection of gag cartoons and comic strips based exclusively on wildlife and nature. Staying true to their theme, the cartoons and comics in the book will speak about wildlife, ecology, interesting trivia about the lives of wild animals, and how the lives of these creatures are entwined with ours. Other than providing some much-needed comic relief during environmental doomsday, the book will equip the reader with snippet-sized information about environmental issues in an easily palatable manner.

So, which book is going to be your next June read?

Must-Reads by India’s Favourite Mythology Writer Devdutt Pattanaik

Posted on May 23, 2023May 23, 2023 by amisra

Bestselling author Devdutt Pattanaik has penned over 25 books and over 500 articles on the relevance of mythology in modern times. He worked in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries for 15 years before devoting all his time to his passion for decoding beliefs of all cultures, modern and ancient, located beneath the veneer of rationality. Extremely knowledgeable and exceptionally insightful, Pattanaik also boasts of the added skill of simplifying his mythological accounts into delightful reads that engage young readers. He is the master storyteller of the very popular Fun in Devlok series and Pashu. Here are the must-reads by India’s favourite mythology writer Devdutt Pattanaik:

Sita: An Illustrated Retelling Of The Ramayana||Devdutt Pattanaik

It is significant that the only character in Hindu mythology, a king at that, to be given the title of ekam-patni-vrata, devoted to a single wife, is associated with the most unjust act of abandoning her in the forest to protect family reputation. This seems a deliberate souring of the narrative, made even more complex by Ram’s refusal to remarry despite the pressure on royalty to produce an heir. The intention seems to be to provoke thought on notions of fidelity, property and self-image. And so mythologist and illustrator Devdutt Pattanaik narrates the Ramayan, drawing attention to the many oral, visual and written retellings composed in different times by different poets, each one trying to solve the puzzle in their own unique way. This book approaches Ram by speculating on Sita-her childhood with her father, Janak, who hosted sages mentioned in the Upanishads; her stay in the forest with her husband who had to be a celibate ascetic while she was in the prime of her youth; her interactions with the women of Lanka, recipes she exchanged, emotions they shared; her connection with the earth, her mother; her role as the Goddess, the untamed Kali as well as the demure Gauri, in transforming the stoic prince of Ayodhya into God.

Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling Of The Mahabharata||Devdutt Pattanaik

High above the sky stands Swarga, paradise, abode of the gods. Still above is Vaikuntha, heaven, abode of God.

The doorkeepers of Vaikuntha are the twins, Jaya and Vijaya, both whose names mean ‘victory’. One keeps you in Swarga; the other raises you into Vaikuntha. In Vaikuntha there is bliss forever, in Swarga there is pleasure for only as long as you deserve.

What is the difference between Jaya and Vijaya? Solve this puzzle and you will solve the mystery of the Mahabharata. In this enthralling retelling of India’s greatest epic, the Mahabharata, originally known as Jaya, Devdutt Pattanaik seamlessly weaves into a single narrative plots from the Sanskrit classic as well as its many folk and regional variants, including the Pandavani of Chattisgarh, Gondhal of Maharashtra, Terukkuttu of Tamil Nadu, and Yakshagana of Karnataka.

Richly illustrated with over 250 line drawings by the author, the 108 chapters abound with little-known details such as the names of the hundred Kauravas, the worship of Draupadi as a goddess in Tamil Nadu, the stories of Astika, Madhavi, Jaimini, Aravan and Barbareek, the Mahabharata version of the Shakuntalam and the Ramayana, and the dating of the war based on astronomical data. With clarity and simplicity, the tales in this elegant volume reveal the eternal relevance of the Mahabharata, the complex and disturbing meditation on the human condition that has shaped Indian thought for over 3000 years.

Jaya: Mahabharat Ka Sachitra Punarkathan||Devdutt Pattanaik

High above the sky stands Swarga, paradise, abode of the gods. Still above is Vaikuntha, heaven, abode of God. The doorkeepers of Vaikuntha are the twins, Jaya and Vijaya, both whose names mean ‘victory’. One keeps you in Swarga; the other raises you into Vaikuntha. In Vaikuntha there is bliss forever, in Swarga there is pleasure for only as long as you deserve. What is the difference between Jaya and Vijaya? Solve this puzzle and you will solve the mystery of the Mahabharata. In this enthralling retelling of India’s greatest epic, the Mahabharata, originally known as Jaya, Devdutt Pattanaik seamlessly weaves into a single narrative plots from the Sanskrit classic as well as its many folk and regional variants, including the Pandavani of Chattisgarh, Gondhal of Maharashtra, Terukkuttu of Tamil Nadu, and Yakshagana of Karnataka. Richly illustrated with over 250 line drawings by the author, the 108 chapters abound with little-known details such as the names of the hundred Kauravas, the worship of Draupadi as a goddess in Tamil Nadu, the stories of Astika, Madhavi, Jaimini, Aravan and Barbareek, the Mahabharata version of the Shakuntalam and the Ramayana, and the dating of the war based on astronomical data. With clarity and simplicity, the tales in this elegant volume reveal the eternal relevance of the Mahabharata, the complex and disturbing meditation on the human condition that has shaped Indian thought for over 3000 years.

A decoding of Hindu mythology Hindus have one God. They also have 330 million gods: male gods; female gods; personal gods; family gods; household gods; village gods; gods of space and time; gods for specific castes and particular professions; gods who reside in trees; in animals; in minerals; in geometrical patterns and in man-made objects. Then there are a whole host of demons. But no Devil. In this groundbreaking book Dr Devdutt Pattanaik; one of India’s most popular mythologists; seeks an answer to these apparent paradoxes and unravels an inherited truth about life and death; nature and culture; perfection and possibility. He retells sacred Hindu stories and decodes Hindu symbols and rituals; using a unique style of commentary; illustrations and diagrams. We discover why the villainous Kauravas went to heaven and the virtuous Pandavas (all except Yudhishtira) were sent to hell; why Rama despite abandoning the innocent Sita remains the model king; why the blood-drinking Kali is another form of the milk-giving Gauri; and why Shiva wrenched off the fifth head of Brahma. Constructed over generations; Hindu myths serve as windows to the soul; and provide an understanding of the world around us. The aim is not to outgrow myth; but to be enriched and empowered by its ancient; potent and still relevant language.

‘I am not sure that I am a man,’ said Yuvanashva. ‘I have created life outside me as men do. But I have also created life inside me, as women do. What does that make me? Will a body such as mine fetter or free me?’

Among the many hundreds of characters who inhabit the Mahabharata, perhaps the world’s greatest epic and certainly one of the oldest, is Yuvanashva, a childless king, who accidentally drinks a magic potion meant to make his queens pregnant and gives birth to a son. This extraordinary novel is his story.

It is also the story of his mother Shilavati, who cannot be king because she is a woman; of young Somvat, who surrenders his genitals to become a wife; of Shikhandi, a daughter brought up as a son, who fathers a child with a borrowed penis; of Arjuna, the great warrior with many wives, who is forced to masquerade as a woman after being castrated by a nymph; of Ileshwara, a god on full-moon days and a goddess on new-moon nights; and of Adi-natha, the teacher of teachers, worshipped as a hermit by some and as an enchantress by others.

Building on Hinduism’s rich and complex mythology-but driven by a very contemporary sensibility-Devdutt Pattanaik creates a lush and fecund work of fiction in which the lines are continually blurred between men and women, sons and daughters, husbands and wives, fathers and mothers. Confronted with such fluidity the reader is drawn into Yuvanashva’s struggle to be fair to all-those here, those there and all those in between.

He is Eka-vachani, a king who always keeps his word; Eka-bani, an archer who strikes his target with the first arrow; and Eka-patni, a husband who is eternally and absolutely devoted to a single wife. He is maryada purushottam Ram, the supreme upholder of social values, the scion of the Raghu clan, jewel of the solar dynasty, the seventh avatar of Vishnu, God who establishes order in worldly life. Hindus believe that in stressful and tumultuous times chanting Ram’s name and hearing his tale, the Ramayan, brings stability, hope, peace and prosperity. Reviled by feminists, appropriated by politicians, Ram remains serene in his majesty, the only Hindu deity to be worshipped as a king.

Relive the fabulous story of the Ramayana through 108 illustrations to be coloured in.
The Sita Colouring Book, based on Devdutt Pattanaik’s bestselling retelling of the Ramayana, is a fascinating colouring journey for you to embark on.
From the very beginning of the great epic, the birth of Dashratha’s four sons, to the passing of Lakshman and Ram at the very end, the remarkably simple yet multilayered story of the Ramayana comes alive through Devdutt’s wonderful illustrations.
Rediscover some of the most dramatic moments of the great Indian epic, from Ram’s breaking of the great bow to the abduction of Sita, from the sacking of Lanka to the building of the bridge across the sea, from the slaying of Ravana to Sita’s trial by fire.
Imagine the way the Dandaka forest, Kishkindha, Lanka and Ayodhya might have looked, and colour them in all their glory, along with portraits of unforgettable personages like Hanuman, Jambuvan, Jatayu, Surpanakha, Kumbhakarna and Ravana.
This is a great colouring adventure that readers of all ages will thoroughly enjoy.

Relive the great Indian epic the Mahabharata through 108 illustrations to be coloured in.
The Jaya Colouring Book, based on Devdutt Pattanaik’s bestselling retelling of the Mahabharata, is a tremendous colouring adventure for you to embark on.
From the very beginning of the great epic (which Vyasa narrates as Ganesha writes the story down) till the dramatic end (when Yudhishtira is horrified to discover the Pandavas and Draupadi in Naraka), the entire story of the Mahabharata unfolds through Devdutt’s inimitable illustrations.
Relive the drama of the greatest story ever told, from the birth of the Kauravas and Pandavas to Draupadi’s swayamvara, the game of dice, the years in exile, and finally the great war of Kurukshetra.
Let your imagination run riot as you colour in the battle scenes-Krishna narrating the Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna, Bhima’s slaying of Dusshasana and Duryodhana, and the deaths of Karna, Drona and Bhishma.
This is a great colouring adventure that readers of all ages will thoroughly enjoy.

Based on the immensely successful TV show on EPIC channel, this ultimate collection comprises Devlok with Devdutt Pattanaik 1, 2 and 3. Get ready for an entertaining and educational ride with India’s favourite mythologist as he answers all your questions on religions, the holy texts, Indian cultures and more!

· Olympus is the home of the Greek gods, much like Amravati of the Hindu devas.
· Zeus, leader of Olympians, wields a thunderbolt like Indra, and rides an eagle like Vishnu.
· The feats of the Greek hero Heracles, known to Romans as Hercules, reminded many of Krishna, as did his name, ‘Hari-kula-esha’ or lord of the Hari clan.
· The Greek epic of a husband sailing across the sea with a thousand ships to bring his wife, Helen, back from Troy seems strikingly similar to the story of Ram rescuing Sita from Lanka.
Is there a connection between Greek and Hindu mythology then? Does it have something to do with a common Indo-European root? Or maybe an exchange of ideas in the centuries that followed the arrival of Alexander the Great, when Greek emissaries travelled to the kingdoms of Mathura and Magadha?
In this book, mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik turns his attention to ancient Greek tales, and explores a new world of stories. Long have Europeans and Americans retold Indic mythologies. It is time for Indians to reverse the gaze.

Devlok with Devdutt-2 (Hindi)||Devdutt Pattanaik

Are the illustrious clans of the Mahabharata from Surya Vansh or Chandra Vansh?
Which yuga does the Ramayana occur in, and does it occur only once?
What do haldi, kumkum, bhasm or chandan signify in a puja thali?
After the sensational response to Season 1 of EPIC Channel’s Devlok with Devdutt Pattanaik, Devdutt invited his viewers and readers to ask him questions about Hindu mythology, which he has answered over thirty thrilling episodes. Prepare to be educated, entertained and moved as Devdutt delves into the exhilarating variety of Hindu mythology.
In this volume, you will discover the difference between dhyan and darshan, aastik and nastik, Surya Vansh and Chandra Vansh. There are amusing stories about your favourite Hanuman and fascinating facts about the dark Vishnu avatars, Varaha and Narasimha. Learn why Lakshmi or Saraswati are always in conflict, and how women have the most intriguing characters in mythological tales.
Journey deeper into the magical world of Hindu mythology with Devdutt, and you’ll never want to turn back.

It is significant that the only character in Hindu mythology, a king at that, to be given the title of ekam-patni-vrata, devoted to a single wife, is associated with the most unjust act of abandoning her in the forest to protect family reputation. This seems a deliberate souring of the narrative, made even more complex by Ram’s refusal to remarry despite the pressure on royalty to produce an heir. The intention seems to be to provoke thought on notions of fidelity, property and self-image. And so mythologist and illustrator Devdutt Pattanaik narrates the Ramayan, drawing attention to the many oral, visual and written retellings composed in different times by different poets, each one trying to solve the puzzle in their own unique way. This book approaches Ram by speculating on Sita-her childhood with her father, Janak, who hosted sages mentioned in the Upanishads; her stay in the forest with her husband who had to be a celibate ascetic while she was in the prime of her youth; her interactions with the women of Lanka, recipes she exchanged, emotions they shared; her connection with the earth, her mother; her role as the Goddess, the untamed Kali as well as the demure Gauri, in transforming the stoic prince of Ayodhya into God.

The Book of Ram (Marathi)||Devdutt Pattanaik

Devlok with Devdutt Pattanaik 3||Devdutt Pattanaik

Where did the name Radha come from?
When did Christianity first come to India?
What is the connection between sanskar and dharma?

After the enormous success of the first two seasons of EPIC Channel’s Devlok with Devdutt Pattanaik, India’s favourite mythologist is back with a third instalment to answer these questions and more, this time delving deeper into Hinduism and other religions as well!

In this volume, you will read about the various versions of the Ramayana found across Asia. There are chapters on Buddhism and Jainism and their fascinating histories. Learn where the concept of marriage comes from, the reasons behind the many riti-riwaz in Hinduism and the place of fathers and fatherhood in Indian mythology, among myriad other topics and lesser-known tales-all tackled by Devdutt in a Q&A format.

Covering over fifteen informative and inspiring episodes, this volume is a heady mix of education and entertainment.

Devlok 3: Devdutt Pattanaik Ke Sang||Devdutt Pattanaik

Where did the name Radha come from?
When did Christianity first come to India?
What is the connection between sanskar and dharma?
After the enormously successful runs of the first and second seasons of EPIC Channel’s Devlok with Devdutt Pattanaik, and their book editions, the trailblazer of Hindu mythology Devdutt Pattanaik is back with a third instalment to answer these questions and more! Covering over fifteen informative and inspiring episodes, this volume is a heady mix of education and entertainment. The show delves into myriad topics and lesser-known tales and questions that will be revisited by Devdutt in a Q&A format, making mythology more interesting for everyday audiences.

The Pregnant King (Hindi)||Devdutt Pattanaik

Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagavata||Devdutt Pattanaik

An enthralling retelling of India’s greatest epic, the Mahabharata, Jaya seamlessly weaves into a single narrative plots from the Sanskrit classic as well as its many folk and regional variants. With clarity and simplicity, the tales in this elegant volume reveal the eternal relevance of the Mahabharata and the complex and disturbing meditation on the human condition that has shaped Indian thought for over 3000 years.
Sita approaches Ram and the Ramayana by speculating on the titular character: her childhood with her father, Janaka, who hosted sages mentioned in the Upanishads; her stay in the forest with her husband, who had to be a celibate ascetic while she was in the prime of her youth; her interactions with the women of Lanka, recipes she exchanged, the emotions they shared; her role as a goddess, the untamed Kali as well as the demure Gauri, in transforming the stoic prince of Ayodhya into God.
The Bhagavata is the story of Krishna, known as Shyam to those who find beauty, wisdom and love in his dark complexion. Shyam tells the story of Krishna’s birth and his death, bringing together the fragments of this great epic composed over thousands of years, first as the Harivamsa, then as the Bhagavata Purana, and finally as the passionate songs of poet-sages in various regional languages.

The Best of Indian Mythology Box Set||Devdutt Pattanaik

Shyam: The wisdom of the Bhagavata for the modern reader
Sita: An unheard voice from the Ramayana
Jaya: Folklore from the epic Mahabharata
Olympus: Indian parallels for classic Greek myths
Eden: A unique take on Abrahamic lore

For curious first-time readers of Indian mythology, this new collection of Devdutt Pattanaik’s five best-selling books is the perfect gift.

Take an epic voyage with Devdutt through ancient and mythological worlds. This captivating, richly illustrated narrative will regale readers with the many legends and parables that make our collective cultural heritage. Through decades of research, Devdutt decodes ancient epic tales and presents them with a blend of simplicity, candidness, and elegance. This box-set is sure to ring in the festive spirit this holiday season.

Shyam: An Illustrated Retelling Of The Bhagavata||Devdutt Pattanaik

In the forest of insecurities, is it possible to discover humanity through pleasure?
Can we stop seeing each other as predator, prey, rival or mate, and rediscover ourselves as lovers?
Does the divine reside in sensual delight, in emotional intimacy and in aesthetic experience?

Yes, yes, yes.
That is the promise of the Bhagavata.
The Bhagavata is the story of Krishna, known as Shyam to those who find beauty, wisdom and love in his dark complexion. It is the third great Hindu epic after the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. However, this narration was composed in fragments over thousands of years, first as the Harivamsa, then as the Bhagavata Purana, and finally as the passionate songs of poet-sages in various regional languages.

This book seamlessly weaves the story from Krishna’s birth to his death, or rather from his descent to the butter-smeared world of happy women to his ascent from the blood-soaked world of angry men.

Eden: An Indian Exploration Of Jewish, Christian And Islamic Lore||Devdutt Pattanaik

Eden is the garden of happiness that humankind lost when Adam and Eve the first human couple, disobeyed the one true god, i.e., God, and ate the fruit of the forbidden tree. To this garden all humanity shall return if we accept God’s love and follow God’s law. It represents paradise in Abrahamic lore, which emerged over 4,000 years ago in the Middle East and has since spread to every corner of the world in three forms: Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

Like the Ramayana and Mahabharata, Jewish, Christian and Islamic tales too are cultural memories and metaphors, i.e. mythologies. They seek to make life meaningful by establishing a worldview based on one God, one life, and one way of living based on God’s message transmitted through many messengers. But these stories contrast Indian mythologies that are rooted in rebirth, where the world is without beginning or end, where there are infinite manifestations of the divine, both within and without, personal and impersonal, simultaneously monotheistic, polytheistic and atheistic.

Eden explores the vast world of Abrahamic myths from a uniquely Indian prism, through storytelling that is intimate but not irreverent, and to introduce readers to the many captivating tales of angels, demons, prophets, patriarchs, judges and kings. It also retells stories from Mesopotamian, Egyptian and Zoroastrian mythologies that in?uenced Abrahamic monotheism over time.

Penguin 35 Collectors Edition: The Book of Ram||Devdutt Pattanaik

Shikhandi: And Other Queer Tales They Don't Tell You — Shikhandi: And Other Queer Tales They Don’t Tell You||Devdutt Pattanaik

Patriarchy asserts men are superior to women
Feminism clarifies women and men are equal
Queerness questions what constitutes male and female

Queerness isn’t only modern, Western or sexual, says mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik. Take a close look at the vast written and oral traditions in Hinduism, some over two thousand years old, and you will find tales of:
Shikhandi, who became a man to satisfy her wife
Mahadeva, who became a woman to deliver a devotee’s child
Chudala, who became a man to enlighten her husband
Samavan, who became the wife of his male friend
and many more . . .
Playful and touching—and sometimes disturbing—these stories when compared with tales of the Mesopotamian Gilgamesh, the Greek Ganymede, the biblical Sodom or the Chinese ‘cut sleeve’ Emperor reveal the unique Indian way of making sense of queerness.
Devdutt Pattanaik’s new book builds on profound ideas that our ancestors shared but which we have rarely inherited.
This book has content for mature audiences. Discretion advised.

Unmissable Books by Namita Gokhale

Posted on May 19, 2023May 20, 2023 by amisra

Namita Gokhale is an award-winning writer and festival director. She is the author of eleven works of fiction and has written extensively on myth as well as the Himalayan region. Her acclaimed debut novel, Paro: Dreams of Passion, was published in 1984. She is committed to supporting translations and curating literary dialogues across languages and cultures. She is also co-founder and co-director of the vibrant and world-famous Jaipur Literature Festival. Here you’ll find a list of unmissable books by Namita Gokhale:

Part ghost story, part erotic romance, The Book of Shadows is an ambitious book that investigates the nature of reality, love and faith. It is a work of startling originality by one of India’s most daring and talented writers.

Gods, Graves & Grandmother||Namita Gokhale

‘Before mother left, in a long-ago time, we had been very rich. My grandmother had been a great singer, a kothewali whose voice was more liquid and beautiful than Lata Mangeshkar’s. Eleven nawabs and two Englishmen were besotted with love of her.’ From these great heights Gudiya’s world plunges into the depths of almost complete penury when she arrives in Delhi with her ancient grandmother, Ammi, fleeing small-town scandal and disgrace. Just when all seems lost, Ammi works a miracle: a slab of green marble stolen from a building site, and five rounded pebbles from a sahib’s garden, are transformed by the power of her singing voice into an inviolable place of worship. From here on, Gudiya’s life takes on an extraordinary momentum of its own. Ammi dies a small-time saint, Pandit Kailash Nath Shastri predicts a future of impossible luck, the irrepressible Phoolwati becomes an unlikely guardian, and the inhumanly handsome Kalki rides in on his white horse and steals her heart. As we follow the twists and turns of Gudiya’s story, we see unfold before us the peculiar dance of chance and will that is human existence.

With this haunting novel about romantic loss and fatalism, Namita Gokhale confirms her reputation as one of PBI – India’s finest writers, and one with the rare gift of seeing and recording the epic in ordinary lives. This is the story of Parvati, young, beautiful and doomed, and Mukul Nainwal, the local boy made good who returns to the Nainital of his youth to search for the only woman he has ever loved. Told in the voices of these two exiles from life, this spare, sensitive book is a compelling read.

Shakuntala: The Play Of Memory||Namita Gokhale

On the ghats of Kashi, the most ancient of cities, a woman confronts memories that have pursued her through birth and rebirth. In the life she recalls, she Shakuntala of the northern mountains-spirited, imaginative, but destined like her legendary namesake to suffer ‘the samskaras of abandonment’. Stifled by social custom, hungry for experience, she deserts home and family for the company of a Greek horse merchant she meets by the Ganga. Together, they travel far and wide and surrender to unbridled pleasure, as Shakuntala assumes the identity of Yaduri, the fallen woman. But an old restlessness compels her to forsake this life as well-and court tragedy.

In Search Of Sita: Revisiting Mythology||Namita Gokhale, Malashri Lal

In Search of Sita presents essays, conversations and commentaries that explore different aspects of her life. It revisits mythology, reopening the debate on her birth, her days in exile, her abduction, the test by fire, the birth of her sons and, finally, her return to the earth-offering fresh interpretations of this enigmatic figure and her indelible impact on our everyday lives.

Priya: In Incredible Indyaa|| Namita Gokhale

India is shining, and Suresh Kaushal, the stout lawyer -of sober habits’, has propelled himself up the political ladder to become Minister of State for Food Processing, Animal Husbandry, Fisheries and Canneries. His wife Priya can’t believe their luck and, determined to ensure it doesn’t run out, struggles valiantly with -social vertigo’, infidelity and menopause. Along the way she also learns vital lessons on survival, as she watches her glamorous new friend Pooonam chase status, sex and Jimmy Choo shoes, and her radical old friend Lenin ride a donkey and lose his bearings. In this wickedly funny, occasionally tender, book, Namita Gokhale resurrects some unforgettable characters from her 1984 cult bestseller Paro, and plunges them neck-deep into Delhi’s toxic waste of power, money and greed.

Paro is a heroic temptress, alluring and rapacious, the stuff of legend. Wandering through the world of privilege and Scotch whiskey that the rich inhabit, she is observed constantly by the acid Priya, eternal voyeur and diarist, who identifies strongly with the heroine of her favourite novel, Rebecca, and vicariously follows the melodrama of Paro’s life. Priya herself is in love with her boss, the irresistible BR, sewing-machine magnate and ‘the Housewife’s Friend’. Paro, inevitably, marries him, to Priya’s fury. But BR is merely one among a whole string of admirers; Paro has seduced many. Eventually, as in all moral tales, Paro succumbs to life and circumstances, but not before the reader has been wildly entertained by social comedy without parallel in Indian writing.

The Habit of Love is a collection of stories about the inner lives of women. Some of these women inhabit the ancient past, some the present day but they share the whimsical humour with which they speak of themselves. Delicately poised between irony and grief, The Habit of Love is both elegant and acute, arch and melancholic. In these moving stories she displays both sympathy and understanding as she unveils the workings of a woman’s heart.

Shiva: Destroyer and Protector, Supreme Ascetic and Lord of the Universe. He is Ardhanarishwara, half-man and half-woman; he is Neelakantha, who drank poison to save the three PBI – Worlds—and yet, when crazed with grief at the death of Sati, set about destroying them. Shiva holds within him the answers to some of the greatest dilemmas that have perplexed mankind. Who is Shiva? Why does he roam the PBI – World as a naked ascetic covered with ash? What was the tandava? What is the story behind the worship of the linga and what vision of the PBI – World does it signify? Namita Gokhale examines these questions and many others that lie within the myriad of stories about Shiva. Even as she unravels his complexities, she finds a philosophy and PBI – Worldview that is terrifying and yet life affirming—an outlook that is, to many, the essence of PBI – Indian thought.

Finding Radha: The Quest For Love||Namita Gokhale, Malashri Lal

Who was Radha, and why has she captured the imagination of so many writers across centuries? No other goddess combines the elements of bhakti and shringara quite as exquisitely as the divine milkmaid. She spans a vivid rainbow of imagery-from the playfulness of the Ras Lila to the soulfulness of her undying love, from the mystic allure of her depictions in poetry, art and sculpture to her enduring legacy in Vrindavan. In a way that sets her apart from other female consorts, Radha is idealized and dreamed of in a way that is almost more elemental than mythical. Namita Gokhale and Malashri Lal, who brought us In Search of Sita: Revisiting Mythology, now present an anthology on the mysterious Radha, the epitome of love, who defies all conventional codes yet transcends social prohibitions through the power of the spiritual and the sensual, the sacred and the erotic. Finding Radha is the first of its kind: a collection of poetry, prose and translation that enter the historical as well as the artistic dimensions of the eternal romance of Radha and Krishna.

Double Bill: Priya And Paro||Namita Gokhale

Magnificent gin-drinker Paro, heroic temptress, glides like an exotic bird of prey through the world of the rich in Bombay and Delhi. She lives life recklessly, caring about nothing and nobody. Not even Priya, eternal voyeur and diarist, who views this femme fatale with wonder, trepidation and jealousy until she comes into her own. Two unforgettable women bring a glittering, toxic world of power, money and greed to life, with the scandalous cult classic Paro: Dreams of Passion. Priya: Take Two continues this ride through a world best viewed through a glass of Scotch, as Priya battles social vertigo and learns lessons in survival on her spirited journey to the top.
Published in 1984 and 2011 respectively, Paro and Priya remain incisive and witty commentaries on the movers and shakers of the business and power capitals, invoking all the contradictions of urban India. Namita Gokhale’s pioneering debut and its sequel span a generation and an era, moving from the eighties to the post-millennial Indian society. Wicked, hilarious and utterly amusing, with echoes of Dorothy Parker ringing through their vigorous prose, for the first time the two novels come together in one classic volume, taking the liberated, brazen and all-too human Paro and her natural counterpart, the more timorous Priya, to new readers and old.

Kumaon, 1856. History has already begun its steady march. Six native women clad in black and scarlet pichauras huddle around Naineetal Lake, attempting to cleanse it of ominous influences. These are the days of Upper Mall Road (for Europeans and their horses) and Lower Mall Road (‘for dogs, servants and other Indians’). Amidst a theatre of British impunity, feisty young Tilottama Dutt, whose uncle is hung when he protests the reigning order, and her daughter, Deoki, confront change as Indians and as women.

Winner of the Sahitya Akademi Award for 2021, Things to Leave Behind brings alive the romance of the mixed legacy of the British-Indian past. Full of the fascinating backstory of Naineetal and its unwilling entry into Indian history, throwing a shining light on the elemental confusion of caste, creed and culture, illuminated with painstaking detail, here is a fascinating historical epic and Namita Gokhale’s most ambitious novel yet.

Ghatotkach Ke Mayajal Mein||Namita Gokhale

Young Chintamani Dev Gupta, on holiday in a bird camp near Lake Sattal, is transported via a wormhole to the days of the Mahabharata. Trapped in time, he meets Ghatotkacha and his mother, the demoness Hidimba. But the gentle giant, a master of illusion and mind-boggling rakshasa technology, wields his strength just as well as he knows the age-old secrets of the forest and the elemental forces. And in his enlightening company, Chintamani finds himself in the thick of the events of the most enduring Indian epic.
An intense yet tender look at a rare friendship as well as the abiding puzzles of the past, this is a fascinating read.

From a septuagenarian who has completed her semi-fictional novel but does not want to publish it, to an author who receives a threat in the form of an anonymous letter, from a historian who reunites with a past lover, to a burglar who is passionate about poetry, from a young woman who has no idea what this world has in store for her, to an American woman looking for the India of her hippie youth, this metafictional, wryly funny, pacey novel is an ode to literature. Told from multiple perspectives, set against the backdrop of the vibrant multilingual Jaipur Literature Festival, diverse stories of lost love and regret, self-doubt, and new beginnings come together in a narrative that is as varied as India itself.

Partly a love letter to the greatest literary show on earth, partly a satire about the glittery set that throngs this literary venue year on year, and partly an ode to the millions of aspiring writers who wander the earth with unsubmitted manuscripts in their bags, Jaipur Journals is a light-footed romp that showcases in full form Gokhale’s unsparing eye for the pretensions and the pathos of that loneliest tribe of them all: the writers.

The blind matriarch, Matangi-Ma, lives on the topmost floor of an old house with many stories. From her eyrie, she hovers unseeingly over the lives of her family. Her long-time companion Lali is her emissary to the world. Her three children are by turn overprotective and dismissive of her. Her grandchildren are coming to terms with old secrets and growing pains. Life goes on this way until one day the world comes to a standstill-and they all begin to look inward.

This assured novel records the different registers in the complex inner life of an extended family. Like the nation itself, the strict hierarchy of the joint-family home can be dysfunctional, and yet it is this home that often provides unexpected relief and succour to the vulnerable within its walls.

As certainties dissolve, endings lead to new beginnings. Structured with the warp of memory and the weft of conjoined lives, the narrative follows middle India, even as it records the struggles for individual growth, with successive generations trying to break out of the stranglehold of the all-encompassing Indian family.

Ebbing and flowing like the waves of a pandemic, the novel is a clear-eyed chronicle of the tragedies of India’s encounter with the Coronavirus, the cynicism and despair that accompanied it, and the resilience and strength of the human spirit.

6 Books That Are The Perfect Mother’s Day Gift!

Posted on May 14, 2023May 15, 2023 by amisra

Are you currently scrambling to find the perfect Mother’s Day gift for your more-than-perfect Maa? We got you! Whether it’s a much-needed distraction from the daily grind, or just a reminder of the strength she’s capable of, these 6 books scream, “I love you, Mama Bear”!

In Good Innings, Shobha Tharoor Srinivasan tells her mother Lily’s ‘extraordinary, ordinary’ story through a combination of personal reflections, life lessons, and philosophical insights. The result is a collection of teachable vignettes aimed to galvanize a new generation into growth and action. Every chapter starts with an anecdote which will encourage conversations and transformations in the reader’s life. Good Innings is an intimate account of the life of a beloved matriarch with a modest background and an iron will-a woman who learned from the school of life and now has lessons to share of her own – a Mother’s Day must-have!

The epic tale of a woman who breathes a fantastical empire into existence, only to be consumed by it over the centuries – from the transcendent imagination of Booker Prize-winning, internationally bestselling author Salman Rushdie.

Brilliantly styled as a translation of an ancient epic, this is a saga of love, adventure and myth that is in itself a testament to the power of storytelling.

The six-week-pregnant Mahika has just walked into her fertility clinic when she discovers an anonymous note that discloses the ugly truth behind her pregnancy. Before Mahika can come to terms with the fact that her husband’s quest for perfection has marked its territory in her womb, she finds herself locked in her own house. But then she discovers that her unborn son has extraordinary powers. As weeks pass by, Rudra calibrates and recalibrates his powers with one aim-Mahika’s freedom.

But Rudra needs more than his newly acquired powers to free his mother. He needs to betray his creator, his father. And he must do it before it’s too late.

Nidhi Upadhyay’s brilliant debut novel is a psychological thriller with jaw-dropping twists.

A bomb explodes in a university cafe, claiming the lives of nineteen students. The Empty Space begins with the identification of those nineteen dead. The mother who enters the cafe last to identify the nineteenth body brings home her dead eighteen-year-old son packed in a box, as well as the of the sole survivor e blast, a three-year-old boy who, by a strange quirk of fate, is found lying in a small empty space, alive and breathing. This beautifully moving book chronicles the memories of the boy gone, the story of the boy brought home, and the cataclysmic crossing of life and death.

COMING SOON!

Whenever climate change as a topic pops up in a conversation, someone ends the conversation with ‘What can I do about it?’ This book is the answer to those all, what can I dos. Covering all the aspects of day-to-day life like food, textile, transportation, tourism, beauty, home, education, business, etc along with Industry specific expert comments.

Get hold of this book to learn the art of making our planet more liveable and sustainable.

COMING SOON!

So there you go – the perfect books for Mother’s Day!

New books to read all day in May

Posted on May 1, 2023 by Kavya Wahi

The only thing that makes the most sense is that a new month calls for new books! While you look to ace your summer look, don’t forget to carry a book. We’re here to help you find your perfect book match with our list of new releases. So, scroll through these titles that come highly recommended by us.

Small Wins Every Day by Luke Coutinho

Nothing is as daunting as a goal. Many of us struggle with achieving them – be it in life, health, love and career. When you set unrealistic goals and keep failing, your intelligently designed brain tries to protect you from the pain and negative emotions that come with failure.

In Small Wins Every Day, Luke Coutinho presents a simple premise with powerful results, teaching you to rewire your brain for success. The hack? Break down your goals into small wins that you can achieve every day. Stacked over time, these contribute to significant lifestyle changes, good health and happiness.

Simple and bite-sized but packed with a punch, here are 100 wins to change your life.

Faf Through Fire by Faf Du Plessis

Faf through Fire is far more than just a book about cricket. It is the story of a man who happened to play the sport at the highest level.

This brutally honest, fascinating, introspective work provides a unique insight into the mind and heart of one of South Africa’s most interesting and charismatic cricketers. There is the public persona-the tattooed, fashion-conscious, mentally tough, immensely popular and yet, at times, misunderstood Du Plessis. And then there is the authentic Faf. It took him years to connect with this side of himself, but when he did, it shaped his relationships with people and, ultimately, his captaincy of the Proteas.

In this book, Du Plessis lays bare the story of his growth, from a youth with a questionable moral compass outside of cricket to a leader known for his integrity, values, honesty and empathy for his teammates. He reflects on how influential leaders, such as Gary Kirsten, Stephen Fleming, Doc Moosajee, Graeme Smith, A.B. de Villiers, Owen Eastwood, Russell Domingo, Ottis Gibson and M.S. Dhoni, helped mould him into a man who leads with grit, purpose and a love of people.

The Roof Beneath Their Feet by Geetanjali Shree, Rahul Soni

In this beautifully crafted novel, roofs have a special place; they are meant for wild things, for romance and for play, they are places to dry pickles and grains while exchanging gossip about quiet caresses. But above all, they are realms of freedom. In The Roof Beneath their Feet, Chachcho and Lalna use their roofs to build a friendship that transcends time and memory. Suddenly one day, Lalna has to leave, to return only after Chachcho’s passing. Amidst rumors and gossip in the neighborhood, Chachcho’s nephew tries to piece together his memories of the two women, one of whom is his mother. The truth he is searching for could destroy him forever, but to not find out is no longer an option. A story of twists and turns, The Roof Beneath Their Feet, translated from the original Hindi by Rahul Soni, is easily one of the best contemporary novels you have read in a long time.

India’s Finance Ministers by A.K. Bhattacharya

Independent India has so far witnessed twenty-eight finance ministers. But only a handful of them could leave their mark on the exchequer or North Block, the headquarters of the Indian finance ministry. From Independence to Emergency: India’s Finance Ministers 1947-1977 is the story of India’s unforgettable finance ministers who shaped India’s economy in the first thirty years after Independence. The book highlights the significant difference that these finance ministers made to the management of the Indian economy and to the policy evolution of the government, and who thus left an indelible mark on the psyche of Indian citizens. It attempts to measure the impact these decisions left, not only on India’s economic system but also on its political system, and looks at to what extent the decisions were influenced by the socio-economic backgrounds of the finance ministers.

The Penguin Book of Modern Tibetan Essays by Tenzin Dickie

The Penguin Book of Modern Tibetan Essays is a groundbreaking anthology of modern Tibetan non-fiction. This unprecedented collection celebrates the art of the modern Tibetan essay and comprises some of the best Tibetan writers working today in Tibetan, English, and Chinese.

There are essays on lost friends, stolen inheritances, prison notes, and secret journeys from-and to-Tibet, but there are also essays on food, the Dalai Lama’s Gar dancer, love letters, lotteries and the Prince of Tibet. The collection offers a profound commentary not just on the Tibetan nation and Tibetan exile, but also on the romance, comedy and tragedy of modern Tibetan life. For this anthology, editor and translator Tenzin Dickie has commissioned and collected 28 essays from 22 Tibetan writers, including Woeser, Jamyang Norbu, Tsering Wangmo Dhompa, Pema Bhum and Lhashamgyal.

Lost to the World by Shahbaz Taseer

In late August of 2011, Shahbaz Taseer was driving to his office in Lahore, Pakistan when he was dragged from his car at gunpoint and kidnapped by a group of Taliban-affiliated terrorists. Just seven months earlier, his father, Salman Taseer, the governor of Punjab Province, had been shot dead by his guard for speaking out against Pakistan’s blasphemy laws.

For almost five years Shahbaz was held captive, moved ever-deeper into the lawless Hindu Kush, frequently tortured and forced to endure extreme cruelty, his fate resting on his kidnappers’ impossible demands and the uneasy alliances between his captors, the Taliban and ISIS.

Lost to the World is the remarkable true story of Taseer’s time in captivity, and of his astonishing escape. It is a story of extraordinary faith, bravery and sorrow, with moments of kindness, humour and empathy, offering a hopeful light in the dark years of his imprisonment. While deeply harrowing, this tale is also about resilience. Taseer countered his captors’ narrative of a holy war by immersing himself in the Quran in search of hope and a means to see his own humanity under even the most inhumane conditions, and ultimately to find a way back to his family.

The Case for Nature by Siddarth Shrikanth

Our planet is facing not one but two crises.

In a world where carbon emissions and climate financing are rightly rising up the agenda, there exists another catastrophe that is often overlooked but just as dire-the global collapse of our ecosystems. Siddarth Shrikanth’s The Case for Nature presents a compelling vision for tackling this other crisis by rethinking our relationship with nature in economic, social, and even personal terms. Shrikanth argues that we can create flourishing economies and societies by preserving and restoring our planet’s ‘natural capital’ and introduces the pioneers of this nature-positive revolution with vivid examples from across the world. But he also calls on readers to reflect on the roots of this crisis, drawing upon indigenous world views to show that nature must be woven into our modern societies, not set apart.

By offering a hopeful yet deeply pragmatic perspective on how we can exist in harmony with our living planet, The Case for Nature is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand how nature can help us forge a more sustainable future and what they can do to contribute to this vision.

Greening the Earth

Greening the Earth is a rare anthology that brings together global poetic responses to one of the major crises faced by humanity in our time: environmental degradation and the threat it poses to the very survival of the human species. Poets from across the world respond here in their diverse voices-of anger, despair, and empathy to the present ecological damage prompted by human greed, pray for the re-greening of our little planet and celebrate a possible future where we live in harmony with every form of creation.

Subversive Whispers by Manasi

Manasi is a stalwart of Malayalam literature. With her unparalleled feminist writing and powerful voice, she has mastered the art of telling radical short stories. Through Subversive Whispers, a collection of some of her best work, she continues to defy patriarchy, question Brahminical hegemony and push narratives that subtly yet fervently challenge the status quo. The book introduces readers to the irreverent ‘Sheelavathi’, which explores the Madonna-Whore complex in a uniquely local context, ‘Devi Mahathmyam’, which sheds light on the price that women pay for being goddesses in mere name and stories such as ‘Spelling Mistakes’, ‘Square Shapes’ and ‘The Walls’, all of which explore romantic love with a piercing realism.

In stark and urgent murmurs that build up a fever pitch, these stories channel women’s voices that open up their inner worlds, struggling to capture the minutiae of their suffering. It is this whisper-like quality of Manasi’s storytelling that J Devika deftly conveys in translation, bringing the author’s prose to the English reader in an incendiary collection that is sure to cast light on the darkened chambers of patriarchy and the hidden recesses of women’s minds.

My Poems Are Not for Your Ad Campaign by Aruni Kashyap, Anuradha Sarma Pujari

In a recently liberated economy characterized by speed, the commodification of women’s bodies, and consumerist culture, Bhashwati is an increasingly disillusioned misfit who has, ironically, just started working in an advertising firm. But her life changes one day when she finds out about the mysterious Mohua Roy – a former copywriter of the company, whose desk Bhashwati now uses. The company employees remain tight-lipped about Mohua – who left abruptly for reasons unknown. Upon finding a poem written by Mohua, Bhashwati decides to search for her. This takes Bhashwati to Calcutta’s lanes where she meets people who sacrificed immensely for the same values that she finds eroded in a developing India. Who is Mohua Roy and why is there a net of silence around her very existence? Will Bhashwati find Mohua? Will she leave her job, just like Mohua?

First published in 1997 in Assamese, Hriday Ek Bigyapan, was an instant bestseller, selling thirty-two reprints in the next ten years. By taking a close look at the newly globalized India of the nineties from a feminist lens, it poses questions about modern urban life that few Indian novels have been able to, questions that are still relevant today. Aruni Kashyap’s seamless translation from the Assamese makes this a must read.

My Father’s Brain by Sandeep Jauhar

There may be up to 10 million Indians living with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias, and that number is expected to increase dramatically in the next few decades. What is it like to live with and amid this increasingly prevalent condition-an affliction that some fear more than death? In My Father’s Brain, the distinguished physician and author Sandeep Jauhar sets his father’s descent into Alzheimer’s alongside his own journey toward understanding this disease and how it might best be coped with, if not cured.

In an intimate memoir rich with humour and heartbreak, Jauhar relates how his immigrant father and extended family felt, quarrelled, and found their way through the dissolution of a cherished life. Along the way, he lucidly exposes what happens in the brain as we age and our memory falters and explores everything from the history of ancient Greece to the most cutting-edge neurological-and bioethical-research. Throughout, My Father’s Brain confronts the moral and psychological concerns that arise when family members must become caregivers, when children’s and parents’ roles reverse, and when we must accept unforeseen turns in our closest relationships and in our understanding of what it is to have a self. The result is a work of essential insight into dementia, and into how scientists, caregivers, and all of us in an aging society are reckoning with the fallout.

Sovereigns of the Sea by Seema Alavi

This definitive book on the Sultans of Oman is a thrilling historical account of their action-packed battles, daring expeditions, epic triumphs and ingenious politics in the long nineteenth century. It puts the optic of ‘micro-history’ on their fascinating lives as they navigated the geopolitics of their time and propelled the politics of the Western Indian Ocean. It offers a comprehensive and in-depth examination of the ambitions of the Omani patriarch Sultan Sayyid Saiid and his four sons and shows how integral they were to the political culture of the region.

Keeping a sensitive finger on the specific temporal and spatial moments in the maritime space that they navigated, it explores their key role in shaping the politics of the Ocean and nurturing the Omani Sultanate on their terms. The groundbreaking narrative sheds light on the role of the Sultans as agents of change, challenging the Eurocentric narrative that views the Indian Ocean as framed in the history of western imperialism and capitalism alone.

In addition to its academic rigour, the book is easy to read and engaging, making it an ideal resource for students, scholars and anyone with an interest in the history of the Indian Ocean, the Middle East and South Asia. Its fresh perspective and insightful analysis make it an invaluable contribution to the fast-growing field of Indian Ocean Studies.

The Feluda Journal by Satyajit Ray

Felu, the super sleuth, is the nickname of Pradosh C. Mitter. Although Satyajit Ray wrote Feluda stories for the largely younger readers, soon it was found that they were being read by their parents as well. Soon longer stories followed-novelettes-taking place in a variety of picturesque settings.

From the historical setting of Lucknow-to solve the mystery of diamond ring, which once belonged to the Mughal emperor Aurengzeb-to the Blue Beryl of Kailash Chowdhury, this is the first-ever Feluda journal, which opens a window to unseen archiving materials, illustrations and rare publicity stills created by Ray.

A companion journal to scribble your thoughts, this collector’s edition brings to light the ever-popular adventures of Satyajit Ray’s enduring creation, Feluda!

Shiva Purana Volume 1 by Bibek Debroy

The Shiva Purana is the fifth book in an eighteen-part series on the sacred Hindu texts known collectively as the Puranas. Translated with great rigor and precision, Bibek Debroy recounts the tales of creation and the many myths that surround Lord Shiva in twenty-four thousand shlokas and an introduction that simplifies the myth and history of the Puranas.

Brimming with insight and clarity, this translation presents readers with an opportunity to truly understand classical Indian texts. Previous translations by Bibek Debroy include the Bhagavata Purana, the Markandeya Purana, the Brahma Purana, and the Vishnu Purana.

Shiva Purana Volume 2 by Bibek Debroy

Shiva Purana Volume 3 by Bibek Debroy

Silver Lining by Kamal Shah

In 1997, Kamal Shah’s world turned upside down. On his way to study in the US, Shah was completing the formalities for a student visa, which included preventive vaccinations for hepatitis, typhoid, measles, mumps and rubella. He developed a slight fever following his shots, which he dismissed as a normal side effect. Within twenty-four hours, Shah was forced to rethink. His condition deteriorated overnight, prompting an emergency rush to the hospital. Further tests revealed the unimaginable: an atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (AHUS). Kamal needed a kidney transplant.

A year of painful haemodialysis later, Kamal underwent a renal transplant. His mother had donated her kidney to her son, in the hope that he could survive. The surgery was unsuccessful. In the last decade and a half, Kamal has switched between peritoneal and home dialysis. It has been a painful, terrifying journey, documented painstakingly on his personal blog. That blog was the kernel for NephroPlus, a company that was born from Kamal’s desire to ensure that dialysis became accessible for every patient. Kamal Shah is still on dialysis, but it has not dimmed his hope or his belief that being diagnosed with terminal kidney disease is not the end of life, nor can it prevent you from living the life you want to live. That hope has been the driving force behind NephroPlus.

Today, NephroPlus is one of Asia’s leading dialysis networks with 320+ centres across 4 countries, including India, Nepal, the Philippines and Uzbekistan. This is a unique business memoir, with a strong, moving touch of the deeply personal. Kamal writes with raw honesty about pain and fear and the darker side of healthcare in India. Yet this is also a story of faith, of grit and determination and, ultimately, of success.

Naam, Namak, Nishaan by Anurakshat Gupta, Arnabh Sengupta, Hitesh Mahato, Anmol Dhawan, Sagnik Sarkar

Do you know why the Indian Navy counts ‘One, Two, Six’ instead of ‘One, Two, Three’ while doing group tasks?
Or that the Intelligence Bureau was set up in response to an assassination?
Or that a Frenchman who had served three nations before turning thirty eventually rose to become the most powerful general of the Marathas?
Or that an army man gave his name to the highest mountain without ever having set foot on it?

Find out the answers to these and more as a team of quizzer-doctors from the Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC) Pune takes you on a journey across 250 questions, exploring trivia that connects the Indian Armed Forces to topics ranging from mythology, history, and art to geography, fashion, and sport.

This and more in a quiz book will help you see the Indian Armed Forces through a lens you might never have seen before.

A New Idea of India by Harsh Madhusudan, Rajeev Mantri

For the better part of seven decades after independence, the Nehruvian idea of India held sway in India’s polity, even if it was not always in consonance with the views of Jawaharlal Nehru himself. Three key features constituted the crux of the Nehruvian way: socialism, which in practice devolved to corruption and stagnation; secularism, which boxed citizens into group membership and diluted individual identity; and non-alignment, which effectively placed India in the Communist camp.

In the early Nineties, India began a gradual withdrawal from this path. But it was only in 2019, with Narendra Modi’s second successive win in the general elections, that this philosophy is finally being replaced by a worldview that acknowledges India as an ancient civilization, even if a young republic, and that sees citizens as equal for developmental and other purposes.

A New Idea of India constructs and expounds on a new framework beyond the rough and tumble of partisan politics. Lucid in its laying out of ideas and policies while taking a novel position, this book is illuminated by years of research and the authors’ first-hand experiences, as citizens, entrepreneurs and investors, of the vagaries and challenges of India. This revised edition builds on some of the arguments of the earlier edition and brings things up-to-date.

5 Things You Didn’t Know About Salman Rushdie

Posted on April 25, 2023April 25, 2023 by amisra

British-Indian novelist and essayist, Salman Rushdie is best known for his novel Midnight’s Children, which won the Booker Prize in 1981. He is the author of great works like Shame, The Moor’s Last Sigh, The Enchantress of Florence, and Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights. Here are five things you did not know about the literary maestro:

1. Salman Rushdie was the son of a Cambridge-educated lawyer and a teacher and was born in Bombay, India, during the British Raj. His parents were Kashmiri Muslims. Rushdie relocated from India to study history at Cambridge University after completing high school in Warwickshire, England.

2. He became one of the most well-known authors in history with Midnight’s Children, a magical realism portrayal of a generation of supernaturally gifted kids with a mystical link to India’s own birth as an independent modern nation.

3. Despite winning numerous literary awards, including the Austrian State Prize for European Literature, the Golden PEN Award, and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, Rushdie is yet to win the Nobel Prize.

4.Rushdie is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2007 for his services to literature.

5. As a former president of PEN American Center, a nonprofit organization that promotes freedom of expression and defends writers who are persecuted for their work, he is a passionate advocate for freedom of expression and has spoken out against censorship and book banning.

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Order your copy today of Salman Rushdie’s latest book Victory City. This is an epic story of a 247-year-old woman who breathes a fantastical empire into existence, only to be consumed by it over the years.

Bookish Boosts: Health and Wellness Reads

Posted on April 21, 2023 by Kavya Wahi

Are you sticking to the ‘I’m-going-to-follow-a-super-healthy-lifestyle’ resolution you made on New Year’s Eve? It’s all good – even if you haven’t been, we are here to equip you with all the information you need to get back on the wagon.

As book lovers, we know that books can be a powerful tool in promoting physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Whether you’re looking to improve your physical fitness, enhance your mental clarity, nourish your soul, or explore new ways of taking care of your body and mind, we’ve got you covered.

Here are our top recommendations for health and wellness books that are not only informative, but also engaging and easy to digest.

So head to your favorite reading nook, settle in, and get ready to kickstart your healthy journey!

Explore list on Amazon.

Hacking Health by Mukesh Bansal

We live in a world where there is a new fad diet, superfood, supplement or nutrition theory every month. There are so many tricks to optimizing workouts, peak performance, burning fat, living longer, sleeping better and biohacking your immune system. Wellness has become a part of mainstream discourse like never before, and the result is an overwhelming barrage of seemingly contradictory information.

But here’s one simple truth: good health impacts every aspect of life, be it productivity at work, interpersonal relationships or balanced family life. In Hacking Health, Mukesh Bansal takes on the mammoth task of demystifying the science, simplifying the research, and tracing the story of our relationship with our body. Through a combination of personal experience and cutting-edge science, this is a book that draws from ancient wisdom and also debunks unscientific myths to help you make smart choices in pursuit of good health. From nutrition and fitness to sleep and immunity, weight management and mental health to ageing and longevity, this book delves into the breadth and depth of holistic health and helps you navigate the lines between science and pseudoscience.

25 Small Habits by Manoj Chenthamarakshan

We all know that our habits shape our lives, but when we try to incorporate a new habit into our lifestyle, we understand how difficult it can get. Most people fail to retain a new habit past the first week. This book doesn’t teach you how to develop habits; instead, it offers you a set of twenty-five small habits that take very little time and can be held on to without much effort.

The habits in this book are designed to give you holistic growth in terms of self-development, community, career, relationship, and physical and mental health. You can choose the habits that you are able to fit into your daily schedule.

7 Rules to Reset Your Mind and Body for Greater Well-Being by Dr Hansaji Yogendra

Do you feel that your life is out of control? Your health, mind and ambitions . . . none are panning out as planned?
Does it appear as if there is an invisible force that is dictating your relationships?
Do you have this intense desire to stop and restart in a way that things begin to work for you?
Then, this is the book for you.

7 Rules to Reset Your Mind and Body for Greater Well-Being is the simple but practical guide you need to read to get that control back. Written by the most admired and respected Dr Hansaji Yogendra of The Yoga Institute, this step-by-step guide explains the importance of creating and maintaining balance in all aspects of your life.

In an anecdotal and friendly way, Dr Hansaji delineates the practices and the thought processes you need to develop and the changes you need to make to put life in perspective for you. Whether it is getting a good night’s sleep or eating healthy or dealing with office stress, she helps you sort out each aspect with her great insight.

4G Code to Good Health by Ishi Khosla

Do you know that if you just eat the right foods, you can control your appetite and weight, remove cravings, control moods, manage sleep and much more?
Each of us today wants to be healthy and lead a balanced life. The pandemic has also taught us how important it is to have strong immunity. Yet we struggle with what to eat and what not to. Noted dietician and nutritionist Ishi Khosla says that our gut is the control panel of our health. Our forefathers knew it. That is why it is said, ‘Jaise ann vaisa mann‘ or you are what you eat. Ishi takes it a step further when she says, ‘We are not only what we eat, but what we digest and what we DON’T eat!’
Here, she distills decades of experience and knowledge and combines it with the wisdom of the past to provide an insight into the science of the 4 Gs-Gut, Girth, Gluten and Glucose-and their connection with each other, so we can modify our eating habits and lifestyle in a permanent manner. Remember, our bodies are forgiving and capable of healing. It’s NEVER too late!

Energise Your Mind by Gaur Gopal Das

Take charge of your mind.
Be in charge of your life.

In this book, bestselling author and life coach Gaur Gopal Das decodes how the mind works. He combines his anecdotal style with analytical research to teach us how to discipline our mind for our greater well-being. Throughout this book, he provides interactive exercises, meditation techniques and worksheets to help us take charge of our mind.

This book is an essential read for anyone who wants to work towards a better, more fulfilling future for themselves.

Dr Mathai’s ABC to Health by Issac Mathai

How often have you put off eating healthy food, starting those morning walks, hitting the gym or practising yoga because you are feeling well anyway?

The refrain often is-will stop junk food from next week, will begin fitness from the new year or next month, will ensure adequate sleep from tomorrow. Almost always, starting wellness or staying fit is post-dated.

Dr Mathai’s ABC to Good Health tells you why you must not postpone all those good habits of staying healthy and what could happen to you if you ignore your fitness quotient. It tells you why you must not press the panic button only when you fall sick but practise wellness every single day to build a solid immunity and stay away from the common cold, fever and many everyday ailments.

The book gives you simple tips to practise daily wellness by way of eating right, sleeping enough, and staying positive at all times. It gives you the health benefits of practising wellness from A to Z, ranging from fruits and nuts to vegetables, and even activities that can make you feel like a rock star every single morning when you wake up. It is wellness today and every single day.

Celebrate Diversity Month with these books

Posted on March 31, 2023April 11, 2023 by amisra

Diversity month is an occasion to honour the unique voices and different cultural origins of people around the globe. It is to acknowledge and celebrate the contributions made by those who lived before us and are still influencing the world today. Here are a few of our favourite books that will bring new perspectives to your life and offer stories that are sure to stay forever with you.

The Black Magic Women by Moushumi Kandali, Parbina Rashid

The Black Magic Women (Stories from North-east India) — The Black Magic Women || Moushumi Kandali, Parbina Rashid

In order to pack a punch, the author enters a surrealistic mode and liberally sprinkles tale, myth, and metaphors throughout the book. The reader fails to stay an objective observer given the range of emotions these ten tales from the North-east arouse. The Black Magic Women by Moushumi Kandali attempts to introduce readers to Assam’s diverse culture, but does so in a strikingly different way. She removes her Assamese characters from the region and places them in modern society, capturing their struggle to maintain their inherent “Assameseness” while attempting to fit into the broader community.

The Nitopadesha by Nitin Pai

Nitopadesha, a book about good citizenship and citizen-craft that will appeal to the modern reader, is a labyrinth of tales in the style of the Panchatantra and the Jataka tales. Nitin Pai’s compelling translation is a must-read for conscientious citizens of all ages, covering topics like what citizenship means, the ethical dilemmas one encounters as a citizen, and how one can deal with social issues.

Secrets of Divine Love Journal by A. Helwa

The best-selling book Secrets of Divine Love: A Spiritual Journey into the Heart of Islam served as the inspiration for the journal. Secrets of Divine Love Journal can assist you in developing a closer bond with Allah by inspiring and bringing you closer to the core of your faith through heart-centered thoughts, insightful prompts, and thought-provoking inquiries.

From Darkness Into Light by A.Helwa

From Darkness into Light was written for those who are longing to experience a journey of spiritual deepening. For those who are seeking a close bond with Allah, connection, and hope. It will motivate you to approach the Divine with compassion after reading From Darkness into Light. It will demonstrate to you how to approach God despite all of your uncertainties and insecurities and how to transform your concerns into worship. This book is intended for those who want to approach God honestly and sincerely rather than for those who have a perfect connection with God.

A Man from Motihari by Abdullah Khan

Aslam, an elegant aspiring writer who is healing from a failed relationship, and Jessica, a Los Angeles-based activist and actor in the adult entertainment business, accidentally cross paths and fall hopelessly in love. The story follows these two unlikely characters as they travel against the background of India’s growing right-wing political forces. It transports you to rural India to reveal George Orwell’s close relationship with Motihari, a tiny town in northern Bihar where Gandhi Ji conducted the first Satyagraha experiment.

The Penguin Book of Modern Tibetan Essays by Tenzin Dickie

The Penguin Book of Modern Tibetan Essays is a groundbreaking anthology of modern Tibetan non-fiction. Some of the finest Tibetan authors currently producing work in Tibetan, English, and Chinese are included in this ground-breaking collection, which honours the art of the contemporary Tibetan essay. This collection of personal essays by Tibetan authors marks a historic development in modern Tibetan literature and makes a major contribution to global literature.

Shurjo’s Clan by Iffat Nawaz

Iffat Nawaz’s lyrical and evocative prose heralds the arrival of a distinctive voice that explores issues of loss, belonging, identity, and family with delightful imagination and devastating insight. It spans decades, from the forced migration of Bengalis to East Pakistan in 1947 to the liberation war of 1971, the wave of immigrants to the West in the 1980s, and a final return. This debut book asks, above all, how we can respect the past without letting its wounds destroy us with its mesmerising balance between inexplicable otherworldliness and undeniable reality.

Fruits of the Barren Tree by Lekhnath Chhetri, Anurag Basnet

Fruits of the Barren Tree (Phoolange, Shortlisted for Madan Puraskar 2021) — Fruits of the Barren Tree || Lekhnath Chhetri, Anurag Basnet

Originally published in Nepali as Phoolange, this sharp, evocative novel is the story of a failed movement and a cautionary tale of how easily the contagion of violence can infect a community. It is also a compelling picture of Darjeeling outside of the brochures and postcards. It is intensely visual and filled with a strong sense of place.

The Dalit Truth by K. Raju

The Dalit Truth (Rethinking India series Vol 8) — The Dalit Truth || K. Raju

A chorus of Dalit voices can be heard calling out to the future in The Dalit Truth. The pages of this book represent many Dalit realities and their struggles against the caste system’s lies, pointing to a future full of hope and opportunity for the following generations. These pages will be enlightening and refreshing to today’s educated users. The Dalit Truth is a dossier for tomorrow.

The Trauma of Caste by Thenmozhi Soundararajan

Thenmozhi Soundararajan, a Dalit American activist, issues an appeal to action for readers everywhere, not just in South Asia. By examining caste from a feminist, abolitionist, and Dalit Buddhist perspective—and by laying bare the grief, trauma, rage, and stolen futures enacted by Brahminical social structures on the caste-oppressed—she connects Dalit oppression to struggles for liberation among Black, Indigenous, Latinx femme, and Queer communities.

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka

Sri Lanka, 1990. Maali Almeida, a war photographer who was also a gambler and a secret homosexual man, awoke dead in what appeared to be a heavenly visa office. He is unaware of his killer as his dismembered corpse sinks to the bottom of Beira Lake. The ghouls and ghosts who gather around him can testify to the depressingly large list of suspects in a time when grudges are settled by death squads, suicide bombers, and hired goons. However, Maali’s time is running out even in the heavens. He has seven moons to attempt to get in touch with the people he loves the most and direct them to a secret stash of images that will upend Sri Lanka.

Karunatilaka is back with a rip-roaring epic that is full of mordant wit and unsettling truths, ten years after his prize-winning book Chinaman made him one of Sri Lanka’s leading writers.

Rooh by Manav Kaul

Two young boys who are approaching adulthood, the cruelty of being a refugee in their own country, and a parent who is unable to reconcile this perplexing reality all contribute to the undercurrent of pain that permeates his life. The main character, Manav, travels back to Kashmir both literally and figuratively in this stream-of-consciousness book and relived the past as a part of the present. Rooh turns out to be a profoundly moving tale of the kind but broken individuals he encounters on this journey.

These Seats Are Reserved by Abhinav Chandrachud

In India, the use of reservations or affirmative action is highly divisive. Many people oppose it because they believe it compromises the concept of “merit” and runs counter to the idea of equality of opportunity, despite the fact that it is legally required and supported by historians, political scientists, and social activists. Abhinav tracks the development of the reservation policy in These Seats Are Reserved.

The Scientific Sufi by Meher Wan

The most comprehensive biography of Sir Jagdish Chandra Bose, the instigator of contemporary science in India, written in English is The Scientific Sufi. He was on the verge of receiving at least two Nobel Prizes, if not one, for his work on wireless communication and the discovery of the nervous system in plants, and many people think he was wrongfully denied these honours. This biography painstakingly reconstructs his life, times, work, legacy, youth, influences, and paints a close-up picture of the man who is credited with establishing modern science in India.

Water in a Broken Pot by Yogesh Maitreya

Yogesh Maitreya describes his eventual discovery of the written word, literature, and the Ambedkarite heritage, which helped shape his goals, identity, and the eventual career choice of publishing books after hopping from job to job to make ends meet. This new and radical voice shares his story in the most direct and unfiltered manner possible, as it actually happened, giving us readers the green light to be open and vulnerable when we share our own stories.

Fear and Other Stories by Dalpat Chauhan, Hemang Ashwinkumar

Fear and Other Stories serves as a stark reminder of the perils that Dalit life entails, a life that is plagued by unfathomable violence and fear even in the most innocuous circumstances. Veteran Gujarati author Dalpat Chauhan describes these real-life instances of frustration and rage in this compilation of short stories with startling vividness. His characters examine historical, mythological, and literary legends while highlighting the viewpoints of the marginalised. They also chronicle a long history of defiance.

Sivakami’s Vow: Paranjyothi’s Journey by Nandini Vijayaraghavan, Kalki Krishnamurthy

The first book in the four-volume Sivakami’s Vow series, Paranjyothi’s Journey, is a captivating account of war, betrayal, closely guarded forts, passions, and a Pallava ruler who will stop at nothing to preserve his empire. It was penned by Kalki, a master storyteller who nearly single-handedly elevated Tamil literature and history to new heights.

Caste: The Lies That Divide Us by Isabel Wilkerson

Caste order is not based on morality or emotions. Which groups possess authority and which do not is at issue.Beyond issues of race or wealth, a strong, unspoken system of distinctions governs our daily lives. The Pulitzer Prize-winning author Isabel Wilkerson paints a stunning picture of this obscure occurrence in her book Caste. Wilkerson shows how caste has moulded our world and how its rigid, arbitrary hierarchies still separate us today by tying together America, India, and Nazi Germany.

Terminal 3 by Debasmita Dasgupta

Terminal 3: A Graphic Novel set in Kashmir — Terminal 3 || Debasmita Dasgupta

Khwab has persevered despite experiencing joy and emptiness, desire and grief, penance and serenity. She imagines that one day, existence will be a paradise. The tale of the common people attempting to live out their dreams in the Valley is told in Terminal 3: Breathing Against the Background of Conflict.

April recommendations you wouldn’t want to put down!

Posted on March 30, 2023May 3, 2023 by amisra

As nature wakes up from its winter slumber and bursts forth with new growth and vibrant colors, rejuvenate yourself with these latest page-turners this April.

front cover the skincare answer book — The Skincare Answer Book||Dr Jaishree Sharad

Written in a Q&A format, The Skincare Answer Book helps you cut through the jargon by answering some of the most common skincare questions. From questions on skin types and skin routines to more specific topics like serums, acne, hyperpigmentation, sun allergies, hair loss, anti-aging, rosacea, layering of skin, common skin conditions like eczemas and skin infections, this book will arm you with all the information you need to care for your skin.

The Hidden Hindu 3 by Akshat Gupta

Which of Nagendra and Om is Devdhwaja? While Nagendra is brought back from the dead unharmed and stronger than ever, Parimal and LSD struggle to believe one another. While Vrishkapi battles against certain death, which has already devoured Milarepa, Parashurama and Kripacharya are imprisoned in the past of the collapsed Om. The other immortals are destroyed on all fronts, leaving the powerful Ashwatthama in the dark. Where are the phrases that are still missing? Will the immortals be able to halt Nagendra from finding them all and finishing the verse? Unravel the sudden riddle of the doomed immortals before time runs out.

Fear and Other Stories by Dalpat Chauhan, Hemang Ashwinkumar

Eating the Present, Tasting the Future by Charmaine O’Brien

One of India’s most remarkable characteristics is her cuisine, which reflects the country’s history, enduring customs, and variety of people and places through its innumerable tastes and styles. But it is transforming more quickly than anyone could have imagined.

In order to explore the many factors transforming what, how, and where Indians are producing, trading, and consuming their food, Eating the Present, Tasting the Future goes “off the plate” and takes readers on a trip through the country’s modern foodscape. This is a timely and significant piece of work that provides a singular window into a complex culture at a time when food and our relationship with it are subjects of growing global interest.

Water in a Broken Pot by Yogesh Maitreya

Lab Hopping by Nandita Jayaraj, Aashima Dogra

Inspiring tales of female scientists who persisted in their field in the face of obstacles like sexism, systemic bias, and apathy abound in our laboratories. Stories that demonstrate a dysfunctional system as well as the efforts of exceptional women to make it work. The authors not only provide a thorough analysis of the situation of women in science but also provide a roadmap for the future by questioning whether India is doing enough to support its women in science and whether western models of science and feminism can really be implemented in India.

Work 3.0 by Avik Chanda, Siddhartha Bandyopadhyay

Some of the other most important and challenging issues of the modern era are addressed head-on in Work 3.0. Avik Chanda and Siddhartha Bandyopadhyay present a rich multi-disciplinary brew that spans economics, statistics, public policy, history, sociology, psychology, law, political science, literature, and philosophy using rigorous research supported by industry reports, business case studies, expert interviews, anecdotes, and their own personal expertise and insights. The book will alter the way you think about the future and how the past and present still influence it because of its extraordinarily broad scope, astonishing depth of analytical detail, and far-reaching conclusions.

The Big Bull of Dalal Street by Neil Borate, Aprajita Sharma, Aditya Kondawar

This book explores Rakesh’s existence as a person and as a professional, also known as “India’s Big Bull.” It examines the records of Jhunjhunwala’s investments and the interviews he has given over the years to provide a fascinating account of his voyage. A significant portion of the book is dedicated to understanding the stocks that made him wealthy and the mistakes he made, making it more than just a biography. The book provides practical advice for retail investors by examining the path of the illustrious investor. These include the advantages of long-term investing, stock market blunders to avoid, and the risk involved in leveraged trades, among other things.

Exprovement by Hersh Haladker and Raghunath Mashelkar

Can an outdated or failed solution in one industry bring disruption to another?
Can a racing team improve industrial manufacturing productivity?
Can science fiction offer entrepreneurs valuable lessons in innovative thinking?

This book will motivate leaders to seek out analogies while remembering that “obvious” comparisons can only at best result in development while “unexpected” ones can produce exponential improvement and continue a tradition of innovation.

Dr Mathai’s ABC to Health by Issac Mathai

Dr. Mathai’s ABC to Good Health explains why you shouldn’t put off developing all those healthy practises and what might happen to you if you neglect your fitness level. It explains why you should practise wellness every single day to develop a strong immunity and avoid the common cold, fever, and many other common illnesses rather than pressing the panic button only when you become ill.

Nala Damayanti by Anand Neelakantan

Hemanga the swan pleads with Brahma to give him a chance to prove true love exists among mankind, but Narada sends him to Vidarbha to unite Nala, the king of Nishadas, with Damayanti, the princess of Vidharbha. Hemanga almost succeeds in making them fall in love, but Kali hears of his plan and seizes his chance to prove that no true love exists in a woman’s heart. All that stands between the future of humans and the mighty Kali is a little bird and Damayanti’s determination.

I Hear You by Nidhi Upadhyay

Most expectant mothers talk to their unborn. But what if the unborn starts to respond?

Mahika is hoping that a baby will breathe new life into her dead marriage. But all her pregnancies meet the same fate, because no baby is perfect for Shivam, her genius geneticist husband. Until there is one. Rudra, the world’s first genetically altered foetus, is Shivam’s perfect creation and Mahika’s last hope. Mahika, who is six weeks pregnant, has just entered her fertility clinic when she finds an anonymous letter that reveals the unpleasant truth about her pregnancy. Mahika finds herself imprisoned in her own home before she can accept the reality that her husband’s pursuit of perfection has staked out a territory in her womb. But then she learns that her unborn child possesses exceptional abilities.

Sivakami’s Vow 2: The Siege of Kanchi by Nandini Vijayaraghavan, Kalki Krishnamurthy

In the action-packed second volume of Sivakami’s Vow: The Siege of Kanchi, Kalki’s compelling narrative skillfully weaves suspense, romance, and drama to describe the heroic efforts of the Pallavas to fend off the Chalukya invasion and the increasing intimacy between Mamallar and Sivakami.

Rooh by Manav Kaul

Two young boys who are approaching adulthood, the cruelty of being a refugee in their own country, and a parent who is unable to reconcile this perplexing reality all contribute to the undercurrent of pain that permeates his life. The main character, Manav, travels back to Kashmir both literally and figuratively in this stream-of-consciousness book and relived the past as a part of the present. Rooh turns out to be a profoundly moving tale of the kind but broken individuals he encounters on this journey.

Cyber Encounters by Ashok Kumar, O.P. Manocha

Twelve intriguing fictional accounts of cybercrime are presented in Cyber Encounters, a book that delves deeply into the hazy world of cyberspace. In each true story-based tale, OP Manocha, an ex-DRDO scientist, and Ashok Kumar, the DGP of the Uttarakhand Police and a seasoned veteran in the state’s organised battle against cybercrime, describe a particular type of cybercrime. This fascinating insider account is a must-read because it is jam-packed with details about the crime, the inquiry into it, and the capture of the offenders.

Girl to Goddess by Nishi Jagavat

The poetry collection Girl to Goddess talks to the difficulties of the human experience and how one overcomes them. Finding the goddess within is crucial, and Nishi’s writing is a testament to the significance of doing so. Her words will stay with readers long after they’ve finished the book.

Working to Restore by Esha Chhabra

Working to Restore examines revolutionary approaches in nine areas: agriculture, waste, supply chain, inclusivity for the collective good, women in the workforce, travel, health, energy, and finance. The businesses highlighted are addressing world problems by fostering ethical production and consumption, establishing fair chances for all, promoting climate action, and more. Chhabra emphasises how their work ushers in a new age of regeneration and restoration by moving beyond the greenwashed concept of “sustainability.”

Fruits of the Barren Tree by Lekhnath Chhetri, Anurag Basnet

Originally published in Nepali as Phoolange, this sharp, evocative novel is the story of a failed movement and a cautionary tale of how easily the contagion of violence can infect a community. It is also a compelling picture of Darjeeling outside of the brochures and postcards. It is intensely visual and filled with a strong sense of place.

Filmi Stories by Kunal Basu

This collection’s eight tales deal with unexpected dangers and adventures, bizarre comedies, apocalypses, and the sublime poetry of daily existence. A truck driver who is angry with his rival decides to murder him but ends up saving migrant workers who are trapped by a pandemic. After breaking the law for the first time, a new jailer discovers that nothing in this universe is unforgiveable. A perfectly groomed corpse wearing a suit is found on a beach, and the suspects’ travels through casinos and cruise ships have taken them to different countries. A murder in a museum is made possible by the naked paintings of a deceased artist. A risky game of using a human bait to draw a prey out of its hiding place is played in the pursuit of a terrorist. A man discovers himself the only passenger on a flight between two deserted airports. On the brink of losing his innocence, a shopkeeper learns the lessons of the Mahabharata.

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Small Wins Every Day by Luke Coutinho

Faf Through Fire by Faf Du Plessis

The Roof Beneath Their Feet by Geetanjali Shree, Rahul Soni

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Filmi Stories by Kunal Basu