As extreme weather patterns reshape our world, from relentless monsoon rains to rising heat disrupting lives and landscapes, the urgency to understand and combat climate change has never been greater. Check out our curated list of must-read books about climate change and conservation that offer insights and inspiration to help us rethink our relationship with the environment.
It’s one Earth, one future—let’s make the change today!
Sea Ice? Now You Don’t ! || Rohan Chakravarty
The multi-award winning series of comics,Green Humour is back as the third anthology Sea Ice? Now You Don’t! From penguins balancing their nests on thin ice to tigers basking in their own glamour whilst worrying about their future, from ghazal-loving bats to whales dumping marine plastic waste right back at us- meet an array of wild animals with their own list of concerns, and their own brand of humour. The comics will take you from the high skies to geothermal mines in the very bottom of the ocean, and from sweltering tropical mangroves to the icy poles, engaging you in discussions about ecology, biology, nature conservation, and the politics of governing nature. This is a wild ride for sure, but NOT one which needs you to leave your brains at home!
I’M A Climate Optimist || Akash 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.
Get hold of this book to learn the art of making our planet more liveable and sustainable.
Greening The Earth || Edited by K. Satchidanandan & Nishi Chawla
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.
The Case For Nature || Siddharth Shrikanth
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.
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.
Pugmarks and Carbon Footprints || 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.
Superpowers on the Shore || Sejal Mehta
The Indian coastline hosts some magnificent intertidal species: solar-powered slugs, escape artist octopuses, venomous jellies, harpooning conus sea snails, to name just a few. It is as biodiverse as a forest wildlife safari, and twice as secretive. From bioluminescence and advanced sonic capabilities to camouflage and shape-shifting, these cloaked assassins are capable of otherworldly skill. Superpowers on the Shore by Sejal Mehta is a dazzling, assured look at some of the creatures with whom we share our world, our water, our monsoons, our beaches, and the sandcastles therein.
The Heartbeat of Trees || Peter Wohlleben
In The Heartbeat of Trees, renowned forester Peter Wohlleben draws on new scientific discoveries to show how humans are deeply connected to the natural world. In an era of cell-phone addiction, climate change and urban life, many of us fear that we’ve lost our connection to nature. But Wohlleben is convinced that the age-old ties linking humans to the forest remain alive and intact. Drawing on science and cutting-edge research, The Heartbeat of Trees reveals the profound interactions humans can have with nature, exploring the language of the forest, the consciousness of plants and the eroding boundary between flora and fauna.
Leopard Diaries || Sanjay Gubbi
In Leopard Diaries: The Rosette in India, Sanjay Gubbi, who has studied and documented the leopard for nearly a decade, gives us a close look at this fascinating creature. From detailing its food habits to throwing new light on how the young are reared, from offering suggestions on tackling leopard-human conflict to imagining the future of this arresting animal, this book is a 360-degree view of the leopard, its ecological context, its fraught relationship with the human world, and how wildlife and human beings can find a way to co-exist.
Flood And Fury || Viju B
The floods that devastated large parts of Kerala in 2018 were not an isolated, freak phenomenon; rather, they signalled something graver-the ecological devastation of the Western Ghats. Travelling in this region, documenting the devastating large-scale mining, quarrying, deforestation and mismanagement of water resources, at the same time mapping its culture, history and ecology, Viju B. investigates the crisis in the Western Ghats and suggests policy measures urgently required to mitigate it.
Working To Restore || Esha Chhabra
Journalist Esha Chhabra draws on her decades of reporting to explore the nuanced realities and promise of regenerative business operations. 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 companies profiled are solving global issues: promoting responsible production and consumption, creating equitable opportunities for all, encouraging climate action, and more. Chhabra highlights how their work moves beyond the greenwashed idea of ‘sustainability’ into a new era of regeneration and restoration.
Bare Necessities || Sahar Mansoor, Tim De Ridder
Bare Necessities is your one-stop guide on how to move towards a more sustainable lifestyle in India. Filled with activities, insights, recipes, tips and how-to guides, it is a must-read for anyone wanting to make a positive change in their life and in the environment.
The Nutmeg’s Curse || Amitav Ghosh
Written against the backdrop of the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter protests, and interweaving discussions on everything from climate change, the migrant crisis, and the animist spirituality of indigenous communities around the world, The Nutmeg’s Curse offers a sharp critique of Western society, and reveals the profoundly remarkable ways in which human history is shaped by non-human forces.
The Great Derangement || Amitav Ghosh
In The Great Derangement, a groundbreaking return to non-fiction, Ghosh examines our inability-at the level of literature, history and politics-to grasp the scale and violence of climate change. The climate crisis asks us to imagine other forms of human existence-a task to which fiction, Ghosh argues, is the best suited of all forms. The Great Derangement serves as a brilliant writer’s summons to confront the most urgent task of our time.
Garden Up || Dr. Ekta Chaudhary
YouTube sensation Ekta Chaudhary has been teaching gardening to her millions of followers, and for the first time, she is putting it all down in an easy-to-use, fun and simple beginner’s guide to growing plants at home. Rich in information on the amount of light plants need, the kind of soil to use and plants that can thrive indoors and outdoors, with answers to all ‘silly’ questions, Garden Up will gift anyone a green thumb.
How To Raise A Plant Baby || Vinayak Garg
Written for all plant parents trying to raise their plant babies in an urban setting, How To Raise A Plant Baby is built on basic principles that keep plants healthy and covers all topics that any plant parent need to know-how to prepare their space, how to choose the right plants for their home, how to care for the plants and keep them happy and how to get family and friends started with plants of their own.
This Handmade Life || Nandita Iyer
This Handmade Life is all about finding a passion and becoming really good at it. Divided into seven sections-baking, fermenting, self-care, kitchen gardening, soap-making, spices and stitching-this book tells us it is all right to slow down and take up simple projects that bring us unadulterated joy.
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 Aarampur||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
I’m a Climate Optimist||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
Icelight || 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 || 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
India’s Secret War || 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
Feeling Kerala || 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
Impactful Data Visualization || 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
Office Secrets || Harish Bhatt
In the book, The OfficeSecrets, 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
The Perfect Way || 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
The Bikshu’s Love || 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
The Defiant Optimist || 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 || 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 || 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
The Mistress of Bhatia House || 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 || 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?
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.
Myth=Mithya||Dedutt Pattanaik
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.
Pregnant King||Devdutt Pattanaik
‘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.
Book Of Ram||Devdutt Pattanaik
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.
The Sita Colouring Book||Devdutt Pattnaik
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.
The Jaya Colouring Book||Devdutt Pattanaik
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.
Devlok with Devdutt Pattanaik||Devdutt Pattanaik
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||Devdutt Pattanaik
· 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.
Sita (Hindi)||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.
The Book of Ram (Marathi)||Devdutt Pattanaik
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.
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
‘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.
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
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.
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.
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:
Book of Shadows||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.
Himalayan Love Story||Namita Gokhale
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: Dreams Of Passion||Namita Gokhale
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||Namita Gokhale
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.
The Book Of Shiva||Namita Gokhale
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.
Things to Leave Behind||Namita Gokhale
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.
Jaipur Journals||Namita Gokhale
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||Namita Gokhale
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.
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”!
Good Innings||Lily Tharoor
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!
Victory City||Salman Rushdie
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.
I Hear You||Nidhi Upadhyay
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.
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.
The Blind Matriarch||Namita Gokhale
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. This Mother’s Day, remind your Maa of her strength!
The Empty Space||Geetanjali Shree
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!
I’m A Climate Optimist||Aakash Ranison
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!
Penguin is celebrating Satyajit Ray’s 102nd birth anniversary, and like every year, this one too comes with a lot of nostalgia over his stories that have stayed with all of us. Satyajit Ray took our cinema, literature and overall aesthetic expression to a new height. He was an ace designer, music composer, illustrator, and gifted writer. Generations of readers, young and old, have found themselves enamoured of Ray’s characters and the universe he created.
We bring you some gems from The Penguin Ray Library, an endeavour to capture the brilliance of this Renaissance man and our vision to disseminate his works to a wide spectrum of readership.
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The Feluda Journal
The Feluda Journal || 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!
COMING SOON!
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The Best of Satyajit Ray Boxset
The Best of Satyajit Ray
From the ever-popular adventures of Ray’s enduring creation, the professional sleuth Feluda to the chronicles of Professor Shonku; short stories; writings on filmmaking; and thoughts on the world as well as Indian cinema, among others, this anthology, a two-volume boxset, The Best of Satyajit Ray is not only a treat for the Ray enthusiasts but also a collector’s edition.
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Satyajit Ray Miscellany
Satyajit Ray Miscellany
Satyajit Ray Miscellany, the second book in The Penguin Ray Library series, brings to light some of the rarest essays and illustrations of Ray that opens a window to the myriad thought-process of this creative genius. With more than seventy gripping write-ups and rare photographs and manuscripts, this book is a collector’s item.
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Childhood Days
Childhood Days
Childhood Days takes readers through legendary storyteller Satyajit Ray’s early life, exploring the people who were around him during his childhood, the places he spent the early years of his life in and the man we now know as an artist, music composer, director and writer. It displays the lesser-known side of Ray -affectionate, tender and humorous, quite different from the serious, introverted man the world knew.
Through Childhood Days, Ray writes eloquently about his initial attempts to understand photography, his experience of tasting ice cream for the first time, his discomfort during his school years as a result of his father’s and grandfather’s fame and what he went through during the shooting of Pather Panchali, his debut and landmark film. Filled with stories that are funny and heart-warming, Childhood Days is a glimpse into the making of a genius.
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Indigo: Selected Stories
Indigo: Selected Stories
Indigo is a collection of stories about the supernatural, the peculiar and the inexplicable from Satyajit Ray, one of the best-loved writers of our times. There are tales of dark horror, fantasy and adventure along with heartwarmingly funny stories about ordinary people in extraordinary situations. In ‘Big Bill’ Tulsi Babu picks up a newly-hatched chick from a forest and brings it home only to find it growing bigger and fiercer by the day; in ‘Khagam’ a man kills a sadhu’s deadly pet snake and invites a curse which brings about horrifying changes in his body; and in the title story, a young executive resting in an old abandoned bungalow for a night, finds himself caught up in a chilling sequence of events which occurred more than a century ago. Also included here is ‘The Magical Mystery’, a brand new Feluda story discovered amongst Ray’s papers after his death, and several tales featuring Uncle Tarini, the master storyteller who appears in translation for the first time. From Mr. Shasmal, who is visited one night by all the creatures he has ever killed, to Ashamanja Babu, who does not know what to do when his pet dog suddenly begins to laugh, the unforgettable characters in these stories surprise, shock and entertain us in equal measure.
Indigo is a veritable treasure trove, especially for those who like a taste of the unusual in a short story and an unexpected twist at the end. The book is translated from Bengali by the author and Gopa Majumdar.
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Speaking of Films
Speaking of Films
Speaking of Films brings together some of Ray’s most memorable writings on film and film-making. With the masterly precision and clarity that characterize his films, Ray discusses a wide array of subjects. He also writes about his own experiences, the challenges of working with rank amateurs, and the innovations in the face of technological, financial and logistical constraints. Ray provides fascinating behind-the-scenes glimpses of the people who worked with him.
This first-ever translation of Bishay Chalachitra, a seminal collection of essays on cinema, Speaking of Films retains the lucidity and simplicity that is a hallmark of Ray’s writing, and gives an invaluable insight into the mind of a genius.
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
Small Wins Every Day || 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 || 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
The Roof Beneath Their Feet || 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
India’s Finance Ministers || 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 || 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
Lost to the World || 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
The Case for Nature || 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
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
Subversive Whispers || 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
My Poems Are Not for Your Ad Campaign || 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
My Father’s Brain || 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
Sovereigns of the Sea || 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
The Feluda Journal || 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
Shiva Purana Volume 1 || 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 2 || 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 3 by Bibek Debroy
Shiva Purana Volume 3 || 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.
Silver Lining by Kamal Shah
Silver Lining || 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.
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
A New Idea of India || 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.
The clean slate is NOT about beginning from scratch. It is about beginning with a NEW PERSPECTIVE.
Through the real-life examples covered in Exprovement, the reader will begin to understand that this new perspective—the perspective of exprovement that allows companies to start on a new footing—can be gained by looking for parallels outside of one’s industry.Here’s an excerpt from the book with important tools and key takeaways:
Exprovement || Hersh Haladker, RA Mashelkar
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THE DELTA GRAPH While the delta graph in the first chapter helped us understand the difference between improvement and exprovement and which part of the organization they happen in vis-à-vis the important factors of an organization’s current position, its goals, the feasibility of achieving thosegoalsandthedemographic,political,technologicaland environmental conditions prevailing at the time, it also brought into focus the following key points:
The importance of clearly defining your ‘what could be’
In Chapter 9, we saw how Chef Ferran Adrià, imbibing the ‘creating is not copying’ mantra, was very clear from the beginning that his ‘what could be’ had to be something that he created, not a new version of something that had been done before. He might not have had a clear picture of what it would eventually turn out to be, but he knew he wanted it to be something that hadn’t been done before. All his experiments with food were based on this principle, which eventually led to some of the most ground-breaking gastronomical exprovements. On the other hand, had he adopted an improvement mindset, he would likely have developed better or different versions of what the master chefs who came before him had developed—but they would still be considered ‘food’ as we generally know it, as opposed to completely changing our concept of what food is, like he did.
Exproving and improving take you down very different paths
Exprovements are primarily strategic in nature and the operations of a business follow from the strategies so set. Improvements, on the other hand, are generally born out of keeping the users’ needs in mind and are more operational in nature. As a result, exprovements take much more time, effort, persistence and resources to come to fruition than improvements. Chef Adrià’s vision called for him to take drastic and investment-heavy measures—such as shutting down his restaurant for half the year and building a lab for food experiments—in order to bring his exprovement to life.
ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS Along with clearly defining the ‘what could be’, once one has chosen the path of exprovement, asking the right questions at every point becomes important. We have already covered this in detail in Chapter 1, but here are a few points that are worth re-emphasizing.
Ask questions that make the team ponder
As shown in the Sony Walkman example in Chapter 1, it is important that the team working on the exprovement be given clear guidelines but be allowed the freedom to be creative at the same time. By asking his team to make a device of a particular size, but leaving everything else up to them, without micromanaging or setting too many constraints, Nobutoshi Kihara was able to get the best out of his team.
Frame questions based on the desired outcome
Goals and strategy need to be framed depending on whether one is choosing to improve or exprove. For example, in Chapter 4, Mick Pearce would have achieved an incremental improvement if his question was something like, ‘What are all the ways we could cut energy consumption in a commercial building?’ He would have worked within the boundaries of what was already being done in architecture. But since his question was more on the lines of, ‘How would termites build this commercial complex?’ he was able to come up with something that had never been achieved before.
DRAWING PARALLELS The exciting thing about drawing parallels is that it opens up endless possibilities, without constraints. A parallel can be drawn with almost anything—from an ant to the milky way—if one is able to see how things are similar, rather than how they differ.
Vastly dissimilar parallels have a higher potential for exprovement
If we consider the Formula One example in Chapter 5, we can see that when parallels are drawn with ER room protocol, auditing and advisory services or sustainable refrigeration—all vastly different contexts—the potential for exprovement is high, i.e., causing radical improvement in those industries. In the context of drawing a parallel between Formula One and mass production cars, though—a similar context—the potential for exprovement decreases, while the potential for improvement greatly increases.
A single exprovement can lead to diverse parallel applications
Almost every chapter has shown us that once an exprovement has been developed, it can find further parallel applications in a variety of diverse industries. For example, in Chapter 6, we have seen how an exprovement in mountain agriculture has found parallel applications in disaster management, wastewater management, water desalination and tourism, and in Chapter 16 we have seen how the exprovement of time banking has found applications in eldercare management, disaster management, repairs and maintenance, business development and potentially the creation of a parallel economy in the future.
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Intrigued to dive deeper? Pick up your copy of Exprovementnow!
‘Diverse voice’ in literature is more than just a buzzword. It is a movement that aims to break down the barriers of representation and give voice to marginalized groups that have been historically underrepresented. Reading books with a diverse voice, those written by authors from different backgrounds and perspectives is essential in broadening our understanding of the world and ourselves. So, here’s an excerpt from Yogesh Maitreya’s Water in a Broken Potwhich will be a great addition to your TBR.
Water in a Broken Pot || Yogesh Maitreya
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I did not make friends in the class. At the most, they were acquaintances, some of them sensible. A friendship develops in equal spaces, where your share in ‘giving’ and ‘taking’ is equal, or where you are fully accepted with your historical self, where you are accepted with equal respect and the pride with which people perceive themselves, isn’t it? Not that there were no students in TISS who did not share my history or past. There were many Dalit students here; they had come after so much struggle,crossingsocialbarriersandacquiringadmission purely on the basis of their merit and talent. But I suspected that they were becoming institutionalized. The way they wrote, articulated themselves or started perceiving the world indicated the increasing impact of TISS’s pedagogical language on their thought processes. It was not their fault. Institutions are created to institutionalize a person. Be it school, universities or prison.
In India, institutions dominated by Brahminical communities are meant toBrahminizea person. What kept me vigilant about this was my engagement with poetry and my growing conviction that it wasthroughpoetry that I could seek clarity about myself and the world around me. So when students were asked and encouraged to read ‘scientific’ research papers, I read them quickly just to copy their style of writing and know their methods, but for the clarity of the subject and to assert myself, I always relied on fiction and poetry in Dalit literature.
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To write an assignment, or to explore the academic world, a laptop was becoming a growing necessity. I could not dare to ask my parents for money to buy a laptop. It was simply beyond their financial capacity. So the only option was an education loan. Many Dalit–Bahujan students who did not have the financial capacity to survive here chose this option. But without any guarantee for substantial employment after the completion of the course, it was a risk. Besides, no one asked whether students wouldwant to work in order to repay the loan. To adjust to the demands here, students simply ran out of choices. For example, when I availed the education loan, I knew that it would take years of my life to repay it, which meant I had to work—even if I wanted to study further—justto repay the loan. But needs are created and capitalist provisions are there to fulfil those needs. This was a trap, I understood later.
When I got the loan of Rs 84,000 for the laptop and my expenditure for two years, I went with Saira and bought the laptop and books. The remaining money was spent within a couple of months before the end of the first semester. There was no guiding figure to ask the students what they would like to do in the future, and there was simply no mechanism in place to encourage them in their intellectual endeavours. In India, institutes contradict their own philosophies. The problem of Dalit students is that they continue to walk with this dilemma only to realize that many of their dreams, which they once nurtured, are now completely buried in the process of institutionalization. They are in it. But they are not an essential part of it. They are in the institution to serve it in many unknown ways.
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Be sure to add this diverse voice to your reading list this month!
People who serve in the army are revered by us all. They fight for our security and uphold the country’s peace by staying away from their families, living in tough conditions and often, even by sacrificing their lives for the nation. But there are a few men who are remembered through generations for the decisions they made, the work they did and the way they interacted with people around them. And one such man is Bipin Rawat.
Rawat is famously known to be the Army Chief who decided India would retaliate immediately and openly to every act of cross-border terrorism. But, he’s also known as the man who was once the Major with a leg in plaster who was carried up to his company post on the Pakistan border because he insisted on joining his men for Dusshera celebrations under direct enemy observation.
Here’s an excerpt from the extraordinary life of Bipin Rawat who was happiest dancing the jhamre with this Gorkha Troops. Here, author Rachna Bisht interviews General Sharma, who reveals how Bipin Rawat received a priceless dignity from his parents.
Bipin: The Man Behind the Uniform || Rachna Bisht Rawat
‘Gen. Laxman Rawat was a great man,’ he says. ‘Both he and Mrs Sushila Rawat had great honour and integrity, and were almost saintly in their attitude towards life. I have served with many Generals but never felt anyone coming close to them in my entire career.’
Gen. Sharma says he never saw Gen. Rawat lose his temper. ‘He was calm, collected, focused, dedicated to his work and had an uprightness that had passed down to Bipin as well. Bipin had imbibed the culture of his parents. He displayed exactly the same moral character as his father.’
Gen. Sharma says that in the following years, when he worked closely with Bipin Rawat, he often saw reflections of the father in the son. ‘In matters of honour and integrity, Bipin was the same as his parents. They would treat anyone who approached them with respect and so would Bipin. Even when he was Vice Chief and later Chief, with a dozen important issues playing on his mind, there was never an instance of anyone having to wait for taking an appointment with him. If someone wanted to meet him, he was always available. We never heard from his office, “Chief busy hain.”’
In fact, on what was to be the last day of their lives, Gen. and Mrs Rawat were leaving their house for the airport when the recently retired Subedar Major of 5/11 GR dropped by to meet them. Despite being in a hurry, the couple stopped to talk to the SM and his wife, and took out time for a photograph as well. That remains the last picture of the couple.
Just like his father, Bipin also genuinely cared about people. ‘There were instances when Bipin would be crossing a Defence Security Corps soldier on duty and would just stop by for a moment to ask, “Haan, kya haal hai bacche? Sab theek hai (Yes, how are you, kid? Everything all right)?” A soldier limping by would catch his attention. “Kya ho gaya, langda ke kyun chal raha hai (What happened? Why are you limping)?” he would ask, genuinely concerned about the welfare of the men serving with him.
He also did not make any unnecessary demands on anyone. He would never want to disturb a senior officer on his visits, always insisting that even a soldier or a youngster could be detailed to brief him or accompany him on official assignments. He firmly believed in being accessible and letting everyone have an opportunity to speak and interact with him. He was as much a soldier’s Chief as he was an officer’s. These were the qualities he had learnt from his parents, both of whom were extremely grounded people,’ says Gen. Sharma.
