On the 118th birth anniversary of the Father of Aviation in India, J.R.D Tata, read this excerpt from Harish Bhat’s #Tatastories about how the man who championed the art of giving taught lessons to the world to strive for excellence.
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#Tatastories || Harish Bhat
J.R.D. Tata was the founder of Tata Airlines, which went on to become Air India. Way back in the 1940s and 1950s, this airline was the first Indian global entity, proudly taking the Indian flag to international skies. In 1948, Air India inaugurated its first international service, from Mumbai to London, a proud moment for the country.
J.R.D. was determined to make Air India the best airline in the world, notwithstanding the fierce competition from a host of other global airlines. For him, this was essential, because Air India was not just an airline, but a proud carrier of India’s image across the world. During the inaugural international flight, on which he also flew, he watched carefully for the reactions of passengers, and was greatly relieved when everything went very well, including landing in London right on time. He said, ‘It was for me a great and stirring event . . . seeing the Indian flag displayed on both sides of the Malabar Princess [the name of that particular aircraft] as she stood proudly on the apron at the airports of Cairo, Geneva and London filled me with joy and emotion.’
Thereafter, he was obsessed with making the airline special, and he knew that this required the highest standards of customer service and excellence. He told the airline’s employees, ‘I want that the passengers who travel with us do not have occasion to complain. I want to establish that there is no airline which is better liked by passengers, that is safer and more punctual, where the food and service is better, and which sets a better image than Air India.’
As early as 1949, with constant attention to every small detail, these aspirations were coming true. In fact, the prime minister of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, wrote to J.R.D. Tata on 7 May 1949, specifically complimenting him on the high quality offered by the airline. Nehru wrote: ‘This is just a brief letter to express my great appreciation of the quality of the Air India International Service. I have now travelled on four occasions between India and England in it, and the more experience I have had of it, the better I like it. I think that Air India International has played not an unimportant part in raising the prestige of India abroad . . . So, congratulations.’
Air India soon became legendary for its punctuality. Legend has it that people in Geneva, in those years, could set their watches to the time at which the Air India flight flew over their city. In those initial days, J.R.D. would fly one of the aircraft himself once every fifteen days. During these flights, he would insist on such high standards of accuracy that other pilots tried to dodge flying with him. The historian R.M. Lala tells us that on one such flight, J.R.D. asked his co-pilot, Capt. Visvanath, for the ground speed. ‘145 miles per hour,’ replied Visvanath. J.R.D. was not satisfied. He took out his slide rule, worked out his own calculations, and responded, ‘It’s 145.5.’ Those were the standards of accuracy he expected if the airline was to keep perfect time.
J.R.D. Tata’s blue notes were extraordinary in their attention to detail and relentless push for excellence in all matters big and small. After every Air India flight that he took, he would send these ‘blue notes’ to the management, summarizing his observations, including encouraging comments and scathing criticism. Here are some extracts from his notes in the year 1951, after he had flown Air India to Europe and back home: ‘Chairs: I found on VT-DAR that some of the seats recline much more than the others. As a result, those seats are more comfortable. I suggest that all our seats be adjusted for a maximum reclining angle, except, of course, the rearmost seats which are limited by bulkheads.’
And even more interesting is this note: ‘The tea served on board from Geneva is, without exaggeration, indistinguishable in colour from coffee . . . I do not know whether the black colour of the tea is due to the quality (of tea leaves) used or due to excessive brewing. I suggest that the Station Manager at Geneva be asked to look into the matter.’
Because of such meticulous attention to detail and excellence, Air India topped the list of airlines in the world in 1968 as per a survey done by the Daily Mail, London. In fact, in that same year, 75 per cent of Air India’s passengers were foreigners who came from countries with their own airlines. I have also heard that when Singapore wanted to launch an airline (now it is famous as Singapore Airlines), Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew advised his team to study the high standards that had been set by Air India.
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In my office, for the past three decades, stands a quote from J.R.D. Tata, which guided his own actions, and which inspires me every single day. He said: ‘One must forever strive for excellence, or even perfection, in any task however small, and never be satisfied with the second best.’ Remember, for instance, his note on tea and coffee.
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Get a copy of #Tatastories from your nearest bookstore or online.
The India-Pakistan partition resulted in a sea of emotions in those who witnessed it. The pangs of separation of family members echo to date. Rajeev Shukla, in Scars of 1947, pens down the stories of people and families who faced the consequences of the partition firsthand. One such story is of the Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh, who hailed from the Jhelum district (part of present-day Pakistan). Let’s read an excerpt from the book to find out how partition hit Manmohan Singh and his family.
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Scars of 1947 || Rajeev Shukla
The year 1947 was Manmohan’s final year in school. The matriculation exam took place in the month of March. The communal tension during this time was getting worse every day because of the impending partition of the country. He sat for his exams in an environment filled with harrowing sights of violence; the results were never announced for the exams as Peshawar went on to become a part of Pakistan.
In 1947, the Hindu–Muslim clashes had begun, and they became more and more violent with each passing day. At [Manmohan Singh’s] village, Muslims outnumbered all others and as a result, the village had two masjids and one gurudwara. One day, when the tension between the communities was at its peak, it was decided by the elders of the village that they would sit with each other and try to diffuse the tension with discussions. The elders of the village, who were Hindu, Sikhs and Muslims, were called. However, the youngsters of the dominant Muslim community planned a massacre and killed all the Hindu and Sikh elders, among whom was Manmohan Singh’s grandfather who had brought up young Manmohan and of whom Manmohan was very fond. When his grandfather was killed, Manmohan was living with his father in Peshawar. One of his uncles who lived in Chakwal sent an unfortunate four-word telegram to his brother (Manmohan’s father) in Peshawar that read, ‘Mother Safe, Father Killed’. Manmohan was about fifteen years old at the time and says that he still remembers that dreadful telegram message. He says that on the one hand, this group of young Muslim men tricked and killed his grandfather and on the other hand, in that very neighbourhood, there was a Muslim family who hid his grandmother and protected her from the bloodthirsty mob.
These incidents from his childhood were so deeply etched in his memory that while working for the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development in the United States of America, when he was invited by his friend to Pakistan, he could not resist visiting. His friend Mahbub-ul-Haq had studied with him at Cambridge University in the United Kingdom. He later served as the finance minister of Pakistan. Mahbub used to stay in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, in those days. It was in 1968 that Manmohan Singh visited Pakistan. After the Indo-Pak War of 1965, the relations between the two countries were at its lowest, but Manmohan could not say no to the invitation extended by his very dear friend and visited Rawalpindi, a place he used to visit often in his schooldays. There, he used to visit a particular bookshop and during this trip, it was in the same shop that he found himself gripped by all the nostalgia from his childhood.
After that, he visited Gurudwara Panja Sahib situated in Hassan Abdal (Attock in Punjab, Pakistan) where his naming ceremony had taken place. When he was asked why he did not visit his birthplace, Gah village, which was nearby, his answer expressed the sadness that he had been carrying in his heart for years. He said that he did not visit his village because he did not want to inflict on himself the same emotional trauma by going to the place where his grandfather had been massacred brutally.
During the peak of the violence that had erupted there a the time of Partition, all the houses were burned to the ground; so Manmohan was unsure if there even was anything left to see. His uncle who used to live in Chakwal till 1947 had visited Gah village with a police contingent and had taken the remaining Sikh and Hindu women safely to Chakwal, where they were accommodated in a refugee camp. Manmohan said that not all the women could be saved from the horrendous riots, his own aunt and her mother chose self-immolation to save themselves from being violated by the mobs.
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To read in-depth about the incidents that followed, get a copy of Scars of 1947 from your nearest bookstore or order online.
A unique picture book about science and the wild world, Little Jagadish and The Great Experiment encourages little ones to nurture curiosity. Based on the life and mind of real-life scientist Jagadish Chandra Bose, the following excerpt shows the educational combination of outdoor learning and books.
Little Jagadish and The Great Experiment||Anjali Joshi & Debasmita Dasgupta
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One day at school,
while watering the plants,
he hummed a tune and did a little dance.
All of a sudden,
with a small pop,
an idea appeared
and he came to a stop.
‘I wonder if, like us,
plants can hear, too.’
His teacher listened
and her bright eyes grew.
‘Well, no one knows,’
Miss Pooja said.
Jagadish was stunned.
He scratched his head.
With that,
Miss Pooja’s
excitement
grew more.
She saw that
Jagadish had
opened a door.
‘In this world,
mysteries abound.
Books are not
where all answers
are found.’
‘Start with a question,
like you’ve already done.
Then, make a guess.
This is where it gets fun!
Do some experiments
and find some clues.
Make observations, see if your guess is true.’
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Get your copy of Little Jagadish and The Great Experiment from your nearest bookstore or Amazon.
Whether or not one believes in miracles, some legacies are nothing short of magic on earth. One such life is that of Neem Karoli Baba and his teachings which were carried on by Sri Siddhi Ma.
The following excerpt from Sri Siddhi Ma entails the stories and anecdotes which make up the folkloric profile of Neem Karoli Baba.
Sri Siddhi Ma||Jaya Prasada
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Dressed in a simple white dhoti, with a blanket or a cotton sheet for a wrap-around, Maharaj ji shunned any insignia which would set him apart as a saint or a sadhu. Many a time, as he reclined on his takhat, visitors would walk up to him and ask where they could meet Neem Karoli Baba. His simple reply used to be, “Main koi Baba ko nahi janta. Hanuman ji ke mandir me unse prarthna karo.” I do not know any Baba! Go to the Hanuman temple and pray to him. On other occasions, he would loudly proclaim, “Main kuch nahi janta. Main toh prasad vala Baba hoon.” I do not know anything. I am the Baba who gives prasad!
Baba Neem Karoli, also known as Baba Neeb Karauri, was perhaps the most elusive embodiment of divinity in human form. Accepted and revered as the incarnation of Sri Hanuman, the son of “Pawan” – the god of wind – Maharaj ji too had the attributes of the wind. Sometimes he could be a gentle soothing whiff; at other moments, a hurricane, a whirlwind. But always the bestower of life-giving breath. Nothing could bind him, no one could define him. As we devotees believe, he had no beginning, he has no end. “There can be no biography of him,” wrote his renowned disciple Dr Richard Alpert, later known as the devotee Ram Dass, in his book Miracle of Love. “Facts are few, stories many. He seems to have been known by different names in many parts of India, appearing and disappearing through the years.”
Named Lakshmi Narayan at birth, in the early 1900s, Maharaj ji left his native village of Akbarpur in Uttar Pradesh as a wandering sadhu, when he was only eleven years old. As he travelled to various parts of India, he came to be known by different names. For instance, he was known as Tallaia-wale Baba in Gujarat. This was because in Babania he was seen performing spiritual sadhana under the waters of a small lake, where his temple now stands. The women of the village, with brass pitchers on their heads and veils drawn over their faces, would go to the lake to draw water and would often spot a young mendicant on the shore. On seeing them, Baba would dive into the water and remain submerged for prolonged periods.
Also known as Tikonia-wale Baba and Handi-wale Baba over the years, Maharaj ji then returned home to lead a householder’s life for a few years, after which he left home again. Later, he was known as Baba Lachman Dass in the remote areas of western Uttar Pradesh. Eventually, after his stay in the village of Neem Karoli, he came to be known as Neem Karoli Baba. No one can tell which way the wind blew – but it appears that in the 1940s, from the plains of Uttar Pradesh, Maharaj ji proceeded to the mountains of Kumaon. And with his arrival, the hills began to soon be dotted with Hanuman temples.
An oft-asked question is: who was Neem Karoli Baba? Was he a mystic, an ascetic who aspired for and achieved the highest powers, the siddhis? Was he one of those miracle-sadhus so abundant in India? Or just a grandfather-figure in the homes he visited, fondly called “Hanuman buju” by the children? These varied questions perhaps have varied answers, for Maharaj ji excelled in the art of deluding aspirants the moment they got a glimpse of even a tiny ray of his infinite spiritual depth.
If put to me, this question would have a simple answer: Maharaj ji was divine love incarnate.
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Get your copy of Sri Siddhi Ma from the nearest bookstore or head to Amazon to order.
Many things in life come unexpected, as did the COVID-19 pandemic. The highs of life suddenly turn into lows and everyday events seem to become hard to deal with. During such phases, the present time slows down and one goes back to thinking about their past. As clichéd as it may sound, one eventually finds the light at the end of the tunnel.
During a similar time, Stuti Changle’s protagonist in Where the Sun Never Sets, comes to terms with her past that she has been running away from. Read an excerpt from the book to get a glimpse of Changle’s protagonist’s thoughts penned down in her diary.
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Where the Sun Never Sets || Stuti Changle
Today felt just like every day is going to feel in my lockdown life.
Once upon a time, it rained for hours, just like it rained today, heavily, unendingly, unstoppably. Rain might wash the physical world, but with it, washed-out memories resurface. Rains deepen the colours of your surroundings as if you’ve unknowingly switched to 4K HD mode. It also deepens the colours in your mind, unlocking the deepest of desires.
Rain is powerful indeed. And what does rain remind you of? The rain reminded me of the onion fritters Mom would deep fry until they were golden and crisp. The mere thought lit up my face, filling my mouth with water. I closed my eyes for a moment, imagining the crisp fritters between my teeth, chewing them with a crunch. Nishit, my ex-boyfriend, would often give me company. He would also tell me that peacocks teach you to dance your sorrows away in the rain.
The rain also reminded me of masala chai, the kind my landlady prepares in Gurgaon, with ginger, lemongrass and basil leaves added in generous amounts. She is the kind of bitch who calls you up to catch up and when you do so, she gives you a list of things you need to get repaired at your own expense.
She keeps reminding me that I am an orphan and it’s her responsibility to bully me to make me stronger. She believes that my parents would have done the same. She also feels that my elder sister is a bitch to have abandoned me. When I am engaged in bitter conversations with her, masala tea is my guru who preaches finding goodness in everything.
I requested Shyamala Aunty to prepare masala tea and fritters in the morning. I gave her very specific instructions. These days of lockdown have to be the perfect time for me to finish the movie script.
But where to start? Why can’t you talk, my diary?
I entered my attic-style bedroom to start writing the script. I had asked Shyamala Aunty to set up my desk in front of the huge window that overlooks the beautiful Mussoorie hills. It’s going to be a long lockdown after all.
I watched some YouTube videos by Tibetan Zen masters. They say that one must prepare well before a new project. Some changes are necessary while some are not as important. But the room where you engage in creative work has to be organized.
Considering the lockdown situation, all I can say is that it is one of the most unpredictable times. Of course, things will change sooner or later. They must. That’s the hope, and we hang on to it.
But I don’t know how much peace organizing my room will bring me when the world is in chaos.
‘Relax. Focus. Concentrate. Yes. Harder,’ I told myself. ‘Write a few words at a time. Bricks build
castles. And castles stand for ages and inspire people for many years to come,’ I murmured.
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I sat at my desk wondering if all the days were going to be the same here. You watch the sunrise. The sunset. Sunrise. Sunset. Yet you feel you’re stationary. ‘The sunrise. The sunset,’ I murmured as I had still not written a single word. I put my pen aside.
‘Time never really moves here. That’s the beauty of time in small towns,’ Shyamala Aunty said, breaking my reverie. I hadn’t realized she had entered the room. She sneaks in whenever she likes, and I have hated it since my teenage years.
She continued to mop the floor with a magic mop, even as its engineering was beyond her comprehension. It reminded me of my arguments with Dad, who often said, ‘It is important for everyone to understand mathematics to be able to lead a good life.’
I would always tell him, ‘It is not important to understand an airplane’s engineering to be able to travel in it. You could be a layman and still live a happy life.’
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To know what happens next, get a copy of Where the Sun Never Sets from your nearest bookstores or online.
You must have read several stories by Ruskin Bond, but have you read a story about how he began his literary journey in London?
Ruskin Bond’s latest release, Listen to Your Heart, captures memorable experiences from young Ruskin’s life and is an inspiration for aspiring young writers, a meditation on embracing fears, and seizing every opportunity. Read this excerpt from the book to get a glimpse.
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Listen to Your Heart: The London Adventure || Ruskin Bond
The first draft of my journal had been doing the rounds of a few London publishers, and coming back with polite comments and regrets. The post was usually delivered around lunchtime, and whenever there was a thud on the floor of the front door, my cousins would look up from their meal with a knowing grin, as if to say, ‘Poor Ruskin, nobody wants his masterpiece.’
But along with the third or fourth flop of the returned manuscript came a letter from the editor at André Deutsch Ltd, a new publisher who was making a name and a reputation with some offbeat publications. The editor who wrote to me was called Diana Athill, and she wrote a very sympathetic letter, saying how much she liked the book and promising to reconsider it if I would consider turning it into a work of fiction, a full-fledged novel.
As a writer, I have always been ready to learn and to please those who encourage good writing, and I wrote back saying I would do as suggested.
There was no one with whom I could share this good news—my uncle and cousins would have considered it just another polite rejection. So I went out for one of my lonely walks along the seafront, and confided my hopes and dreams in the waves as they came crashing against the sea wall. That island only came to life for me when it was blowing a gale. I loved leaning against the wind, feeling the rain stinging my face, and listening to the roar of the angry sea as the tide came in.
As I walked alone down that rain-lashed pier, I knew I was going to be a writer—a good one— and that no one could stop me. The wind and the rain were allies; they were a part of me, and they would be a part of my work. But it was to be a few months before I could launch out on my own, and during that time, I worked on the novel, pleased my employers and got on with my relatives as best as I could. My aunt never bothered me; in fact, she rather liked having me around. The youngest of my cousins was a friendly little chap; the other two rather resented me. Whenever I had the opportunity, I went to the cinema, and one of the films released at the time was Jean Renoir’s The River, based on the novel by Rumer Godden. This beautiful film made me so homesick that I went to see it several times, wallowing in the atmosphere of an India, a lot like the India l had known. The ‘river’, and its eternal flow became a part of my story too, especially the part where Kishen and Rusty cross the Ganga on the way back to their homes. And back in India, a young filmmaker called Satyajit Ray saw The River and realised that a film could also be a poem, and went about making his own cinematic poetry.
With some help from my employers, I had acquired a baby portable typewriter, priced at £19, and I was going along quite merrily, working on the novel and keeping up my journal. But then disaster struck.
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Inquisitive to know what happens next?
Get a copy of Ruskin Bond’s Listen to Your Heart from your nearest bookstore or online.
With the rain pelting against the windowpane, many outdoor plans will be washed away. What do we do then? For those with little ones in the house, this is the perfect opportunity to invest in reading time.
Scroll down to find something for those lazy, rainy days!
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Learn with Pictures: Colours
Learn With Pictures: Colours
This bright activity book filled with pictures is perfect to discover key concepts, new words and facts!
Your child will explore the world of colours and learn to identify things around.
With a convenient format, various activities, and vivid illustrations–the book will equip kids with reading, language, visual, motor and imagination skills.
For ages: 3+
Learn with Pictures: Opposites
Learn With Pictures: Opposites
This bright activity book filled with pictures is perfect to discover key concepts, new words and facts!
Your child will learn opposites along with adjectives and prepositions.
With convenient format, various activities, and vivid illustrations-the book will equip kids with reading, language, visual, motor and imagination skills.
For ages: 3+
Learn with Pictures: Jobs
This bright activity book filled with pictures is perfect to discover key concepts, new words and facts!
Your child will learn about different professions and the subjects associated with them.
With convenient format, various activities, and vivid illustrations-the book will equip kids with reading, language, visual, motor and imagination skills.
For ages: 3+
Learn with Pictures: Things that go
Learn with pictures: Things that go
This bright activity book filled with pictures is perfect to discover key concepts, new words and facts!
Your child will learn about 25 types of transport, shapes and colours along with adjectives and prepositions.
With convenient format, various activities, and vivid illustrations-the book will equip kids with reading, language, visual, motor and imagination skills.
For ages: 3+
Learn with Pictures: ABC
Learn with Pictures: ABC
This bright activity book filled with pictures is perfect to discover key concepts, new words and facts!
Your child will learn the English alphabet along with adjectives and prepositions.
With convenient format, various activities, and vivid illustrations-the book will equip kids with reading, language, visual, motor and imagination skills.
For ages: 3+
Learn with pictures: First Words
Learn with Pictures: First Words
This bright activity book filled with pictures is perfect to discover key concepts, new words and facts!
Your child will build their vocabulary by learning words in varied themed sections of the book.
With a convenient format, various activities, and vivid illustrations–the book will equip kids with reading, language, visual, motor and imagination skills.
For ages: 3+
Learn with Pictures: Body
Learn with Pictures: Body
This bright activity book filled with pictures is perfect to discover key concepts, new words and facts!
Your child will learn about human and animal anatomy along with their different features and functions.
With a convenient format, various activities, and vivid illustrations–the book will equip kids with reading, language, visual, motor and imagination skills.
For ages: 3+
Learn with Pictures: Numbers
Learn with Pictures: Numbers
This bright activity book filled with pictures is perfect to discover key concepts, new words and facts!
Your child will learn numbers. counting, matching, identifying colours and lots more.
With convenient format, various activities, and the vivid illustrations-the book will equip kids with reading, language, visual, motor and imagination skills.
For ages: 3+
Learn with Pictures: Animals
Learn with Pictures: Animals
This bright activity book filled with pictures is perfect to discover key concepts, new words and facts!
Your child will learn the names of 35 animals along with adjectives and prepositions.
With convenient format, various activities, vivid illustrations-the book will equip kids with reading, language, visual, motor and imagination skills.
For ages: 3+
The Boy Who Loved Birds by Lavanya Karthik
The Boy Who Loved Birds: Salim Ali||Lavanya Karthik
Before Salim Ali was a world-famous ornithologist, he was a boy curious about the mysteries around him. Especially the mysteries of birds.
For ages: 7+
The Girl Who Climbed Mountains by Lavanya Karthik
The Girl Who Climbed Mountains: Bachendri Pal||Lavanya Karthik
Before Bachendri Pal became the first Indian woman to climb Mt Everest, she was a little girl with dreams as big as the sky.
For ages: 7+
How the Mango Got its Magic by Sudha Murty
How the Mango got its Magic||Sudha Murty
We all love the sweetness of mango and how it quenches our thirst on a hot summer day, but have you ever wondered how the mango got its magical sweetness?
The tale of how such sweetness came into existence is a fascinating one indeed. India’s favourite storyteller brings alive this delightful tale with her inimitable wit and simplicity. Bursting with captivating illustrations, this gorgeous chapter book is the ideal introduction for beginners to the world of Sudha Murty.
For ages: 5+
Tara And The Friendship Theorem by Chitra Soundar
Tara and the Friendship Theorem||Chitra Soundar
Tara and her best friend, Farida, are experts at the traditional Indian game of Pallanguzhi. But when Tara’s family relocates to the UK, Tara has to say goodbye to her best friend. Who shall she beat at Pallanguzhi now?
As Appa and Amma get the new home ready, Tara and her brother check in to a weekend retreat, Camp Wilderness. Wow. Do Tara’s parents even know who she is? She’s more what you’d call an indoorsy person, with her love of coding and maths.
To distract herself from all the trees and animals and general wildlife – shudder – she sets out to find a new friend. No one can ever replace Farida, but Tara’s determined to find someone almost as awesome. This is the perfect opportunity to test her Friendship Theorem!
Maths has never let Tara down before – surely it can help now? But as Tara applies her theorem at Camp Wilderness, could she miss a friendship that is blossoming right under her nose?
For ages: 9-12
Amma, Take Me to the Taj Mahal by Bhakti Mathur
Amma, Take Me to the Taj Mahal||Bhakti Mathur
Travel with Amma and her boys to one of the seven wonders of the world, a symbol of an emperor’s love for his queen and the pinnacle of Mughal architecture in India, the Taj Mahal.
Walk with Amma, Shiv and Veer through the sprawling gardens that replicate paradise on earth. Gaze at the mausoleum and admire its astounding architecture, breath taking scope and perfect symmetry. Marvel at the intricately decorated white marble walls engraved with precious stones. Travel back in time 500 years as Amma narrates the story of how the Mughal Empire was founded and the historical, cultural and personal stories that lie at the genesis of this magical monument.
Told with interesting stories, anecdotes and vibrant illustrations, this series is an introduction to Indian monuments of historical importance.
As the rainy season engulfs everything around you, we bring you some delightful monsoon reads to motivate, inspire, and entertain you. With inspiring stories that will stir your emotions, and enticing reads that will cheer you up as you watch the rain fall, take a look at our July releases!
Writer Rebel Soldier Lover by Akshaya Mukul
Writer, Rebel, Soldier, Lover||Akshaya Mukul
Sachchidanand Hirananda Vatsyayan ‘Agyeya’ is unarguably one of the most remarkable figures of Indian literature. From his revolutionary youth to acquiring the mantle of a (highly controversial) patron saint of Hindi literature, Agyeya’s turbulent life also tells a history of the Hindi literary world and of a new nation-spanning as it does two world wars, Independence and Partition, and the building and fraying of the Nehruvian state.
Akshaya Mukul’s comprehensive and unflinching biography is a journey into Agyeya’s public, private and secret lives. Based on never-seen-before archival material-including a mammoth trove of private papers, documents of the CIA-funded Congress for Cultural Freedom and colonial records of his years in jail-the book delves deep into the life of the nonconformist poet-novelist. Mukul reveals Agyeya’s revolutionary life and bomb-making skills, his CIA connection, a secret lover, his intense relationship with a first cousin, the trajectory of his political positions, from following M.N. Roy to exploring issues dear to the Hindu right, and much more. Along the way, we get a rare peek into the factionalism and pettiness of the Hindi literary world of the twentieth century, and the wondrous and grand debates which characterized that milieu.
Writer, Rebel, Soldier, Lover features a formidable cast of characters: from writers like Premchand, Phanishwarnath Renu, Raja Rao, Mulk Raj Anand and Josephine Miles to Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, revolutionary Chandra Shekhar Azad and actor Balraj Sahni. And its landscapes stretch from British jails, an intellectually robust Allahabad and modern-day Delhi to monasteries in Europe, the homes of Agyeya’s friends in the Himalayas and universities in the US. This book is a magnificent examination of Agyeya’s civilizational enterprise.
Vishnu Purana by Bibek Debroy
Vishnu Purana||Bibek Debroy
The Vishnu Purana is part of a series of eighteen sacred Hindu texts known collectively as the Puranas. It occupies a prominent position among the ancient Vaishnava Puranas which recount tales of creation and the many incarnations of Lord Vishnu. It describes the four classes of society, the four stages of life, and key astronomical concepts related to Hinduism.
Brimming with insight and told with clarity, this translation of the Vishnu Purana by Bibek Debroy presents readers with an opportunity to truly understand the classical Indian mythic texts. Debroy has previously translated the Bhagavata Purana, the Markandeya Purana, and the Brahma Purana.
Banaras Talkies by Satya Vas
Banaras Talkies||Satya Vyas
Bhagwandas Hostel at Banaras Hindu University can be mistaken as being like any other college hostel, but that would be a gross error. For, among the corridors of BD Hostel roam never-before-seen characters: Suraj the narrator, whose goal is to woo a girl, any girl; Anurag De, for whom cricket is life, literally, and Jaivardhan, whose melancholia gets him to answer every query with ‘ghanta’.
Follow the adventures of the three friends and others as they navigate undergraduate life in one of India’s most vibrant colleges, plan to steal exam papers, struggle to speak to women, find friends in corridors lined with dirty linen, and forge lifelong bonds amid bad mess food.
First published in Hindi in 2015, Banaras Talkies has remained on the bestseller list since then. A slice-of-life novel, it captures college life with all its twists and turns. Written with the idiomatic flourish that is the hallmark of Banarasi colloquialism, this comic novel is one of India’s great coming-of-age novels.
Shunya by Sri M
Shunya||Sri M
He appears out of nowhere in a sleepy little neighbourhood in suburban Kerala. He calls himself Shunya, the zero. Who is he? A lunatic? A dark magician? A fraud? Or an avadhuta, an enlightened soul? Saami-as they call him-settles into a small cottage in the backyard of the local toddy shop. Here he spins parables, blesses, curses, drinks endless glasses of black tea and lives in total freedom. On rare occasions, he plays soul-stirring melodies on his old, bamboo-reed flute. Then, just as mysteriously as he arrived, Shunya vanishes, setting the path for a new avadhuta, a new era. This first novel by Sri M is a meditation on the void which collapses the wall between reality and make-believe, the limited and the infinite. With its spare storytelling and profound wisdom, it leads us into the realm of ‘shunya’, the nothingness of profound and lasting peace, the beginning and end of all things.
Where the Sun Never Sets by Stuti Changle
Where the Sun Never Sets||Stuti Changle
‘A story about finding hope in the darkest of times that will brighten your day!’
If you find someone’s diary, would you dare open it?
Well, if you chance upon your old diary, would you dare read through your past?
Iti is forced to move back to her hometown of Mussoorie amid worldwide lockdown to work on her first movie script. Iti’s chance encounter with her first love, Nishit, reunion with her estranged best friend, Shelly, and nights spent reading her well-kept diary, make her best memories and worst nightmares come to life. She has always run away from her past, but now has no choice.
Will reading her diary prove to be an adventure worth taking for completing the script? Will life be the same? Ever?
Set in the COVID-19 lockdown, from the national bestselling author of On the Open Road and You Only Live Once, Where the Sun Never Sets is a riveting personal account of unforgettable childhood dreams, turbulent teenage years, complicated close relationships, human resilience, and the never-ending journey of growing up.
Apprenticed to the Himalayan Master by Sri M
Apprenticed to a Himalayan Master||Sri M
In this tell-all autobiography, Sri M writes about his fascinating journey as a young man from the southern coast of India to the mystical Himalayan Mountains. At the age of nineteen and a half, he felt an irresistible urge to go to the Himalayas in quest for his great Master. He finally met his Master at the Vyasa Cave, beyond the Badrinath shrine. After spending three and half years with his Master, wandering freely across the length and breadth of the Himalayan ranges, he was instructed to go back to live in the plains and lead a normal life. He started working for a living, fulfilled his social commitments and prepared himself to teach others all that he had learned and experienced. This book reveals the spiritual journey of a young lad from Kerala, who by his sincerity and dedication evolved into a living yogi. Sri M shares his knowledge of the Upanishads and spiritual insights born out of first hand experiences in his autobiography. Apprenticed to a Himalayan Master will make for an engaging and riveting read for those interested in the life and teachings of Sri M.
India’s Money Heist by Anirban Bhattacharya
India’s Money Heist||Anirban Bhattacharyya
From the creator-producer of Savdhaan India, the producer of Crime Patrol, and the bestselling author of The Deadly Dozen: India’s Most Notorious Serial Killers, comes the true story behind one of India’s biggest and most sensational bank heists.
31st December 2007. New Year’s Eve. A sleepy town in Kerala called Chelembra finds itself in the national headlines for India’s biggest bank heist to the tune of a whopping Rs 8 crore which included 80 kg of gold.
A crime that was supposedly inspired by a Bollywood blockbuster, this is the sensational story of that heist seen from both sides of the coin-the planning and execution by the mastermind criminals, and the difficult, yet thrilling, investigation by the Kerala police team led by P. Vijayan.
Constructed from extensive first-person interviews of the police team that solved the crime and the confession details of the criminals, this is the true story of how India’s biggest bank heist was executed and the cat-and-mouse game that ensued.
Yoga Also for the Godless by Sri M
Yoga Also for the Godless||Sri M
Practitioners of the ancient science of yoga have long contended that you don’t have to be a Hindu, in the conventional sense, to practise yoga, even though its origins lie in India. Renowned spiritual teacher, author, social reformer, educationist and global speaker Sri M goes a step further in this new and path-breaking book-he proves that, let alone belonging to a particular religion, one doesn’t even need to believe in God to be a true yogi. One of the best-known Vedantic scholars of our times, he draws on his deep knowledge of ancient Indian scriptures to prove that the godless are as capable as the God-inspired of reaching the pinnacle of self-realisation and bliss through yoga.
Based on a profound understanding of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, this is a step-by-step guide to the theory and practice of yoga for those who seek to know it better, and also for the young and the millennial, who may be stepping out for the first time. In lucid prose, with photographs for visual aid, Sri M takes us through the most complex notions of breath, body and posture with admirable brevity and clarity.
Live Your Best Life by Dr. Amrinder Bajaj
Live Your Best Life||Dr.Amrinder Bajaj
Understanding Menopause for a Wiser, Happier and Healthier You.
Jezebel by KR Meera
Jezebel||K.R.Meera
Jezebel, a young doctor in Kerala, struggles against the cruel realities of a patriarchal world-realities that not even her education, resolve or professional brilliance can shield her from. Her already contentious divorce proceedings go suddenly awry, and her unhappy marriage holds complex secrets. In K.R. Meera’s blistering new novel, which takes the form of a courtroom drama to show us the rich inner worlds of its characters, we see Jezebel reflect on her life and its pivotal points as she takes the stand. Through her memories, we see her grow from a reticent, serious young woman to a rebel who refuses to bend to the conventions of society.
Like the Biblical story of Queen Jezebel, who was much maligned as a scheming harlot and infamously thrown to her death from her palace window, Jezebel is a novel that asks if independent women can ever live lives that are free of judgement K.R. Meera’s hypnotic prose, in this elegant translation from the Malayalam by Abhirami Girija Sriram and K.S. Bijukumar, makes resonant allusions to the Bible in powerful ways that elucidate the correlations between legend and the protagonist’s life while also exploring how sexuality and gender roles are manipulated by the dictates of society.
Madam Sir by Manjari Jaruhar
Madam Sir|| Manjari Jaruhar
After an unexpected turn of events upended the homemaker role her parents had planned for her, Manjari Jaruhar overcame extraordinary odds to become the first woman from Bihar to join the country’s elite police cadre.
A masterclass in courage, resilience and leadership by a woman who broke new ground and thrived despite being viewed with disbelief and derision by her colleagues, Madam Sir is a stirring account of a sheltered girl’s rise to the top echelons of the Indian Police Service.
Set against the backdrop of significant events such as the Bhagalpur blindings, the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and Lalu Prasad’s reign in Bihar, Madam Sir looks at the IPS from the inside, through a woman’s eyes.
This is a story that will inspire you to pursue your dreams and infuse you with the spirit to reach impossible heights.
The Life and Times of George Fernandes by Rahul Ramagundam
The Life and Times of George Fernandes||Rahul Ramagundam
The Life and Times of George Fernandes chronicles the story of George, who rose from the streets of Bombay to stride the corridors of power. In this extraordinary biography, Rahul Ramagundam opens a window to George’s political evolution and traces the course of the Socialist Party in India from its inception in 1930s to its dissolution into the Janata Party in the late 1970s. In the process, this book explores the trail of India’s opposition parties that worked to displace the long-ruling Congress Party from its preeminent position.
A Thousand Kisses Deep by Novoneel Chakraborty
A Thousand Kisses Deep||Novoneel Chakraborty
Humiliatingly rejected by Haasil, even after she thought she had him, Pallavi sets forth on a self-destructive path, seeking one life-thrill after the other. All she desires is to heal the wounds that haunt her every move, not allowing her to be herself. Neither can she forget Haasil nor can she reach him any more. That is, until she meets . . . Palki, Haasil’s ex-wife who is presumed dead by the world.
Talking to Palki, Pallavi realizes she has found the ultimate weapon to destroy Haasil: the one man who changed her life and persona forever. She plans a deadly set of events that catch Haasil, Palki and his current love, Swadha, unaware. As the dice of destiny is rolled, the question looms: will Pallavi destroy Haasil irreversibly using his once true love, Palki, or will she, for once, come to terms with her deep love for him? A Thousand Kisses Deep is an emotional whirlwind depicting modern layered relationships, lost love and how, sometimes, destiny’s plans are quite contrary to what we have been coveting all our life. As Haasil, Pallavi, Palki and Swadha go about life seeking their personal answers and solace, they realize love, after all, is still not done with any of them . . .
Bhagat Singh by Satvinder Juss
Bhagat Singh||Satvinder Juss
A timely antidote, this meticulously researched biography is an expansive foray into the life of Bhagat Singh. The volume deliberates upon his family from before when he was born, examining along the way the role that various episodes, policies and people played in shaping the identity of a legendary revolutionary, while also delving into his opinions on important questions of the time. It shines a bright light on the oft-ignored personal influences that made Singh who he was, along with the issue of his contested identity in today’s politics. This is the definitive Bhagat Singh biography of our times.
Sone Chandi ke Buth by KA Abbas, edited by Syeda
Sone Chandi Ke Buth||K.A.Abbas
Sone Chandi ke Buth is a collection of writings on cinema that includes the observations, thoughts and
reflections of Khwaja Ahmad Abbas. Originally written in Urdu by the well-known journalist, screenwriter and film-maker, it has now been translated for the first time into English.
Where the Cobbled Footpath Leads by Avinuo Kire
Where the Cobbled Path Leads||Avinuo Kire
Where the Cobbled Path Leadsis a folk fantasy novel, interweaving fantasy fiction with Naga spirit stories and folklore.
Eleven-year-old Vime is struggling to come to terms with the demise of her beloved mother. She has a special place she frequents-a cobbled footpath near her house which leads to a forest. On the day of her mother’s death anniversary, not wanting to return home, Vime follows the cobbled footpath all the way to the deep end of the woods and discovers that the trail leads to a magnificent tree. She falls asleep under it only to wake up and find that the footpath has disappeared. Tei, a forest spirit, helps her relocate the missing pathway.
This book examines the social and cultural infrastructure that sustains Sindhi business and its trade networks. It provides a rich historical context to the narrative by tracing the origin of Sindhi Trade to the annexation of Sindh in 1843, when it was incorporated into an expanding global economy. The book also locates Sindhi business within the dynamics of the contemporary Indian diaspora and features several success stories both from India and outside. The book emphasizes the commercial inventiveness, spatial mobility, and adaptability of Sindhis—-the qualities crucial to building successful cosmopolitan businesses.
Lilavati by Govardhanram Tripathi
Lilavati||Govardhanram Tripathi
An exemplar of Indian literature-the only and heart-rending biography of a daughter by her father
In a moment of rare passion Govardhanram Madhavram Tripathi, author of Sarasvatichandra, exclaimed ‘I only want their souls’. He was referring to the souls of his countrymen and women, which he sought to cultivate through his literary writings. Lilavati was his and Lalitagauri’s eldest daughter. Her education and the writing of Sarasvaticandra were intertwined. She was raised to be the perfect embodiment of virtue, and died at the age of twenty-one, consumed by tuberculosis. In moments of ‘lucidity’ , she spoke of her suffering and that challenged the very foundations of Govardhanram’s life. In 1905 he wrote her biography, Lilavati Jivankala. This is a rare work in biographical literature, a father writing about the life of a deceased daughter. Despite Govardhanram’s attempts to contain Lilavati as a unidimensional figure of his imagination, she goes beyond that, sometimes by questioning the fundamental tenets of Brahminical beliefs, and at others by being so utterly selfless as to be unreal even to him.
Lilavati: A Life is a cross between literature in translation, social and political history, and women’s studies. Tridip Suhrud’s introduction dwells on the themes of the cultivation of selfhood, of nation and the ideal of sacrifice, which is sure to resonate with contemporary readership, especially women.
The 10 New Life-Changing Skills||Rajesh Srivastava
The earlier 3 Industrial Revolutions (3IRs) created blue collar and white-collar jobs, which required people to carry out instructions, not question authority and follow time tested systems and processes.
Now, we are in the midst of the 4th Industrial revolution (4IR), also called Industry 4.0. It is creating ‘green collar’ jobs, which need people to ‘think, reflect and act’. To develop these abilities and perform the green collar jobs efficiently, it is critical that professionals develop certain skills -the 10 new life-changing skills:
1. Creativity
2. Innovation
3. Critical Thinking
4. Framing the Right Question
5. Smart Problem-Solving
6. Lifelong Learning
7. Storytelling
8. Influence Without Authority
9. Humanness
10. Entrepreneurial Spirit.
This book will introduce readers to these skills, which they can apply in their businesses and professions to come up trumps.
A meditation on grief, These Errors are Correct is Jeet Thayil’s most intimate work to date. In poems of tenderness and rage, time blurs into a continuous present visited by Billy the Kid, the Buddha, Lata Mangeshkar, Jesus and Beethoven, by unnamed protagonists for whom faith and addiction are interchangeable, and by a remote god-like figure who will ‘lick / your wound with his infected tongue’. A range of fixed and invented forms–rhymed syllabics, terza rima, ghazals, sonnets, the sestina, the canzone, stealth rhymes–make for a virtuosic, haunting collection. Originally published in 2008, the book has been out of print since 2010. With illustrations by the author, this new edition returns to the reader an essential and timeless book of poems. These Errors are Correct won the 2013 Sahitya Akademi Award.
A collaboration between Jeet Thayil and The Burning Deck, the track on the back flap appears as ‘Aquatic’ in These Errors are Correct, and as ‘The River Under the River’ on The Burning Deck album Where My Leaves Come to Rest. You can find the music of The Burning Deck on Bandcamp/Soundcloud & Spotify.
India is witnessing a major change in the way we look at money. Having reached the middle income status as a country, a vast section of the youth is now aspiring for higher financial goals. This large population is breaking away from its parents in almost every way, including financially. But the new generation of Indians entering the workforce demand more knowledge on their investments. They constantly grapple with complicated questions surrounding money: What do they do with their money? How do they plan for their future? Most of the time, they get bad advice. Mutual funds have not really delivered meaningful returns, stock selection is extremely complicated and sophisticated investments like PMSs, AIFs, etc., are only for the wealthy.
This book tries to help these young investors by offering them a framework they can use to create wealth in the long run. Using the wisdom and experience of Indian’s top personal finance professionals, the book answers critical questions, such as: Should I rent a house or buy a house? Passive investing versus active investing? Stocks versus mutual funds? Debt funds or FDs? And finally – crypto or no crypto?
Out of the box thinking, ruthless pragmatism and an innate ability to understand, define and then redefine the game of cricket are probably the hallmarks of Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s cricket. From hitting countless sixes in his school ground in the sleepy town of Ranchi to finishing a run chase with another towering six in a World Cup final against Sri Lanka, Dhoni’s journey is undoubtedly one of the most iconic of our times. Many have tried to decode his mystique, and yet, every account seems to have fallen frustratingly short of capturing the essence of the man.
Instead, in Do Different, we offer diverse perspectives on the man: from a fellow wicketkeeper and competitor reminiscing on Dhoni’s early years; to MSD’s first agent with his perspective on the journey of brand Dhoni; to an international fast bowler who played with MSD since his first-class days and then starred for him in the Indian Premier League.
From the matches and moments that defined Dhoni in the IPL, in international cricket and even off the field, to his life beyond the game of cricket, this is your ultimate MSD book.
Nehru and the Spirit of India|| Manash Firaq Bhattacharjee
Jawaharlal Nehru was Plato’s philosopher king, who ‘discovered’ an India that remains an undiscovered possibility. Nehru and the Spirit of India is a critical and nuanced perusal of his intellectual and political legacy.
From the ‘politics of friendship’ between Nehru and Sheikh Abdullah, Nehru’s defense of secularism in the Constituent Assembly Debates, to what propelled Nehru to curb free speech in the First Amendment, Manash Firaq Bhattacharjee draws from political history to illuminate fierce debates in India today: Kashmir, the CAA, and hate speech. Be it contemporary events like the miracle of Ganesha drinking milk and the use of Vedic astrology in Chandrayaan-2, or the agonising suicide of a doctor, the author examines the fractured nature of Indian modernity, which Nehru had suggestively called a ‘garb’. Bhattacharjee bolsters Nehru’s view that India is enriched by the encounter of cultures and that we must not discard the past, but engage with it.
As a second-generation refugee, Bhattacharjee argues for a ‘minoritarian’ approach to national politics. Breaking ideological and disciplinary protocols, he compels us to learn from the insights of poets and thinkers. Lucidly written, this provocative book offers an original perspective on Nehru and Indian history.
Tech entrepreneur Mukesh Bansal has been a lifelong student of human performance optimisation. He has studied the science behind it, and worked closely with high performers across business, sports and entertainment, to understand what it takes to transcend apparent limitations and achieve true potential.
Through his entrepreneurial experience and studying the field of health and fitness, Bansal came to understand the enormous power of plasticity: the ability of the human brain to rewire itself at will as we develop new skills. He also realised that high performers across domains rely on common tools that were embraced by ancient wisdom and are validated by modern science. Knowing that high performance is not a matter of genetics or luck is highly empowering.
No Limits distils Bansal’s findings on talent, deliberate practice, mindset, habit, willpower and learning. It is a guide to maximising one’s potential with well-defined strategies. So, no matter what you do, you can be a superior version of yourself, performing at increasingly better levels, constantly reaching higher.
We’re happy to announce the acquisition of the biography of Adani Group Chairman & Founder, Gautam Adani. Titled: Gautam Adani: The Man Who Changed India, this rare life story of one of the richest men in the world is being written byone of India’s most revered business journalists, RN Bhaskar, who has long followed Gautam Adani’s career. The book is scheduled to release in October from the Penguin Business imprint.
To the world, Gautam Adani needs no introduction. He is at the helm of a business empire that is now India’s largest player in ports and renewable energy. He is also leading the country’s largest private sector player in sectors like airports, city gas distribution, power transmission, thermal power, edible oil, and railway lines. However, beyond these facts, there is startlingly little known about Gautam Adani, the maverick businessman. What fuels his motivations and vision? What are those episodes, minor and major, that propelled him to make the choices he did that in turn shaped the world we live in today? Were there challenges in his life and how did he deal with those?
Gautam Adani: The Man Who Changed India offers the readers, for the very first time, the aspects of Gautam Adani’s life that much of the world has not known but should know now. This book is more than a biography. It delves deep, detailing a range of fascinating anecdotes from Gautam Adani’s life, illuminating his early childhood, his initiation into business, and the learnings and opportunities he pursued. It talks about business, data, storytelling, and hard numbers, giving us the story of Gautam Adani that made him the Gautam Adani we know today, making it a one of kind insightful and inspirational read for industry experts, enthusiasts, and even young students and professionals.
RN Bhaskar, author of the book says, ‘I met Gautam Adani almost 18 years ago, while the Mundra Port was being built. What I saw then, and what I learnt from my discussions with key Adani group people, was that this port could change the transshipment landscape for the Middle East and India. It could reshape logistics, and even make Mundra the country’s first destination port. I gave talks in Dubai about how this man could change India’s trade patterns. I even wrote a cover story for a publication titled: the man who could change India”. Eighteen years later, I discovered that he actually has.’
Commenting on the book, Radhika Marwah, Senior Commissioning Editor, Ebury Publishing and Vintage, Penguin Random House India, says, ‘RN Bhaskar is one of the most respected journalists in the country with over three decades of experience behind him. We are proud to publish his second book after ‘Game India’ on Gautam Adani. Bhaskar has been covering Gautam Adani for a long time now, and presents a compelling business story and portrait of one of the most influential men in India right now.’
Milee Ashwarya, Publisher, Ebury Publishing and Vintage, Penguin Random House India, says, ‘Gautam Adani is one of India’s most successful first generation business leaders, and I believe there is no book that captures his story and phenomenal rise over the past decades in detail. I am delighted that R N Bhaskar has taken up the task to fill the gap, and use years of research, insight and analysis to tell the story of one of the most intriguing business leaders in the country today.’
About the author:
RN Bhaskar likes to describe himself as an educationist, teacher and journalist, with decades of experience in each of these sectors. He teaches at various management institutes in India and overseas and is on the Board of Studies at several educational institutions. Many of his articles can be found at www.asiaconverge.com. He is also consulting editor with Free Press Journal. This is Bhaskar’s second book. The first, titled “Game India: Seven strategies that could steer India to wealth” also had a few pages on Gautam Adani. He likes analysing economic trends, looks closely at corporate strategy, and believes that India has enormous potential provided the right policies are pursued by the government. Most entrepreneurs fall by the wayside, and only the tenacious survive. Gautam Adani is one of them.
Penguin Random House India has acquired the English translation of award-winning writer Satya Vyas’s best-selling Hindi novel Banaras Talkies. First published in Hindi in 2015, its English translation with the same title will release in July 2022. Translated by editor and translator Himadri Agarwal, Banaras Talkies will be released under the Ebury Press imprint. It is currently available for pre-order on all major e-commerce websites.
Pegged as one of India’s best campus novels, Banaras Talkies follows three friends as they navigate undergraduate college life, plan to steal exam papers, struggle to speak to women and forge friendships that will last a lifetime over bad mess food. Readers can soak in the nostalgia of their own campus experience through this book.
The slice-of-life novel captures the struggles, aspirations, and lives of young Indians. Set in one of India’s most vibrant colleges, the Banaras Hindu University, it has been written with the idiomatic flourish that is the hallmark of Banarasi colloquialism.
Talking about the upcoming translation in English, author Satya Vyas says, ‘Banaras Talkies is an award-winning Hindi bestseller. This ‘hostelgic’ fiction has entertained readers in Hindi for years. It’s of immense pride to me that we can now reach out to new readers in English through Penguin Random House.’
Himadri Agarwal, the translator of the book, adds, ‘Translating Banaras Talkies has been a journey of love, laughter, and adventure. I was honoured to translate it, and I can’t wait to see what English readers think of the book.’
Elizabeth Kuruvilla, Executive Editor, Ebury Publishing & Vintage, Penguin Random House India, says, ‘Banaras Talkies is a witty novel that takes readers on a laughter-filled ride back to their college corridors, bantering with friends, conspiring to skip classes, the heartbreaks and lucky successes in love, and the ever-looming pressure of having to one day leave college and “get serious about life”.’
Milee Ashwarya, Publisher, Ebury Publishing & Vintage, Penguin Random House India, says, ‘Banaras Talkies by Satya Vyas in Hindi has entertained readers for several years, and I hope that the English translation by Himadri Agarwal receives the same love and adulation. Congratulations to Satya and Himadri. I am proud to publish the book.’
Author Bio:
Satya Vyas is an award-winning author of five bestselling books, including Banaras Talkies, Dilli Durbar and Chaurasi. Born and brought up in Bokaro in Jharkhand, he has H established his identity in audio and screen writing, as well as opened a new path in Hindi writing. The web series Grahan is based on his book Chaurasi. Along with writing, he also takes creative writing classes in various learning apps.
Translator Bio:
Himadri Agarwal is an editor, translator and a reader. She currently works at Yoda Press and will soon be starting an English PhD at the University of Maryland, College Park. When not buried in a book or busy with work, she enjoys playing Dungeons & Dragons, eating junk food, or doing both things at the same time.
With that,
But along with the third or fourth flop of the returned manuscript came a letter from the editor at André Deutsch Ltd, a new publisher who was making a name and a reputation with some offbeat publications. The editor who wrote to me was called Diana Athill, and she wrote a very sympathetic letter, saying how much she liked the book and promising to reconsider it if I would consider turning it into a work of fiction, a full-fledged novel.
were allies; they were a part of me, and they would be a part of my work. But it was to be a few months before I could launch out on my own, and during that time, I worked on the novel, pleased my employers and got on with my relatives as best as I could. My aunt never bothered me; in fact, she rather liked having me around. The youngest of my cousins was a friendly little chap; the other two rather resented me. Whenever I had the opportunity, I went to the cinema, and one of the films released at the time was Jean Renoir’s The River, based on the novel by Rumer Godden. This beautiful film made me so homesick that I went to see it several times, wallowing in the atmosphere of an India, a lot like the India l had known. The ‘river’, and its eternal flow became a part of my story too, especially the part where Kishen and Rusty cross the Ganga on the way back to their homes. And back in India, a young filmmaker called Satyajit Ray saw The River and realised that a film could also be a poem, and went about making his own cinematic poetry.
