The sight of an unarmed old Indian with a smile on his face, resolutely waiting to embrace death - facing the gun pointed at him and waiting for the count of twenty-five - is something I will never forget. I have never seen such indifference to death.
Are you talking of Rudradutt?
Yes. How does he do that?
The Indian psyche is unfathomable. Their behaviour is incomprehensible. We will be able to rule them the day we understand them.
I don't think we can rule over them. An unarmed man stood fearlessly before the entire troop. Wouldn't a few men like this render our armies ineffective?

Smouldering Fire is historical fiction that revolves around an uprising in India in 1857, referred to by the British as the 'Indian mutiny' and by Indians as the beginning of the struggle for liberation. The narrative is woven around Rudradutt, a wise guru, who teaches Sanskrit to young men, while also inculcating spiritual tenets that can be incorporated into their daily lives. First among these tenets are non-violence, love for humankind, and a life of service. But to Rudradutt's young acolytes, his principles are beginning to seem increasingly incompatible with their desire for freedom from British rule.

The book is based on a historical event in which Indian soldiers were commanded by British officers to bite off bullet cartridges rumoured to have been lubricated in pig and cow lard, an insult to both Muslims and Hindus. It incorporates historical characters including Mangal Pandey, who was executed by the British for his role in the rebellion that ensued.

Set in a time when anti-white sentiment in India was rising along with a yearning for freedom from colonialism, Smouldering Fire raises eternal questions about the violence within our hearts. Written in beautiful, lyrical prose, its central themes are non-violence, peace, love, inclusivity, and justice, especially in the face of adversity-all still relevant to us, living in the midst of increasing strife, marginalization, violence, and competing claims to 'truth'.

Published in 1935 as Bhārelo Agni, the book was originally written in Gujarati, an Indo-Aryan language spoken in the Indian state of Gujarat and spoken by Gujarati people worldwide.

Sanatan is the gut-wrenching story of Bhimnak Mahar and his ilk, who have been subjected to barbaric abuse and inhuman discrimination by the upper castes over centuries. The story begins with the young Bhimnak in pre-Independence India. It then traverses time and geographical boundaries to end with Bhimnak's grandson. The circular narrative pattern is reflective of the endless cycle of pain that the Mahars are unable to break free from, no matter how hard they try, no matter where they go, no matter if they change their identity and religion. Using myths, the Puranas and historical texts as resources, Sharankumar Limbale rewrites Dalit history in this novel as he attempts to tell the truth, with an intention to build what he calls 'a new and progressive social order'. Limbale not just brings his reader face to face with uncomfortable realities, he also suggests what could be an alternative social order in the future.

About the Book

TIMELESS NARRATIVES COME ALIVE IN A CONTEMPORARY COMIC VERSION.

The book is a compilation of two short stories in comic format.

THE CHAMPAWAT MAN-EATER

The true story of a notorious man-eating tiger in the eastern Kumaon region of India. This is a thrilling tale of human-wildlife conflict and sheer courage.

THE MOHAN TIGER

A man-eating tiger instils fear in the Mohan Forest area, killing over a dozen people. The narrative showcases the author's extraordinary tracking skills and unravels the inherent dangers that lurk living in close proximity to wild animals.

About the Series

Rediscover the giants of Indian literature in a whole new way. These contemporary graphic narratives breathe new life into the great classics, bringing them alive in full colour with compelling visuals and a fresh format. A must-read for graphic novel enthusiasts and lovers of classic fiction.

About the Author

Jim Corbett was a renowned British-Indian author, naturalist, and conservationist. Widely celebrated for his mastery in tracking and hunting man-eating tigers and leopards in the jungles of British India, Corbett's deep connection with the Indian wilderness led him to become an ardent advocate for wildlife conservation. His short stories not only recounted his thrilling adventures but also played a pivotal role in fostering awareness about the importance of preserving India's endangered species.

Smouldering Fire is historical fiction that revolves around an uprising in India in 1857, referred to by the British as the 'Indian mutiny' and by Indians as the beginning of the struggle for liberation. The narrative is woven around Rudradutt, a wise guru, who teaches Sanskrit to young men, while also inculcating spiritual tenets that can be incorporated into their daily lives. First among these tenets are non-violence, love for humankind, and a life of service. But to Rudradutt's young acolytes, his principles are beginning to seem increasingly incompatible with their desire for freedom from British rule.

The book is based on a historical event in which Indian soldiers were commanded by British officers to bite off bullet cartridges rumoured to have been lubricated in pig and cow fat, an insult to both Muslims and Hindus. It incorporates historical characters including Mangal Pandey, who was executed by the British for his role in the rebellion that ensued.

Set in a time when anti-white sentiment in India was rising along with a yearning for freedom from colonialism, Smouldering Fire raises eternal questions about the violence within our hearts. Written in beautiful, lyrical prose, its central themes are non-violence, peace, love, inclusivity, and justice, especially in the face of adversity-all still relevant to us, living in the midst of increasing strife, marginalization, violence, and competing claims to 'truth'.

Published in 1935 as Bhārelo Agni, the book was originally written in Gujarati, an Indo-Aryan language spoken in the Indian state of Gujarat and spoken by Gujarati people worldwide.

With a literary history spanning centuries, the languages of Odisha have found myriad expression in prose, poetry, mythology, history, and politics.
The Big Book of Odia Literature goes where very few have dared--into a history of language, literature and song that can be traced back all the way to the tenth century.
In this careful curation, The Big Book curates essays, stories, poems, and plays that have defined the culture of a state and a people. A first of its kind, the volume is for lovers of linguistic history and literary traditions.

From the Man Asian Literary Prize-longlisted author, the story of a middle-aged man in contemporary India discovering that neither his life nor his country are as stable as he thought.

Alif is a middle-aged, mild-mannered history teacher, living in contemporary Delhi, at a time when Muslims in India are seen either as hapless victims or live threats. Though his life's passion is the history he teaches, it's the present that presses down on him: his wife is set on a bigger house and a better car while trying to ace her MBA exams; his teenage son wants to quit school to get rich; his supercilious colleagues are suspicious of a Muslim teaching India's history; and his old friend Ganesh has just reconnected with a childhood sweetheart with whom Alif was always rather enamored himself.

And then the unthinkable happens. While Alif is leading a school field trip, a student goads him and, in a fit of anger, Alif twists his ear. His job suddenly on the line, Alif finds his life rapidly descending into chaos.

Meanwhile, his home city, too, darkens under the spreading shadow of violence. In this darkly funny, sharply observed and deeply moving novel, Anjum Hasan deftly and delicately explores the force and the consequences of remembering your people's history in an increasingly indifferent milieu.

Set in the newly independent and defiantly hopeful India of the early 1960s, The Hottest Summer in Years is a story of one's inner demons and if love might bring deliverance from them. As an important factory takes shape with German collaboration in a central Indian town, Hans Gerder finds himself on a learning curve once more. Just as it has been all his life. With a childhood spent in southwest Africa, and then learning harsh truths about Germany in the early 1940s, Hans is at times confused about the past and his own role in it. As a witness to evil, Hans is haunted by what he has seen, and is unsure about his chances for love and redemption. But in this somnolent yet simmering Indian town, circumstances link his life closely to young Lipsa's, who is as lonely and lost as he is. When a body is discovered unexpectedly in the forest, Hans finds himself shielding Lipsa and her family from the predatory instincts of an ambitious police officer. As the present tumbles out of his grip, will he finally find the answers to his past?

A CrimeReads Best of 2023 Notable Selections
A BuzzFeed Most Anticipated Thriller of 2023

[A] a powerful tale of guilt and betrayal...Tell Her Everything...is about a doctor who betrays the principle of empathy. But it is through the empathic act of writing - of putting pen to paper and reckoning with those who have suffered at his hands - that he succeeds in recovering his humanity and coming back from his own living death...plotted with great care. --The Guardian

Tell Her Everything is a layered recital of intricately woven hauntings, decisions, and confessions...[A] story that is at once haunting, tender, and gripping. -- Chicago Review of Books

A doctor working in a prosperous Middle Eastern city finds himself placed in an unconscionable situation ...

As he prepares for a visit from his long-estranged daughter, Dr K., a retired surgeon enjoying the comforts of retirement in London, rehearses the conversation he will finally have with her. It's been years since he has seen her, and he has spent much of that time polishing the confession he wants to make to her.

But as her visit draws closer, he finds his memories to be freshly torturous. He recalls leaving his childhood home in India to accept a dream job, working for a state hospital in a prosperous oil monarchy. Suddenly, he'd had access to a lifestyle that he would never have had back home. Money and success came quickly . . . as long as he performed certain tasks for the state. The price for that proved steep and often unbearable, especially to a wife and daughter who watch him walk the perilous path of lifelong ambition.

Tell Her Everything is a tense, visceral, and moving novel about a father's love for his daughter, and about a medical professional grappling with remorse, shame and despair. Recalling the work of Ishiguro, Coetzee and Kafka, it asks: Where does one draw the line between empathy and sacrifice? Between integrity and survival? Between prosperity and love?

Winner of the 2023 FICCI India Book of the Year award -- a powerful, magical indigenous novel from Nagaland, India's foremost writer.

Drawing on ancient tribal tales, Spirit Nights tells of a prophecy fulfilled when a number of villages are plunged into endless darkness. A terrible taboo has been violated in the spirit world. A wise elder feels the village crumble as her people are isolated and frightened. She knows that only through acting with wisdom and courage, and journeying into unknown realms, can the people get the light back.

But who would dare to do that?

Lockdowns, spirit visions, profound darkness - Spirit Nights delivers a unique tale from Nagaland that parallels our lives today. This is an exciting USA debut for Easterine Kire. Spirit Nights also includes informative notes, and an essay about real 'Dark Time Accounts' - tribal stories of periods when the world tumbles into seemingly endless night time.

In the midst of the Indian Ocean rests an extraordinary marvel, the Shiva Temple, whispered to be adorned with unimaginable treasures of gold, diamonds, and jewels. The temple's gates, on the other hand, remain tightly shut, cloaked in mystery, and immune to the efforts of everyone who has endeavoured to discover its secrets. The story does not end there, however, for the path to this hidden sanctuary is buried within another temple of equal mystery. Several years later, during the reign of the Magadha Kingdom, a young boy named Manmatha emerges as an illumination of self-belief. Goddess Lakshmi herself is claimed to have selected him to open the long-guarded gates. As Manmatha begins on a difficult voyage, faced by trials that test his mettle at every turn, a gripping story develops. The reader is drawn into the vivid world of Manmatha's escapades and contacts, which are rich in detail and experience. However, as the story reaches its conclusion, it leaves us with an intriguing, open-ended epilogue that remains entwined with the enigmatic aura of the Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple. The mystery persistently beckons, alluring the curious to delve into its concealed depths and uncover the ultimate truth that resides within.

NA

A delayed flight makes Anusha meet Aman at the Delhi airport. Their paths keep crossing each other in different cities. Suffering from depression and torn by grief and personal loss they form a tender bond. Will their oceanic hearts make an amalgam?

In this captivating book, contrasting and complementary aspects of Indian culture are explored through stories of seekers, stories of ordinary Indians; stories of heroes, frauds, and victims.

Hello. Anil? Can you hear me?

I can always hear you, bawa. You're always full volume.

I have something of great significance to discuss with you. Could I come over for a cup of chai?

Rustom Wadia's life is drifting. He no longer has his beloved pets Polly and Fluffy to anchor him and he has questions about his roots and who he really is. A call to his 'best friend' Anil Velkar, and a discovery of a connection with young restaurateur Toral Shah sets the three of them off on an adventure to the Parsi holy site of Udvada and a shocking discovery.

Rohit Trilokekar follows up on his charming allegorical tale The Perfect Outside with a heartwarming, touching and funny novel.

The Pearl of India by Maturin Murray Ballou is a novel that takes readers on a captivating journey through the exotic and mysterious landscapes of India during the 19th century. Ballou, a prolific American author and travel writer, brings to life the vibrant culture, rich history, and captivating allure of the Indian subcontinent in this work of historical fiction.

The story unfolds against the backdrop of British colonial India, immersing readers in a world of opulent maharajas, ancient traditions, and the ever-present clash between Eastern and Western influences. At the heart of the narrative is the search for a legendary and priceless gem known as The Pearl of India, a quest that leads the characters through lush landscapes, bustling bazaars, and ancient temples.

As the protagonists navigate the complexities of Indian society, they encounter a diverse cast of characters, from royalty and mystics to common folk, each contributing to the intricate tapestry of the narrative. The novel not only explores the external journey in search of the elusive pearl but also delves into the internal journeys of self-discovery and personal transformation.

Ballou's writing is descriptive and evocative, painting a vivid picture of India's landscapes, traditions, and people. The narrative is infused with a sense of adventure, mystery, and a touch of romance, keeping readers eagerly turning the pages as they follow the characters on their quest.

The Pearl of India is not only a tale of adventure but also a cultural exploration that offers readers a glimpse into the complexities and wonders of a bygone era. It combines elements of historical fiction, travelogue, and romance, making it a compelling read for those who are drawn to stories set in exotic locales with a rich historical backdrop.

Using the legendary love story of Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni and his Turkish

slave-cum-lover Ayaz as the backdrop, Mahmud and Ayaz, set in contemporary

Mumbai, tells the story of a young, casually radicalized Muslim man, Mahmud

Fakhar, who has failed to qualify for the IAS-where he had hoped to make

a lot of money, but also to weaken the system from within-and has barely

managed a temporary teaching job in a second-rate college. At a loose end

after his entire family dies in the 2015 Hajj stampede, he runs into a homeless

Hindu lad, the illegitimate son of a tamasha dancer, hires him as his domestic

servant, converts him to Islam, re-names him Ayaz, and begins an affair with

him.

It is the start of an unusual life together, and a series of journeys. Their travels

take them to Somnath in the great Sultan's footsteps, and then to Kashmir,

as they are drawn into a life of petty and not-so-petty crime and, almost, of

militancy. After some odd adventures, the wheel comes full circle when their

wayward life ends again in Mumbai, in the neighborhood of Mahmud's birth,

even as AIDS afflicts one of them.

Narrated with irreverent, deadpan humour, R. Raj Rao's new novel is funny,

subversive, provocative and wonderfully rude. It is unlike any love story-gay

or straight-that Indian readers would expect.

Storyline:

This is a fictional story about a young writer. The new government is looking for a second term in the upcoming elections. But his writings and his media comments get the ruling politicians exasperated and frustrated, and they decide to stop him.

Summary:

This is a fictional story. A young writer, Tevan Seh, who has expressed his views and opinions on the deficiencies of the representative democracy in the country through his latest book and media interviews comes into center-focus under the crosshairs of the political lens of the ruling political party at the center of government. Finding his expressions a threat, the government lets loose various agencies on him in order to get him to mute his outspoken thoughts and ideas in an election year; which he believes is his fundamental right, a right to freely express himself, within the legal framework of the freedom of expression guaranteed by the constitution.

The party and its administration wants to impress upon him the restrictions imposed by the constitution on this freedom with respect to rights and responsibilities of such expressions by methods of coercion, intimidation, false setup, illegal surveillance, framed conspiracy, and fake encounter in order to silence him. The story develops in the city of Mumbai and moves to his smart-village stream-valley called Himlet, in Kashmir. The writer lives through the various scenarios contemplated by the political authorities, law enforcement, and intelligence agencies against dire odds and an unrelenting tidal wave of criminal hits on his life that begin with subtle provocation and escalate to deadly force.

Tevan survives the authorized snuff-strategy of the administration with the help of a group of new acquaintance-friends in Mumbai, his Dad Gir and Mum Chuni back in the Himalayan village, and the power of the force of honesty and fearless resilience in the residents of a village-valley tucked in the nook between snow peaked mountain ranges.