'Mist fills the Himalayan valleys, and monsoon rain sweeps across the hills. Sometimes, during the day, a bird visits me-a deep purple whistling thrush. She perches on the window sill, and looks out with me at the rain.' This personal diary records the many small moments that constitute a life of harmony-with the self, the natural world, and friends, family and passersby. In these pages, we watch a wild plum blossom and the moon come up between two deodar trees; we hear a redstart whistle and the rain drum on a tin roof; we recognize the aftermath of loss and the consolation of old companions. 'A Book of Simple Living' is a gift of beauty and wisdom from India's most loved, and most understated, writer.

Heartfelt poems and engaging stories for and about children by one of the greatest writers of Indian literature.

In The Crescent Moon, Rabindranath Tagore brings alive the world of a child--in some poems he describes the simple joys of children at play, while in others, he feels the bonds of affection between mother and child, and in yet others, he expresses wonder at the earthly beauty all around us. Also included here are some of his most thought-provoking stories with themes that are relevant for children. In 'The Kabuliwalla' little Minnie becomes friendly with a burly Afghan man, but will she remember him when he returns after many years? 'The Parrot's Tale' is an allegory about the perils of the modern system of education, and 'The Kingdom of Cards', set in a fantasy land of cards, is a powerful statement against the stifling of freedom of any kind.

Playful, innocent and full of tender love, with themes that will resonate with readers who are young and old, The Crescent Moon--with a thoughtful introduction by Ruskin Bond--is truly an enduring classic.

The legendary lyricist, poet and filmmaker tells us of the art and stories behind the making of his best songs--some of the finest and most popular of Hindi Cinema--from 1963 to the present.

A legend of Hindi cinema, Gulzar is among the Subcontinent's finest poets and lyricists, whose songs have touched millions. He remains as popular today, and as sensitive a chronicler of our emotions, as he was half a century ago. And throughout, his work has been gloriously distinctive--especially for the unforgettable images and the intimacy he brings to his songs.

In this book of conversations with the acclaimed author and documentary filmmaker Nasreen Munni Kabir, Gulzar speaks about the making of his most enduring songs--from 'Mora gora ang lai le' (Bandini; 1963) and 'Dil dhoondta hai' (Mausam; 1975) to 'Jiya jale' (Dil Se; 1998) and 'Dil toh bachcha hai ji' (Ishqiya; 2010). He also discusses the songs of other greats, like Shailendra and Sahir Ludhianvi; his favourite music directors, like SD and RD Burman, Hemant Kumar and AR Rahman; and several playback singers, among them, Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammed Rafi, Asha Bhosle, Vani Jairam, Jagjit Singh and Bhupinder Singh.

Full of insight, anecdote and analysis--and containing over 40 songs, in roman script and English translation--this book is a treasure for students and lovers of Hindi cinema, music and poetry.

For many people, Urdu is indelibly associated with a bygone era: the cultural renaissance of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in the face of colonial oppression, heady mushairas and romantic poetry. For others, it brings to mind the gritty prose of the Progressive Writers portraying the grim social realities of the mid-twentieth century.

In this luminous collection of Urdu poetry and prose, Ralph Russell expands our world of Urdu letters to include folk and oral narratives, besides prose and poetry. By situating each form historically, he gives us a refreshing perspective on the diverse literary cultures and histories of India.

Besides canonical short stories by the likes of Manto and Premchand, there is Ismat Chughtai's a little-known autobiographical essay about her relationship with her brother, the writer Azim Beg Chughtai. There are creation tales from the Quran, popular stories of Akbar and Birbal, along with the legendary exploits of Sikandar (Alexander the Great). Selections from the sublime poetry of Mir, Ghalib and others are supplemented by astute commentary and roman transcriptions of the original Urdu. Farhatullah Beg's brilliantly imagined account of the 'last Delhi mushaira' captures a moment in time never seen again, with the horrors of 1857 just around the corner.

An accessible introduction for unfamiliar readers, and a pleasurable companion for those familiar with Urdu literature, this volume is a treasure trove of stories, poetry and history. Originally published as Hidden in the Lute(1995), this revised edition has been edited by Russell's student and friendfor several years, the novelist Marion Molteno.

Brilliant retellings of some of the world's and India's earliest stories, beloved by children and adults alike for over 2,000 years.
In a small forest, a hare convinces his friends--a monkey, a jackal and a water-weasel--to share their food with the hungry. But when the hare finds nothing to eat, and a fairy disguised as an old man comes asking for food, what does the hare do?
The king of monkeys asks his tribe to keep the delicious mangoes in their forest a secret from humans. But what happens when Brhmadatta, the king of humans, discovers the fruit and wants more of it?
A king spots the mysterious and beautiful deer, Sarabha, deep in the woods. He wishes to capture it but falls into a deep chasm on the way. Will Sarabha rescue him?
The twenty stories in Great Jataka Tales, retold by the remarkable writer Noor Inayat Khan, have been drawn from the Buddha's former lives and the legends around him. These tales bring alive a world from long, long ago: a world that shows the importance of courage, compassion, non-violence and love. Written in simple, dramatic prose and beautifully illustrated in full colour, these magical stories will enchant a new generation of readers.

Part of the bestselling 'Little Book' series, a new title by India's favourite author Ruskin Bond

What can a flower teach us about courage? Or a little red ant?

When is speaking up brave, and when holding one's peace?

Why must we look on with suspicion at all that comes easy?

What is the ultimate measure of man?

Ruskin Bond, India's favourite writer, draws from his own experiences, and those of some of the world's greatest thinkers and doers, to offer words of inspiration and wisdom. A Little Book of Courage is the perfect guide--to dip into and to gift--for the good times, and the tough.

'Elegant, lucid and funny, this book will appeal to as many readers as there are desires.'--Shohini Ghosh

'The history of desire in India, ' writes Madhavi Menon in this splendid book, 'reveals not purity but impurity as a way of life. Not one answer, but many. Not a single history, but multiple tales cutting across laws and boundaries.' In Bhakti poetry, Radha and Krishna disregard marital fidelity, age, time and gender for erotic love. In Sufi dargahs, pirs (spiritual guides) who were married to women are buried alongside their male disciples, as lovers are. Vatsyayana, author of the world's most famous manual of sex, insists that he did not compose it 'for the sake of passion', and remained celibate through the writing of it. Long hair is widely seen as a symbol of sexuality; and yet, shaved off in a temple, it is a sacred offering. Even as the country has a draconian law to punish homosexuality, heterosexual men share the same bed without comment. Hijras are increasingly marginalized; yet gender has historically been understood as fluid rather than fixed.

Menon navigates centuries, geographies, personal and public histories, schools of philosophy, literary and cinematic works, as she examines the many--and often surprising--faces of desire in the Indian subcontinent. Her study ranges from the erotic sculptures of Khajuraho to the shrine of the celibate god Ayyappan; from army barracks to public parks; from Empress Nur Jahan's paan to home-made kohl; from cross-dressing mystics to androgynous gods. It shows us the connections between grammar and sex, between hair and war, between abstinence and pleasure, between love and death.

Gloriously subversive, full of extraordinary analyses and insights, this is a book you will read to be enlightened and entertained for years.

Description

In the afternoon of 9th May 2014, a posse of policemen stopped a car in Delhi and pulled

out a wheelchair-bound man on his way home from work. He was then flown to Nagpur,

where he was arrested under UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act), the draconian

anti-terror law. His wheelchair was damaged as he was hauled up and thrown into the

police vehicle and the nerves of his left hand were injured, an infection that later spread

and rendered both his hands virtually useless.

This man was G.N. Saibaba, professor of English at Delhi University, scholar, writer and

human rights activist. In the eyes of the Indian government, he was a dangerous threat

to the State, accused of 'waging war against the nation'. In March 2017, the Gadchiroli

Sessions Court sentenced him to life imprisonment for alleged links with a banned

organisation, CPI-Maoist. Saibaba's appeal against the judgement, challenging the police

evidence and witnesses, has been pending in the Nagpur High Court for five years.

Meanwhile, he is kept in solitary confinement, denied the medical care he needs.

What would cause government agencies to take such an action against a man paralysed

by polio from the age of five, suffering from 90 per cent disability as well as a cardiac

condition and chronic and severe spinal pain?

Born into poverty in the town of Amalapuram in Andhra Pradesh, Saibaba overcame his

disability to top his university and become a highly regarded professor. From his student

days, he has also been engaged in activism on behalf of victims of poverty and state

violence, and played a significant role in the campaign against Operation Green Hunt, the

notorious paramilitary offensive aimed at dispossessing Adivasi people of their habitat by

force.

Is this what makes him a 'terrorist' in the eyes of the State?

Even as human rights organisations across the globe demand an end to his detention,

Saibaba continues to believe in the possibility of a better world. The poems and letters

in this book convey his innermost thoughts and feelings-anguish, hope, resistance, and

resilience-and a vision of a just, equal and humane India that we all deserve and need.

A selection of the most thrilling detective stories ever written by the master storyteller.

Sherlock Holmes, the world's cleverest detective, sets forth in this collection of six extraordinary stories to solve some of the most intriguing cases of his career. What was the mysterious 'speckled band' that a woman referred to with her dying breath? What do the dancing men signify and why do they bring death in their wake? Is there really a league of red-headed men, or is it a conspiracy so audacious that only Holmes can sense it? Will Sherlock Holmes meet his end at the hands of the evil Professor Moriarty at the Reichenbach Falls?

The cases of Sherlock Holmes have held readers spellbound ever since they were first published. In 1927, the stories in this volume were chosen by the author himself as some of the best he had written. Introduced here by Ruskin Bond, The Very Best of Sherlock Holmes presents the great detective in all his brilliant glory for a new generation of readers.

'Set in the heart of the world of Indian music, these are stories with a rhythm entirely their own. They speak of hope and disaster, genius and fakery in surprising ways. And they are wickedly funny.'--JERRY PINTO
After thousands of hours of training and practice, the gods of music smile upon the deserving few. Genius shines; melody and goodness reign supreme; and all is right with the world.
Or is it?
What happens, for instance, when a cunning PR brain brings together two star musicians from India and Pakistan in a concert for peace? Or when a Hindustani vocalist, long denied a foreign tour, flies from Pune to Philadelphia? Or when a small-town music teacher and a big-city businessman team up to plan a hunt for India's best new classical talent--and make a few crores in the process?
How does it all end when a harmonium player desirous of a Padma Shri award comes to a powerful ustad for a recommendation? Or when a Bollywood director calls a classical singer, offering to make her a sensation, like the mysterious Miss Sargam whom no one hears anymore but everyone remembers?
And is it really a good idea for an old-world recording company to reinvent itself for the twenty-first century, or a devotee of a pious godwoman to compose songs for Hollywood?
In this, her debut work of fiction, one of India's finest and most original musicians has produced a sparkling collection--utterly distinctive, hugely entertaining and mercilessly funny.

'Like Eat, Pray, Love but with more heart...dazzlingly romantic and yet still very real; a unique and uplifting read that's as much about traveling to India as it is about finding happiness.'--Library Journal

How far would you travel for love?

Alison Singh Gee was a glamorous magazine writer with a serious Jimmy Choo habit, a weakness for five-star Balinese resorts, and a reputation for dating high-born British men. Then she met Ajay, a charming and unassuming Indian journalist, and her world turned upside down.

Traveling from her shiny, fast-paced life in Hong Kong to Ajay's village, Mokimpur, not very far from Delhi, Alison learned that not all was as it seemed. It turned out that Ajay was a landed prince (of sorts), but his family palace was falling to pieces. Replete with plumbing issues, strange noises, and intimidating relatives, her new love's ramshackle palace was a broken-down relic in desperate need of a makeover. And Alison could not help but wonder if she would be able to soldier on for the sake of the man who just might be her soulmate.

Hailed as 'Eat, Pray, Love's down-to-earth cousin', Where the Peacocks Sing takes readers on a cross-cultural journey from the manicured gardens of Beverly Hills to the bustling streets of Hong Kong, and finally, to the rural Indian countryside as Alison falls in love, comes to terms with her complicated new family, leaves the modern world behind, and learns the true meaning of home.

'A riveting resurrection of the city of poets, the city of history, Saif Mahmood's learned and evocative book takes us to the heart of Delhi's romance with Urdu verse and aesthetics.'--Namita Gokhale

Urdu poetry rules the cultural and emotional landscape of India--especially northern India and much of the Deccan--and of Pakistan. And it was in the great, ancient city of Delhi that Urdu grew to become one of the world's most beautiful languages. Through the 18th and 19th centuries, while the Mughal Empire was in decline, Delhi became the capital of a parallel kingdom--the kingdom of Urdu poetry--producing some of the greatest, most popular poets of all time. They wrote about the pleasure and pain of love, about the splendour of God and the villainy of preachers, about the seductions of wine, and about Delhi, their beloved home.

This treasure of a book documents the life and work of the finest classical Urdu poets: Sauda, Dard, Mir, Ghalib, Momin, Zafar, Zauq and Daagh. Through their biographies and poetry--including their best-known ghazals--it also paints a compelling portrait of Mughal Delhi. This is a book for anyone who has ever been touched by Urdu or Delhi, by poetry or romance.

An intrepid traveller and a true cosmopolitan, the legendary Bengali writer Syed Mujtaba Ali from Sylhet (in erstwhile East Bengal, now Bangladesh) spent a year and a half teaching in Kabul from 1927 to 1929. Drawing on this experience, he later wrote Deshe Bideshe which was published in 1948. Ali's young mind was curious to explore the Afghan society of the time and, with his impressive language skills, he had access to a cross-section of Kabul's population, whose ideas and experiences he chronicles with a keen eye and a wicked sense of humour. His account provides a fascinating first-hand insight into events at a critical point in Afghanistan's history, when the reformist King Amanullah tried to steer his country towards modernity by encouraging education for girls and giving them the choice of removing the burqa. Branded a 'kafir', Amanullah was overthrown by the bandit leader Bacha-e-Saqao. Deshe Bideshe is the only published eyewitness account of that tumultuous period by a non-Afghan, brought to life by the contact that Ali enjoyed with a colourful cast of characters at all levels of society-from the garrulous Pathan Dost Muhammed and the gentle Russian giant Bolshov, to his servant, Abdur Rahman and his partner in tennis, the Crown Prince Enayatullah.

In the autumn of 1939, seventeen-year-old Sammi has been married for only

twenty-one days when her husband, Hari Singh, an officer in the British Indian

Army, is summoned to fight inWWII.The heartbroken couple bid each other

goodbye. Sammi awaits Hari Singh's return in her village, Aliwala, a syncretic

hamlet with Sufi bearings in the hinterland of Punjab. It is 1946 but there is

no word from Hari Singh. He has been gone for nearly seven years. Caught

between her two feuding brothers, Jasjit and Kirpal, the now twenty-threeyear-old Sammi clings to her husband's memory.

India is on the brink of gaining independence from the British. Jasjit worries

that independence will damage age-old communal bonds and separate him

from his closest friend, Zulfi Sheikh. Meanwhile Kirpal plans to solidify his

social standing by forcing Sammi to marry his boyhood friend, the influential

Bachan Singh.Will Sammi be forced into a second marriage or will she find

the courage to step out of the narrow alleys of Aliwala in search of a new life?

Inspired by true events, The Song of Distant Bulbuls is set in a singularly

turbulent time in world history.The novel poses epic questions: is happiness

an elusive goal? Is love the ultimate aim of human life or a means to something

else?What does it take to realize who one truly loves and how much?

Behold! The Word is God contains a selection of 51 abhangas (devotional poems)

from celebrated Bhakti poet Tukaram's vast oeuvre, each Marathi abhanga

followed by two English interpretations-Shanta Gokhale's and Jerry

Pinto's. Hailed as one of the greatest poets in the Marathi language, Tukaram

composed poems that are packed with hidden layers of meaning. So, two

independent translations of each abhanga give readers a chance to gain a

deeper understanding of the original. The saint-poet's original abhangas are

included in the book alongside the translations as Roman transliterations.

Tukaram's abhangas, copied by many hands and gathered over several years,

do not follow any particular order. But the translators, keen to give their

selection a narrative order that would offer readers a view of the abhangas

beyond their immediate sense, have arranged them into three groups-

'Tukaram and poetry', 'Tukaram and life' and 'Tukaram and Vitthala'.

Pinto does what Arun Kolatkar and Dilip Chitre had done in their translations

of Tukaram-recast the abhangas as independent poems that run parallel to

Tukaram's creations. Gokhale, on the other hand, stays as close as possible

to the sense, movement, rhythm and form of the originals. Together, their

translations capture the mystic wisdom and the musicality of Tukaram's

hymns, and open a whole world of meaning for today's readers.

A compelling duet of novellas, in exquisite prose, that capture the nuances of time and place, each one featuring a protagonist who is at heart a dreamer.

Tourist Season features Ramchander, a small-time shopkeeper in a Himalayan hill station, whose quiet existence is disrupted when a tourist woman from Mumbai finds a 17th-century antique amidst the paraphernalia of his shop. When he signs up for a project that involves relocating the town's monkeys, which has a disastrous outcome, Ramchander is presented with a momentous dilemma: should he fulfil his romantic yearnings and follow the tourist woman to Mumbai? Or, should he continue his dull life in the hill station, walking the mountains, and running his provision shop?

In The River, Girnar, a middling professor of Hindu mythology in Ahmedabad, nurtures a secret ambition of one day becoming a novelist of renown. When the members of his housing society embark on a Ganges pilgrimage, Girnar decides to accompany them. In Benares, he encounters an American reporter, a woman who is writing an article about the polluted river. When he accompanies her to interviews, acting as translator or expounding on the idiosyncrasies of Indian culture, his days become filled with adventure. He dreams of a new life with her, but as she departs on a train to Delhi, Girnar's own words to her come back to haunt him, and he realizes that his true happiness lies elsewhere.

Born into an eminent merchant family in Ladakh in 1918, Khwaja Abdul Wahid Radhu, often described as 'the last caravaneer of Tibet and Central Asia', led an unusual life of adventure, inspiration and enlightenment. His family, and later he, had the ancestral honour of leading the biannual caravan which carried the Ladakhi kings' tribute and homage to the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government. Tibetan Caravans, his memoir, is an unparalleled narrative about trans-Himalayan trade--the riches, the politics and protocol, the challenging yet magnificent natural landscape, altitude sickness, snow storms, bandits and raiders, monks and soldiers. The book also contains rare and fascinating details about the close connections between Ladakh, Tibet and Kashmir, the centuries-old interplay between Buddhism and Islam in the region, the Chinese occupation of Tibet, and life in Lhasa before and after its takeover by China.

In this rich and insightful memoir, Abdul Wahid Radhu reminisces about a bygone era when borders were fluid, and mutual respect formed the basis for trade relations across cultures and people. As his son, Siddiq Wahid, says in his introduction, Tibetan Caravans is a testimony to the organic relationships between 'societies who have learned how to hear each other out, argue, even do battle and yet remain hospitable to each other.'

' This book] deserves to be read, not merely because it is about extraordinary women set against the changing historical backdrop of Indian classical dance, but primarily because it is a story well told.'--The Hindu
A riveting chronicle about three generations of women who profoundly impacted the revitalization of classical dance--especially Bharatanatyam and Odissi--in India and abroad.
This intimate memoir begins with Esther Luella, who in the Orientalist frenzy of 1920s America became increasingly immersed in Indian dance and changed her name to Ragini Devi, then eloped tumultuously to India. Here her stubborn pursuit of what she felt she had been reincarnated for resulted in an acclaimed career as a Bharatanatyam and Kathakali dancer.
Yet a gypsy fortune-teller had predicted that her daughter's fame would eclipse her own, and indeed it was Indrani Rahman--rebellious, talented, beautiful, defying her mother by marrying aged fifteen--who truly brought Indian classical dance to the world stage; a pioneer who introduced Odissi, until then performed only by the marginalized Devadasi community, to widespread appreciation.
Sukanya Rahman, granddaughter to Ragini and daughter to Indrani, explores the truths behind their celebrated lives against the history of the dances they popularised in pre- and post-Independence India. She delves into her own life with the same unassuming candour, reflecting upon her simultaneous desire and inability to draw away from this potent inheritance of dance.
Ultimately an ode to these remarkable women so significant to Indian dance, this intergenerational memoir is recounted with a frank authenticity which makes for a compelling read. More than 50 archival family photographs, dating from 1893, contribute to making this book a gem in the history of Indian dance.

'Sumana Roy is one of the most original writers in Indian English today, whose writing easily slides out of the clutches of genres.'--The Indian Express
'Every relationship is a long-distance relationship, we read in one of Sumana Roy's intriguing new poems. Out of Syllabus brilliantly anatomizes those relationships, viewing them from every disciplinary perspective: chemistry, physics, biology, geography, history, botany--and finally art. The result is a dazzling dissection of love, longing, and loss in all their conflicting moods and moments. Roy's images and metaphors are as enigmatic as they are precise. However private and personal her subjects, Roy maintains an aesthetic distance, wit and verbal control that recalls Sylvia Plath--but a Plath less angry, wiser--even philosophical. This is a very special book--one that deserves a wide readership.'
--Marjorie Perloff, Emeritus Professor, Stanford University
'Sumana Roy's wonderful book of poems, Out of Syllabus, combines rational ordering with the unreason of striking figures of speech. The rational ordering lies in the naming of sections as items in a comprehensive syllabus: History, Chemistry, Physics and so on. The striking figures of speech are everywhere in these poems. They give out in the book's title a negative as well as a positive meaning. These metaphors are often coupled to what they figure by way of a key word in Out of Syllabus is. But you must read these powerful and challenging poems for yourself, dear reader, to get a feeling for what they are like and for what they mean as unique poetic experiences.'
--J. Hillis Miller, Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus, University of California at Irvine