Download or read book Phoolsunghi written by Pandey Kapil and published by Hamish Hamilton. This book was released on 2021-04 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'Babu Sahib! You must have heard of a phoolsunghi--the flower-pecker--yes? It can never be held captive in a cage. It sucks nectar from a flower and then flies on to the next.' When Dhelabai, the most popular tawaif of Muzaffarpur, slights Babu Haliwant Sahay, a powerful zamindar from Chappra, he resolves to build a cage that would trap her forever. Thus, the elusive phoolsunghi is trapped within the four walls of the Red Mansion. Forgetting the past, Dhelabai begins a new life of luxury, comfort, and respect. One day, she hears the soulful voice of Mahendra Misir and loses her heart to him. Mahendra too, feels for her deeply, but the lovers must bear the brunt of circumstances and their own actions which repeatedly pull them apart. The first ever translation of a Bhojpuri novel into English, Phoolsunghi transports readers to a forgotten world filled with mujras and mehfils, court cases and counterfeit currency, and the crashing waves of the River Saryu.

Download or read book Smoke and Ashes written by Amitav Ghosh and published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. This book was released on 2024-02-13 with total page 278 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2024 by Foreign Policy, Literary Hub, and The Millions Ghosh unravels the impact of the opium trade on global history and in his own family―the climax of a yearslong project. When Amitav Ghosh began the research for his monumental cycle of novels the Ibis Trilogy, he was startled to learn how the lives of the nineteenth-century sailors and soldiers he wrote about were dictated not only by the currents of the Indian Ocean but also by the precious commodity carried in enormous quantities on those currents: opium. Most surprising of all, however, was the discovery that his own identity and family history were swept up in the story. Smoke and Ashes is at once a travelogue, a memoir, and an essay in history, drawing on decades of archival research. In it, Ghosh traces the transformative effect the opium trade had on Britain, India, and China, as well as the world at large. The trade was engineered by the British Empire, which exported Indian opium to sell to China to redress their great trade imbalance, and its revenues were essential to the empire’s financial survival. Following the profits further, Ghosh finds opium central to the origins of some of the world’s biggest corporations, of America’s most powerful families and prestigious institutions (from the Astors and Coolidges to the Ivy League), and of contemporary globalism itself. Moving deftly between horticultural history, the mythologies of capitalism, and the social and cultural repercussions of colonialism, in Smoke and Ashes Ghosh reveals the role that one small plant has had in making our world, now teetering on the edge of catastrophe.

Download or read book Phoolsunghi written by Pandey Kapil and published by Penguin Random House India Private Limited. This book was released on 2020-11-24 with total page 158 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'Babu Sahib! You must have heard of a phoolsunghi--the flower-pecker--yes? It can never be held captive in a cage. It sucks nectar from a flower and then flies on to the next.' When Dhelabai, the most popular tawaif of Muzaffarpur, slights Babu Haliwant Sahay, a powerful zamindar from Chappra, he resolves to build a cage that would trap her forever. Thus, the elusive phoolsunghi is trapped within the four walls of the Red Mansion. Forgetting the past, Dhelabai begins a new life of luxury, comfort, and respect. One day, she hears the soulful voice of Mahendra Misir and loses her heart to him. Mahendra too, feels for her deeply, but the lovers must bear the brunt of circumstances and their own actions which repeatedly pull them apart. The first ever translation of a Bhojpuri novel into English, Phoolsunghi transports readers to a forgotten world filled with mujras and mehfils, court cases and counterfeit currency, and the crashing waves of the River Saryu.

Download or read book Twelfth Fail written by Anurag Pathak and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2021-12-27 with total page 198 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How does a village student, living with uncertainty about his next meal or home, who failed his boards, go on to a career in the civil services? With integrity, inventiveness, and a never-say-die spirit. In IPS officer Manoj Kumar Sharma's case, there was also the promise of love. Twelfth Fail is his extraordinary story, the gripping narrative of a man who put his heart and soul into making the impossible possible.

Download or read book Gandhi Before India written by Ramachandra Guha and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2014-04-15 with total page 544 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Here is the first volume of a magisterial biography of Mohandas Gandhi that gives us the most illuminating portrait we have had of the life, the work and the historical context of one of the most abidingly influential—and controversial—men in modern history. Ramachandra Guha—hailed by Time as “Indian democracy’s preeminent chronicler”—takes us from Gandhi’s birth in 1869 through his upbringing in Gujarat, his two years as a student in London and his two decades as a lawyer and community organizer in South Africa. Guha has uncovered myriad previously untapped documents, including private papers of Gandhi’s contemporaries and co-workers; contemporary newspapers and court documents; the writings of Gandhi’s children; and secret files kept by British Empire functionaries. Using this wealth of material in an exuberant, brilliantly nuanced and detailed narrative, Guha describes the social, political and personal worlds inside of which Gandhi began the journey that would earn him the honorific Mahatma: “Great Soul.” And, more clearly than ever before, he elucidates how Gandhi’s work in South Africa—far from being a mere prelude to his accomplishments in India—was profoundly influential in his evolution as a family man, political thinker, social reformer and, ultimately, beloved leader. In 1893, when Gandhi set sail for South Africa, he was a twenty-three-year-old lawyer who had failed to establish himself in India. In this remarkable biography, the author makes clear the fundamental ways in which Gandhi’s ideas were shaped before his return to India in 1915. It was during his years in England and South Africa, Guha shows us, that Gandhi came to understand the nature of imperialism and racism; and in South Africa that he forged the philosophy and techniques that would undermine and eventually overthrow the British Raj. Gandhi Before India gives us equally vivid portraits of the man and the world he lived in: a world of sharp contrasts among the coastal culture of his birthplace, High Victorian London, and colonial South Africa. It explores in abundant detail Gandhi’s experiments with dissident cults such as the Tolstoyans; his friendships with radical Jews, heterodox Christians and devout Muslims; his enmities and rivalries; and his often overlooked failures as a husband and father. It tells the dramatic, profoundly moving story of how Gandhi inspired the devotion of thousands of followers in South Africa as he mobilized a cross-class and inter-religious coalition, pledged to non-violence in their battle against a brutally racist regime. Researched with unequaled depth and breadth, and written with extraordinary grace and clarity, Gandhi Before India is, on every level, fully commensurate with its subject. It will radically alter our understanding and appreciation of twentieth-century India’s greatest man.

Download or read book The Village by the Sea written by Anita Desai and published by Allied Publishers. This book was released on 2012 with total page 164 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book She Swiped Right into My Heart written by Sudeep Nagarkar and published by Random House India. This book was released on 2017-10-25 with total page 163 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: If you've never had friends, you've never really lived Geet, one of the most unpopular girls in college, is best friends with the beautiful and sought-after Shibani. To win the popularity vote, Geet takes the help of college hottie Rudra, who agrees to act as her 'boyfriend'-he sees an opportunity to get closer to Shibani. Little does he know that Shibani has been harbouring feelings for someone else all along. As misunderstandings and jealousies take centre stage, Geet must make a decision that will affect not just her own life, but also those of her loved ones. She Swiped Right into My Heart is a story about love-gained and lost-and the healing power of friendship.

Download or read book Storizen Magazine November 2020 Elizabeth Day Being Human With Imperfections written by Pria Raiyani and published by Storizen Media. This book was released on 2020-11-19 with total page 76 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Change is an unsuspecting and finicky foe. You don't realize the strength of its grip until it's too late likewise is Failure. It is part of our lives. Our instinct is to be ashamed of failure, maybe because we don't like how it makes us feel--humiliated, as though we have done something wrong. But if you can shift our perspective we sure can take the step ahead of being a Human! With the perspective bringing to you the November issue of Storizen featuring English novelist, journalist, and broadcaster, Elizabeth Day.

Download or read book Ratno Dholi written by and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2020-10-19 with total page 267 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Brilliant ... an iconic voice - Namita Gokhale One of the finest short story writers from India - Aruni Kashyap Jenny Bhatt ... deserves our gratitude and attention - Rita Kothari Train your telescopes, ladies and gentlemen, Dhumketu is here! - Jerry Pinto The tragic love story of a village drummer and his dancer lover... A long-awaited letter that arrives too late... A tea-house near Darjeeling, run by a mysterious queen... When Dhumketu's first collection of short stories, Tankha, came out in 1926, it revolutionized the genre in India. Characterized by a fine sensitivity, deep humanism, perceptive observation and an intimate knowledge of both rural and urban life, his fiction has provided entertainment and edification to generations of Gujarati readers and speakers. Ratno Dholi brings together the first substantial collection of Dhumketu's work to be available in English. Beautifully translated for a wide new audience by Jenny Bhatt, these much-loved stories - like the finest literature - remain remarkable and relevant even today.

Download or read book Rising Like a Storm written by Tanaz Bhathena and published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR). This book was released on 2021-06-22 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the concluding installment to the Wrath of Ambar duology from masterful author Tanaz Bhathena, Gul and Cavas must unite their magical forces—and hold onto their growing romance—to save their kingdom from tyranny. With King Lohar dead and a usurper queen in power, Gul and Cavas face a new tyrannical government that is bent on killing them both. Their roles in King Lohar's death have not gone unnoticed, and the new queen is out for blood. What she doesn't know is that Gul and Cavas have a connection that runs deeper than romance, and together, they just might have the strength and magic to end her for good. Then a grave mistake ends with Cavas taken prisoner by the government. Gul must train an army of warriors alone. With alliances shifting and the thirst for vengeance growing, the fate of Ambar seems ever more uncertain. It will take every ounce of strength, love, and sacrifice for Gul and Cavas to reach their final goal—and build a more just world than they've ever known.

Download or read book The Parrot and the Merchant written by Marjan Vafaian and published by Penguin Random House India Private Limited. This book was released on 2019-01-15 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mah Jahan, a rich merchant woman, collects birds in cages. But when she brings back a gift for one of them, she learns a surprising lesson. This exquisitely illustrated story is an enchanting fable exploring how hard it is to let go of someone you love and give them freedom. Retold for modern-day readers, this classic tale by Rumi is brought to life by the award-winning illustrator Marjan Vafaian.

Download or read book Victory Colony 1950 written by Bhaswati Ghosh and published by . This book was released on 2020-08 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When she lands in Calcutta's Sealdah railway station on a humid day in 1949, Amala Manna has managed to flee from the communal violence in her village, but not from all her trials. Within moments of crossing over to India as a refugee from East Pakistan, she loses Kartik, her younger brother. Thanks to a group of young volunteers, Amala finds her way to a refugee camp in Gariahata where she meets Manas Dutta, who is the leader of the volunteer group. Despite the sordid camp life, Amala finds sustenance in her quest to find Kartik and the new familial bonds the camp allows her to forge with complete strangers. With dwindling official support, the situation in the camp deteriorates, and the refugees take things into their own hands. They establish Bijoy Nagar - literally meaning Victory Colony - by occupying a zamindar's vacant plot of land. This dramatic event is a harbinger of radical shifts in Amala's personal life. 'A compelling story, set against a Calcutta that's vividly depicted in the smallest of details.' - Madhulika Liddle 'Bengal comes alive in all its sensory immediacy.' - Neelum Saran Gour

Download or read book The Star of India written by Diana R Chambers and published by Penguin Random House India Private Limited. This book was released on 2020-04-24 with total page 319 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hollywood, 1946. When Nancy Valentine meets the dashing crown prince of Cooch Behar, sparks fly almost instantly. Sporty-as she lovingly nicknames him-is like nobody the beautiful young actress has ever met before. She is swept away to Sporty's kingdom in India just as the country is caught up in a tumultuous freedom struggle. And before she knows it, Nancy is entangled in a whirlwind of intrigue, espionage and attempted murder. Sporty comes under great pressure from his elegant and formidable mother, who believes his marriage to a foreigner will weaken the family's position with their people-and make them vulnerable to a government takeover. Amid growing opposition to the couple's union, the state's fabled Mughal Ruby disappears, and its curse will shadow them all. From the glitz of Hollywood to the lush chambers of Indian royalty, The Star of India weaves a spirited tale of a strong-willed woman whose fate was deeply entwined with the momentous birth of modern India.

Download or read book Hijab written by Guruprasad Kaginele and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2020-02-21 with total page 331 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Three Indian doctors find themselves practising at a hospital in Amoka, a nondescript town in Minnesota, waiting for their green cards. What is expected to be an easy practice in a backwater town soon turns into a difficult question about identity, immigration and belonging, in this award-winning novel first published in Kannada. When a Sanghaali refugee woman refuses to deliver her baby via the Caesarean section despite doctors' advice, her act snowballs into a larger conundrum that brings to light cultural differences that may not be necessarily resolved with reason. As the doctors try to break down whether migrants can leave behind their culture in a new land, the conflict with the Sanghaalis reaches new heights. Reality TV, immigration issues, and racial profiling all converge in this little town that is struggling to adapt to the demographic shifts around it. A story about the dystopias that migration induces, Hijab is a powerful fable about one of the most burning issues of our time. How does one conform in a culture that is itself made of remnants from other cultures? Is identity skin-deep, or does it go beyond one's colour? And finally, what does being a migrant truly mean?

Download or read book The Story of a Goat written by Perumal Murugan and published by Grove Press. This book was released on 2019-12-10 with total page 143 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Fantastical . . . Through the thoughts of a rare black goat and the couple who adopt it, readers witness famines, death, and moments of beauty.” —National Geographic Longlisted for the National Book Award for Translated Literature As he did in the award-winning One Part Woman, Perumal Murugan explores a side of India that is rarely considered in the West: the rural lives of the country’s farming community. He paints a bucolic yet sometimes menacing portrait, showing movingly how danger and deception can threaten the lives of the weakest through the story of a helpless young animal lost in a world it naively misunderstands. As the novel opens, a mysterious stranger offers a farmer in Tamil Nadu a black goat kid who is the runt of the litter, surely too frail to survive. The farmer and his wife take care of the young she-goat, whom they name Poonachi, and soon the little goat is bounding with joy and growing at a rate they think miraculous for such a small animal. Intoxicating passages from the goat’s perspective offer a bawdy and earthy view of what it means to be an animal and a refreshing portrayal of the natural world. But Poonachi’s life is not destined to be a rural idyll—dangers can lurk around every corner, and may sometimes come from surprising places, including a government that is supposed to protect the weak and needy. Is this little goat too humble a creature to survive such a hostile world? “The title character of Murugan’s elegant new novel is indeed a joy . . . through Poonachi’s tale we are reminded how much bonds us with the animal world.” —USA Today

Download or read book The Ministry of Utmost Happiness written by Arundhati Roy and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2018-05-01 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: National Bestseller Longlisted for the Man Booker Prize One of the Best Books of the Year: The Washington Post * The Boston Globe * Minneapolis Star Tribune * NPR * Newsday * The Guardian * Financial Times * The Christian Science Monitor The Ministry of Utmost Happiness takes us on an intimate journey across the Indian subcontinent—from the cramped neighborhoods of Old Delhi and the roads of the new city to the mountains and valleys of Kashmir and beyond, where war is peace and peace is war. Braiding together the lives of a diverse cast of characters who have been broken by the world they live in and then rescued, patched together by acts of love—and by hope, here Arundhati Roy reinvents what a novel can do and can be.

Download or read book Unmasked written by Paro Anand and published by Penguin Random House India Private Limited. This book was released on 2021-06-21 with total page 148 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: I imagined a game of dominoes, or the game we'd played when we were little-'hai sha, hui sha, we all fall down' The year 2020 will forever be reported as the time when we all fell down. But it was also the year we all got back up and were forced to come together in a way we had never imagined before. In this timely masterpiece, Paro Anand writes of despair, courage and hope. Through eighteen short stories, she introduces us to characters who feel familiar and their stories intimate. From a mother and son looking to make ends meet as the lockdown brutally affects their lives to a housewife who's a victim of domestic abuse, from young keyboard wizards keen on making a difference to a home delivery executive who becomes an unlikely hero, this book unmasks the layers of the year that changed us all. Make this book your very own by adding your unique pandemic experience to make it COVID'S 19 stories.