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 Living Spirituality written by Meetu Bisht and published by Hay House, Inc. This book was released on 2021-05-18 with total page 134 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The subject of spirituality has become an elusive one. And with so many paths, ideologies, beliefs, masters, and gurus, where each is convinced of their superiority, it has become impossible to know what amounts to true spirituality. Living Spirituality has been written to remove this veil of confusion and distortion that shrouds spirituality and put the control back into your hands. The author offers a deeply insightful and rational understanding of the subject that aims to clarify and illuminate the truly spiritual life. Not only that, but the book also addresses various queries and tribulations that one is bound to confront when on a spiritual journey. This includes: • Do we need a master or guru to be on the path of spirituality? • How can we bridge the gap between spirituality in words and spirituality in one’s actions? • What makes spirituality different from philosophy and religion? • What is the difference between spirituality and escapism? . . . and many more The central theme of the book is to make spirituality accessible. Living Spirituality is a thought-provoking book that will confront our preconceived ideas, capture our souls, and direct our lives towards the true essence of spirituality.

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 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 Superstar India written by Shobhaa De and published by Penguin UK. This book was released on 2015-08-15 with total page 329 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Vintage Shobhaa Dé, with scathing take-offs on everything, from the caste system to male chauvinism, from sex to social pretension . . . in other words, it's all great fun'-Economic Times Watching the preparations for independent India's 60th birthday in 2007, Dé-poised then to enter her own sixth decade-was struck by the thought, 'Surely my life has taken the same trajectory as the country's!' While she reflected on this, many more questions arose: Does India really deserve to congratulate itself? Has it lived up to the early promises it made to its people? Does Dé herself believe in India? In Superstar India, an intimate confession to her readers, Dé answers these questions and discovers a jawan-young-India, ready to find its place in today's world. Witty, passionate and gloriously opinionated, Superstar India celebrates the spirit of a nation that is certainly not about to lose its glow.

Download or read book Pride and Prejudice PREMIUM PAPERBACK PENGUIN INDIA written by F. Scott Fitzgerald and published by Penguin Enterprise. This book was released on 2022-06-15 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: SWOONWORTHY ROMANCE MEETS RIVETING SATIRE IN THIS TIMELESS CLASSIC He is all pride, and she prejudiced. When Mr Darcy arrives at the quiet town of Hertfordshire, everyone is excited. So what if he's a bit of a snob, or despises all things social? He, like his best friend Mr Bingley, is an ideal bachelor with a magnificent estate. But there's one person who absolutely detests him. Vivacious and witty, Elizabeth Bennet would like nothing to do with the arrogant Mr Darcy-but fate has other plans. When Mr Bingley starts courting her sister Jane, Elizabeth is forced to cross paths with Darcy again and again. As the two of them spend time in each other's company, Darcy can't help falling for Elizabeth's wit and charm, while she's forced to reconsider her own feelings for him. But the two of them are still worlds apart-he's a rich aristocrat while she hails from an economically weaker family. Will they be able to set aside their differences? Or will the two of them risk losing a chance at true love and happiness? A charming comedy of manners, Pride and Prejudice is a stunning battle of the sexes that is equal parts entertaining and astute.

Download or read book Frontiers written by Medha Deshmukh Bhaskaran and published by Penguin Random House India Private Limited. This book was released on 2018-07-01 with total page 520 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Massive armies of the Mughal empire and the allied kingdoms have been unleashed to crush the Maratha warrior who is about to set a dangerous precedent. What will happen when two of the biggest enemies in the history of Hindustan come face to face? Aurangzeb has ascended to the throne in the North, leaving a trail of blood in his wake. His aim is to conquer the kingdoms of the Deccan and expand the great Mughal empire to include hitherto uncharted, rebellious territories. Unforgiving and relentless, he unleashes his violent rage against anyone who tries to tame his ambition. Raja Shivaji, a jagirdar from the hills of western Deccan, dreams of Swaraj and has raised his sword against all those who stand between him and his goal. He wins and conquers, escapes death traps through masterful strategy, unrivalled courage and intelligence to become a force to reckon with-a thorn in Aurangzeb's flesh. Theirs is a battle of wit and might-one in which neither will give up. Frontiers, a historical saga, brings to life the complex and ever-shifting dynamics between these two arch nemeses.

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 Dada Comrade written by Yashpal and published by Penguin Random House India Private Limited. This book was released on 2022-01-17 with total page 251 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Partly autobiographical and Yashpal's first novel, Dada Comrade is an extraordinary book, fast-paced and philosophical by turn. It tells the story of a young revolutionary, Harish, who, towards the end of the 1930s, is expelled from his revolutionary party, which also plans to kill him as he knows too much. Meanwhile, he and Shailbala, a member of the party and the daughter of a wealthy Lahore industrialist, develop a romantic relationship. An unusual heroine, Shailbala is outspoken about sexual freedom and constantly challenges others about their patriarchal mindsets. As Harish escapes the party's clutches and organizes the railway workers of Lahore into striking en masse, he is framed by the British government that leads to his trial. Shailbala, on the other hand, confronts her father and decides to keep the child conceived with Harish. She finds a new ally in this decision-Dada, the ageing leader of Harish's revolutionary party who had earlier condemned him. Raising questions about the means to achieve freedom and equality, as well as about desire, marriage and birth control, Dada Comrade was far ahead of its time and heralded the arrival of a literary genius. Translated seamlessly and including a scholarly introduction by Simona Sawhney, it will resonate with and compel today's readers to examine their ideals and values.

Download or read book Cobalt Blue written by Sachin Kundalkar and published by New Press, The. This book was released on 2016-08-02 with total page 104 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Now a film from Netflix India, this memorable novel confronts issues of sexuality in a changing society through a love triangle between a brother, sister, and their family’s lodger Recently adapted into a stunning Netflix film, Cobalt Blue is a tale of rapturous love and fierce heartbreak told with tenderness and unsparing clarity. Brother and sister Tanay and Anuja both fall in love with the same man, an artist lodging in their family home in Pune, in western India. He seems like the perfect tenant, ready with the rent and happy to listen to their mother’s musings on the imminent collapse of Indian culture. But he’s also a man of mystery. He has no last name. He has no family, no friends, no history, and no plans for the future. When he runs away with Anuja, he overturns the family’s lives. Translated from the Marathi by acclaimed novelist and critic Jerry Pinto, Sachin Kundalkar’s elegantly wrought and exquisitely spare novel explores the disruption of a traditional family by a free-spirited stranger in order to examine a generation in transition. Intimate, moving, sensual, and wry in its portrait of young love, Cobalt Blue is a frank and lyrical exploration of gay life in India that recalls the work of Edmund White and Alan Hollinghurst—of people living in emotional isolation, attempting to find long-term intimacy in relationships that until recently were barely conceivable to them.

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 Adam written by S. Hareesh and published by Penguin Random House India Private Limited. This book was released on 2021-12-27 with total page 147 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Four Belgian Malinois puppies raised by an ex-serviceman, N. K. Kuruppu, who end up in four different life situations; an old man and a younger man who play a game made out of death notices cut out from newspapers; two men who argue about the inexplicable change of character of an old-time rowdy with fatal consequences; a nurse and her boyfriend who travel to Kerala with the body of her father who died in Bangalore; a man who exploits his friend's disability to satisfy his own bestial needs; a man who finds himself stranded in a supernatural space between life and death; a government employee who is intoxicated by the taste of wild meat and sinks deeper and deeper into the toxic world of hunting; two buffaloes who break away from their butcher and an entire village that chases after them; an old man who rejoices in the death of a sworn enemy who was once his friend. S. Hareesh's Adam presents nine unusual stories about ordinary people, their passions and their diverse destinies in a world where humans, animals and nature collide and conflict, but also console each other. The stories explore the more difficult of human emotions-lust, anger, jealousy, vengeance, greed-in a non-judgemental yet detached manner. Hareesh's unique style of storytelling that mixes astute social observation with an irreverent and sarcastic tone makes these stories invigorating, and pushes the craft of the short story to new and refreshing realms.