Raj Kapoor’s Awara, released over half a century ago, is widely regarded as a classic of Indian cinema. With its socialist message, the unprecedented intensity of its central romance, the memorable songs and the hugely popular character of ‘vagabond’—the tramp as the quintessential ‘common man’—the film captured the imagination of a young, independent nation. It also made Raj Kapoor perhaps the most famous Indian in the erstwhile Soviet Union, China and the Middle East.
In this award-winning book, first published in 1992, Gayatri Chatterjee examines every aspect of Awara to try and understand not just its popular and enduring appeal but also its intrinsic merits as pure cinema. By situating it in a historical, social and political context, and decoding key shots, sequences and songs, she analyses the different levels at which the film works.
Containing over 100 photographs, this exhaustive study brilliantly uses a single landmark film to investigate the complex and often fascinating phenomenon of popular cinema in India.
Archives: Books
The Life of the Buddha
“In the full bloom of spring, in a beautiful garden, in a place called Lumbini, a prince was born.”
So begins the extraordinary story of the life of Siddhartha Gautama, the prince who would become the enlightened Buddha, the Awakened One. This classic tale follows Prince Siddhartha’s journey of truth-seeking and discovery, including his life-altering encounters with human suffering and his realization of the Four Noble Truths. Today, millions of people all over the world follow the Buddha’s teachings on meditation, selflessness, and compassion. Rendered here in exquisite original watercolor illustrations, this inspiring story is brought to life for young readers curious about one of history’s most monumental and influential figures.
Buddhist Stories for Kids
Buddhist Stories for Kids: Jataka Tales of Kindness, Friendship, and Forgiveness
Long ago, the Buddha told his followers Jataka Tales, or “birth stories,” about the many lifetimes he lived before he was born as Prince Siddhartha. In this beautiful retelling of ten such stories, the Buddha is introduced as the Queen of the Dogs, a loyal Parrot, a mischievous Monkey, a wise Lion, a brave Forest Owlet, and more.
Each story conveys important morals that are short, sweet, and to the point, giving children a handful of useful lessons to apply to their lives, like “Always try to do the right thing, even when no one else is watching.” These tales are brought to life with the warm and captivating voice of author and narrator, Laura Burges, exploring in vivid detail how one’s actions affect others; the importance of kindness; the strength of friendship; the value of thoughtful decisions; and the importance of letting go and learning to forgive.
Hitopdesh/हितोपदेश
हितोपदेश भारतीय जन-मानस तथा परिवेश से प्रभावित उपदेशात्मक कथाएँ हैं। हितोपदेश की कथाएँ अत्यंत सरल व सुग्राह्य हैं। विभिन्न पशु-पक्षियों पर आधारित कहानियाँ इसकी विशेषता हैं। रचयिता ने इन पशु-पक्षियों के माध्यम से कथा-शिल्प की रचना की है जिसकी समाप्ति किसी शिक्षाप्रद बात से ही हुई है। पशुओं को नीति की बातें करते हुए दिखाया गया है। सभी कथाएँ एक-दूसरे से जुड़ी हुई प्रतीत होती हैं। हितोपदेश, पंचतंत्र की ही पद्धति पर लिखा गया है।
Bhawnanon Ke Chamatkaar/भावनाओं के चमत्कार
भावनाओं पर नियंत्रण से जीवन सफल बनाएँ
• क्या आप अपने जीवन को उत्साहमय बनाना चाहते हैं?
• क्या आप अपनी पारिवारिक उलझनों को सुलझाना चाहते हैं?
• क्या आप शारीरिक और मानसिक कष्ट देने वाली भावनाओं पर काबू पाना चाहते हैं?
• आप जीवन से कितने ही निराश हो चुके हों, परंतु आप बिलकुल चिंता न कीजिए! जीवन में उत्साह, आत्मविश्वास, साहस, स्फूर्ति तथा संतोष प्राप्त कर असफलताओं को सफलताओं में बदलिए!
• इस पुस्तक में डॉ. लक्ष्मीनारायण शर्मा ने ऐसी अनेक समस्याओं का समाधान किया है। आप भी इस पुस्तक को पढ़कर भावनाजनित कुंठाओं से मुक्ति पाइए।
Blackened
The Adhikarathil family had a distinguished history. It prospered both in terms of wealth and eminence, acquiring the status of royalty in Malabar, Kerala, until the birth of a child named Eranimos shocked everyone. Unlike his fair-skinned, Christian forebears, Eranimos was born dark-skinned, leading to controversial conjectures about his lineage.
Blackened tells the story of its protagonist’s quest to discover the truth behind his dark skin and caste identity. But weaved into this personal tale are multiple layers of Kerala’s social and political histories—its caste conflicts, its massive waves of conversion and migration, its clashing belief systems, and its rural and urban divide.
Originally published as Karikkottakkary in Malayalam, Blackened is an impactful bildungsroman that covers the arc of a conflicted life, and shows us how family histories are tied into the larger historical currents that form communities and shape destinies.
The Dead Guy Next Door: A Riley Thorn Novel (Riley Thorn, 1)
From the #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Things We Never Got Over
A nice, normal life. Is that too much to ask? For Riley Thorn it is.
Divorced. Broke. Living with a pack of elderly roommates. And those hallucinations she’s diligently ignoring? Her tarot card-dealing mom is convinced they’re clairvoyant visions.
Just when things can’t get worse, a so-hot-it-should-be-illegal private investigator shows up on her doorstep looking for one of her neighbors…who turns up murdered.
Nick Santiago doesn’t play well with others. Unless the “others” are of the female persuasion. Wink. He’s a rebel, a black sheep, a man who prefers a buffet of options to being stuck with the same entrée every night, if you catch his drift.
When the pretty, possibly psychic Riley lands at the top of the list of suspects, Nick volunteers to find out whodunit. Only because he likes solving mysteries not because he wants to flex his heroic muscles for the damsel in distress.
All they have to do is figure out who pulled the trigger, keep a by-the-book detective with a grudge at bay, and deal with a stranger claiming he was sent to help Riley hone her psychic gifts. All before the killer discovers she’s a loose end that requires snipping.
The Corpse in Closet: A Riley Thorn Novel (Riley Thorn, 2)
From the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Things We Never Got Over
Summer is heating up for reluctant psychic Riley Thorn and her handsome private investigator boyfriend, Nick Santiago.
First, her disapproving grandmother arrives determined to make Riley take her powers seriously or face the wrath of “the Guild.” Then there’s the homicide detective who needs her help figuring out who murdered the well-dressed corpse in the walk-in closet.
Nick’s got his own hands full with a tricky missing person case and his parents who want to know why he didn’t tell them about his live-in girlfriend. Then there’s the fact that he’s still the tiniest bit stressed about Riley almost getting murdered earlier that summer. The last thing he wants is her getting involved in another investigation.
Things go from bad to worse when the body count starts stacking up, the meet-the-parents dinner goes horribly wrong, and their elderly roommate is up to no good…dressed like a mime.
To top it off, Riley is forced to return to Channel 50 on official police business to question her spray-tanned news anchor ex-husband and his new weather girl fiancée.
The trouble comes to a head when Riley receives a warning from the killer: Back off or she’s next. Someone has to solve these murders before she becomes the next corpse.
The Body in Backyard: A Riley Thorn Novel (Riley Thorn, 4)
From the #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Things We Left Behind
Her spray-tanned, self-absorbed news anchor ex-husband careening back into her life was not on this psychic detective’s bingo card.
But not only does Griffin Gentry show up unexpectedly at Riley Thorn’s door―the real shock is that he’s begging for her help. However, Riley’s hot private investigator boyfriend Nick Santiago refusing to take the job is…well, less of a surprise.
Too bad for Nick that his octogenarian business partner overrules him and decides to take the lead on Griffin’s case. And when a dead body makes it clear someone really is out to get Riley’s ex, the mile-long suspect list puts all hands on deck at Santiago Investigations. Even the wrinkly, retired ones.
It’s only a matter of time before Griffin brings danger directly to Riley’s doorstep. And with she and Nick busy interviewing suspects, their elderly roommates are wreaking havoc in the surveillance department. Can Riley block out the chaos and focus on her psychic visions long enough to narrow down the list of suspects, or will Griffin Gentry’s karma be the downfall of them all?
No More Secrets (Blue Moon, Book 1)
From the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Things We Never Got Over
“Are you calling dibs?”
“She’s a woman, not the last piece of f**king pie. And yes, I’m calling dibs if it keeps your hands off her.”
Carter Pierce wants to spend his days tending the family farm he inherited, and that’s about it. After a tour of duty and a few bullet holes, he’s looking forward to some peace and quiet in his hometown. Unfortunately, Blue Moon doesn’t believe in peace and quiet. And his nosy neighbors sure as hell don’t know how to mind their own business.
As it turns out, neither does the big city journalist who arrives to interview him for a magazine article. Summer Lentz is out of place with her designer wardrobe and workaholic schedule. She asks too many questions and gets under his skin with her smart mouth and those denim-blue eyes. She’s also typing his family’s story a mile a minute at his kitchen table and sleeping in the bedroom across the hall. Carter’s only chance for peace is to scare her away from farm life so he can go back to his comfortable, solitary existence.
But Summer’s got a stubborn streak and secrets of her own. And once Carter starts pulling at those threads, he’s not so eager to send her packing. Will a nudge from the matchmaking Beautification Committee result in a happily ever after or a homegrown disaster?