Bobo is a special puppy that little Inni has adopted. Bobo likes to help Inni get ready for school. He always checks if she has packed her lunch and water bottle.
And guess what? Bobo gets to go to school with Inni on a special day called ‘Bring Your Pet to School Day’! It’s the best Wednesday ever! Inni can’t wait to show her friends how wonderful Bobo is.
This endearing story, the third book in the Inni & Bobo series, delves into the everlasting bond between humans and pets. It will not only encourage children to show empathy and kindness towards animals but also teach them to open their hearts and homes to those in need.
In the fifteen masterful stories that make up this collection, Jai Chakrabarti crosses continents and cultures to explore what it means to cultivate a family today, across borders, religions, and race. In the title story, a closeted gay man in 1980s Kolkata seeks to have a child with his lover’s wife. An Indian widow, engaged to a Jewish man, struggles to balance her cultural identity with the rituals and traditions of her newfound family. An
American musician travels to see his guru for the final time-and makes a promise he cannot keep. A young woman from an Indian village arrives in Brooklyn to care for the toddler of a biracial couple. And a mystical agent is sent by a mother to solve her son’s domestic problems.
Throughout, the characters’ most vulnerable desires shape life-altering decisions as they seek to balance their needs against those of the people they hold closest. The stories in A Small Sacrifice for an Enormous Happiness capture men and women struggling with transformation and familial bonds; they traverse the intersections of countries and cultures to illuminate what it means to love in uncertain times; and they showcase the skill of a storyteller who dazzles with the breadth of his vision.
Cold War 1.0 was fought principally between the US and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Soon after the collapse of the latter, Cold War 2.0 began. Just as with the earlier Cold War, this is also a battle of systems on an existential trajectory. This time around, the principal protagonists are the US and the People Republic of China (PRC). Those who deny the reality of the new Cold War, believe that Cold War 1.0 has reappeared, this time with the Russian Federation replacing the Soviet Union as the opponent. Such a view ignores the changes to the global order caused by the increasingly visible efforts of the PRC to replace the US as the prime mover influencing the trajectory of the twenty-first century.
Rather than a rearview mirror perspective on the current geopolitics, what is needed is a forward looking view of the overall relationship between not just the four Great Powers (China, the US, Russia and India) but also key players such as the European Union. From the 1980s, China has harnessed geopolitical currents to rise from a poverty-stricken behemoth to a superpower. India’s inability or unwillingness to adopt the same practical approach has thus far constrained its rise.
The book details the crosscurrents of Great Powers’ dynamics in the twenty-first century, and why it is important for a future-focused rather than a past-obsessed approach towards each other by the two biggest democracies on the planet, India and the US. Each needs to reinforce the other to jointly overcome the multi-dimensional challenge posed by the Communist Party of China to the global future. Just as in the case of Cold War 1.0, the democracies need to prevail in Cold War 2.0 as well.
The exciting Kolam Kondattam Kontest is right around the corner. And Bharathi can’t wait to participate and show off, er, showcase his creative skills. Encouraged by his friends, Tabassum and Alagu, he registers for the contest (with a ‘k’).
Alas, the Residents’ Welfare Association, led by the fearsome Mrs Subramaniam, won’t hear of it. The contest is open only to the residents of Pravin’s Paradiso Apartments. And while Bharathi hangs out at the apartments all the time, he’s not exactly-technically-actually a resident.
Now it’s up to Bharathi to hatch an ingenious plan. Will he be able to get around the rules, get past the building bullies and get a shot at his dream?
SIDE A
Magic in Marble: Building the Taj with Attaullah
Attaullah has to leave his playmates and the beautiful trees of Lahore behind as he makes the tiring journey to Akbarabad on a camel cart. His abbu, a master architect, has been summoned there to help build the most extraordinary monument ever-the Taj Mahal. The mausoleum will immortalize the memory of Jahan Panah Shah Jahan’s beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal. And Attaullah wants to be a part of history as it’s being created. But how?
Travelling across two timelines in history, this is an ulta-pulta book about two children whose paths collide in a mysteriously magical way.
————————————————————————————————–
SIDE B
Magic in Marble: Saving the Taj with Aradya
Aradya has read everything she could find on the greatest monument ever built-the Taj Mahal. So, when her papa, a conservationist, invites her to join him on his quick work trip to Agra, she feels like she’s the luckiest girl in the whole, wide world. Her papa’s team is working on a project that will help preserve the Taj’s beauty and ensure its survival for future generations. And Aradya wants to help. But how?
Travelling across two timelines in history, this is an ulta-pulta book about two children whose paths collide in a mysteriously magical way.
A born planner, Meera has a clear vision of the future she will have with her beloved husband, Capt. Ranvijay. A job in Pune for herself and a peace station posting for her brave Para SF Commando husband.
But fate has other plans.
Capt. Ranvijay is killed in action in the Valley, leaving a devastated Meera all by herself, without the man who instilled in her unquestionable faith in herself, unabashed freedom to be what she wanted to be and pure, unadulterated love. A Veer Nari now, Meera decides to join the Indian Army to honour Capt. Ranvijay’s legacy, but she ends up setting in motion a tech-led, strategic and audacious plan of action to deliver a much-deserved payback not just for herself but for the entire nation.
Operation Payback is a thrilling novel about a Veer Nari who proves that she indeed is a yoddah and a hero. This is a story about bravery, about the true meaning of heroism and about making the most of this life even when you thought it has been unfair to you.
Why does the usually aloof and reticent Paul suddenly want to meet Ali after Susanna’s death? Why does the possibility of an unfinished manuscript by a long-forgotten writer fascinate Ali and Abhi to the extent that they undertake a journey to Marayoor, a town deep in the heart of Kerala to meet the unknown Susanna?
First published in Malayalam in 2019, Susanna’s Granthapura is Ajai Mangattu’s uniquely crafted novel that celebrates the strong bonds that form between people who share a love of reading and of books.
This is the first part of a trilogy on the Mahabharata. Grounded in the original Sanskrit epic, Majmudar recreates the ancient epic for a contemporary audience. It is his finest work yet and is one of the most accessible, magical and unputdownable retellings of the Mahabharata. The Book of Vows will be followed by The Book of Discoveries and The Book of Killings.
Shadows at Noon is an ambitious synthesis of decades of research and scholarship which explores the key strands of South Asian history in the twentieth century with clarity and authority. Unlike other narrative histories of the subcontinent that concentrate exclusively on politics, here food, leisure and the household are given equal importance to discussions of nationhood, the development of the state and patterns of migration.
While it tells the subcontinent’s story from the British Raj to independence and partition and on to the forging of the modern nations of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, the book’s structure is thematic rather than chronological. Each of the chapters illuminates on overarching theme or sphere that has shaped South Asia over the course of the century. This format allows the reader to explore particular issues – such as the changing character of nationalism or food consumption – over time and in depth.
Shadows at Noon is a bold, innovative and personal work that pushes back against standard narratives of ‘inherent’ differences between India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Its purpose is to make contemporary South Asia intelligible to readers who are fascinated by the subcontinent’s cultural vibrancy and diversity but are often perplexed by its social and political make-up. And it illuminates the many aspects that its people have in common rather than what divides them.
“Don’t go in the guest bedroom.” A shadow falls on Douglas Garrick’s face as he touches the door with his fingertips. “My wife… she’s very ill.” As he continues showing me their incredible penthouse apartment, I have a terrible feeling about the woman behind closed doors. But I can’t risk losing this job-not if I want to keep my darkest secret safe…
It’s hard to find an employer who doesn’t ask too many questions about my past. So I thank my lucky stars that the Garricks miraculously give me a job, cleaning their stunning penthouse with views across the city and preparing fancy meals in their shiny kitchen. I can work here for a while, stay quiet until I get what I want.
It’s almost perfect. But I still haven’t met Mrs Garrick, or seen inside the guest bedroom. I’m sure I hear her crying. I notice spots of blood around the neck of her white nightgowns when I’m doing laundry. And one day I can’t help but knock on the door. When it gently swings open, what I see inside changes everything…
That’s when I make a promise. After all, I’ve done this before. I can protect Mrs Garrick while keeping my own secrets locked up safe.
Douglas Garrick has done wrong. He is going to pay. It’s simply a question of how far I’m willing to go…
This absolutely explosive and shockingly twisty sequel to international bestseller The Housemaid will keep you racing through the pages late into the night. Anyone who loves The Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose, The Woman in the Window and Gone Girl will be totally hooked! This book can also be enjoyed as a standalone.
