In September-October 2020, around 300,000 Indian farmers marched to New Delhi, to protest against three new farm laws by stationing themselves on national highways around the capital for over a year. This movement, the largest farmer assertion in recent times, with its firm commitment to democracy, civil disobedience and peaceful resistance, carved out a distinct political space for itself.
For over a decade prior, farmer groups had repeatedly tried to highlight agricultural issues neglected by successive governments. However, what transpired after 2020 was a unique moment in the history of world social movements.
Farmer Power examines the 2020-21 movement and delves into its evolution, history and what made it unique on the global scale. This book also looks into broader agricultural sector issues, including the challenges faced by small and marginal farmers, agricultural labourers, and the limitations of the procurement system. It seeks to highlight the policy interventions made by Indian state in the past two decades on these issues. This comprehensive account is essential for anyone interested in the politics of agriculture, livelihoods, and rural scenarios.
When Shantanu left for the United States, the promise of a new life felt quiet, isolating and cold.
Then Winter arrived. A puppy adopted selfishly.
Shantanu did not realize how much this decision would shape his life.
Everyone loves their dogs, naturally. Every dog is a good boy, naturally. But Winter is no ordinary dog. With old soul eyes and a heart that made room for everything, Winter skipped the chaos that any puppy is entitled to. Instead, he chose a unique path, like a gentleman who had wandered in from another time, and decided he would share it with the world.
From the snowed-in streets of Ithaca to the restless rain of Mumbai, between these pages is an adventure of a lost adult and a special dog. In Winter’s stillness, lie lessons on how to stay. In his charm, one learns how to meet the world with softness. In his quiet daily life, are buried hints on how to heal.
These adventures are a tender chronicle of companionship, resilience and the small, surprising ways in which a four-legged friend set out to change a few many worlds.
A haunting in the Indian heartland ends with a priest’s violent death.
Enter Samir Grey—fiendishly intelligent, terminally unsociable and catastrophically human. No divine
visions, no lightning-shaped scar—just a mind that won’t quit and a tongue sharp enough to draw blood.
To uncover the truth, Samir must descend into a nightmare of uniquely Indian horrors: corpse-eating
vetalas, vengeful pishachs, ghouls, demons, and the most terrifying of all, bureaucracy and red tape.
Wickedly funny and blisteringly acerbic, The Waking Dead drags urban horror kicking and
screaming into small-town India, where folklore and reality bleed into each other—and the real monsters
may be the ones still breathing.
Ratan Tata was an iconic leader who shaped the Indian industry. He inspired an entire generation. When he passed away in 2024, millions of Indians felt a sense of deep personal loss.
In this unique and engaging book, Harish Bhat, bestselling author and a Tata veteran, explores what lay at the heart of Ratan Tata’s extraordinary leadership. His steadfast desire to always ‘do the right thing’ appears to have shaped his thinking and actions. But what exactly does this mean?
In these pages, through inspiring real-life stories drawn from Ratan Tata’s long career, this strong belief comes to life vividly. Why did he decide to create the Tata Indica? Why did he say: ‘A promise is a promise’? What led him to walk away from a large business opportunity for Tata Chemicals? Why did he telephone the managing director of Tata Steel a second time? How did he ensure fairness to everyone during a process of divestment? Why and how did he lead the fight against cancer? How did he respond to the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai?
This book is full of such fascinating and many untold Ratan Tata stories. Through these compelling narratives and the lessons they hold, this powerful book will guide you towards ‘doing the right thing’ in your own life.
Before Draupadi, there was Hidimbi. The first, the eldest Pandava daughter-in-law—a status denied to her through her life, through the years, down the centuries. She remains the forgotten wife, the forgotten queen, the forgotten woman, in the Mahabharata.
Hidimbi was a demoness by birth and a queen by right. In the shadows of the great Indian epic, she stands alone. She saved Bhima. She bore his son. She stood by the family that killed her brother. And when the call of war came, she sacrificed her only child—Ghatotkacha, the first Pandava grandson—for a cause that never truly embraced her.
Why was her story never told? Was it because she was a rakshasi, or because the heroes of the epic could do no wrong?
This powerful reimagining gives voice to Hidimbi and her story of love and betrayal, strength and sacrifice.
Discover the enchanting bird legends of the Himalayas—stories that soar beyond time.
When Birds Talked by Neha Negi is a lyrical and beautifully illustrated collection of folklore that reimagines the myths of Himalayan birds. Drawing on Uttarakhand’s rich oral traditions, these tales trace the origins of birds such as the Himalayan Monal, Fire-capped Tit, Spotted Forktail and many others—bringing alive stories of transformation, longing and resilience.
Through dramatic storytelling and hand-painted illustrations, Negi creates an enchanting tapestry that connects mythology, ecology, and human imagination. At its heart, the book is an ode to the deep bonds between people and nature, a celebration of vanishing traditions, and a call to protect the fragile ecosystems of the Himalayas.
Blending myth, art and reflections on the environment, When Birds Talked is as much a preservation of cultural heritage as it is a modern eco-fable for readers of all ages.
In the lost Archipelago of Kumarikandam, ruled queen Devi when an alien invasion sets forth on the Earth. Driven by ambition and motivated by science, their leader Naqta brings to life a half beast-half alien Mahishasura who has now taken over Kumarikandam. As the premonitions of Aggatiar, the sage comes to life, Devi is now faced with an intergalactic war with Mahishasura and his army to save her kingdom.
Set 70,000 years ago, Mahishasura is an ultimate ode to the supreme energy mentioned in the Devi Purana. An exploration of the feminine form of parashakti, in the world of Anand Neelakandan, science, technology and AI clashes with the long-lost tales from the puranas retelling Indian mythology for the modern readers.
Prabir plays music at every happy event in his village. But when his flute breaks, many strange and funny things start happening.
About the Hook Book Series
In a world where children’s books often feel cut from the same cloth, Hook Books stand out as a vibrant blend of imagination, humour, and heart. Crafted as a bridge between picture books and early chapter books, this series delivers stories that spark joy and wonder, while remaining rooted in age-appropriate learning.
Hook Books keep the fun going with:
- Short, digestible bits of text (perfect for budding readers)
- Bright colour illustrations that pull kids into the story
- Themes that speak to the everyday lives of children—plus a sprinkle of whimsy!
From fantasy tales to those that touch on more advanced ideas, Hook Books ensure that young readers are always in for a treat, no matter their reading level. Even better, these books take children on journeys through different parts of India, giving them a taste of the rich diversity of our world through local flavours, landscapes, and cultures. Whether the story takes place in bustling cities or quiet villages, Hook Books make every setting feel like home.
A tale of mountains and tea gardens, of a brave girl and a yellow dog—and a thief who is clever . . .
Set in a tea plantation in Darjeeling, this is the story of Sona, a twelve-year-old Nepali girl. Life is challenging as she has to master English quickly to get a scholarship and fulfil her dream of studying in a good school. Meanwhile, there is constantly the challenge of finding enough drinking water and worrying about her brother finding a job to support the family.
But things get extra difficult when her friend Tara’s gold goes missing. Sona must use all her wits in order to prove it wasn’t her beloved brother, Samiran Daju, who stole it.
‘A page-turner that’s richly threaded with social conflict.’ –Kirkus Reviews
Rushdie turns his extraordinary imagination to life’s final act with a quintet of stories that span the three countries in which he has made his work—India, England, and the US—and feature an unforgettable cast of characters.
“In the South” introduces a pair of quarrelsome old men—Junior and Senior—and their private tragedy at a moment of national calamity. In “The Musician of Kahani”, a musical prodigy from the Mumbai neighborhood featured in Midnight’s Children uses her magical gifts to wreak devastation on the wealthy family she marries into. In “Late”, the ghost of a Cambridge don enlists the help of a lonely student to enact revenge upon the tormentor of his lifetime. “Oklahoma” plunges a young writer into a web of deceit and lies as he tries to figure out whether his mentor killed himself or faked his own death. And “The Old Man in the Piazza” is a powerful parable for our times about freedom of speech.
Do we accommodate ourselves to death, or rail against it? Do we spend our “eleventh hour” in serenity or in rage? And how do we achieve fulfillment with our lives if we don’t know the end of our own stories? The Eleventh Hour ponders life and death, legacy and identity with the penetrating insight and boundless imagination that have made Salman Rushdie one of the most celebrated writers of our time.
