There is a standard narrative that recurs throughout popular writings on yoga and tantra, from South Asian texts to Western esoteric thought: Kundalini is the Serpent Power. She rests coiled at the base of the spine. If awakened, this divine feminine energy rises toward the crown of the head. Some are apprehensive of Kundalini’s intense power, fearing physical and psychological turmoil. Others seek it out, hungry for experiences, both spiritual and sensual. But what does this story leave out? What are its cultural and historical roots? What do the many ways of experiencing Kundalini tell us about this elusive phenomenon? The Serpent’s Tale traces the intricate global histories of Kundalini, from its Sanskrit origins to its popularity in the West. Sravana Borkataky-Varma and Anya Foxen explore its symbolic link with the serpent, its fraught connections to sexuality, and its commercialization in the form of Kundalini yoga. Ranging from esoteric texts to global gurus, from the cliffs of California to the charnel grounds of Assam, they show that there has never been one single “authentic” model of Kundalini but a multiplicity of visions. Bridging the gaps between textual and historical analysis and the complexities of embodied practice, Borkataky-Varma and Foxen reflect on the narration and transmission of experiences, including their own. Lively, accessible, and nuanced, The Serpent’s Tale offers rich insights for scholars, practitioners, and all readers drawn to Kundalini.
Archives: Books
Why the Constitution Matters
In Why the Constitution Matters Justice D.Y. Chandrachud delves into the profound significance of the Constitution in shaping the nation’s identity and governance. This insightful book offers readers a nuanced understanding of the Constitution’s role in protecting fundamental rights, ensuring justice and maintaining the rule of law. The author brings to the forefront his experience of nearly twenty-five years as a judge, making complex constitutional principles accessible to both legal professionals and common citizens. Through engaging narratives and real-life examples, he illustrates how the Constitution impacts everyday life and why it remains a cornerstone of democracy. The book covers themes such as democracy, free speech, pluralism, gender, environmental governance, dissent and landmark judgments that have shaped modern India.
Why the Constitution Matters is not just a book for legal scholars; it is a must-read for anyone who values democracy, justice and the rule of law. Discover why the Constitution is more than just a document; it is the foundation of a just and equitable society.
Kadambari / कादम्बरी
कादम्बरी एक फिल्मी पटकथा है, जो स्वयं अमृता प्रीतम ने लिखी है। एचके वर्मा द्वारा निर्देशित इस फिल्म में उस्ताद विलायत ख़ाँ के संगीत दिया था। यह एक प्रेम कहानी है। बिना किसी परिचित कोण के एक प्रेम कहानी। ताज़ा और यथार्थवादी। यह फिल्म अमृता प्रीतम के प्रसिद्ध उपन्यास ‘धरती सागर और सीपियाँ’ पर आधारित है और मौलिकता से परिपूर्ण है। यह आज के उन लोगों की कहानी है, जो अकसर जीवन के उतार-चढ़ाव से बह जाते हैं, फिर भी प्यार और उम्मीद के किनारे पर वापस आते हैं।
अमित एक नाजायज बच्चा है, जो अपनी माँ पर हमले से पैदा हुआ है। लड़के के पिता द्वारा अस्वीकार किए जाने के बाद, वह अब अपने बेटे के साथ रहती है, जिसे उसने बड़ी मुश्किल से पाला था। अमित की बचपन की दोस्त चेतना को पता चलता है कि उस पर क्रश उसके लिए प्यार में बदल गया है। प्यार, जिसे अमित किसी के साथ साझा करने में असमर्थ है क्योंकि वह अपनी माँ के लिए अपने प्यार को किसी के साथ साझा करने के लिए तैयार नहीं है। आगे क्या हुआ, यह तो पूरी पुस्तक पढ़कर ही पता चलेगा।
Takht-E-Taus / तख़्ते-ताऊस
दुनिया देखे, जिस तख़्ते-ताऊस के आगे बड़े-बड़े राजाओं और अमीर उमराओं के मुकुट झुकते थे और दुनिया की तमाम ताकतें जिसके आगे थरथर काँपती थी, उस पर आज राठौर केसरी यशवंत सिंह का पुत्र अजीत सिंह अपने पैरों सहित खड़ा है।’ वीर शिरोमणि महराजा अजीत सिंह के पराक्रम, रणनीति, मानवीय भावना और रजिया के साथ अथाह प्रेम की वेदनामय कहानी। एक राज पुत्र की ऐसी कहानी, जो करुणा से प्रारंभ होकर शौर्य के चरम तक पहुँचती है और जो राजपूताने के गौरव की रक्षा के लिए अपने प्राणों को हथेली पर लेकर चला, सदा संघर्ष से गुज़रा और एक दिन तख्ते-ताऊस को चुनौती भरी हुंकार के साथ रौंद डाला।
एक ऐसे राजा की सच्ची कथा, जिन्होंने स्वतंत्रता और अस्मिता की रक्षा के लिए प्राण होम कर दिए।
Bhitichitra Ki Mayuri/भित्तिचित्र की मयूरी
इस उपन्यास की नायिका सरस्वती सद्विचारों से प्रेरित है। उसके संस्कारों में भारत की संपूर्ण संस्कृति की ही झलक मिलती है।
जिस प्रकार भित्ति चित्रों के शास्त्रीय युग में चेहरे पर अजंता प्रतिरूपण की वृत्ताकार सुनम्यता और मध्यकालीन प्रवृत्तियों की भुजाओं के कोणीय मोड़ जैसी दोनों विशेषताओं को यहाँ भली-भांति चिह्नित किया गया है, उसी प्रकार इस उपन्यास की नायिका को भी इसमें चित्रित किया गया है। इस उपन्यास में उन पिताओं की दुविधा को भी दर्शाया गया है जो अपनी बेटियों की शादी धन के अभाव में अयोग्य वरों के साथ कर देते हैं।
The HBR Work Smart Boxed Set (6 Books) (HBR Work Smart Series)
Rise faster with quick reads, real-life stories, and expert advice.
It’s not easy to navigate the world of work when you’re exploring who you are and what you want in life. How do you translate your interests, skills, and education into a career you love? The HBR Work Smart Series features the topics that matter to you most in your early career, including being yourself at work, collaborating with (sometimes difficult) colleagues and bosses, managing your mental health, and weighing major job decisions. Each title includes chapter recaps and links to video, audio, and more. The HBR Work Smart Series books are your practical guides to stepping into your professional life and moving forward with confidence.
This specially priced six-book boxed set, available as a paperback or ebook collection, includes:
Authenticity, Identity, and Being Yourself at Work Bosses, Coworkers, and Building Great Work Relationships Boundaries, Priorities, and Finding Work-Life Balance Experience, Opportunity, and Developing Your Career People, Performance, and Succeeding as a Manager Writing, Presenting, and Communicating with Confidence
An Accidental Lawyer
A legal luminary, K.K. Venugopal has played an unputdownable role in the development of constitutional law in India. This autobiography is an attempt to preserve in perpetuity the life of one of India’s legendary constitutional lawyers. Providing a fascinating account of Venugopal’s life—-both professional and personal—-It not only unravels the lawyer and the person in him but also recapitulates India’s dynamic socio-political and legal history. Presenting both the high and low points of Venugopal’s life , An Accidental Lawyer captures his interactions with his family and friends as well as judiciary, legislature and executive. It offers a unique perspective on his relations with key political figures such as prime ministers, chief ministers, governors, among others. Peppered with interesting anecdotes and consisting of landmark legal cases, the book will be of interest to both general readers and the practitioners and students of law interested in learning court craft from one of India’s eminent jurists.
You Had Me At Annyeong!
Timira Leia Marak, a PR consultant from India, finds herself in a real-life K-drama when she lands up in Seoul for a new job and meets handsome chaebol heir Baek Haneul who, as fate would have it, happens to be her new employer. Against her better judgement, Timira finds herself drawn to Haneul, with whom she seems to share a connection deeper than she can fathom.
But many complications abound. Firstly, there’s the matter of Timira’s ex-boyfriend Rodrigo, a Japanese-Brazilian superstar who signs up to play for a Korean football club. Then there’s the beautiful heiress Ri Mina, key to Haneul’s future—who is also his fiancée. And that’s only the beginning . . . Caught between the intensity of their feelings and the constraints that keep them apart, can Timira and Haneul even hope for their own chance at Happily Ever After?
Set against the backdrop of Korean pop culture, You Had Me at Annyeong is a humorous and heartwarming cross-cultural romance that is just as equally a delightful love letter from India to Korea.
Enter Stage Left
Returning to Pakistan in 1970 after a spell in England, Salima and her husband, Shoaib Hashmi, plunge into Pakistani cultural and political life. Along with her teaching at the National College of Arts, Lahore, where she pioneered a new system of art education, Salima also found time to dabble in photography, advertising and television.
In 1972, Shoaib and Salima conceived, scripted and acted in the pathbreaking Akkar Bakkar on Pakistan TV (PTV). Akkar Bakkar ran for six months and became the first Pakistani television programme to win an international award. Such Gup and Taal Matol, both hugely popular programmes, soon followed. It was a time of creativity and innovation.
During this time, Salima and Shoaib also became parents to Mira and Yasser. This period of Salima’s life came to an end with the ascent to power in 1977 of Gen. Zia-ul-Haq. Amidst a programme of Islamization and a clampdown of dissent, Salima also had to deal with her father Faiz’s second spell of self-exile to Beirut between 1979 and 1982.
Enter Stage Left, the second of Salima’s two-volume memoir brings us up to date with events in Salima’s and Pakistan’s life until the present day.
Gita for the Young and the Urban
Between your first breath and your last lies the journey of your soul.
You’ve got apps for meditation, dating, productivity, sleep, but do you still feel stuck in overthinking, people-pleasing, and chasing goals you’re not even sure you set?
In the middle of city lights, traffic jams, and silent midnight scrolling, your heart still whispers—is there more to life than this?
Gita for the Young and the Urban is that soft voice turned into words. A gentle fire. A call back home. Through stories, reflections, and soul-stirring truths, discover how Karma unfolds, how the mind can be mastered, how a Guru uplifts, and how surrender is strength in disguise.
This isn’t just a book. It’s your spiritual soundtrack. A bridge between what you’re chasing and what truly fulfils.