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Archives: Books

India’s Power Elite

From the bestselling author of The Accidental Prime Minister, here comes an insightful analysis of Indian politics and elitism that answers many important political questions today.

India’s Power Elite is a study of the nature of power and elitism in postcolonial India. Its point of departure is the political transition under way in twenty-first-century India, with the marginalization of the Congress Party and the staging of a cultural revolution symbolized by the rise of Hindu majoritarianism. Baru deconstructs the morphology of the Indian power elite-comprising remnants of a feudal gentry, kulaks, a metropolitan business class, the civil services and a cultural elite of opinion-makers. He also examines the role of caste, class and culture in the emergence of a ‘New India’. Aimed at the socially engaged reader, this book will interest both students as well as those who wield power.

The main target readership for this book includes socially engaged readers, people interested in politics, activism, students, etc.

Mrityu: Jaanen Ek Mahayogi Se (Hindi Translation of Bestselling Title Death by Sadhguru)

Death is a taboo in most societies in the world. But what if we have got this completely wrong? What if death was not the catastrophe it is made out to be but an essential aspect of life, rife with spiritual possibilities for transcendence? For the first time, someone is saying just that.

In this unique treatise-like exposition, Sadhguru dwells extensively upon his inner experience as he expounds on the more profound aspects of death that are rarely spoken about. From a practical standpoint, he elaborates on what preparations one can make for one’s death, how best we can assist someone who is dying and how we can continue to support their journey even after death.

Whether a believer or not, a devotee or an agnostic, an accomplished seeker or a simpleton, this is truly a book for all those who shall die!

Nagme, Kisse, Baatein, Yaadein

An intimate peek into the life of the soldier-turned-lyricist Anand Bakshi, from his formative years in undivided Punjab to eventually moving to Bombay and landing his first film Bhala Aadmi in 1958. Along the way, he lost his mother, his place of birth, and his home and wealth, but his zeal to stand up and walk after every stumble and his desire to become a film artist never abated. He eventually rose to become one of the most revered and sought-after lyricists in Hindi cinema, writing nearly 3300 songs in about 630 films over the next five decades. Written by his son, this is an inspiring story of faith, dreams, success and, above all, human values.

India and Asian Geopolitics

Tracing India’s approach to the shifting regional landscape since its independence in 1947 to the Modi era, Shivshankar Menon addresses the many questions, which perplex India as the nation seeks to find its way in the increasingly complex world of Asian geopolitics. From its leading role in the ‘nonaligned’ movement during the Cold War to its current status as a perceived counterweight to China, India often has been an after-thought for global leaders-until they realize how much they needed it.

Examining India’s own policy choices throughout its history, Menon focuses in particular on its responses to the rise of China, as well as other regional powers. He also looks to the future and analyses how India’s policies are likely to evolve in response to current and new challenges. As India gains new stature across the globe, both its domestic preoccupations and international choices become more significant.

Authoritative, comprehensive and deeply engaging, in India and Asian Geopolitics Menon makes a powerful geopolitical case for an India increasingly and positively engaged in Asia and the broader world in pursuit of a pluralistic, open, and inclusive world order.

The book is a must have for the students and scholars of international relations, India and Asian geopolitics, Indian history and political science. Besides, it will attract policymakers, diplomats, politicians and general readers.

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The Break of Dawn (A thrilling page-turner set amidst the 1857 rebellion)

“Unconstrained, unlike a historian, the fiction writer Khan Mahboob Tarzi invents a moment in the history of 1857 and imbues it with high romance and action.”-Rita Kothari, translator, writer, and professor of English, Ashoka University

“[The 1857] rebellion has been the subject of scholarly attention and debate, but the events have not drawn too much literary attention in terms of novels, plays, etc. It is thus good to read this novel and to have it in translation.”-Rudrangshu Mukherjee, chancellor and professor of history, Ashoka University

-A thriller and romance set amidst the raging battle to free India of the British in 1857.

-Brings into focus the lesser-known popular literature in Urdu around the 1857 mutiny.

-The translator, Prof. Ali Khan Mahmudabad, was led to the book out of personal interest, as it includes an account of the erstwhile Mahmudabad royal family’s role in the 1857 revolt.

-Introduces readers to Khan Mahboob Tarzi, a prolific author who wrote over a hundred novels on history, politics, science-fiction, romance and erotica.

It is the searing month of June. The rebellion against the British has just begun and Awadh is up in flames. Hindus and Muslims have joined hands to overthrow the foreign rulers and set India free. Some Indian rulers have started to enter into alliances to fight the firangis, while others have thrown in their lot with the foreigners. Amid all this, Riyaz Khan, a young soldier from the army of the Raja of Mahmudabad, saves a group of Britishers from fellow ‘mutineers’ and escorts them to the safety of Lucknow. In this group is Alice, who falls in love with Riyaz and eventually becomes an informer for the rebels.

The Break of Dawn, originally published in Urdu under the title Aghaaz-e-Sahar, is a thrilling page-turner and a reminder of a time when Indians of all classes and creeds came together to fight for the honour and freedom of their homeland.

The Bournvita Quiz Contest: Collector’s Edition Volume 2

Suitable for ages 9 and up, this is a special edition featuring 1000 questions to test your knowledge!

IN 2008, WHO RECEIVED THE FIRST COPY OF THE E-PASSPORT IN INDIA?
HILSA IS THE NATIONAL FISH OF WHICH NEIGHBOURING COUNTRY OF INDIA?
IN WHICH ORGAN OF THE HUMAN BODY WOULD YOU FIND THE AQUEOUS HUMOUR?
WHICH IS THE OLDEST NATIONAL PARK IN INDIA?

With fun Q&As carefully curated from the exhaustive twenty-year-old archives, this definitive book is a treat for all quiz aficionados, who can choose from an array of fifty sections including:
Art and Culture | Wildlife | Entertainment | Mythology | Cricket | Astronomy

The Bournvita Quiz Contest, which started as a radio programme in 1972, shifted to television in the early 1990s. The multiple award-winning TV show, hosted by Asia’s best-known quizmaster, Derek O’Brien, in his inimitable style, ruled the airwaves from 1994 to 2016. Till date, it continues to be one of the longest-running knowledge game shows on Indian television.

So are you ready for the ultimate challenge?

Puffin Classics: Another Dozen Stories

Celebrating 100 years of Satyajit Ray
A classic keepsake edition, including 12 fascinating stories by a master storyteller
Featuring Ray’s original artwork
Bestselling author of One Dozen Stories, Feluda Adventures, The Final Adventures of Professor Shonku
Includes introduction by Sharmila Tagore

Another Dozen Stories brings to you the magical, bizarre, spooky and sometimes astonishing worlds created by Satyajit Ray, featuring an extraordinary bunch of characters!

While ‘The McKenzie Fruit’ trails a humble man trying to leave his mark in history, ‘Worthless’ is a moving story about a seemingly hapless character not quite able to win the confidence of his family. Meet Professor Hijibijbij, the eccentric scientist bent on creating living replicas of peculiar creatures and follow Master Angshuman into a nail-biting and unexpected adventure on the sets of his very first film. This collection includes twelve hair-raising stories that will leave you asking for more!

Translated for the very first time into English by noted translator Indrani Majumdar, this edition is a tribute to Ray’s immaculate literary genius and a gift for his many fans and followers on the centenary of his birth.

China Room

Longlisted for Booker Prize 2021, China Room is a literary masterpiece, inspired by real-life events, from award winning author Sunjeev Sahota

‘Sunjeev Sahota’s writing is the stuff of miracles’ – Bryan Washington

‘A gorgeous, gripping read’ – Kamila Shamsie

‘I’m blown away by it. I was gripped from the first page to the last’ – Tessa Hadley

‘Such a thrilling combination of beauty and heartbreak. It’s breathtaking’ – Charlotte Mendelson

‘An intense drama of classic themes – love, family, survival, and betrayal – told with passion and precision in Sahota’s economical, lyrical prose. China Room is a brilliant novel. I won’t forget any of these characters’ – Adam Foulds

A multigenerational novel of love, oppression, trauma and the pursuit of freedom, inspired in part by the author’s own family history, China Room twines together the stories of a woman and a man separated by more than half a century but united by blood.

Mehar, a young bride in the rural Punjab of 1929, is trying to discover the identity of her new husband. She and her sisters-in-law, married to three brothers in a single ceremony, spend their days hard at work in the family’s ‘china room’, sequestered from contact with the men. When Mehar develops a theory as to which of them is hers, a passion is ignited that puts more than one life at risk.

Spiralling around Mehar’s story is that of a young man who, in 1999, travels from England to the now-deserted farm, its ‘china room’ locked and barred. In enforced flight from the traumas of his adolescence-his experiences of addiction, racism and estrangement from the culture of his birth-he spends a summer in painful contemplation and recovery, before finally finding the strength to return home.

The Bird With Golden Wings

What would you do if a bird with golden wings alighted on your terrace and offered you fabulous riches?

A poor little girl is rewarded with lovely gifts when she takes pity on a hungry bird and feeds it all the rice she has, but what happens when the girl’s greedy, nosy neighbour hears the story and tries to get bigger and better gifts for herself? Why did the once sweet sea water turn salty? How did it happen that the learned teacher forgot all his lessons and had to be helped out by the school cook? And what did the king do so that the people of his kingdom did not come to know that he has horrible donkey ears hidden under his turban?

Sudha Murty’s new, enchanting collection of stories bubbles over with fun. Delightful colour illustrations bring to life tales of magical creatures, princesses and kings, ordinary witty men and women in a book that will bring hours of joy to readers young and old.

Queen of Fire

‘I will not yield. . .’

Lakshmibai, the widowed queen of Jhansi, is determined to protect her son’s right to his father’s throne and safeguard the welfare of her kingdom. Faced with machinations to take over Jhansi, at a time when all of India is rising up against the British, she has to prove her valour and sagacity time and again. But will this be enough to save all that she values?

In this gripping novel, award-winning historical novelist Devika Rangachari brings to vivid life the interior life of this nineteenth-century queen, thrust into a position she does not desire but must assume, and of her son, who is cowed by the challenges he has to face but determined to live up to his mother’s courage.

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