The world keeps taunting him as girlish but the fact is that, biologically, he is a boy. And, he is always attracted to guys. Is Laxmi both a man and a woman? Or, perhaps, neither a man nor a woman? The first inklings and stirrings of lust that Laxmi remembers came from noticing big, strong arms, the hint of a guy’s moustache over his lips, billboards that advertised men’s underwear. Laxmi found this puzzling initially. Was there a woman inside him who couldn’t really express herself because of some last-minute mix-up that god did at the time of his birth? Struggling with such existential questions, Laxmi Narayan Tripathi, eminent transgender activist, awakens to her true self: She is Laxmi, a hijra.
In this fascinating narrative Laxmi unravels her heart to tell the stories of the men-creators, preservers, lovers, benefactors, and abusers-in her life. Racy, unapologetic, dark and exceptionally honest, these stories open a window to a brave new world.
Archives: Books
Sleepwalking to Surrender
Khaled Ahmed is Pakistan’s most respected columnist, and his formidable expertise on the ideologies of extremism is internationally acknowledged. In Sleepwalking to Surrender he explores why, despite the horrifying toll that terrorism has taken on Pakistan, the civil and military establishments continue to uphold a variety of conspiracy theories in place of the facts on the ground. In a situation where the writ of the state is fraying in the face of Taliban–al-Qaeda terror, it continues to view the USA and India as its designated enemies, rather than the extremists holding the state to ransom.
In this powerful and insightful analysis of the state of Pakistan today, Ahmed examines a wide spectrum of events, ideologies and personalities and appraises the portents for the future.
The Assassinaton of Rajiv Gandhi
On 21 May 1991, journalist Neena Gopal had finished just one part of an interview with Rajiv Gandhi-the last of his life-when his car reached the election rally at Sriperumbudur. Moments later, Rajiv Gandhi was dead, blown up by suicide bomber Dhanu, irrevocably changing the course of Indian politics, as Neena Gopal, just yards behind him, watched in horror.
In this gripping, definitive book, Gopal reconstructs the chain of events in India and at the LTTE’s headquarters in Sri Lanka where the assassination plot was hatched, and follows the trail of investigation that led to the assassins being brought to justice.
Drawing on extensive interviews, research and her own vast experience as a journalist, she deftly establishes the background-the shortsightedness of India’s Sri Lanka policy; the friction between the intelligence agencies and between the agencies and the external affairs ministry; the many warnings that went unheeded; and the implacable hatred that LTTE supremo Prabhakaran felt for Rajiv Gandhi. Bringing all these complex threads together, Gopal takes us step by step to Sriperumbudur as Rajiv Gandhi walked inexorably to his death on that tragic May evening twenty-five years ago.
A Golden Age
Rehana Haque awakes one March morning feeling happy. She is throwing a party for her son and daughter. In the garden of the house she has built, her roses are blooming; her children are almost grown up; and beyond their doorstep, the city is buzzing with excitement after the recent elections.
Change is in the air.
But none of the guests at Rehana’s party can foresee what will happen in the days and months that follow. For this is East Pakistan, 1971, a country on the brink of war. And Rehana’s life is about to change forever.
Set against the backdrop of the Bangladesh War of Independence, A Golden Age is a story of passion and revolution, of hope, faith, and unexpected heroism. In the chaos of this era, everyone-from student protesters to the country’s leaders, from rickshaw-wallahs to the army’s soldiers-must make choices. And as she struggles to keep her family safe, Rehana will find herself faced with a heartbreaking dilemma.
The Cosmopolitans
Qayenaat is a drifting, solitary, sensitivefigure at the edge of the Bangalore art scene. When world-famous artist Baban Reddy, once a young man who hung on her every word, returns to the city to show his latest artwork, all her old longings rise to the surface. Baban’s arrival accompanies other momentous events and sets Qayenaat off on the most unexpected journey of her life-to the heart of rural, war-torn India, and into a relationship with the unlikeliest of men.
The Cosmopolitans is a novel of ideas and emotions-one that questions the place of art in modern life, and draws a vivid portrait of a woman at odds with the world. Tender and wry in equal measure, and rich in thought and insight, it confirms Anjum Hasan as one of our most exciting novelists today.
Three Women
Three Women (Nashtaneer, Malancha, Dui Bon) is by Rabindranath Tagore. Nashtaneer (The Broken Nest), Malancha (The Arbour), and Dui Bon (The Two Sisters) are considered to be some of Tagore’s finest prose works. Subtle, full of psychological nuance, and lyricism, this is vintage Tagore.
Fever: Mahakaler Rather Ghoda
Ruhiton Kurmi has been in jail for seven years. Once a notorious Naxalite, he is now a withered shell; a man broken by torture, racked with fevers and sores. The only way he can endure his life is by shutting out the past. But when Ruhiton is moved to a better jail and eventually freed, memories return to haunt him. He looks back upon his youth, his marriage, his home in the Terai foothills—and he remembers too, the friends he has killed, the revolutionary colleagues he made, and the ideals he once believed in.
Dark, powerful and full of ambiguities, the classic Mahakaler Rather Ghoda (1977) questions the human cost of revolution and its inevitable transience. A sensation in its time, it remains one of the greatest novels about the Naxalite movement.
The Chieftain’s Daughter
Inspired by the romances of Walter Scott, Durgeshnandini is a swashbuckling historical epic set in Bengal during the reign of the Mughal emperor Akbar in the sixteenth century.
Economics without Tears
If you are a layman wondering what economics is all about or a freshman student of the subject, this is a book you cannot afford to miss. Starting from the first principles and stripped of mathematics and almost all jargon, it introduces you to all the basic concepts of economic theory as well as to some of its more surprising depths.
Economics pervades every aspect of our lives and our world. This book shows how anyone can acquire an understanding of its key principles while finding the exercise not only an exciting intellectual adventure but also great fun.
The Hidden Life of Trees
In this beautifully illustrated narrative peppered with scientific facts, Peter Wohlleben tells the story of his journey from city boy to the world’s most famous forester, sharing his insights into trees and the challenges they face. Take a guided tour through the extraordinary life of the forest, where you’ll meet trees that communicate through their root systems, protect each other from danger, and even live together like human families. A portal to an astonishing yet fragile world, and a call to protect it for future generations.