Our ceaseless toil to achieve success often assumes that our ultimate goal, happiness, lies at the end of a rainbow. But what if the key to happiness lies within each of us, and it is for us to build our own local Shangri-La, a Happy Street? Happiness guru Dr Rekha Shetty’s new book shows us how we can make every day special by following some simple mantras and doing just a little bit to make a difference to our immediate environs. Seize the day; practise acts of compassion; take a break; celebrate the little things; treat yourself to joy; leave your footprint on life; build your own sustainable environment; bring Lakshmi home.
Happy Street is your very own step-by-step guide to achieving happiness for yourself and to building a better community.
Archives: Books
Pyffin Classics: A Winter’s Night And Other Stories
Ten classic stories from the master of Hindi literature
Nearly a century after they were written, Premchand’s numerous short stories, novels and plays, written both in Hindi and Urdu, continue to be a mirror to Indian society and its traditions.
A Winter’s Night and Other Stories brings together, for young readers, some of his most powerful short stories. This is a world inhabited by people like Halku, forced to spend the bitterly cold winter night in the open, without a blanket; Kaki, the old invalid aunt, ill-treated by her own relatives; and Shankar, reduced to being a bonded labour for the sake of a handful of wheat. Premchand describes their plights with unflinching honesty. Yet all is not hopeless in this world. There is also little Hamid, who buys tongs for his old grandmother rather than toys for himself; Ladli, who saves her share of puris for her blind aunt; and Big Brother, trying in vain to remember the strange names of English kings and queens.
Greed, dishonesty, cruelty abound in this world, as do kindness, bravery and humour. These ten stories are an ideal introduction to Premchand and his concerns and ideas that remain relevant to this day.
Puffin Classics: Malgudi School
‘It was Monday morning. Swaminathan was reluctant to open his eyes . . . He shuddered at the very thought of school . . .’
R.K. Narayan’s classic stories about the adventures of Swami and his friends Rajam and Mani, in a sleepy and picturesque south Indian town called Malgudi, have regaled both young and old for years. Malgudi Schooldays is a slightly abridged version of Narayan’s celebrated novel Swami and Friends, and includes two additional stories featuring Swami. A delightfully funny account of the life of a harum-scarum schoolboy by one of the greatest English-language writers of our time, Malgudi Schooldays enchants and captivates all those who step into its world.
Puffin Classics: The Adventures Of Mowgli
Rudyard Kipling’s eternal classics, The Jungle Book and The Second Jungle Book are most loved for the stories of Mowgli, the boy who grew up in a wolf pack. This book brings together all the stories of Mowgli. It begins with Father Wolf rescuing an abandoned baby boy from the tiger Shere Khan, terror of the jungle. The child grows up among the animals, befriending Bagheera the Panther, Balu the Bear, and making mortal enemies with Shere Khan the Tiger. He is kidnapped by monkeys, exiled by the wolf pack, disowned by humans, till he finally vanquishes Shere Khan and returns to the forest. But the call of his own kind grows stronger, and he eventually finds his own, tenuous place among men and animals. Kipling’s creations from the two Jungle Books-human and animal- have remained alive in literature and celluloid for nearly a century. They have mesmerized, entertained and educated generations of children. In this special Puffin Classics edition, Mowgli comes alive once more, accompanied by illustrations rendered by Gond artist Durga Bai, and an affectionate, heartwarming introduction by that other favourite children’s writer, Ruskin Bond.
Muezza and Baby Jaan
An incongruent pair and their illuminating friendship.
Join Baby Jaan as she listens to Muezza’s mesmerizing tales and soak in the wonder of rare, enlightening nuggets of Islamic lore. A djinn in the form of a baby camel and Prophet’s favourite cat come together in their shared exploits and a mutual education. As their chance meeting and tender bond is delicately explored, we are offered a fascinating array of teachings from the Quran that is sure to captivate children of all ages. Savour some enthralling gems about Nuh’s ark, God breathing life into the first man and woman, Iblis the djinn-turned-angel, the gift of free will, the ninety-nine names of God, the blessed she-camel, the mighty King Sulaiman and much, much more.
Charmingly whimsical and breathtakingly illustrated, Muezza and Baby Jaan is a read like no other.
Mr And Mrs Jinnah
When Ruttie Petit fled from her father’s castle to wed Mohammed Ali Jinnah in 1918, their marriage outraged society at large. They were divided by community, religion and an age gap of twenty-four years. Well-known journalist Sheela Reddy uses never-before-seen personal letters and papers as well as accounts left by contemporaries and friends to portray this unusual relationship with a sympathetic, discerning eye. A product of intensive and meticulous research in Delhi, Bombay and Karachi, Reddy not only brings the solitary, misunderstood Jinnah and the lonely, wistful Ruttie to life, but also the society and politics of the times their story was set in. A must-read for all those interested in politics, history, and the power of an unforgettable love story.
Living Next Door To Alise
Life will never be the same for Siddharth when he starts living next door to Alise
Nine-year-old Siddharth is the despair of his parents. He does not want to run around or climb trees, and is terrified of ants. Then one day, he finally makes a friend-the fast-talking; quick-thinking, ultra-intelligent baby elephant, Alise. Together the two friends set out on a series of exploits. But the friends don’t stop at just having fun. The Bearded Bandit has spread terror among the elephants in the forest and someone has to stop him.
Ignited Minds
What is it that we as a nation are missing?
Why, given all our skills, resources and talents, do we settle so often for the ordinary instead of striving to be the best?
At the heart of Ignited Minds is an irresistible premise: that people do have the power, through hard work, to realize their dream of a truly good life. Kalam’s vision document of aspiration and hope motivates us to unleash the dormant energy within India and guide the country to greatness.
JJ
Joseph James-or JJ-is dead. A famously outspoken figure in Malayalam literature, his death is particularly mourned by Balu, a Tamil writer who endeavours to preserve the luminary’s legacy by penning a biography of JJ. For this, Balu must immerse himself in the politicized and divisive Malayalam literary world, where JJ has made quite a few enemies. Thus begins an enthralling novel of ideas, brimming with sharp wit and laced with satire, as Balu gathers his thoughts and experiences to pay homage to JJ-only to discover that he might have bitten off more than he can chew.
An undisputed classic of modern Tamil fiction, JJ: Some Jottings remains bitingly relevant and scathingly funny in its vision of a society where artistic integrity is besieged by personal agendas.
India Since Independence
The story of the forging of India, the world’s largest democracy, is a rich and inspiring one. This volume, a sequel to the best-selling India’s Struggle for Independence, analyses the challenges India has faced and the successes it has achieved in the light of its colonial legacy and century-long struggle for freedom. It covers the framing of the Constitution and the evolution of the Nehruvian political and economic agenda and basics of foreign policy; the consolidation of the nation and contentious issues like party politics in the Centre and the states, the Punjab problem, and anti-caste politics and untouchability. These, along with objective assessments of Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Jayaprakash Narayan, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Rajiv Gandhi, Vishwanath Pratap Singh, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh, constitute a remarkable overview of a nation on the move.