Zahir Dehlvi, an accomplished poet and official in the court of Bahadur Shah Zafar, lived through the cataclysmic Revolt of 1857 that changed the course of history, marking the end of Mughal dominion and the instatement of the British Raj. Dehlvi’s memoir, written on his deathbed, not only chronicles the fading glory of the Mughal court and his entry into a vanishing way of life, but also, most importantly, pivots on the horrifying spectacle of the Revolt and its aftermath—from the violent siege of Shahjahanabad to the bloody reprisals that followed. We learn about the brutal murder of the British Resident and the ensuing deaths of the European men, women and children who were sheltering inside the Qila. We also glimpse the emperor’s pleas to the rebels and his helplessness as they took over the Qila. Moreover, Dehlvi crucially elaborates on the plight of those who managed to escape the slaughter and carnage.
Translated into English for the first time, Dehlvi’s memoir is intensely vivid and moving, filled with incidents and rich in insight. An immensely significant historical record of the Revolt as it unfolded, Dastan-e-Ghadar is also a compelling personal account that conjures the dramatically changing world Dehlvi lived in.
Linked stories draw a powerful portrait of young Pakistan, at home and in the world
A group of teenagers in a Karachi high school put on a production of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible-and one goes missing. The incident sets off ripples through their already fraught education in lust and witches, and over the years, the young men and women grow up together and apart, haunted by both home and djinns in these lyrical linked stories.
In the world of Sarvat Hasin’s contemporary seekers, young rakes move between Murree and New York and women own the magic of their inexplicable passions; a failed soap opera star forms a poignant truce of a marriage with an unlikely man who has his own scars; churails are a persistent spectre in the most modern of lives. Here is the real Pakistan of Mohsin Hamid and Kamila Shamsie, one generation younger-and a young storyteller to take on the legacy of Pakistan’s chroniclers.
Whether it’s the tinsel town diva who accidentally tweets an intimate personal account, or the aspiring writer who opens a dating app in an office reception just before her interview, the characters from the world of Buffering Love cling on to their mobile phones, sometimes to crush reality and sometimes to embellish it.
Set in urban India, and replete with surprising turns, Buffering Love will delight and devastate its readers in equal measure with its 15 short stories about love and life through myriad mobile apps.
French Lover is the story of Nilanjana, a young Bengali woman from Kolkata who moves to Paris after getting married to Kishanlal, a restaurant owner. Kishanlal’s luxurious apartment seems to be a gilded cage for Nilanjana, and she feels stifled within its friendless confines. Her marriage, where she functions as little more than a housekeeper and sex object, is far from fulfilling and Nilanjana desperately looks for a way out of the boredom and depression that threaten to engulf her. It is at this point that she meets Benoir Dupont, a blond, blue-eyed handsome Frenchman, and is swept off her feet. Benoir introduces Nilanjana to the streets, cafes and art galleries of Paris. In her passionate, sexually liberating relationship with Benoir, she finally begins to have an inkling of her own desires. The relationship ends when Nilanjana realises that Benoir’s first priority is himself and not the woman he loves, and that her need for him has ended. But her road to self-discovery has only just begun. Bold in concept and powerful in execution, French Lover is a fascinating glimpse into the workings of a woman’s mind as she struggles to come to terms with her identity in a hostile world.
Timeless animal fables, now in a classic collector’s edition
Composed in Sanskrit around 300 CE, the Panchatantra is one of the oldest collections of fables in the world. Devised for the purposes of teaching the three dull-witted sons of a king, it conveys the principles of kingship, the codes of conduct and some essential life lessons.
This complete and vibrant translation brings to you the full breadth of the ancient work. While each story unravels into several more, a motley group of creatures amuse and enlighten in crisp rhymes and delightful prose. Relive the joy of this enduring classic that illuminates the wise, pithy and unexpectedly witty tales like never before.
The Wild Pack is a band of animals living in abandoned rail tunnels and caves under the city. Led by the wolf Hamlet, they have just one goal: to live in freedom as they once did in the wild.
Following Hamlet’s dramatic escape from the zoo, this sequel finds the Wild Pack outsmarting humans time and again, even sneaking into the city’s natural history museum in the dead of night, on a quest to discover where they are from. But there they are faced with the cruel zoo director, Mueller, once again. Scampering to safety-in a church, of all places-the Wild Pack hits upon a brilliant idea . . .
From tracing the possible first arrival of man in India to writing about love, sex, money, parenting and values in Indian society and discussing nationalism, religion and democracy, Miniya Chatterji presents an accessible yet brilliant intellectual treatise about issues that affect Indians the most. Indian Instincts is a seminal and deeply philosophical work, presented tactfully with entertaining and memorable instances. It is a must-read for anyone who wants to know what makes an Indian. The vivid and insightful examples make us reflect: Are we willingly entrapped in the institutions of our own making? Have these institutions-the government, corporations, religion-become sources of the problem in India, increasing economic inequality?
This book, a collection of fifteen powerful essays that argue for greater equality and opportunity in contemporary India, holds up a mirror to what we Indians have become.
Sri Lanka , 2001. Sam, a poor, dim-witted boy, ekes out an existence with his mother, brothers and sisters in a tiny village too remote for maps. His fortunes change when he gets a job as a housboy in Colombo. But life ins’t all perfect; marring Sam’s peace is Leandro the cook. Sam hates Leandro, not only because he teases him but also because Leandro belongs to the other side- the side that is killing Sam’s people in the war in the North.
With brutal honesty and a wry sense of humour that seems from his simplicity, Sam tell us about the days in life that he never wants to forget and the days he wishes he didn’t remember. Funny and sad at once, this is the tale of contemporary Sri-Lanka about rural and urban life, poverty and corruption, egg hoppers and Christmas parties, boxing dogs and gin and tonics. Sam’s joys are pure, his tragedies heart-wrenching. But he takes them all in his stride, telling at it is.
Set in a country that has been war -ravaged for fifteen years, Elmo Jayawardana’s Sam’s Story is a poignant, powerful and unforgettable debut novel.
‘ A VASTLY SENSITIVE AND GRIPPING EXPERIENCE OF THE “OTHER”…WHOLLY ABSORBING
– Carl Muller
A group of nine are trapped in the visa office at an Indian Consulate after a massive earthquake in an American city. Two visa officers on the verge of an adulterous affair; Jiang, a Chinese-Indian woman in her last years; her gifted teenage granddaughter Lily; an ex-soldier haunted by guilt; Uma, an Indian-American girl bewildered by her parents’ decision to return to Kolkata after twenty years; Tariq, a young Muslim man angry with the new America; and an enraged and bitter elderly white couple. As they wait to be rescued—or to die—they begin to tell each other stories, each recalling ‘one amazing thing’ in their life, sharing things they have never spoken of before. Their tales are tragic and life-affirming, revealing what it means to be human and the incredible power of storytelling.
Manjeet Hirani was adamant that a dog would never enter her house, but that was before little Buddy arrived at her doorstep.
One day, the doorbell rang. Her husband, Rajkumar Hirani, who had just finished shooting for the film PK, had sent a parcel for their son. It was an adorable puppy, one that had played the role of a depressed dog in the movie. It wasn’t long before Manjeet grew to love Buddy.
In this book, she writes about attachment, parenting, and karma, among other things. She shows how having a dog in the house can alter your perspective and change the way you experience life.
How to Be Human is a charming and heart-warming book that, with its light touch, will make you look at life from a less cynical standpoint.
