Bholanath and Khudabaksh are two soldiers in the British Indian Army, sent off to Europe to fight in World War I. One happens to be Hindu and the other happens to be Muslim, but that doesn’t keep them from being the best of friends.
When a mission in a surveillance balloon goes awry, these two gentle soldiers-along with an exceptionally ill-tempered squirrel-are set adrift high above the Western Front. What follows is a grand tragicomic adventure, taking them into the heavens and across a continent gone mad with war. Together, they learn about the worst humankind can do . . . and how true friends, however unalike their identities may be, can soar above it all.
Dear Reader,
Letters change people.
They turn forty-year-old men into helpless fathers.
Scared mothers into fierce fighters.
Long-lost pets into possessive exes.
And old lovers into best friends.
They make you spell help.
Give someone a second first chance.
Make you leave behind a home.
And find another in someone.
Sometimes, they’re warnings.
Sometimes, confessions.
And sometimes, a story left untold.
Letters change people, they say.
Let’s hope these change you too.
With love,
Us
After two bestsellers–Terribly Tiny Tales and Ninety-Seven Poems–Terribly Tiny Tales and Penguin come together on the same page for the third time.
When you get trapped in darkness, finding your way out can be a long and lonely battle, especially when the war is within your own head. Here’s a peep inside a mind struggling with itself.
Inside a Dark Box is a simple book about what depression can feel like.
Through the ages, strong, inspirational women and girls have risen in response to uncertainty and injustice. A timeless call to arms that many like Fatima Jinnah, Asma Jehangir, Sheema Kirmani, Nighat Dad and Malala Yousafzai have always been answering.Demonstrating that one girl can change everything.
Fearless: Stories of Amazing Women from Pakistan chronicles the lives of fifty such incredible women-scientists, lawyers, politicians, activists and artists-who incite hope, inspire action and initiate dialogue. Fiercely bold, this beautifully illustrated book holds up a mirror to South Asians across the world and highlights that their voices are crucial.
Veteran musician and sarod maestro, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, writes a deeply
personal book about the lives and times of some of the greatest icons of Indian
classical music. Having known these stalwarts personally, he recalls anecdotes
and details about their individual musical styles, bringing them alive.
Twelve eminent musicians of the twentieth century appear in the book – Bade
Ghulam Ali Khan, Amir Khan, Begum Akhtar, Alla Rakha, Kesarbai Kerkar,
Kumar Gandharva, M.S. Subbulakshmi, Bhimsen Joshi, Bismillah Khan, Ravi
Shankar, Vilayat Khan and Kishan Maharaj. In writing about them, Amjad Ali
Khan transcends the Gharana and north-south divide, and presents portraits of
these great artists that are drawn with affection, humour and warmth.
Guru Nanak was deeply spiritual from an early age, having being born into a
society caught in the throes of orthodoxy and ritualism. The ills of child
marriage, infanticide and a rigid caste system had further crippled his people.
The outpouring of Nanak’s faith evolved into the universal message of the
omnipresence and existence of one God, of true love, equality and compassion,
which appealed to Hindus and Muslims alike.
Drawing upon the various myths and legends contained in anecdotal biographies
and placing them in as precise a historical framework as possible, The Book of
Nanak traces the chronology of the main events of Nanak’s life. It sheds new
light on Guru Nanak’s message and includes translations of some of his hymns,
which continue to inspire people the world over.
The easiest way to learn Hindi (or any other language) is to hear it spoken. This book, designed by a successful Hindi teacher to foreigners, creates an “audio” effect for quicker grasp and assimilation. Rules of grammar have been explained only where absolutely necessary. A direct conversational style, with the help of a minimal vocabulary, phrases and sentences, makes learning Hindi effortless and pleasurable. Correct pronunciation is a difficult exercise, especially for tongues not accustomed to Devanagari script. Diacritical marks have been provided to indicate different sounds and accents. By repeated practice with the help of the book one can acquire a working knowledge of spoken and written Hindi – and then, if one prefers, pursue advanced study.
Bubbling with indefatigable energy, Alyque Padamsee was a unique genius who had mastered both theatre and advertising. Famous for playing Mohammad Ali Jinnah in Richard Attenborough’s film Gandhi, he also created several iconic advertisement campaigns on Indian television.
A Double Life takes you on a memorable, sometimes hilarious, trip spanning nearly all the years of Padamsee’s brilliant career. It also offers you a chance to go backstage with the man dubbed ‘God’, as he unfolds thrilling scenes from his high-voltage life. With acute human insights that illuminate the book like flashes of lightning, Padamsee reveals the hidden stories behind the provocative ads for megabrands like Liril and Kama Sutra, and behind blockbuster productions like Evita and Jesus Christ Superstar.
Set in the backdrop of the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, this book recollects Taslima Nasrin’s early years. From her birth on a holy day to the dawn of womanhood at fourteen to her earliest memories that alternate between scenes of violence, memories of her pious mother, the rise of religious fundamentalism, the trauma of molestation and the beginning of a journey that redefined her world, My Girlhood is a tour de force.
Saeeda Bano was the first woman in India to work as a radio newsreader, known then and still as the doyenne of Urdu broadcasting. Over her unconventional and courageous life, she walked out of a suffocating marriage, witnessed the violence of Partition, lost her son for a night in a refugee camp, ate toast with Nehru and fell in love with a married man who would, in the course of their twenty-five-year relationship, become the Mayor of Delhi. Though she was born into privilege in Bhopal-the only Indian state to be ruled by women for four successive generations-her determination, independence and frankness make this a remarkable memoir and a crucial disruption in India’s understanding of her own past.
