‘We need to take him out of here. Xerxes will never grow up with Mamavaji around.’
Xerxes’ mother wants him to be like JRD Tata, but all Xerxes wants is to be like his Grandpa—his beloved Mamavaji. His mother thinks Grandpa is a bad infl uence on Xerxes and she wants to separate them.
Xerxes cannot let that happen! If Grandpa learnt to fl y, it might just solve the problem. But Grandpa isn’t interested in any plans for him! Whatever is Xerxes going to do?
Illustrations by Niloufer Wadia
Catagory: Children
India A To Z
Revised and updated for 2021
Why are the Himalayas considered geologically alive? When did the first train huff and puff its way between two stations in India? What was India’s very own desi dino called? How did India’s currency come to be named the rupee? Which Indian glacier is the highest battleground in the world? Who wrote the world’s first grammar book? If questions like these make you curious about incredible India, here is a bumper info-pedia packed with fascinating facts, terrific trivia and colourful cartoons on just about everything in India, this book encourages interest in a wide range of subjects. Use it for homework help, for project ideas, to boost your general knowledge or as a ready reference because this must have book makes getting to know India as easy as ABC.
Sita’s Righteousness
It was dharma that made Ram the rightful king of Ayodhya, and it was dharma that made Sita live the rest of her life raising two children in the forest. It was dharma that helped Ram defeat Ravana, and it was dharma that separated him from the love of his life.
While dharma made Ram follow rules even if it gave him unhappiness, Sita was under no such obligation. This is why the choices she made have had such a huge impact on the lessons the epic has to offer.
Sita’s Righteousness is a lesson in understanding the value of righteousness even in the most difficult circumstances. Narrated and illustrated by the inimitable Devdutt Pattanaik, this simple yet powerful story is a compelling read.
Sita’s Humility
Dharma is supposed to be the foundation of a civilized, peaceful society. However, it can also have a dark side that forces a man to be a king first and a husband later.
After Ram defeats Ravana in the epic fight that lasted ten days, Sita’s honour is saved, good has triumphed over evil, and everything wrong with the world has been righted. However, this is also the moment when Sita has to make her most humiliating choice.
Sita’s Humility is an intriguing tale of a woman’s resilience that has been beautifully narrated and illustrated in Devdutt Pattanaik’s straightforward style.
Sita’s Honour
Sita first meets Hanuman in the garden of Ashoka trees, where she has been held captive by Ravana, waiting for her husband to rescue her. Despite living in the land of demons with her honour being threatened every day, she has faith in Ram and his ability to save her. She is overjoyed when Ram’s messenger appears before her.
The mighty Hanuman is the bearer of good news, but he leaves with the burden of Sita’s most difficult choice—one that will prolong her suffering indefinitely instead of putting an end to it immediately.
Beyond the story of Ram and Ravana, Ramayana is the story of the only person who could make choices—Sita. Read on as Devdutt Pattanaik enlightens us with another story that highlights Sita’s virtuosity, with illustrations that bring the action alive.
Sita’s Undoing
Humans use choices and rules to create a world where there is more kindness and less cruelty, more right and less wrong.’
Our ability to make decisions that serve others more than ourselves is what differentiates humans from animals. Considering the needs of others first is one of the biggest tenets of dharma, the rules of society. Having grown up with this foundation, Sita and Ram present the very definition of a dharmik life. While dharma makes for a civilized and peaceful society, it also leads to Sita making a choice that marks the end of all happiness in her life.
Elegantly narrated and illustrated by Devdutt Pattanik, read on to discover Sita’s fateful choice and the consequences that make Ramayana the epic it is.
Sita’s Dharma
The rulers of the sun-city were called sun-kings because they dazzled by the virtue of always following the rules of the land.’
Sita and Ram lived in an age where living according to dharma, or the rules of society, was of utmost importance, even if it meant living in exile for fourteen years. When Kaikeyi demands her two boons from King Dashratha, everyone except the one who has to suffer is heartbroken. Ram stoically accepts the consequences of his father’s word as his destiny. However, Sita displays astounding grace when she makes a choice that isn’t expected from her.
In the din of Ravana’s cruelty and Ram’s valour, something is often overlooked—the story of Sita, the woman who chose. From the master of mythology, Devdutt Pattanaik, this is the story of the first, and possibly the most difficult, choice that Sita makes.
From The True Adventures of Prince Teentang
The True Adventures of Prince Teentang outlines the exploits of our dashing young hero – a prince with three legs, in hilarious detail. What do you do when you are born to royalty, with one leg too many? Why, whatever you like! Prince Teentang wreaks merry havoc on his palace as he races along from one adventure to the next while his guardians quake in fear about their heads being hacked off their necks! Kalpana Swaminathan paints a bright, witty picture of a court filled with eccentric folks ruled by a silly tyrant king. Ridiculously hilarious, this excerpt is the perfect short read to lift your spirits.
Dal Delight
In this deliciously sweet tale, renowned author Subhadra Sen Gupta takes us through the lanes of Lukhnow to a humble cook and a proud Nawab. The Nawab has heard praise and come to visit, but the cook is unlike any he has met before. He doesn’t bow down to his royal highness; he simply says that anyone eating his food must eat it exactly as he demands. The Nawab in good humour agrees, but will he remember to come on time? Will the cook furiously throw away this magnificent food in fury, along with dreams of a better future? Find out in this teekha tale, which brings to life all the fulsome flavours of desi khaana.
The Boy with a Catapult
Bhisham Sahni is at his finest in this elegant story of ruthlessness and kindness. Bodh Raj is a boy with murder on his mind and a catapult in his hands. Birds, beasts, insects – none are spared his callous cruelty. Bhisham Sahni takes us on a swift journey of the heart of a boy, and how it can change in an instant from cruelty to fierce protectiveness – all it needs is a reason. Sahni beautifully encapsulates how the worst of us can be redeemed in this simple, timeless tale.