Hampi, September 2005: A breathtaking landscape, the ruins of a prosperous kingdom, and over cups of hot tea, two friends discover stories about the world’s smartest jester— Tenali Raman. Sulekha is studying in Class V and has been allowed by her principal to accompany her mother to Hampi, on the condition that she produces a full report about life in the Vijayanagar empire on her return. In Hampi, Sulekha meets the cocky TJ, who claims to be a descendant of one of Vijayanagar’s most famous citizens, Tenali Raman, and together they start collecting stories about the jester and his kingdom. Tenali, it turns out, had a solution to every problem that befell the kingdom— from the mundane to the bizarre: How do you carry a pot brimming with holy water, over hundreds of miles, without spilling a single drop? The king wants to build a palace he has seen only in his dreams, how can he be stopped? And a man is to be hanged for having a ‘bad-luck’ face, can Tenali prevent this? As they exchange anecdotes about Tenali Raman, Sulekha and her friends also learn more about the Vijayanagar empire, King Krishnadevaraya and what life was like in sixteenth-century south India. Wonderfully witty and bubbling over with fun and facts, this book is not just about one of India’s sharpest minds, it is a peep into a vibrant period in Indian history.
Catagory: Historical Fiction
Flying with Grandpa
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 influence on Xerxes and she wants to separate them. Xerxes cannot let that happen! If Grandpa learnt to fly, it might just solve the problem. But Grandpa isn’t interested in any plans for him! Whatever is Xerxes going to do?
Flying with Grandpa
‘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
The Story of Babur
This is the story of Babur, the first Mughal emperor of Hindustan. It is based on the Babur Nama, in which Babur writes about the events in his life, and of the people and things he loved or hated. Descended from two legendary conquerors, Chenghis Khan and Amir Temur, Babur spent much of early life losing kingdoms, wandering through the Uzbek mountains and almost living the life of a vagabond. This is the story of the strange and wonderful things the future brought to him.
Lavishly illustrated in Mughal miniature style paintings, this action-packed tale of this legend, king and adventurer will fascinate children and their parents alike.