8 August 1942: As Gandiji and prominent leaders are put in jail, Babu and Manju suddenly find themselves a part of the larger protests–their schools close down and their father is put behind bars. Their daring brother Mohan goes underground and the rest of the family moves to Narayanpur, a sleepy little village seemingly untouched by the turbulence in the country. But Narayanpur is seething within and it all comes to a head when a group of children dare to confront the police.
Catagory: Literature & Fiction
A Twist In The Tale
Timeless tales from all over India from Bengal to Bastar and Kashmir to Coorg, there are stories that have been handed down generations: bedtime stories for children, fireside stories for travelers, who have heard these tales, wondered at them and repeated them to others. In A Twist in the Tale: More Indian Folktales, Aditi De collects forty such stories from various parts of India and retells them with dollops of humor. A friendless crocodile, a timid mouse and a vain fox are among some of the eccentric characters that appear in this book. There is also a clever princess, a hapless priest with heron feathers flying out of his mouth, and galleries of rogues. Strange happenings are not uncommon, so a nail tree grows out of nail clippings and a beetle saves a man from the dungeons. Full of the details of everyday life, festivities and food, these ageless stories have seldom been so exciting and such fun. Accompanied by Uma Krishnaswamy’s brilliant illustrations, this book will introduce the magic of Indian folktales to a new generation of readers.
The Puffin Mahabharata
‘A long, long time ago, in the ancient lands of India, known in those days as Bharatvarsha, a family quarrel grew into a bloody war. There had been wars before, and there have been wars since, but that mighty battle between warring cousins of the Kuru clan has become a part of the mythology and history of India. Told and retold a million times, the story of the Mahabharata is about defeat as much as victory, about humility as much as courage. It is the greatest story ever told.’
Like a modern-day suta or storyteller, Namita Gokhale brings alive India’s richest literary treasure with disarming ease and simplicity. She retells this timeless tale of mortals and immortals and stories within stories, of valour, deceit, glory, and despair, for today’s young reader in a clear, contemporary style.
A brilliant series of evocative and thoughtful illustrations by painter and animator Suddhasattwa Basu brings the epic to life in a vibrant visual feast.
Matchless in its content and presentation, The Puffin Mahabharata is a book that will be cherished by readers of all ages.
The Story Catcher Children
Are stories ever simply stories?
Suraya is girl with a big imagination, who loves making up little stories. When a surprise visitor brings her a very special gift, she is thrilled. Her stories are about to get much more interesting! But Suraya soon realizes that her writing may be more powerful than she thinks.
Is it just her imagination? Or are things really not what they seem?
Indian Folktales And Legends
Stories of wonder and wit, from far and near
Everyone will find a favourite story in this collection of folktales and legends. There is the story of Jumman the labourer, who thinks the Qazi of Jaunpur is actually his donkey! And the strange adventure of Dhania who, stealing out for a midnight snack, gets stuck in honey. Or the account of how a lowly weasel put the mighty Yudhishtir in place. And what happens when Bhim tries to match his strength against that of Hanuman!
Culled from all parts of the country, and spanning heaven, earth and the netherworld, these stories let us into a world of enchantment, wisdom and loads of fun.
The Puffin Book of Magical Indian Myths
When Surya the sun god got married, his wife could not bear the heat of his rays and ran away. Surya was heartbroken and the world plunged into darkness. A dwarf asked a king for some land, which he measured with three footsteps, and ended up claiming the earth and the sky. Sage Daksha got his daughters married to the moon, but later, in a fit of rage, cursed the moon with consumption, making it wax and wane.
These are some of the fifty myths from India recounted in this fabulously produced book. From wise sages to demonic asuras, beautiful river deities to arrogant kings, wayward gods to brave princes, this collection of myths showcases the most enchanting and magical stories from Indian mythology.
The Unicorn Expedition and other Stories
Professor Shonku cannot dismiss without proof the possibility that unicorns do exist somewhere on earth. In fact, Charles Willard, a fellow scientist, claimed to have actually seen them in Tibet, but, unfortunately, died shortly afterwards. So, when Shonku learns that another expedition is starting off for Tibet, he jumps at the opportunity to trace Willard’s route and find the unicorns.
Tibet is just one of the exotic places Professor Shonku’s exploits take him in this volume of stories. In the Sahara he comes face to face with a massive pyramid-like structure no one knew of earlier; he travels underwater in a submarine with two Japanese scientists to investigate the sudden appearance of deadly red fish that have taken to eating humans; in the caves of Bolivia he meets a primitive man who has been painting his dwelling with animal figures and strange mathematical formulae; and on a peculiar island which has appeared out of nowhere in the Pacific Ocean horrific plants suck out all his learning from his brain
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.