Parimal is an author who lives a quiet life away from the hunting and adventures of his past. But when an old friend comes to him and asks for a favour with the promise of danger, he cannot resist. Why does the old botanist want him to bring his gun and come to his home? He only has plants, helpless happy plants, who cannot possibly be a danger. Or can they? Satyajit Ray brings to life his rich storytelling with this decadently illustrated thriller.
Catagory: Children
children main category
Festival of Eid
When Hamid the poor orphan is going to the Eid fair, he has only three paise. All the other boys have an enormous amount of money with which to buy toys and sweets, and cruelly tease him with their riches. But Hamid has a single goal in mind – to buy a pair of tongs so his grandmother won’t burn her fingers making roti. Will his resolve last against lollipops and gulab jamuns? Will the brilliant toy policemen and lawyers of his compatriots break his will? A heartwarming tale of generosity and kindness with a sprinkling of mischief and love by the father of modern Hindi literature – Premchand.
From Swami and Friends
This sweet, short story is from RK Narayan’s iconic ‘Swami and Friends’, a slice of life from a simpler time. Swami has been forced to move to a different school because of his antics, and is struggling to play cricket as much as he likes. His grandmother, his coach, his headmaster all seem to be conspiring against him to ensure that he never gets to play cricket again. Swami’s friends are outraged on his behalf and decide to help him out by going and talking to his headmaster themselves. Will it work? Or will poor impetuous Swami now be confronted with even more furious grownups? Find out in this lovely little snippet from RK Narayan’s original Swami and Friends.
The Tunnel
The steam engine shot out of the tunnel, snorting and puffing like a green, black and gold dragon, a beautiful monster out of Ranji’s dreams . . .
Fascinated by the midday train, Ranji would find himself waiting near the tunnel to catch a glimpse of the engine come roaring out of it. But the tunnel has more surprises for him. From a jungle full of lush green trees comes a timeless tale of unexpected friendship, curiosity, duty and wildlife.
Peppered with delightful illustrations, Ruskin Bond brings to his readers another heart-warming story packaged as a charming chapter book-a perfect introduction for beginners to the world of India’s favourite writer!
Snake Trouble
Grandfather is an odd but lovely man, and one day in the market, he buys a young python that he sees from the Snake Charmer. Alas, when they bring the python home, Grandmother lets out an ungodly scream, and says it must be sent packing. Try though they might, the python keeps coming home and becomes a reluctant part of the family. But what scrapes will young Ruskin get into with a python as a pet? And how does one take care of the python when you also have a parrot and a monkey? This has Ruskin Bond at his finest, with elegant prose and effortless humour in this delightfully sweet story.
The Gold and Red Shoe
One day, Lata finds a red and gold shoe while playing on the railway track. It was a beautiful shoe, covered in velvet with a sole of felt, and Lata who had never had anything in her life, suddenly had a shoe for show. All the other children who never played with her now begged to be her friend. But her friend had always been Joseph Pinto, the little boy with polio. When they find the shoe, the two children suddenly become the most popular in the slum. How long can a little bit of magic last for two children who have nothing at all? This poignant story by Margaret Bhatty finds joy even in the darkest places.
The Boys Who Fought
A book about handling bullies and being humble
‘When you can fight for the meek without hating the mighty, you follow dharma.’
In the forest, the mighty eat the meek. In human society, the mighty should take care of the meek. This is dharma. A hundred princes should have looked after their five orphaned cousins. Instead, they burnt their house, abused their wife and stole their kingdom. The five fought back, not for revenge but for dharma. What came of the five’s fight against the hundred?
India’s favourite mythologist brings to you this evocatively illustrated retelling of the Mahabharata that is sure to illuminate and enthral a new generation of readers.
How May I Help You?
In this charming and insightful story, Deepak Singh chronicles his journey as an Indian immigrant in the United States of America.
Deepak falls in love with an American visiting India as an exchange student. The young couple gets married and leaves the country to live the American dream. Unfortunately for Deepak, he soon realizes that reality was completely different.
Armed with an MBA from a good B-school and quitting a cushy job in BBC, Deepak moves with his wife. But once in the US, all he is able to get is a minimum-wage job in an electronics store. Every day he confronts an unfamiliar American culture. He experiences the deeply entrenched racism and observes first-hand the crushing reality of being poor in America.
‘Fresh off the plane’, Deepak tells an intimate tale of living in an unfamiliar place, being the perennial outsider and making a mixed marriage work.
How May I Help You is a moving tale of love, empathy, vulnerability and hope that will keep you hooked till the last page.
SuperZero and the Clone Crisis
Close on the heels of his first two crazy adventures, the peskiest . . . sorry, super-est superkid in town falls plonk THUD c r a s h into a third. Everyone, including BigaByte, is in a lousy mood because someone’s stealing their laughs. Whaaa? Plus SuperZero’s mom has a scary surprise for him. Plus, plus, plus, there’s a cunning clone in school who’s turning himself into everyone else and creating full-on chaos. (Pssst, that’s your cue, SuperZero. Do your thing!) So much trouble can only be good news for SuperZero fans. Here come the hahas and high action once again.
The Last Battle of Saraighat
The first-ever account of the BJP’s landslide victory in the 2016 Assam legislative assembly elections, the battle of Saraighat was fought in 1671 between the Ahoms of Assam and the Mughal invaders. In 2016, the BJP centred its strategy for the legislative assembly elections on this historic battle, focusing on issues of illegal migration, constantly invoked in the party’s rallies, posters and communication to appeal to the voting public. The historic elections saw the BJP win an overwhelming majority of assembly seats in Assam, where the Congress had been in power for decades. It was a watershed moment that opened the door for the party to the political corridors of the north-east. In this book, Rajat Sethi and Shubhrastha, political campaigners for the BJP in the north-east of India, take you behind the scenes of the high-octane electoral drama. They outline the political history of the region, provide details of election strategies employed by the party and explain why they resonated with the local people so strongly. The Last Battle of Saraighat looks at Assam as a case study to explain the rise of the BJP in the north-east and throws light on the key political issues of the region.