Atisa is back! This time in his time-travel balloon!
Young Atisa thought he was all set for a cushy ride on Daedalus s balloon to join his mother Gaea in Central Asia. But Danyi, a warrior from the Chinese Emperor s court, a fierce Gobi blizzard and a mysterious white horse compel him to cross paths with Hieun Tsang, the famed monk and traveller who is on his way to King Harshavardhan s court. It soon becomes clear that Hieun Tsang is a hunted man, and despite Atisa s invaluable assistance, the situation only becomes ever more dangerous. Sea pirates, several assassination attempts, friends who cannot be trusted somebody is determined to make sure that he never returns to China. Who is the implacable enemy that seeks to harm Hieun Tsang? Will Atisa find the courage needed to defeat the dark forces? Will he reach China safe with the knowledge so arduously collected? Join Atisa and the great monk on their fantastic adventures across 7th century Central Asia and India.
Follow Fotikchand’s adventures through the colourful and dangerous streets of Kolkata in this action-packed thriller!An eleven-year-old boy; Bablu; gets kidnapped by four goons. As they make their escape in a stolen car; they meet with an accident and two of the goons die on the spot while the boy loses consciousness. The two surviving kidnappers; presuming the boy to be dead; leave him stranded.When Bablu regains consciousness; he realizes he has lost his memory. In his wanderings; he befriends a street juggler; Harun; who gives him shelter and introduces him to a new way of life. Bablu; now called Fotik; spends his days working in a tea shop; while his evenings are spent assisting Harun on his street shows. Gradually they develop a bond that makes them inseparable till one day the kidnappers spot Fotik; and Harun and he are forced to be on the run again.On the Run with Fotikchand is a thrilling story of everlasting friendship. Riveting and racy; it’ll have you turning the pages till the end.
‘Thirteen-year-old Atiya will win the hearts of young readers. Although physically handicapped; her adventurous spirit takes her on lonely rambles into the wildlife sanctuary. She knows the ways of the jungle and its creatures great and small. A charming story; full of incident and good feeling. Atiya’s flute has a special magic of its own.’-Ruskin Bond
Atiya Sardare lives with her dad, a forest officer. An only child, afflicted by polio, she finds solace and peace in the jungle, exploring it on short, secret, often dangerous treks. On one occasion she hears the haunting notes of a flute. It gives her goose bumps. She vows to learn to play the instrument much against her father’s wishes. Her music lessons bring her close to the grouchy old anthropologist, Ogre Uncle, and his Kurumba tribal daughter, Mishora. Atiya’s gift transforms her father’s view, it calms the rogue elephant, Rangappa and helps nurture a blossoming friendship between a teenage boy and girl. A moving, tender, and mesmerizing tale, Flute in the Forest has wonderful incidents based on the real-life experiences of the author.
Subhas Chandra Bose opposed Gandhi on several occasions, was at times also a bitter rival of Nehru, and waged war against Mountbatten. This is his story, and that of the alternative, armed struggle for Indian independence that he came to stand for –a story of the freedom struggle that ran in parallel and that left behind many heroes.
‘Give me blood and I will give you freedom.’ Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s words are deeply etched in the minds of millions of Indians. A great political thinker and radical nationalist, Netaji played a very active and prominent role in India’s political life. In the 1930s he was a leader of the Indian National Congress, and later of the Indian National Army (INA), during World War II. Read the mesmerizing account of the life of this charismatic leader whose only dream was to see his beloved motherland free from foreign rule.
This compelling biography gives us insightful details about Netaji’s legendary life, and throws light on his mysterious death in 1945. A shining example of leadership, integrity, sacrifice and valour, Netaji continues to inspire young readers even today.
As soon as I make it home I run upstairs to my room and tear my clothes off. I twist my head to get a good view of my back. And that’s when I see it. A wide line of soft, dark hair running from the nape of my neck down to the base of my spine. A stripe right down the center of my back, like a skunk. I’m not just a hairy Pakistani Muslim girl any more.I am a skunk girl.’ Nina Khan is sixteen, and has a few problems at hand. She is the only South Asian student at Deer Hook High; she doesn’t care about calculus, unlike her over-achieving older sister; she has a genetic disposition for excessive body hair; and if her parents had a whiff of her thoughts about Asher Richelli, the cute new Italian transfer student, she would be grounded forever. In this funny, wryly witty debut novel by Sheba Karim, Nina navigates her way through the first year of high school, dealing with friends who don’t even need to wax, and who don’t have a ghazal-listening father waiting round the corner. She realizes that though balancing two cultures is never easy, with a little spunk and a lot of humor, one can always find a way.
* Why was Indra an unhappy god?
* What are the many magical things Indra has in paradise?
* Will Indra ever find happiness?
Little Harsha was sad, so a cloud flew him up to Indra’s palace, just to show Harsha that the king of gods was sadder than him! There, with his new friends Indra and Airavata, the six-tusked white elephant, Harsha sees so many amazing things a wish- fulfilling tree, a pot of never- ending gold, and a potion that keeps him healthy.
Then Indra thinks of a naughty plan to steal Vasishta’s cow! When he catches Indra, a very angry Vasishta tells him the secret to being happy. (And no, it has nothing to do with ice creams, video games or wish-fulfilling trees.) But will the king of gods learn his lesson finally and stop being sad?
* Why is the cow useful to everyone?
* How are the earth and the cow similar?
* Why is Gauri another name for a cow?
Little girl Gauri thinks milk comes from packets, till she meets Sweety the talking cow. Sweety tells Gauri about the first cow on earth, Surabhi, and how she provided so many useful things to man fuel, manure, medicine and shelter. Sweety narrates stories about a king who found good luck because he gifted cows to many people, and how another king was turned into a lizard because he was not careful about who he gave his cows to! Sweety also tells Gauri how Krishna the cowherd looked after his beloved animals, and why Kali decided to comb her hair.
* Why are identity cards important, even for gods?
* How can you tell a Deva from a Manava?
* How would you find a particular god in a crowd of gods?
One day, when Krishna wanted to board an aeroplane, he was not allowed to! All because he did not have an identity card. Then his friends Garuda and Sesha took him to meet Lata-kumari in Guwahati, who told him the story of Anasuya and the Ashwini twins, and why Rishi Chavan made a rule that all gods should carry a dhvaja a flag with each god’s very own symbol. Did Krishna get his identity card so he could ride the aeroplane finally?
Five children are having fun one evening; playing dumb charades; when Shiva appears and wants to join in! Shiva turns out to be the best at dumb charades; as well as in asking riddles. He can say so much with only his actions! He also tells the children wonderful stories with the help of the many objects he carries with him; like the rattle drum; the crescent moon and a fountain of water that rises from his head. Soon; thanks to Shiva’s playfulness; the children know much more about Shiva and the other gods—even more than their parents!
