This anthology of literature translated from the Kashmiri language is the first of its kind. It is as much an introduction into the literary landscape of Kashmir as a journey through its history. From pre-modern verse to radio plays, folk chants to metaphysical ghazals, flash fiction to excerpts from a novel – the Big Book of Kashmiri Literature is compilation of memory and an anthology of voices. The reader will encounter scholars, saints, experimental dramatists and unlettered poets starting from the 14th century to today. Kashmiri has a thriving oral tradition, a literary culture that borrowed from the East and a print culture that engaged with the West and it all comes together in this volume with a promise of immersion into the emotional topography of the land, the language and the people.
Catagory: Historical Fiction
The Star from Calcutta
A movie censor murdered, a leading lady vanished—the glamour and intrigue of India’s silent film era come to life in the thrilling fifth installment of the award-winning Perveen Mistry series.
India, 1922: Perveen Mistry, the only female lawyer in Bombay, is on the verge of securing her biggest client yet: Champa Films, a movie studio run by director Subhas Ghoshal and his wife, Rochana, the hottest box office ticket in Indian cinema. In the public eye, Rochana is notorious for her beauty and her daring stunts—behind the scenes, she has recently left the Calcutta studio that made her famous, and the studio owner is enraged by what he claims is a breach of contract. Rochana needs Perveen’s legal help to extricate Champa Films from the impending controversy.
With her work cut out for her, Perveen attends a screening party at the Champa Films’ mansion-cum-studio to study Rochana’s glamorous world. She brings her film-fanatic best friend, Alice Hobson-Jones, the white English daughter of the British Raj governor, as her companion. But in the aftermath of the party, one of the party guests, a Bombay film censor, is found dead on the property. To make matters worse, Rochana has disappeared.
Now with a different legal obligation to her clients—to protect them in the face of a developing murder case—Perveen begins to investigate, peeling back the glitz to reveal a salacious web of blackmail, deceit, and romantic affairs. Perveen has her own secret: her relationship with a handsome former civil service officer, which is becoming harder to hide by the day. For the first time in their friendship, Alice seems to be keeping a secret from Perveen, too, and Perveen begins to suspect that Alice is hiding key information about the night of the murder. Will Perveen be able to detangle the truth from lies while protecting herself—and her closest friend?
The Hawk’s Quest
In this incredible retelling of the Mahabharata, Shakuni is no longer the villain history remembers, but a man forged in the fires of familial massacre. A wily strategist, yes; but also Shakuni the King, the brother, the son, the husband, and the father. The Hawk’s Quest is a gripping narrative of the single-minded execution of a vow of revenge. But it is not one born of malice, rather of a desperate need to reclaim the stolen dignity of lineage revealing the raw humanity beneath the strategist’s mask.
The Naga Warriors Boxset
THE NAGA WARRIORS 1: In the year 1757, 111 Naga sadhus borrowed the majestic weapons of the idols of their gods. Fuelled by their belief in Lord Shiva, they gathered invincible courage to protect the temples of Gokul. They stood as an indestructible wall, led by Ajaa, a fearless Naga warrior, against the Afghan army of 4000 men, a cavalry of 200 horses and 100 camels, and twenty cannons. The brutal Afghan Army was led by Sardar Khan, the most ruthless commander of Emperor Ahmed Shah Abdali, ill-famed for the demolition of temples and building a history of genocide in Bharat. T he fight continues. This is the Naga warrior’s commitment to courage and determination. This is the clash of Shiva devotees against the devils that lie under men’s skin. This is the Battle of Gokul.
THE NAGA WARRIORS 2: Who is nameless Naga? What became of the remaining eighteen sadhus and sadhvis who stood against the brutal Afghans? Where does Krishna go with his unflinching devotion? And what does the mysterious Adhiraj know about the real war being fought—inside the hearts of those who dare to pursue their legacy, as much as in the fields? What is the fate of Ahmad Shah Abdali? What will become of Gokul? Will the Nagas retain the Dharma they fought so valiantly to protect? The story follows fate, myth, and history that dance together in a way that is truly epic. A tale of fidelity, selflessness, and unwavering commitment brings together mystical fighters, mesmerized troops and formidable avatars. Get ready for an adventure where each response raises a new query, and where the shockingly brave and betrayed moments disclose the real stakes.
The Last of Earth
1869. Tibet is closed to Europeans, an infuriating obstruction for the rapidly expanding British Empire. In response, Britain begins training Indians—permitted to cross borders that white men may not—to undertake illicit, dangerous surveying expeditions into Tibet.
Balram is one such surveyor-spy, an Indian schoolteacher who, for several years, has worked for the British, often alongside his dearest friend, Gyan. But Gyan went missing on his last expedition and is rumored to be imprisoned within Tibet. Desperate to rescue his friend, Balram agrees to guide an English captain on a foolhardy mission: After years of paying others to do the exploring, the captain, disguised as a monk, wants to personally chart a river that runs through southern Tibet. Their path will cross fatefully with that of another Westerner in disguise, fifty-year-old Katherine. Denied a fellowship in the all-male Royal Geographical Society in London, she intends to be the first European woman to reach Lhasa.
As Balram and Katherine make their way into Tibet, they will face storms and bandits, snow leopards and soldiers, fevers and frostbite. What’s more, they will have to battle their own doubts, ambitions, grief, and pasts in order to survive the treacherous landscape.
A polyphonic novel about the various ways humans try to leave a mark on the world—from the enduring nature of family and friendship to the egomania and obsessions of the colonial enterprise—The Last of Earth confirms Deepa Anappara as one of our greatest and most ambitious storytellers.
Stain
In the glittering rot of Sodom, where opium blooms like dark flowers since time immemorial, Lot, a foreigner, threads his life through shadows—with his wife, daughters, and humanity at stake. Sodom is a modern inferno, devouring its own: Emalath, Bithya, Jachin, mere echoes in its relentless feast. Lot’s solitary compassion fractures the city’s void, his kindness is but a costly lamentation.
The Stain reimagines the biblical scape, a Levantine dreamscape where the known unravels—truth and humanity become questions, not answers.
Translated from the Malayalam by Sangeetha Sreenivasan.
Begampul Se Daryaganj / बेगमपुल से दरियागंज
हिंदी पल्प की दुनिया का एक ऐसा अध्ययन जिसमें अंतरराष्ट्रीय प्रेरणाओं और भारतीय भाषाओं के लोकप्रिय साहित्य का सही तरीके से लेखा-जोखा किया गया है। इसमें बातचीत, बैठकें, कहानियाँ, शोध और विश्लेषण शामिल हैं। बेगमपुल एक ऐसी जगह है जहाँ कई पल्प लेखक तब घूमते रहते थे जब मेरठ हिंदी पल्प का बाज़ार हुआ करता था। दिल्ली के दरीबा और खारी बावली से पहले मेरठ के शास्त्री नगर-ईश्वर नगर, वाराणसी और इलाहाबाद (अब प्रयागराज) का बोलबाला था। स्कूली किताबों में छिपकर इसे पढ़ने के लिए पागल पाठकों के लिए यह जादू कैसे पैदा हुआ? “बेगम पुल से दरियागंज—देसी पल्प की दिलचस्प दास्तान” हिंदी पल्प साहित्य के समृद्ध ताने-बाने की एक दिलचस्प खोज पेश करती है, इसकी जड़ों, विकास और इसे आकार देने वाले प्रतिष्ठित व्यक्तियों की खोज करती है। यह उन चहल-पहल भरी सड़कों, जीवंत कवर और आकर्षक कहानियों के प्रति श्रद्धांजलि है, जिन्होंने लाखों लोगों को आकर्षित किया।
A Shimla Affair
…the future of India may lie in unexpected hands.
1940, Shimla, British India. Nalini Mistry longs for a life outside of the four walls of her home; reality, however, is different.
Nalini and her two older sisters—Noor and Afreen—run the Royal Hotel Shimla, an opulent establishment that serves British high society. But when an underground revolutionary group asks them to aid a murderous conspiracy during the hotel’s Summer Jubilee Ball, they find themselves thrust headfirst into a dangerous game of lies. It doesn’t help that Nalini finds herself falling for Charles Nayler, a British officer; a man who sees her like nobody else.
As the night of the ball approaches, the sisters are drawn into a web of hidden agendas, shifting alliances, and impossible choices—where nothing is what it seems, and the price of freedom may be everything.
A Shimla Affair follows the story of three women attempting to change the course of Indian independence—for love, duty, and revenge.
Ponniyin Selvan 5
In this gripping penultimate volume of the Ponniyin Selvan series, Kalki masterfully draws the threads of intrigue, love, and vengeance towards a breathtaking crescendo.
The Chozha empire reels from the shock of an assassination and finds itself on the brink of chaos. Even as rumours swirl, and conspirators move in the shadows, the question of rightful succession grows ever more urgent.
Fearless and quick-witted, Vandiyatevan navigates treacherous waters as he uncovers secrets that could shatter the royal line. Arulmozhi Varman—torn between personal convictions and imperial duty—must confront the weight of destiny as he stands poised to shape the future of the kingdom.
Meanwhile, Nandini’s tragic past and her thirst for revenge arrive at a critical juncture, pushing key players into making impossible choices.
As destinies converge and sacrifices are made, the stage is set for a climactic resolution that will determine the future of the Chozha dynasty.
Ponniyin Selvan 6
In the concluding part of Ponniyin Selvan, the fates of beloved characters and the Chozha empire reach their dramatic fulfilment. Secrets long buried come to light, revealing the true motivations behind Aditya Karikalan’s death and the tragic complexities of Nandini’s life. As Arulmozhi Varman prepares to embrace his destiny, the intricate political and emotional tapestry woven throughout the saga finds powerful resolution.
Vandiyatevan’s courage, Kundavai’s unwavering wisdom, and sacrifices by unsung heroes, converge in a stirring finale marked by love, loss, and redemption. With justice, duty, and fate in tense balance, Kalki delivers an unforgettable climax to a historic epic, an epic mirroring the values, aspirations and achievements he visualised as a writer and liberal humanist, for the future of his own country, and for the world.