I am the story of the perennial lovers, Ranjha and Heer.
I am the story of Waris Shah, of Bulleh Shah’s dhammal, the rise of the Sikh misl and the fall of the Mughal Empire.
I am a story told in two parts, in two different narrative styles.
On the one hand, I am the story of a young Waris, displaced from his home and his journey to Kasur, Pakpattan and Malka Hans, where he finally composed this most iconic love legend of Punjab.
On the other hand, I am the story of Heer and Ranjha, being written by Waris Shah.
Throughout the novel, I flow between these two narratives, these two worlds—of eighteenth-century Punjab and a timeless Punjab.
When Ashim, the bright, cheerful class topper and the ‘jewel’ of Mahendra master, suddenly drops out of school, everyone is surprised. His classmate and academic rival, Nirmal, is deeply troubled by Ashim’s behaviour and decides to investigate.
As Nirmal discovers more about Ashim’s circumstances, a friendship as pure as the bakul flower blooms that stands its ground against the harsh realities of growing up in rural Assam.
A heartwarming coming-of-age tale, the book celebrates friendship, hope and determination as it unravels the devastating effects of poverty and of an education system that has failed the ones who need it the most—the misfits and outcasts.
Translated for the first time from the Assamese, Under the Bakul Tree is one of the finest young adult novels from India and is an invaluable addition to India’s rich literary landscape.
शिवाजी ने छत्रसाल के कंधे पर हाथ रखकर कहा, ‘वीर बुंदेले कुमार, जो कोई देशोद्धार का पवित्र व्रत धारण करता है : नीति, त्याग और समता के देवता मंगल-गान करते हुए उसके साथ-साथ चलते हैं। शालीनता, माधुर्य और सत्य-प्रतिज्ञा उस पर चँवर डुलाती हैं। दक्षता और तत्परता उसका मार्ग सार्थक करती है। छत्रसाल, मैं भी तुम्हारी ही भाँति स्वाधीनता का पुजारी हूँ।’
इतिहास और भारतीय संस्कृ ति के मर्मज्ञ आचार्य चतुरसेन की लौह-लेखनी से निकले इस प्रेरक उपन्यास में बुदेलखंड की आज़ादी की बहुत ही संघर्षपूर्ण कहानी दी गई है। छत्रसाल ने जिस अनोखी सूझ-बूझ, आत्माभिमान और शूरवीरता का परिचय देकर बुंदेलखंड को स्वतंत्र कराया उसका बहुत ही रोचक, उत्तेजक और रोमांचकारी वर्णन इस उपन्यास की विशेषता है।
राजशाही युग की अंतिम ऐतिहासिक यादें दी गई हैं इस पुस्तक में। बहुमुखी प्रतिभा से सम्पन्न आचार्य चतुरसेन शास्त्री की प्रमुख विशेषता यह है कि वह स्वस्थ मनोरंजन के साथ-साथ समाज का निर्भीक चित्रण करने में कभी नहीं हिचकिचाए। उदयास्त आपके इन्हीं गुणों का प्रत्यक्ष प्रमाण है। इसमें देसी राजाओं के उन्मत्त भोग-विलास, अन्याय-अत्याचार, झूठे आडंबर, अजीबोगरीब शौकों और बेतुकी सनकों का बड़ा ही सजीव चित्रण किया गया है।
““. . .मुझे रुपए चाहिए सात दिन के अंदर-अंदर वरना नालिश कर दें, मैं उसे पैरों के नीचे घसीटकर लाना चाहती हूँ।”
एक अहंवादिनी युवती के असीम प्रेम के असह्य घृणा में परिवर्तित हो जाने की मार्मिक कहानी।
साथ ही पढ़िए लगभग ऐसी ही भाव-भूमि पर आधारित शरत् बाबू का ही एक अन्य उपन्यास दत्ता।
यह पुस्तक पठनीय के साथ-साथ संग्रहणीय भी है।
शरत् बाबू का सर्वप्रथम तथा पुस्तक-रूप में अब तक अप्रकाशित उपन्यास।”
‘देखिए! शादी-ब्याह के सफल और असफल रहने की गारंटी कोई नहीं दे सकता। . . . लेकिन एक दिल का लगाव जैसी भी कोई चीज होती है। कामिनी के साथ मैं दो साल तक रहा। फिर भी हम दोनों एक-दूसरे के लिए अनजान बने रहे। राधिका को मैं मुश्किल से सप्ताह भर से जानता हूँ; पर लगता है, जैसे हम दोनों जन्म-जन्मांतर से परिचित हैं। क्यों लगता है ऐसा?’
वैवाहिक समस्या का मार्मिक समाधान प्रस्तुत करने वाले प्रसिद्ध लेखक किशोर साहू का बेहद रोचक उपन्यास, जो हर किसी के दिलो-दिमाग पर अद्भुत छाप छोड़ने में सक्षम है।
Sometimes the truth kills. . .
Newlyweds Tricia and Ethan are searching for the house of their dreams. They think they’ve found it in the remote manor that once belonged to Dr. Adrienne Hale, a renowned psychiatrist who years ago vanished without a trace.
When a violent winter storm traps them at the estate, the house begins to lose its appeal.
Stuck inside, Tricia finds a collection of audio transcripts from Dr. Halea’s sessions with patients. As Tricia starts listening to what isn’t meant for her, she learns of the terrifying events around the doctor’s mysterious disappearance.
With each tape, every shocking piece of the puzzle falls into place, but by the time Tricia reaches the final cassette, it will be too late!
From New York Times bestselling author Freida McFadden comes an addictive, unpredictable thriller that will keep you asking the question: What is the truth?
Two women.
An office filled with secrets.
One terrible crime that can’t be taken back.
Dawn Schiff is strange.
Atleast everyone thinks so at the office. She never says the right thing. She has no friends. And she is always at her desk at precisely 8:45 a.m.
When Dawn doesn’t show up one morning, her coworker Natalie Farrellâ beautiful, popular, top sales rep is surprised. She then receives an anonymous phone call that changes everything.
It turns out Dawn wasn’t just an awkward outsider; she was being targeted by someone close. Now Natalie is irrevocably tied to Dawn as she finds herself caught in a twisted game of cat and mouse that leaves her wondering: Who is the real victim?
One thing is incredibly clear: somebody hated Dawn Schiff. Enough to kill.
The Coworker is another tense and unputdownable thriller from New York Times bestselling author of “The Housemaid” Freida McFadden.
Aru and Rohit get married and settle down into the life of a working couple in a big city. Aru, still coming to terms with her mother Sumi’s death in a road accident and her father Gopal’s desertion of the family prior to that, remains the force that binds the lives of her sisters and her aunts. But tragedy strikes the family again, in the form of a devastating act of terrorism and a heinous crime and Aru has to face some of her life’s toughest moments.
Shadow Play is a masterful meditation on kinship, marriage, ambition and the changing face of urban India. Filled with a memorable cast of characters, it also tells the story of Kasturi, trying to find understanding and peace after enduring extreme cruelty and heartbreak. Kalyani, who atones for the wrongs society deals its women through an act of generosity in her death and Gracy, Tressa and Ramu, a family torn asunder by a senseless act of violence.
In Shadow Play, one of India’s most respected and accomplished novelists has produced a work that is deeply humane and contemplative—as much about the ephemeral nature of human life as it is about the enduring relationships that give it meaning.
She—an oncologist whose days are driven by the desire to alleviate pain.
He—a rising star in the musical world, whose life is governed by his art.
Yet, all it takes is one meeting for everything to change.
Set in Mumbai, Strangers to Ourselves tells the story of an unlikely love between two unusual people. Tender and tempestuous by turns, it draws you into the conflicts, languid pleasures and sharp sorrows of falling in love with a stranger who can never entirely be yours.
