Bana is among the three most important prose writers in classical Sanskrit, all of whom lived in the late sixth and early seventh centuries AD. It is clear, from his writings, that his mind was amazingly modern, humane and sensitive, especially for the seventh-century India in which he lived. Bana had a healthy irreverence towards many of the established orthodoxies of his time and his strength lies in his skill as a storyteller and as a creator of characters vibrant with life and individuality.
Kadambari is a lyrical prose romance that narrates the love story of Kadambari, a Gandharva princess, and Chandrapida, a prince who is eventually revealed to be the moon god. Acclaimed as a great literary work, it is replete with eloquent descriptions of palaces, forests, mountains, gardens, sunrises and sunsets and love in separation and fulfillment. Featuring an intriguing parrot-narrator, the story progresses as a delightful romantic thriller played out in the magical realms between this world and the other, in which the earthly and the divine blend in idyllic splendour.
What do you suggest, then? How do we mitigate this tragedy? Three years of drought . . . three years of starvation!’ She realized it was his way of getting back at her. ‘There is an answer, Your Majesty. What if a large imambara were to be built, bigger and more magnificent than any constructed so far in Hindustan? Every Mussulman in Allah’s creation will remember Asaf-ud-daula with reverence for all time to come.’ 1784. Amid famine, poverty, a grand culture rises: Awadh. As Nawab Asaf-ud-daula tries to come to terms with new British masters, his awam seeks comfort in the vibrant poetry of Mir, the buzz of the Chowk, the thrill of the wrestling matches and the gossip of the zenankhana. In masterful prose, A.K. Srikumar tells the story of Asaf-ud-daula’s court and his people, of the uncertain fortunes of Begum Shams-un-nisa, Prince Wazir Ali, Nazir-i-Mahal Nuruddin, of the schemes of Naib Haider Baig Khan and Resident John Bristow and pretender Saadat Ali Khan, of the Bada Imambara and a culinary tradition that was born amidst the brick and mortar— dum pukht.
Set in Calcutta in the 1970s, There Was No One at the Bus Stop is a
powerful exploration of adultery and its overwhelming consequences.
Trina, a married woman, impulsively decides one day to stop living a lie
and walks out on her husband, daughter and son, in whose lives she no
longer plays a role. But will she be able to sever the bonds and join the
man she loves in his home? The man, Debashish, is haunted by his wife’s
recent suicide and is tormented by the possibility that his young son would
rather live away from him.
Through spare prose and searing dialogue, this novel unfolds over twelve
hours on a single day. It reveals the often complex reasons that hold
human relationships together and the motives that break them apart.
Jhootha Sach is arguably the most outstanding piece of Hindi literature written about the Partiton. Reviving life in Lahore as it was before 1947, the book opens on a nostalgic note, with vivid descriptions of the people that lived in the city’s streets and lanes like Bhola Pandhe Ki Gali: Tara, who wanted an education above marriage; Puri, whose ideology and principles often came in the way of his impoverished circumstances; Asad, who was ready to sacrifice his love for the sake of communal harmony. Their lives-and those of other memorable characters-are forever altered as the carnage that ensues on the eve of Independence shatters the beauty and peace of the land, killing millions of Hindus and Muslims, and forcing others to leave their homes forever. Published in English translation for the first time, Yashpal’s controversial novel is a politically charged, powerful tale of human suffering.
Dishing up the dirt on the bold, the beautiful and the downright ugly from Karachi’s hottest page 3 parties! Amynah Farooqui writes ‘Party Queen on the Scene’, a weekly anonymous gossip column for a Karachi magazine. Amynah, who makes no apologies for her life of casual sex and recreational drugs, is the polar opposite of her best friends, Mumtaz and Henna, whom she wishes would lighten up-especially Mumtaz, who is too uptight to be the daughter of a drug baron. When party regular Monty Mohsin starts raking in the moolah producing a reality TV show called Who Wants to Be a Terrorist? Mumtaz decides to cash in on the trend by making a documentary on violence against women in Pakistan. And the ever-resourceful Amynah finds the perfect subject in Nilofer, Henna’s childhood friend from the village. As filming begins, it becomes obvious that each of them has their own agenda-including Nilofer, who’s not as helpless and innocent as she seems. The stress of the project, along with pressure from Henna’s politician father, draws the friends apart. Then tragedy strikes and changes their lives forever. Maha Khan Phillips’s Beautiful from This Angle is a sensational debut that serves up a cocktail of Chanel and cocaine, fundoos and feudalism, while on the search for love and happiness among Pakistan’s swish set.
Anyone who took one look at Shweta could guess that she was suffering from some serious physical or mental disability. What future did the Shwetas of this world have? Shobha would raise her hands heavenwards and say, ‘Surely the same Creator who brought them to the earth will look after them? I believe they are children of God, hopefully a better God than the one who looks after us.’
When Anupurba comes back to India from the United States, reluctantly leaving behind a satisfying job as an art teacher, she does so with a sense of apprehension at this displacement from her comfortable, suburban American life. She never imagines that returning to India would turn out to be a profoundly transformational and life-changing decision. A chance meeting with an old college friend introduces her to Asha Jyoti, a school for children suffering from cerebral palsy. Overcoming her initial trepidation, she agrees to volunteer as a temporary art teacher. Anupurba teaches the children how to draw and paint but it is the children who teach her the real lessons: about suffering and survival, joyous friendship, love and laughter.
Children of a Better God is a deeply touching, tenderly written story about the agonizing challenges faced by children who have to live with lifelong disability, and the ways in which these very special children can powerfully enrich our lives with their grit, positive spirit and sheer courage.
100 classic tales from the
master of Bengali short fiction
‘Banaphool’s love of precision and economyof words, his eye for the apparently insignificant detail give us a sudden glimpse of the human condition ‘
-Nabaneeta Dev Sen
Translated into English for the first time, these stories by legendary writer Banaphool cleverly explore how life’s absurdities are negotiated through human relationships- whether between friends,lovers family or strangers.
In the title story, a lovelorn boy waits earnestly in his hostel room for the arrival of his beloved, only to be greeted by a rude shock. The fickle nature of love is at the centre of ‘Conjugal Dreams’ , as two newlyweds confront their old loves. ‘The Homecoming’ is about an isurance agent’s encounter with a most unexpected co-passenger while travelling home by train for Durga Puja. And a harmless wager leads to very dramatic consequences in ‘The Corpse’. These sparkling vignettes are moulded out of the everyday, and range from poignant and tragic to whimsical and satirical.
Reminiscent of the effortless prose of O. Henry, Banaphool’s stories conjure up a host of enduring characters while making sharp observations about the human condition.
When DCP Ravi and his ACP Rahul are handed the case of the death of the Union Sports Minister and cricket board member S.N. Rao, little do they know that this is just one of the series of murders across the city. What unravels is a ruthless game of supremacy-a deeper, more sinister plan to squash anyone coming in the way of setting up the twenty-twenty league and becoming one of the richest sporting bodies of the world!
In the nexus between politicians and the cricket board, the players are just pawns and the real game a tamasha.
a broken-hearted Kaushik arrives in the small, sleepy town of Valai, leaving his disturbing past behind. And even as Valai proves to be anything but slow and laid-back, with all its scandals and rumour-mongering, Kaushik falls in love again – this time with Vivek. However, the rush of love he feels for this young, innocent village boy is not without it sdilemmas; is it the right thing to do? would Vivek understand if Kaushik tells him the truth about his sexuality? As his love becomes an obsession, life turns into a game of manipulation for Kaushik. Until destiny intervenes and takes him on a course that he neither has any control over nor is able to change. Vivek and I is a powerful novel about sexuality, falling in love and learning to let go.
‘I want to play a game with you.’
‘A game?’
‘Yes. Hope I can trust you.’
‘Of course.’
She handed over a small envelope and said; ‘Open this the day I tell you to. And if you open it earlier; I will come to know about it.’
‘What is in it?’
‘A time bomb.’
Aarav will do anything to get to the top of his organization. He will betray his colleagues; submit incorrect reports; sleep with the sexy and crafty Sonali; even abandon his disapproving wife in the middle of a romantic trip to London. Sonali uses his ambitious streak; promising to take him right to where he wants to be; if he does what she says.
In his mad scramble to the top; does Aarav know what he is getting into?
Is it as rosy up there as he imagined?
What is Sonali’s real game?
With or without You is for all those who have struggled to keep their jobs from ruining their lives.
