The story of Listening Now takes place before the events of Appachana’s 2023 critically acclaimed novel, Fear and Lovely.
Mallika, a child given to weaving, is convinced that the lives of the mothers around her are dull and devoid of passion and fantasizes romantic love. The truth, which lies at the heart of this story, is completely different. Her mother, Padma, her mother’s sister, Shanta, her mother’s two friends, Madhu and Anu, and her grandmother, Rukmini, all hold wrenching secrets; their complex lives and longings are beyond the child Mallika’s comprehension. Set in 1950s and 1960s, this story encompasses the lives of two generations of women in a small, New Delhi neighbourhood, where conventional lives are lived on the surface, while below, secrets seethe—threatening to destroy everything that has been so carefully constructed to accommodate society’s structures and expectations. Rendered through six points of view, Listening Now captures the voices of these women; the spoken conversations as well as all that remains in the realm of silence. Shortlisted for the Crossword Prize when it was first published in 1998, Listening Now holds readers in its embrace from the very first line.
When a fiery meteor lands on the Somvanshi estate, Jay and his mentor Kaka are the first to find it, and Jay is mesmerized by the element he finds in the orb. Using his family-owned Vantra Labs, of which he is the CEO, Jay carries out extensive research into the material, along with his team of brilliant scientists. He names the material, the black element.
Little does he know the chain of events that he is about to set off. Directed by the strings of fate, Jay is heading towards the truth concealed in family legend and a prophecy that can be traced back to the times of the Mahabharata war.
When Jay realizes the supernatural possibilities that the black element is capable of, he is determined to use it for the greater good. But, as history has shown, when there is power in the wrong hands, greed takes prominence and compassion takes a back seat.
Amid a succession of heists, ploys, twists, tragedies and discoveries, will Jay be able to see the true picture? Will he understand the balance between fate and free will and how they can amalgamate to fulfil his purpose? Will he realize the prophecy? And is all of this simply history repeating itself?
WITH A FOREWORD BY N.S. MADHAVAN
Seetha, an Indian national and a student at the University of Barcelona, arrives in Diyarbakir, Turkey, in search of her Kurdish lover Devran. Having just found out that she is pregnant, she is desperate to find Devran, who has mysteriously vanished.
Seetha discovers some disturbing truths upon her arrival. The state is trying to trap Devran and his family for alleged terrorist links. The region is in the midst of a harrowing conflagration, where state-sponsored killings, enforced disappearances, political vendettas and torture cells are the norm.
Seetha herself comes under surveillance of the Turkish security forces, who take her into custody and brutally torture her. In the scramble to rescue Sita from their clutches, many find themselves caught up in the conflict between the Kurds and the Turkish government.
Set against the 2015–16 Turkish repression of the Kurdistan movement, Zîn is a novel in which an ordinary love story between people of two different nationalities and cultures is flung into an unexpected, extraordinary political and historical setting. The pacey and emotionally stirring novel throws light on how governments reduce minority communities to a lower status and use them as a tool to seize power—a situation that’s become all too familiar across the world.
Keepers of the lonely lighthouse at Türkiye’s westernmost tip watch in horror as the Second World War sets the Aegean on fire.
Little K feels the weight of the world as he struggles with his desire to go to the city school or help look after the lighthouse as only he can. But his brother Ilyas finds a saintly courage in his limp bones and his sister Feriha becomes the strength of their spine.
While K ploughed the field in the mornings, Ilyas’ learnt the lessons in daylight to help K learn in the flickering beam of the lighthouse; knowing very well that’s the closest he’ll ever get to school. Feriha guarded the lighthouse; knowing she might be the only answer to their struggles. Their aunt Hanim Hala chanted around the mastic tree planted as a sapling: the soul of the home they left behind.
How does their happiest morning turn into an endless night, how does a family with little to do beyond the lighthouse get ripped apart by a war that was not even theirs?
As K says “…I [‘ve] realized that emptiness was the worst thing that could fill you.”
The K that grows up from that is an answer to the world that forgets about kindness in its endless pursuit of power. An emotional and warm story reminding us of the need to rise for our children, the world’s children and to protect their dreams.
यह कहानी मध्यकाल के मशहूर सेनानायक मलिक काफ़ूर की है जो अल्लाउद्दीन खिलजी के दरबार में उसका नायब था। काफ़ूर को हिजड़ा बनाकर कई-कई बार बेचा गया था और बाद में वह खिलजी के दरबार में पहुँचा। उसने बड़े-बड़े कारनामे किए। उसने मंगोल हमलों से दिल्ली की रक्षा की, दक्कन का फतह किया और देवगिरि व वारंगल का राज्य जीतकर सुल्तान के कदमों में रख दिया। लेकिन उसकी महात्वाकांक्षा बाद में उसे ले डूबी और उसका पतन हुआ। इस कहानी में जीवन के कई रंग हैं और मानवीय भावनाओं का प्रस्फुटन भी है।
‘काबुलीबाला’ में रवि बाबू की श्रेष्ठ कहानियां हैं। ये कहानियां विश्व के सर्वश्रेष्ठ कहानीकारों की रचनाओं के समकक्ष रखी जाती हैं। प्रत्येक कहानी मानवीय प्रेम को अपने में समेटे हुए है और पाठक के अन्तर्मन को झकझोर देती है। ‘काबुलीबाला’ पर एक प्रसिद्ध फिल्म बनी थी, जिसमें स्व. बलराज साहनी ने पठान की यादगार भूमिका निभाई थी।
Abbas is just seventeen years old when his gifts as a woodcarver come to the attention of Tipu Sultan. He is drawn into service at the palace to build a giant tiger automaton for Tipu’s sons, a gift to commemorate their return from British captivity. His fate—and the fate of the wooden tiger—will mirror the vicissitudes of nations and dynasties ravaged by war across India and Europe.
Working alongside the legendary French clockmaker Lucien du Leze, Abbas hones his craft, learns French, and meets Jehanne, the daughter of a French expatriate. When Du Leze is finally permitted to return home to Rouen, he invites Abbas to come along as his apprentice. But by the time Abbas travels to Europe, Tipu’s palace has been looted by British forces, and the tiger automaton has disappeared. To prove himself, Abbas must retrieve the tiger from an estate in the English countryside, where it is displayed as a part of a collection of plundered art.
A spellbinding historical novel set in the eighteenth century: a hero’s quest, a love story, the story of a young artist coming of age, and an exuberant heist adventure that traces the bloody legacy of colonialism across two continents and fifty years.
Ayingbi Mayengbam, a well-meaning primary school teacher, wants to take on some part-time work over the summer, ideally a job through which she can help people. When her first day as a volunteer at a suicide hotline ends in her finding a dead body, she is done with this line of work. But soon, she is approached by the winsome Dr Rastogi, a man who runs another suicide hotline with a more altruistic approach, and she is unable to say no.
While initially shy and uncertain, Ayingbi learns quickly, her warmth and sincerity enabling her to connect well with callers, her fierce determination to save lives compensating for lack of experience. Over time, however, Ayingbi is confronted with an unfortunate realization: when working at a suicide hotline, you simply can’t save everyone. On top of that, there is something sinister afoot at Rastogi’s agency, least of which are the three phones in Ayingbi’s cubicle, one of which begins to ring without being plugged in . . .
Part fact, part fiction, All He Left Me Was a Recipe is a never-ending pursuit of love, a quest for the ever-elusive ‘Mr Right,’ all while kissing the ‘Mr Maybes’. It’s a rollercoaster ride through the fabulous and often hilariously complicated world of modern dating where love, lust and culinary metaphors are on the menu.
From ‘a-ha’ moments to giggles and even some epic heartbreaks with a fair share of tear-shedding, this book is a VIP pass to Shenaz Treasury’s heart in all its shapes and forms over the years. Every story wraps up with
a recipe—a memento from each of these unforgettable encounters—along with some timeless life lessons.
So, pour a glass of wine, get comfy and dive into a world that’ll make you laugh, shed a tear or two, and who knows, you might just find yourself along the way.
Kanhoji Angre is born to Tukoji Sankhpal, keeper of the Suvarnadurg Fort for Shivaji, emperor of the Marathas. A child of the seas, Kanhoji is as much at home in the turbulent waters of Konkan as in the forts and forests of the Desha mainland.
But the enemies of their empire are never too far away.
The Mughals are in constant battle with the Marathas on land, while the Siddis and the newly arrived Portuguese threaten to destroy them at sea. There’s also the British East India Company who have arrived as traders and settled on the island of Kulaba, paying taxes to Kanhoji.
Kanhoji must rise above conspiracy, deceit, war and family politics to become the Samudratala Shivaji—‘Shivaji of the Seas’.
An astounding debut, Angria is the tale of one of history’s most feared naval commanders. Amid the smell of gunpowder and salt, Sohail Rekhy brings to life a momentous era when the war for swaraj was fought on the seas of India and when only one man stood between the firangis and the Desha. This is the chronicle of a hero whose story has been lost to the waves of time.
