Cinema, for Perumal Murugan, was never just flickering images on a screen. It was a field of experience, a gathering ground, a mirror held up to the land itself. In The Land and the Shadows, he returns to the theatres of his youth and to the decades when Tamil cinema became inseparable from the life of the people—the 1950s through the 1970s.
Here, he recalls his boyhood labour in a small-town cinema hall, the thrill of posters and projectors, the songs carried on village winds. From those vivid fragments, Murugan opens out a portrait of Tamil society in transition, where poverty and caste met desire and aspiration in the common darkness of the theatre. The screen was both escape and education, its heroes and heroines shaping speech, gesture and imagination across class and community.
Part memoir, part ethnography, this is a record of a world that has almost vanished—those public spaces where lives once overlapped, where cinema forged unlikely intimacies and collective dreams. Murugan’s voice, at once personal and self-effacing, turns memory into history, and history into story.
Translated with fidelity and grace by Gita Subramanian, The Land and the Shadows brings us Perumal Murugan in a new key: as witness to cinema’s place in the making of modern Tamil Nadu, and as chronicler of a society learning to see itself in the play of light and shadow.
From the internet’s “art dad”: an encouraging and inspiring guide for artists of all levels to embrace failure, overcome self-doubt, and rediscover the joy of creating art.
Is there such a thing as cheating in art? No.
Am I too old to start making art? Of course not.
Will I ever like my art? Yes. Eventually. But not always (it’s complicated).
Can my art ever get better? Yes. But with practice (and a lot of patience).
If I become an artist, will I be rich? What? No. Who’s asking these questions???
With the inviting nature of Bob Ross and the kindness and empathy of Mister Rogers, Scott Christian Sava has become the internet’s “art dad” to over four million artists (young and old) around the world. But this is not a book about how to hold a pencil. Or how to draw a superhero. Or how to break into the art world (although we do talk about that a little). It’s about how we can enjoy the process of making art and let go of perfection and self-doubt and the fear of failure by learning to be okay with where we are on our own individual artistic journey. That art is all about experimentation, failing, and trying again.
Becoming an Artist is part encouragement, part storytelling, part sketchbook. Filled with art, stories, silly tangents, hard-won wisdom, and over 50 black-and-white watercolor illustrations, all created during a very hectic week in New York City.
Whether you’re a total beginner, a burned-out pro, or someone who hasn’t made art since middle school, this book is your permission slip to just make stuff. To be weird. To be imperfect. To be human.
कादम्बरी एक फिल्मी पटकथा है, जो स्वयं अमृता प्रीतम ने लिखी है। एचके वर्मा द्वारा निर्देशित इस फिल्म में उस्ताद विलायत ख़ाँ के संगीत दिया था। यह एक प्रेम कहानी है। बिना किसी परिचित कोण के एक प्रेम कहानी। ताज़ा और यथार्थवादी। यह फिल्म अमृता प्रीतम के प्रसिद्ध उपन्यास ‘धरती सागर और सीपियाँ’ पर आधारित है और मौलिकता से परिपूर्ण है। यह आज के उन लोगों की कहानी है, जो अकसर जीवन के उतार-चढ़ाव से बह जाते हैं, फिर भी प्यार और उम्मीद के किनारे पर वापस आते हैं।
अमित एक नाजायज बच्चा है, जो अपनी माँ पर हमले से पैदा हुआ है। लड़के के पिता द्वारा अस्वीकार किए जाने के बाद, वह अब अपने बेटे के साथ रहती है, जिसे उसने बड़ी मुश्किल से पाला था। अमित की बचपन की दोस्त चेतना को पता चलता है कि उस पर क्रश उसके लिए प्यार में बदल गया है। प्यार, जिसे अमित किसी के साथ साझा करने में असमर्थ है क्योंकि वह अपनी माँ के लिए अपने प्यार को किसी के साथ साझा करने के लिए तैयार नहीं है। आगे क्या हुआ, यह तो पूरी पुस्तक पढ़कर ही पता चलेगा।
पति-पत्नी के संबंधों के बीच यदि कोई तीसरा आ जाए तो क्या वे सही जीवन जी पाते हैं? इस उपन्यास में भी कैलाश और अश्विनी के बीच एक तीसरा आया है। वह कौन है? प्रेमी, माता-पिता या सिर्फ गलतफहमी? इसका सही उत्तर पाने के लिए यह उपन्यास पढ़िए, जिसमें प्रेम अपनी चरम सीमा को छू रहा है। पीड़ा और कौतूहल अंत तक कथा के साथ चलते हैं और एक गहरी संवेदना के साथ उपन्यास समाप्त होता है।
When Jagat Murari, a young film student in post-war America, finds himself at the feet of one of cinema’s true giants – Orson Welles – during the making of Macbeth in 1947, the lessons he absorbs on that set will shape not only his future, but also the future of Indian cinema. Returning to a newly independent India, Jagat goes on to build the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) from the ground up.
In The Maker of Filmmakers, Radha Chadha offers an intimate and meticulously researched portrait of her father – a celebrated documentary filmmaker – and the iconic film school he built. With uncanny consistency, FTII turned out top talent – the likes of Shabana Azmi and Jaya Bachchan, Adoor Gopalakrishnan and Subhash Ghai, and other cinema legends. His alumni became the leading actors, directors, cinematographers, sound designers and editors of Bollywood and beyond. They spearheaded the Indian New Wave, kickstarted regional language cinema, and helped usher television into the country.
How did Jagat go about ‘making’ such extraordinary filmmakers? What was his secret formula? With unprecedented access to Jagat’s diaries, letters, personal papers and over 100 interviews with alumni and colleagues, Radha Chadha leads us behind the scenes, and into the mind of a visionary who reshaped Indian cinema, even as he grappled with its many challenges.
A gripping tale of ambition, adversity, and artistic brilliance – richly illustrated with rare photographs – The Maker of Filmmakers paints a vivid picture of one man’s unwavering belief in the transformative power of cinema, and how his determination helped turn Indian cinema into the global powerhouse it is today.
Set against the backdrop of some of the landmark events and characters of the last century, this is biography and cinematic history at its best.
(Un)Layering the Future Past of South Asia: Young Artists’ Voices is a compelling collection of contemporary artworks by emerging South Asian artists, curated to explore the intersection of tradition and modernity. The book features dynamic voices from the region, offering new perspectives on South Asia’s rich cultural heritage and its evolving narratives. Curated by Salima Hashmi and Manmeet K. Walia, this is published in conjunction with the exhibition (Un)Layering the Future Past of South Asia: Young Artists’ Voices, presented by Ravi Jain Memorial Foundation, India, supported by Dhoomimal Gallery, India and organized at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) Gallery, London.
Throughout Zarna’s whole childhood in India, everyone called her ‘so American’ just for reading the newspaper, having deep thoughts, and talking back to anyone over the age of thirty. When Zarna’s dad tried to marry her off at age fourteen, Zarna fled—first to the streets of Mumbai and ultimately to the glittering paradise of Akron, Ohio, where she got to become American for real.
On Zarna’s very American quest to find herself and her calling, she threw herself wholeheartedly into roles like dog-bite lawyer, crazy perfectionist stay-at-home mom, Indian matchmaker, prizewinning screenwriter, and more. It wasn’t until a dare led her to a stand-up comedy open mic that Zarna finally found her spiritual home: getting paid cold hard cash for her big fat mouth.
And as Zarna discovered, after surviving the brutal streets of Mumbai, the cutthroat world of stand-up comedy is nothing.
This American Woman is an exuberant story of fighting for your right to determine your own destiny and triumphing beyond what you ever dreamed was possible. Zarna’s mantra becomes a call to action: It’s never too late. If Zarna can do it, you can, too.
कैलाश खेर का संगीतमय संस्मरण कही जा सकने वाली यह पुस्तक तेरी दीवानी : शब्दों के पार पाठकों को उनके 50 प्रमुख गीतों के पीछे की कहानियों और प्रेरणाओं के माध्यम से एक अंतरंग यात्रा पर जाने के लिए आमंत्रित करती है। इस पुस्तक की हर रचना में निहित भावनात्मक और रचनात्मक प्रक्रियाओं की भावुकता से खोज साफ दिखती है। इसमें कैलाश एक कलाकार के रूप में अपने व्यक्तिगत विकास और अपने संगीत के शक्तिशाली प्रभाव को सामने लाए हैं, जिसके लिए वे जाने जाते हैं। महान संगीत को आकार देने वाले उपाख्यानों, भावनाओं और प्रेरणाओं को साझा करते हुए, कैलाश खेर ने ‘सैयां’, ‘तेरी दीवानी’ और .‘अल्लाह के बंदे’ जैसे अपने सबसे प्रिय गीतों की उत्पत्ति का विस्तार से विवरण दिया है। इसमें वे न केवल अपनी संगीत उपलब्धियों का जश्न मनाते नज़र आते हैं, बल्कि पाठकों को इन भावपूर्ण धुनों की गहरी समझ और अंतर्दृष्टि भी प्रदान करते हैं।
Sanghamitra Chakraborty’s biography covers the complete arc of Soumitra Chatterjee’s extraordinary life and captures the many facets of his talent as a creative artist and all-round icon of the Bengal cultural sphere. From his work as an actor of international renown and his long partnership with Satyajit Ray to his forays into poetry, editorship and art, Soumitra Chatterjee and His World captures the richness and complexity of his journey and explores the turbulent times that shaped him.
An essential book for legions of his fans, it introduces his legacy to a pan-India audience and a new generation of film lovers.
