In this sweeping tale, at once epic and intimate, Shyam Selvadurai introduces us to Siddhartha Gautama-who went on to become ‘the enlightened one’-an unusually bright and politically astute young man settling into his upper-caste life after marrying Yasodhara, a woman of great intelligence and spirit. Mansions of the Moon traces the couple’s early love and life together, and then the anguished turmoil that descends upon them both as Siddhartha’s spiritual calling takes over and the marriage partnership slowly, inexorably crumbles.
Drawing on ancient records and historical sources, and weaving it with fiction and mythology, Shyam Selvadurai creates a vivid portrait of Yasodhara, a remarkable woman on a remarkable journey. Mansions of the Moon is an evocative, thought-provoking novel and a must-read for anyone interested in spirituality, mythology and the power of the human spirit.
Winner of the JCB Prize for Literature 2023
Fire Bird is a masterfully crafted tale of one man’s search for the elusive concept of permanence. Muthu has his world turned upside down when his father divides the family land, leaving him with practically nothing and causing irreparable damage to his family’s bonds. Through the unscrupulous actions of his once-revered eldest brother, Muthu is forced to leave his once-perfect world behind and seek out a new life for himself, his wife and his children.
In this transcendental novel, Perumal Murugan draws from his own life experiences of displacement and movement, and explores the fragility of our fundamental attraction to permanence and our ultimately futile efforts to attain it. Translated from the nearly untranslatable Aalandapatchi, which alludes to a mystical bird in Tamil, the titular fire bird perfectly encapsulates the illusory and migratory nature of this pursuit.
Fire Bird is a thought-provoking and beautifully written exploration of the human desire for stability in an ever-changing world.
Jamyang Norbu has taken the stories of ‘forgotten’ Tibetans–resistance fighters, secret agents, soldiers, peasants, merchants, even street beggars–and skillfully worked their myriad accounts into a single glorious ‘memory history’ of the Tibetan struggle. He uses recollections from his own childhood to ease the reader into an immersive understanding of the complexity of Tibet’s modern history: the Chinese invasion, the uprisings in Kham and Amdo, the formation of the Four Rivers Six Ranges Resistance Force, the March ’59 Lhasa Uprising, the CIA supported Air Operations, the Nyemo peasant Uprising of 68/69 and the Mustang Guerilla Force in northern Nepal, where Norbu later served.
He writes of leaving home to drive tractors at refugee settlements, educate refugee children, produce plays at the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts, and collect intelligence for the Tibetan Office of Research and Analysis (TORA) and for France’s External Intelligence Agency (SDECE). He uses these anecdotes not so much as autobiography but as a framing device to recount the lives, deeds and, too often, tragedies of the many Tibetans he encountered and befriended throughout his life–nearly all of whom played vital roles in shaping the recent history of their country but whose contributions are still unsung and forgotten. Jamyang Norbu’s lifelong commitment to collecting and orchestrating the ‘echoes’ of these many forgotten voices from the past has resulted in a lyrical, learned and compassionate book that could well be described as the prose epic of the Tibetan freedom struggle.
As a young boy, Amitav Ghosh’s narrator travels across time through the tales of those around him, traversing the unreliable planes of memory, unmindful of physical, political and chronological borders. But as he grows older, he is haunted by a seemingly random act of violence. Bits and pieces of stories, both half-remembered and imagined, come together in his mind until he arrives at an intricate, interconnected picture of the world where borders and boundaries mean nothing, mere shadow lines that we draw dividing people and nations. Out of a complex web of memories, relationships and images, Amitav Ghosh builds an intensely vivid, funny and moving story. Exposing the idea of the nation state as an illusion, an arbitrary dissection of people, Ghosh depicts the absurd manner in which your home can suddenly become your enemy. Winner of the Sahitya Akademi Award.
‘It never occurred to me to just play it safe and get to where no Indian had gotten before-a Test triple century. Do I regret reaching for the ball well outside off from McGrath that I spooned to point? Do I feel I should have batted out that one hour at my disposal and ticked off the 25 needed to get to the Promised Land? No, and no. I have never played my cricket that way . . . The individual milestone would have been terrific, but if I were to get the chance to replay that day, I would do exactly the same. I walked off the park immensely satisfied. I hadn’t missed out on 300 by 19 runs; I had made 281 . . . and put the team in a position from where we could expect to pull off a win against all odds. Isn’t that what you play the game for?’
A stylish batsman who could score against any kind of bowling, VVS Laxman played over a hundred Tests to aggregate more than 8000 runs. Cricket fans still remember with awe his game-changing knock of 281 against Australia in 2001 at Eden Gardens. But playing for India was never easy, and despite his vast experience and unimpeachable skill, he never made it to a World Cup team.
All through his playing years, Laxman was known to be a soft-spoken man who kept his distance from controversy. Which is what makes this autobiography truly special. It’s candid and reflective, happy and sad by turns. He writes of dressing-room meltdowns and champagne evenings, the exhilaration of playing with and against the best in the world, the learnings with John Wright and the rocky times under Greg Chappell.
In 281 and Beyond, Laxman lays bare the ecstasy and the trauma of being one of the chosen XI in a country that is devoted to cricket.
Varavara Rao: A Life in Poetry is the first-ever collection in English of poems by the Telugu poet, selected and translated from sixteen books that he has published. Having begun to write poetry in his early teens, Varavara Rao, now in his early eighties, continues to be a doyen of Telugu modern poets.
He was a consistent comrade-in-letters to all the social movements from the 1960s to the 2010s, and this volume is a capsule of momentous social history captured in his
poetic imagination.
The poems in the collection offer an artistic blend of tender response and thoughtful reaction to social realities, as well as an explosion of powerful emotions from a voice
sought to be subdued. Varavara Rao’s poetry, more than anything else, is an offering of solidarity to the voiceless, the underdog and the oppressed.
‘Rohan’s work is especially important for he has been able to make environmental news and messages accessible to the world at large’. — Arati Kumar Rao, National Geographic explorer, environment photographer, writer and artist
Pugmarks and Carbon Footprints is a collection of gag cartoons and comic strips based exclusively on wildlife and nature. Staying true to their theme, the cartoons and comics in the book will speak about wildlife, ecology, interesting trivia about the lives of wild animals, and how the lives of these creatures are entwined with ours. Other than providing some much needed comic relief during environmental doomsday, the book will equip the reader with snippet-sized information about environmental issues in an easily palatable manner.
A comprehensive and satirical take on various aspects of the natural world and the threats to its conservation, Pugmarks and Carbon Footprints will appeal both to the scientifically inclined reader as well as the layman.
Dreams of a Healthy India, the ninth volume in the Rethinking India series, is an attempt to demystify the issues of health care and health systems for the general reader, and to simultaneously provoke rethinking on several critical dimensions through writings by policymakers and academics. Its introductory essay and the thirteen subsequent essays lay out the scenario as well as the challenges in this regard, and provide actionable solutions. These are solutions for the present times that can simultaneously contribute to sustainable health care for the future. Complex ideas are not made simplistic but are presented in simple language, with some illustrative case studies, vignettes and data that speak for themselves.
The book, published in collaboration with the Samruddha Bharat Foundation, sheds light on the complex systemic layers and processes that influence people’s health in their everyday lives. It argues that there has to be a reassessment of the popular image of health care as medical care alone, as well as of the nineteenth- and twentiety-century imagination of hospitals and health centres that we still work with. Systemic issues, such as increasing doctor-patient distrust, plural health knowledge systems and health governance, need to be understood with analytical rigour and dealt with in the collaborative spirit of the twenty-first century. Democratic health care in the present times will have to ensure the dignity of the patient, the community health workers, nurses and doctors-something that is increasingly getting lost in the contemporary health-care system.
This volume suggests that an indigenously developed health-care system, based on public-community partnerships, and respect for the plurality of needs, experiences and knowledges, can generate such health care for every Indian.
First 5000 copies will have Swamiji’s digital signature.
Happiness is a beautiful feeling. It floods our heart with gratitude and enriches us with the exuberance of life. Happiness is what makes living worthwhile. That is why we pursue it in all we do. Yet, despite our best efforts, it remains elusive. Why?
This is the puzzle we must solve in life. What is the secret of finding everlasting bliss? What is the art of experiencing joy that is immune to vicissitudes? And what is the science of achieving happiness that is not dependent on externals?
In this book, internationally acclaimed authority on mind management, renowned saint and bestselling author Swami Mukundananda draws on the ancient wisdom of the scriptures and current scientific research to address these questions. He also explains strategies for happiness in relationships, at work and in the face of adversity. By applying these concepts in your daily life, you can be happy everywhere and at all times.
Water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink,
Data, data, everywhere, no time to stop and think!
There is scarcely a role that does not require us to understand, analyse and present data. Charts, graphs and maps are everywhere. However, many of these data visuals leave the viewer bewildered, confused or (even worse) with an incorrect understanding of the data. In contrast, if designed well, data visualizations help us make sense of data and communicate our insights better.
Bringing her clear classroom-teaching style, which has helped hundreds of data wranglers, to this book, the author walks you through the myriad ways that graphs can mislead, helping to spot visualization traps and prevent misinterpretations. She illustrates core design principles for creating truthful and effective data visualizations, assisting you to master the art and science behind creating impactful and accurate graphs. Packed with examples to clearly explain the dos and don’ts of data visualization and backed by empirical research, this book will transform the way you create and analyse graphs and charts.
