Long regarded as the Forbidden Land, Bhutan-or DrukYul, the Land of the Thunder Dragon-is often described as the Last Shangri La. It is still a country of pristine forests, alpine valleys and glacial lakes, rich in rare flora and fauna such as the blue poppy, the golden langur and the red panda. As spectacular as its natural beauty are the architecture of its towering dzongs (fortresses) and the art treasures that fill its monasteries and temples.
Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck shares with us her delight in some of the hidden treasures of her country, which she discovered during her journeys on foot to every corner of Bhutan-from highland villages in the shadow of the great Himalayan peaks to serene monasteries wreathed in myth and legend to the rainforests in the south and centre of the country, which are among the world’s richest biodiversity hotspots. This book, with its specially commissioned illustrations by young Bhutanese artists and photographs from the author’s family album, is essential reading both for those who plan to visit the Kingdom of the Thunder Dragon and for armchair travellers who yearn to experience the magic of Bhutan through their imaginations.
Catagory: Non Fiction
non fiction main category
The Communist Manifesto
On the occasion of Karl Marx’s 200th birth anniversary, here is an authoritative edition of The Communist Manifesto
‘Apart from Charles Darwin’s Origin of Species,’ notes the Los Angeles Times, The Communist Manifesto ‘is arguably the most important work of nonfiction written in the 19th century.’ The Washington Post calls Marx ‘an astute critic of capitalism.’ Writing in The New York Times, Columbia University Professor Steven Marcus describes the Manifesto as a ‘masterpiece’ with ‘enduring insights into social existence.’
Since it was first written in 1848, the Manifesto by Marx and Engels has been translated into more languages than any other modern text. It has been banned, censored, burned and declared ‘dead’. But year after year, the text only grows more influential and more relevant, and is required reading in courses on philosophy, politics, economics and history.
In this extensively researched edition, renowned Marxist scholar Phil Gasper provides an authoritative introduction to history’s most important political document, with the full text of the Manifesto. Thoughtfully presented in a reader-friendly format, it is fully annotated, with clear historical references and explanations, additional related texts, and a glossary that will bring the text to life for students as well as the general reader.
The New Yorker recently described Karl Marx as ‘The Next Thinker’ for our era. This book shows readers why.
Kailash Yatra
Mount Kailash is a holy mountain on the western edge of the Tibetan Plateau in China. Over recent decades, this eerily symmetrical mountain, holy to Bonpos, Buddhists, Hindus, Jains, animists and New Age seekers, has emerged as a globally important site for pilgrimage and tourism. This mountain lies close to the point where the borders of north India and western Nepal meet China. What has been relatively little known to the general audience is the central role that transborder interdependence has played in shaping the lives, livelihoods and culture of the communities residing in these borderland regions, in the proximity of Kailash.
In the monsoon of 2016, an international team of social scientists, artists and members of the local community undertook a difficult 300-kilometre-long trek from district Humla, western Nepal, into the Tibetan Autonomous Region, China. The aim was to document and understand the contemporary rhythms of livelihoods, material culture and perceptions of the sacred among the communities living along an ancient southern route to Mount Kailash, which had been in use for transborder trade and pilgrimage for several centuries. This book, studded with lush photographs, brings to life several individuals and scenes encountered during this expedition-stories of the past, of change, of aspirations, of the sheer beauty and vulnerabilities of life in one of the least accessible but most sacred corners of the world.
Devlok 3
Where did the name Radha come from?
When did Christianity first come to India?
What is the connection between sanskar and dharma?
After the enormously successful runs of the first and second seasons of EPIC Channel’s Devlok with Devdutt Pattanaik, and their book editions, the trailblazer of Hindu mythology Devdutt Pattanaik is back with a third instalment to answer these questions and more! Covering over fifteen informative and inspiring episodes, this volume is a heady mix of education and entertainment. The show delves into myriad topics and lesser-known tales and questions that will be revisited by Devdutt in a Q&A format, making mythology more interesting for everyday audiences.
India
Bimal Jalan, former Reserve Bank of India governor and Rajya Sabha MP places India’s post-Independence strengths and weakness under a microscope and analyses the last four decades of India’s economic journey, which saw the nation’s transition from a strictly regulated, slow-growth, state-led enterprise to one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. Dr Jalan has had a ringside view of financial governance during his long and distinguished career. Drawing on this vast experience he compares two distinct periods-1980-2000 and 2000-15-to examine the core changes and their significance, and considers their lessons for the immediate future.
Dr Jalan suggests measures to improve governance which, if implemented, could make India one of the fastest growing emerging global powers and ensure that the benefits of economic growth reach all her people.
Meghalaya Rivers
Hidden away off the beaten path in North-East India is the small culturally rich hill state of Meghalaya. Meghalaya receives the heaviest rainfall anywhere on Earth and all this water creates rivers that are some of the steepest and most powerful on the planet. Its rivers are steeped in a folklore that was shared over campfires and hearths back in a time when its people had no written word. These rivers are the bedrock of folklore and are surrounded by diverse natural beauty. This wild frontier has recently caught the attention of whitewater paddlers from all over the world.
Six years of research by international and local paddlers has culminated into this one-of-a-kind book. More than just a guidebook, Meghalaya Rivers shares previously unpublished folk stories, personal accounts from river descents, detailed maps, insights into the unique culture, history, flora, fauna, environment and geography of this enchanting part of the globe. Not only is this book full of breathtaking photography from some of the most difficult-to-reach corners of Meghalaya, it is also packed with all the information needed to take you to these wild places. Now all you need to do is go and see them for yourself.
Twenty-One Poems
Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the prime minister of India from 1998 to 2004, was a political worker for over five decades. But he was a poet for much longer. This collection of twenty-one poems, marked by disarming simplicity, passion and sincerity, highlights his concerns and convictions, both public and private. His themes range from social inequality and the evils of war to the perils of self-serving attitudes, and the supreme importance of love for our fellow human beings. Also in the collection are moving and very personal poems written at moments of crisis.
Twenty-One Poems provides a rare and rewarding glimpse into the mind of the leader of over a billion people. The English translations, by the bestselling author Pavan K. Varma, retain the simplicity and immediacy of the Hindi originals, which appear alongside the translations in this bilingual edition.
An Economist in the Real World
Appointed as the chief economic adviser (CEA) to the Government of India in 2009, Basu-a theorist, with special interest in development economics, and a professor of economics at Cornell University-discovered the complexity of applying economic models to the real world. Effective policymaking, Basu learned, integrates technical knowledge with political awareness. In this book, he describes the art of economic policymaking, viewed through the lens of his two and a half years as CEA.
India Transformed
In this commemorative volume, India’s top economic luminaries and business leaders come together to provide a balanced picture of the economic reform process initiated in 1991 and its consequences. They ask themselves some imperative questions: What were the reforms? What were they intended for? How have they affected the overall functioning of the economy?
Covering the impact of the reforms on the evolution of India businesses, India’s foreign and security policy, the changing face of Indian governance and sectoral and human developments, among other themes, India Transformed delves deep into the life of liberalized India through the eyes of the people who helped transform it.
Doab Dil
Why was the appreciation of gardens considered a symbol of Victorian aristocracy? Why do the Japanese find it easy to power-nap in public spaces? Why did Charles Baudelaire ascribe Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s restless nocturnal wanderings to a pathological dread of returning home? Why is a tense Gurgaon CEO hitting anxiety-laden golf balls into the night? Why was an obscure ninth-century Arab scholar’s library confiscated? And what do any of these mean for the average person immersed in the ‘daily decathlon’ of life?
Employing a philosopher’s mind and an artist’s eye, Banerjee takes us to still places in a moving world, the place where two rivers (do ab) meet and forests write themselves into history.