This International Mother Language Day, we bring you our favourite reads to celebrate linguistic and cultural diversity. Scroll down to find the books that you would like to read next.
Hangwoman by K.R. Meera
Hangwoman || K.R. Meera
The Grddha Mullick family takes great pride in their long history, which dates back to 400 B.C. The Grddha Mullicks play a key role as eyewitnesses to the significant events that have shaped the history of the subcontinent in these amazing stories of hangmen and hangings. The narrative of Chetna, the youngest member in the family, is transformed into an epic and twisted coming-of-age tale thanks to Meera’s amazing imagination. Will the passionate young lady be able to break free from her love? Will she be able to kill someone? Will she shine a brighter light on Grddha Mullick’s famous name? Or will she give in to the glamour of fame and the rush of having the ability to decide someone’s fate? As the drama sputters towards its unavoidable conclusion, the vile pleasures of voyeurism and the punishing ironies of violence are kept in agile balance.
Lajja by Taslima Nasrin
Lajja || Taslima Nasrin
Lajja, a brutal indictment of religious fanaticism and man’s inhumanity to man, was outlawed in Bangladesh but quickly rose to fame elsewhere. The Dutta family, which consists of Sudhamoy and Kironmoyee, as well as their offspring Suranjan and Maya, has always resided in Bangladesh. Unlike the majority of their friends and family, they are not willing to leave their nation even though they are a part of a small, weak Hindu community. Sudhamoy has a naive optimism and idealism that he will not be let down by his homeland. On December 6, 1992, the Babri Mosque was destroyed. The incident is condemned by the entire world, but Bangladesh feels its immediate effects the most keenly as Muslim mobs start to hunt down and assault Hindus. The Duttas’ world starts to disintegrate as the nightmare comes at their door.
Chowringhee by Sankar
Chowringhee || Sankar
Best-selling Bengali author Sankar’s 1962 book Chowringhee, which is set in 1950s Calcutta, is written in Bengali. It focuses on the private lives of administrators, staff members, and visitors at the Shahjahan, one of Calcutta’s biggest hotels. The newest employee, Shankar, tells the tales of a number of individuals whose lives intersect in the hotel’s suites, restaurants, bar, and backrooms. Chowringhee is as much an eulogy as it is an homage to a city and its people thanks to its barely veiled accounts of the private lives of real-life celebrities and its sympathetic story that seamlessly weaves the past and the present.
One Part Woman by Perumal Murugan
One Part Woman || Perumal Murugan
Kali and Ponna’s relationship is tested by the Chariot Festival, which could end their suffering and humiliation, but also put their marriage to the ultimate test. One Part Woman evokes an intimate and unsettling portrait of marriage, love and sex.
Tejo Tungabhadra by Vasudhendra
Tejo Tungabhadra || Vasudhendra
Tejo Tungabhadra is a grand saga of love, ambition, greed, and a deep zest for life, set in the late 15th and early 16th century. The profoundly antisemitic society around Bella and her family, who are young Jewish refugees living in Lisbon on the banks of the Tejo River, poses daily threats to their lives and dignity. Her lover, Gabriel, travels to India with General Albuquerque’s fleet in search of riches and a bright future for the two of them. Meanwhile, the young pair Hampamma and Keshava are caught in the violent religious storm and the cruel rigmarole of tradition on the banks of the Tungabhadra in the Vijayanagara Empire. With all the thunder and gush of colliding rivers, the two tales come together in Goa. Tejo Tungabhadra, a grand saga of love, desire, greed, and a profound zest for life through the tossing waves of history, is set in the late 15th and early 16th century.
Lifting the Veil by Ismat Chughtai
Lifting the Veil || Ismat Chughtai
Ismat Chughtai investigated female sexuality with unparalleled frankness and looked at the political and social mores of her time at a time when writing by and about women was uncommon and tentative. She completely changed the tone of Urdu fiction by writing about the society she was familiar with and introducing middle-class idiom into Urdu prose.
In Lifting the Veil, Ismat Chughtai’s fiction and nonfiction work are combined. The twenty-one pieces in this collection showcase Chughtai’s finest work, which is distinguished by her exquisite word choice, enthralling dialogue, wry humour, and her trademark irreverence, wit, and attention to detail.
The Princess and the Political Agent by Binodini
The Princess and the Political Agent || Binodini
This is the love tale of Sanatombi and Lt. Col. Henry St. P. Maxwell, the British representative in the Tibeto-Burman kingdom of Manipur, which has now been translated into English by Binodini’s son, L. Somi Roy. A moving story of loyalty and betrayal, treachery, and bravery, it is set amid the Raj’s imperialist machinations, the grandeur of kings, warring princes, cunning queens, and obedient retainers. Binodini’s viewpoint, which revives front-page international headlines from the Anglo-Manipuri War of 1891, glistens with wit, empathy, and beauty and vividly depicts the court and manners of a little-known country. She uncovers a forgotten era of the British Raj and its extraordinary past in the process.
Lata by Yatindra Mishra
Lata || Yatindra Mishra
Lata: A Life in Music is a celebration of art and the life of one of India’s most revered vocalists. It is a tribute to the marvellous life of the Late Lata Mangeshkar. The final result of Yatindra Mishra’s ten-year conversation with the legendary performer, it also uncovers the great artist’s lesser-known sides, introducing readers to Lata Mangeshkar as an intellectual and cultural exponent and offering a rare window into the person behind the adored legend.
Nothing says ‘romantic’ quite like a book lover during Valentine’s season. We all agree that books never disappoint, always keep us company, and are always happy to be taken out and read again and again, right? So get cozy with a good book in this month of love with these sixteen page-turners!
Victory City by Salman Rushdie
Victory City || Salman Rushdie
From the transcendent imagination of Booker Prize-winning, worldwide popular novelist Salman Rushdie comes the magnificent tale of a woman who creates a whimsical empire only to be overtaken by it over the years. This chronicle of love, adventure, and myth is brilliantly designed as a retelling of an ancient epic, and it is a monument to the power of storytelling in and of itself.
Unsung by Arunoday Singh
Unsung || Arunoday Singh
Unsung, Arunoday Singh’s debut poetry collection, includes a selection of his most popular pieces as well as new poems in which he goes within and explores topics of love, grief, and yearning that ails the human heart. The poems are deceptively simple but cutting. They are separated into four sections that each examine a different theme, such as the self, the elements, breaking and healing, the search for divinity, and the brightness and darkness of the spirit.
When I Am With You by Durjoy Datta
When I Am With You || Durjoy Datta
Crazy, quirky and so utterly romantic, Durjoy Datta’s When I Am With You is the ultimate relationship roller coaster and is just the ideal book to cuddle up with on Valentine’s Day!
The Newlyweds by Mansi Choksi
The Newlyweds || Mansi Choksi
Choksi illuminates three young couples who defy patriarchy-approved arranged marriages in the search of love through colourful, lyrical words, depicting the struggles, victories, and losses that await them. The Newlyweds is an engaging and touching book that tackles universal concerns such as what we are prepared to risk for love. Does finding it transform us if we’re lucky enough to find it? Is it for the better? Or is it for the worse?
It Was Always You by Sudeep Nagarkar
It Was Always You || Sudeep Nagarkar
Karan and Shruti have a happy marriage. Till Karan’s ex reappears in his life one day. Karan soon finds himself becoming sentimental about matters of the heart and remembering his first romance fondly. Will he jeopardise his seemingly ideal marriage for his ex-girlfriend? Meanwhile, his closest friend Aditya is experiencing emotional trouble in his relationship with his wife Jasmine. Will both friends fight to keep their marriage afloat, or will they make a decision they will later come to regret?
Tejo Tungabhadra by Vasudhendra and Maithreyi Karnoor
Tejo Tungabhadra || Vasudhendra and Maithreyi Karnoor
Tejo Tungabhadra‘s story is about two rivers on opposite continents whose spirits are linked by history. Bella, a young Jewish refugee, and her family confront daily dangers to their lives and dignity from the strongly hostile society that surrounds them on the banks of the Tejo River in Lisbon. Gabriel, her lover, sails to India with General Albuquerque’s fleet in search of fortune and a secure future. Meanwhile, on the banks of the Tungabhadra in the Vijayanagara Empire, the young couple Hampamma and Keshava are caught in the eye of a storm of religious fury and the harsh rigmarole of custom. In Goa, the two storylines collide with all the thunder and flow of colliding rivers.
Tejo Tungabhadra is a vast narrative of love, ambition, avarice, and a deep enthusiasm for life over the tossing seas of history set in the late 15th and early 16th centuries.
The Penguin Book of Indian Poets
The Penguin Book of Indian Poets
Compiled by Jeet Thayil, The Penguin Book of Indian Poets is an anthology of Indian poetry in English. This two-decade-long project brings together writers from over the world, a plethora of voices-in dialogue, soliloquy, rhetoric, and play-to convey an enormous, all-encompassing vision of what it means to be an ‘Indian’ poet.
A Thousand Kisses Deep by Novoneel Chakraborty
A Thousand Kisses Deep || Novoneel Chakraborty
A Thousand Kisses Deep, a literary romance thriller by Novoneel Chakraborty, is an emotional storm representing modern multifaceted relationships, lost love, life, and fate. A sequel to the popular book That Kiss In The Rain, this book is filled with thrills and suspense. This terrifying tale follows four protagonists, Haasil, Palki, Pallavi, and Swadha, as they seek life lessons and calm, only to learn that love has not done with any of them. If you appreciate reading romance and mystery thriller novels, this is a must-read full of unexpected twists.
Heart on the Edge by Novoneel Chakraborty
Heart on the Edge || Novoneel Chakraborty
Shravan, Naishee Kamaraj’s younger brother, shares a special affinity with her. When he suddenly goes away one day, everyone assumes he went on his own will, but Naishee knew her brother better than anybody else. She suspects there has been wrongdoing. And her worst fears are realised when she obtains a used phone containing a video of her brother being held captive. She engages in some heinous acts in order to save her sibling. As time passes, Naishee realises she will emerge a completely different person at the end of it all.
Cross Your Heart, Take My Name by Novoneel Chakraborty
Cross Your Heart, Take My Name || Novoneel Chakraborty
Cross Your Heart, Take My Name is a captivating story about urban loneliness, fickle relationships, and our need for company, depicted through the tortuous journey of two people caught up in their own emotional crisis, blurring the borders between crime and sin.
Our Impossible Love by Durjoy Datta
Our Impossible Love || Durjoy Datta
Aisha, a late bloomer, must learn what it means to be a woman and to be desired. Danish believes that time is running out for him and that he will end up like his overachieving, driven younger brother.
Danish, the bewildered idiot, is appointed as Aisha’s student counsellor, and her life takes an unusual turn. They must discover out love, life, friendship, and, most importantly, themselves. And it’s not turning out to be… easy? Our Impossible Love depicts life as it is and love as it should be.
Undying Affinity by Sara Naveed
Undying Affinity || Sara Naveed
Zarish, a twenty-two-year-old woman, has all she could ever want in life. She is wealthy, beautiful, and well-known. She and Haroon, her attractive childhood sweetheart, are inseparable until a new finance professor, Ahmar Muraad, joins their institution. Every lady at the campus has her sights set on him. He is appealing, personable, and intelligent. Zarish is charmed to his smooth personality as well. But would he ever show any interest in her? Zarish, caught in a web of passion, has no idea that one person may entirely shift her outlook on life. Undying Affinity will stick with you forever because it is filled with romance, drama, and sorrow.
Half Torn Hearts by Novoneel Chakraborty
Half Torn Hearts || Novoneel Chakraborty
Half Torn Hearts is a coming-of-age story about three-layered people dealing with their first loss, which reveals the demon that we all have but are afraid of confronting, and which ultimately becomes the cause of our own demise.
The Secrets We Keep by Sudeep Nagarkar
The Secrets We Keep || Sudeep Nagarkar
Rahul, an intelligence officer on a secret mission, falls in love with the major’s daughter, Akriti, and decides to hide her at his parents’ house. However, when Akriti goes missing, Rahul realizes she is someone familiar and is faced with the biggest shock of his life.
Till the Last Breath by Durjoy Datta
Till the Last Breath || Durjoy Datt
Will your heart skip a beat when death is so close? Two patients have been admitted to room 509. One is a bright nineteen-year-old medical student who is afflicted with an incurable, terminal sickness. Every extra breath she takes is a blessing. The other person is a twenty-five-year-old drug user whose organs are failing. He is eager to get rid of his body. He believes that the sooner the better.
Two reputable doctors, each suffering their own demons from the past, are doing everything they can to keep these two patients alive, even risking their medical licences. These final days in the hospital have an impact on the two patients, their doctors, and everyone else around them in ways they could never have predicted. Till the Last Breath is a truly moving narrative about what it means to be alive.
Eleven Ways to Love
Eleven Ways to Love
This is a book of essays that shows us, with empathy, humour, and wisdom, that there is no such thing as love that dares not speak its name. It is pieced together with a dash of poetry and a whole lot of love, including a variety of voices and a cast of unexpected heroes and heroines.
The day we had all been waiting for finally arrived at our office some time ago. Our office doors swung open and in came the two women who created history by bringing to life, the first Hindi and South Asian language book to win the International Booker. We look at them like icons, but they walk in like friends, friends who’ve returned home after becoming legends. And so, we sit with them for a quick coffee, some afternoon sun, and the rush outside with all the other employees getting ready to get their books signed.
Manasi: How does it feel to have made history? What do you think this kind of international recognition will mean for Hindi literature and translation?
Geetanjali: I am not quite able to believe it, but I do know that something amazing has happened. It feels great to be the chosen one. I think this achievement just makes the larger world discover a language called Hindi and the vibrant literature that exists in Hindi and the languages around it. Hence, it is a very important moment;, there are tremendous possibilities for the world which hasn’t seen a lot of this kind of literature.
Daisy: It’s very exciting. Both of us have been working quietly for so many years, on our own. So, this is unexpected and very thrilling for us. We hope that the rest of the world will find out about all the amazing literature that comes out of South Asia. There has been translation all along, but I believe that Penguin has been bringing out a lot of translated literature since the early 1990s. Yet, it somehow never gets outside of the subcontinent. We hope that Tomb of Sand will help all these other books cross borders.
Avleen: Speaking of translations, they once said in a movie, ‘Poetry in translation is like taking a bath with a raincoat on’. But then translations also seem to be the only answers to build a world where we share our stories with each other. So, here you are trying to do the impossible. What are your thoughts on translation and what is the process like? Is it all bits daunting that we assume it to be?
Daisy: Yes, I think that’s a very negative way to look at translation. People keep asking me about the loss in translation, but I am much more interested in what we find! It is daunting but it is a very exciting experience for me! I love challenges and I love things that seem impossible to render in a language. A lot of people are even reading Ret Samadhi after reading Tomb of Sand, so, it’s taking people back to Hindi as well. So, translation for me is always about finding and discovering.
Avleen: Geetanjali, even you’ve mentioned in other interviews that the translation process often makes you look at your novel with a renewed lens. Was there ever a moment where it led to a change in your perspective or feeling regarding some aspect about the book?
Geetanjali: I don’t think it changed anything, but there was an enhancement of my perspective. A good translation brings out a lot of latent possibilities lying inside the work and that is an exciting discovery. But if it does something that changes a perspective, then it’s not a good translation. It should help in discovering something that’s there but may not be as visible or audible in the work.
Manasi: So, tell me (Geetanjali), how does writing begin for you? Is it the idea first or do you start writing and then the idea comes?
Geetanjali: Well, I don’t have a worked-out scheme. I think there’s a different trigger each time. It only happened once, when I knew I wanted to write about communalism. About Hindus and Muslims and how we seem to think that it is happening only among the uneducated in the old cities, when in fact, all of us have strange prejudices inside us no matter how liberal we consider ourselves to be. That’s the only time I had a theme in mind. Otherwise, the trigger can be anything for me! It can be an image or a wisp of a dialogue. It can be something very ordinary in daily life. And what I have discovered is that something that is ordinary is never only ordinary. It always gets linked to some very huge things. Something small sets me off and then keeps getting joined up with other things and the story keeps building, so it’s a very organic process.
Manasi: And in terms of the collaboration between the two of you, do you talk throughout the process of translation, or do you deliver a full draft to Geetanjali?
Daisy: I always do a rough and full first draft, trying not to talk to anybody at all. Even if I have a lot of questions and problems, I just write it all by hand and put notes. It’s like when you’re taking an exam, you don’t really know the answer to the first question but when you read the whole exam, you’ll find some of the answers at the end in the way the questions are asked. For example, why she’s using a particular word or why an image was used where? So, I go through the whole thing and after 2-3 drafts, I start asking her questions. LOTS of questions. And by the 5th or 6th draft, I send her the whole thing and she goes through it comprehensively and then there are more discussions. There are layers upon layers upon layers of conversations.
Geetanjali: And you know Daisy and I had not met during all of this. We just met a couple of days before the booker announcement. So, all of it was on email.
Daisy: And it’s funny because all of it was during the pandemic and it never even crossed our minds to use Zoom. People thought that we were Zooming but we never had a voice conversation!
Geetanjali: But the wonderful thing is that when we met, it didn’t feel like we were meeting for the first time. We immediately slipped into a very easy friendship.
Manasi: Because you must have such a deep level of intellectual trust ion each other for doing something so big!
Geetanjali: Yes, but we’re also verylucky! Because there was a risk. It could’ve gone any which way. And I always wonder if Daisy was very good at translation but didn’t have a sense of humour, she would’ve destroyed that book!
Manasi: So, tell me about the title? I know that one of the only things you guys had a disagreement on was the title. So, Ret Samadhi becomes Tomb of Sand. Tell us how you arrived upon it?
Geetanjali: Daisy was very wickedly supported by the publisher (laughs). I wanted the word samadhi to be in the title. And samadhi was already in the Oxford English Dictionary. And even if it wasn’t, I would’ve argued that words are constantly being taken into other languages, let samadhi go in the title. Let them learn a new word and concept. But I think Daisy and the publisher both felt, perhaps rightly so, that samadhi in the title might mislead people in bookstores to believe it is about spiritualism or yoga. They didn’t want to introduce prejudice. That argument made sense to me, but I was a bit concerned about the word ‘tomb’, because it is completely different from samadhi.
Daisy: But when I chose ‘tomb’, I was thinking about the Gandhi samadhi. Because that’s a tomb that’s not a mausoleum, but a resting place. It’s sort of giving him a Buddha-like feeling, that he’s still there somehow. But a part of the compromise is that I went all out in teaching the word ‘samadhi’ throughout the book. We have the definition right in the beginning and then I define it subtly within the text, and by the end I’m only using the word samadhi and not any of the translations of it. And I think we’re both very opinionated and confident in our opinions.
Geetanjali: But I think we also know how to be a little detached. After a point, she is the translator. She knows English, she knows what the book is.
Daisy: Yeah, I think people are always annoying Geetanjali with the question that why didn’t you write in eEnglish or why didn’t you translate your own book? And she says because Hindi is my mother tongue, why should I defend this? But if she was translating her books, she wouldn’t be writing books. That would cannibalize her work. And she doesn’t want to be a translator. And that’s part of what makes our relationship work. Because she doesn’t want to suddenly jump in and become the translator, she never wanted to be that. Our roles are clearclear, and we have a nice boundary between us.
Geetanjali: Yes, but it’s a boundary that works as a bridge, it doesn’t divide us.
As a bonus to our lovely readers, here’s a writing tip that Geetanjali Shree shared specially for you all:
Geetanjali: If you want to be a writer, you have to write.
Write, write, write.
Writing is about looking at the world, dialoguing with it, sharpening your observation, trying to notice things. So, just do that. Hone your sensitivities and look around, look inside you, think about things, be reflective, be quiet, and — write, write, write.
Penguin Random House created history this year with seven major victories at the Golden Book Awards! These wins serve as a testament to our commitment to promoting great stories and fostering a love of reading in people around the world. If you haven’t already, add these seven page-turners to your to-read list.
The Dolphin and the Shark by Namita Thapar
The Dolphin and the Shark || Namita Thapar
The Dolphin and the Shark is inspired on Namita Thapar’s experiences as a Shark Tank India judge, operating the India business of the pharmaceutical company Emcure, and establishing her own entrepreneurship institute. The book emphasises how today’s leaders must create a balance between being a shark (an aggressive leader) and a dolphin (empathetic leader).
Doglapan by Ashneer Grover
Doglapan || Ashneer Grover
Ashneer becomes a household figure as a judge on the renowned TV show Shark Tank India, even as his life is turned upside down. Controversy, media exposure, and raucous social media conversation overwhelm, making it difficult to separate fact from fantasy. This is the uncensored narrative of Ashneer Grover, the beloved but misunderstood poster boy of Start-up India. This is storytelling at its best: honest, gut-wrenching in its honesty, and completely from the heart.
Energize Your Mind by Gaur Gopal Das
Energize Your Mind || Gaur Gopal Das
Gaur Gopal Das, renowned author and life coach, decodes the mind in this book. He uses anecdotes and analytical studies to educate us how to shape our minds for higher well-being. He gives engaging activities, meditation techniques, and worksheets throughout the book to help us take control of our minds.
Build, Don’t Talk by Raj Shamani
Build, Don’t Talk || Raj Shamani
Our schools taught us how to run in the race, but not how to win. This book does what our schools couldn’t. To assist you in winning the race. Build, Don’t Talk by Raj Shamani is a must-read since it is packed with excellent tips gathered from his own journey as an entrepreneur and content developer.
Rahul Bajaj by Gita Piramal
Rahul Bajaj || Gita Piramal
Rahul Bajaj is a millionaire businessman, former member of Parliament, and the chairman emeritus of the Bajaj Group. This book tells the tale of India, not solely Rahul Bajaj. From the time Rahul Bajaj’s mother was imprisoned during the freedom movement to the prism of his eventful life, the author brings us through the country’s evolution.
The book is packed with tales, business lessons, and political asides based on unconstrained interviews. At its heart, it is a touching human narrative.
The Wisdom Bridge by Kamlesh D. Patel
The Wisdom Bridge || Kamlesh D. Patel
Daaji outlines nine ideas in The Wisdom Bridge to help you, the reader, live a life that inspires your children and loved ones. These concepts are useful resources for parents, soon-to-be parents, grandparents, and carers who want to live satisfying and joyful lives. They will not only help you enrich your children’s lives and create responsible teenagers, but they will also prepare the way for an inspired life and strong family relationships.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
Diary of a Wimpy Kid || Jeff Kinney
In Diper Överlöde, book 17 of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series from #1 international bestselling author Jeff Kinney, Greg Heffley is finding out that the road to fame and glory comes with some hardships.
Greg has no idea what he’s getting himself into when he decides to join his brother Rodrick’s band, Löded Diper. But he soon discovers that late hours, unpaid gigs, band member feuds, and financial difficulties are all part of the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle. Can Greg assist Löded Diper in becoming the legends they believe they are? Will spending too much time with Rodrick’s band be detrimental?
Looking for a book to accompany your cup of hot coffee these cold days? Here are our February favourites that are absolute page-turners!
Victory City by Salman Rushdie
Victory City || Salman Rushdie
COMING SOON – from the magnificent mind of Booker Prize-winning, worldwide popular novelist Salman Rushdie comes the epic story of a woman who creates a mythical empire only to be destroyed by it over the years. This chronicle of love, adventure, and myth is brilliantly designed as a translation of a historic tale, and it is a monument to the magic of storytelling in and of itself.
Tirukkural by Meena Kandasamy and Tiruvalluvar
Tirukkural || Meena Kandasamy, Tiruvalluvar
The Kamattu-p-pal, written by Thiruvalluvar, is the third portion of the Tirukkural, one of the most significant manuscripts in Tamil literature. The most intimate element of this wonderful work is also the one that has historically been most restricted.
Meena Kandasamy weaves a magical spell with her trademark wit, lyricism, and passionate insight: taking the reader on a journey through 250 kurals organized under separate headings – ‘The Pleasure of Sex,’ ‘Renouncing Shame,’ ‘The Delights of Sulking’ – the outcome is a brand new, crucial, and exhilarating translation that expresses meaningful messages about female sensuality, agency, and desire.
These Seats are Reserved by Abhinav Chandrachud
These Seats are Reserved || Abhinav Chandrachud
Reservation, often known as affirmative action, is a very contentious concept in India. While constitutionally mandated and supported by historians, political scientists, and social activists, many oppose it, seeing it as compromising ‘merit’ and going against the idea of equality of opportunity.
Abhinav analyzes the history and development of the reservation policy in These Seats Are Reserved. Having been thoroughly researched and expertly narrated, this volume is a captivating addition to any thinking person’s library.
The Laughter by Sonora Jha
The Laughter || Sonora Jha
Sonora Jha has developed a fascinating figure who is both in sync with and out of sync with our times, an intellectual man who inspires and then questions our sympathies. As the novel draws to a close, Jha invites us to reconsider events, revealing a depth of loneliness in unexpected places, the individuality of youth, and the looming menace of white rage in America.
The Laughter, an explosive and tense piece of fiction, is a fascinating depiction of privilege, radicalization, class, and modern academia that compels us to confront our preconceptions as readers and citizens.
The Best of Satyajit Ray by Satyajit Ray
The Best of Satyajit Ray || Satyajit Ray
From Ray’s enduring creation, professional detective Feluda, to the narratives of Professor Shonku; short stories; writings on filmmaking; and opinions on world and Indian cinema, among many others, this box set, The Best of Satyajit Ray, is not only a treat for Ray enthusiasts but also a collector’s edition.
Customer in the Boardroom by Rama Bijapurkar
Customer in the Boardroom || Rama Bijapurkar
Most Indian organisations’ business strategies are characterised by supply-side, tunnel vision of the market, and compulsively competitor-centered methods. Customer in the Boardroom emphasises the importance of firms incorporating customer centricity into their business strategy formulation process if they are to continue to expand profitably and protect their future.
Secrets of Divine Love Journal by A. Helwa
Secrets of Divine Love Journal || A. Helwa
The Secrets of Divine Love Journal is based on the book Secrets of Divine Love: A Spiritual Journey into the Heart of Islam, which was published in 2008. Secrets of Divine Love Journal will help you establish a closer connection to Allah by uniting you with the heart of your faith in a more intimate and inspiring way through heart-centered thoughts, enlightening prompts, and thought-provoking questions.
From Darkness into Light by A. Helwa
From Darkness into Light || A. Helwa
From Darkness into Light is a deeply moving collection of poetry on forgiveness, guidance, timeless wisdom, prayer, self-love, faith, and the ultimate journey of the soul to healing, connection, and unity with the One. This book was intended for individuals who want to embark on a spiritual journey. For individuals in search of hope, connection, and a meaningful relationship with Allah.
Unfiltered by Saurabh Mukherjea
Unfiltered || Saurabh Mukherjea
Unfiltered: The CEO and the Coach, a pioneering book, for the first time opens the doors that ordinarily shield the confidential world of coaching sessions. The book’s candour assists readers in completely grasping the life-changing influence that coaching may have. As a leadership development book, the writers share the tales (both individual and mutual) of their five-year collaboration. The resulting narrative includes not only unique ideas that executives and entrepreneurs will find valuable for their own development, but also deep insights into how we may master the world by understanding ourselves.
The Perfect 10 by Yasmin Karachiwala
The Perfect 10 || Yasmin Karachiwala
This book will show you that it only takes ten minutes a day to begin your health journey and you will be packed with fitness routines, movement ideas, and lifestyle modifications interspersed with stories of actual people’s adventures. Yasmin Karachiwala is on the move. Observe how your body and life changes.
7 Rules to Reset Your Mind and Body by Dr. Hansaji Yogendra
7 Rules to Reset Your Mind and Body || Dr. Hansaji Yogendra
The simple yet practical guide 7 Rules to Reset Your Mind and Body for Greater Well-Being is what you need to read to regain control. This step-by-step book, written by The Yoga Institute’s most acclaimed and regarded Dr Hansaji Yogendra, emphasizes the necessity of achieving and maintaining balance in all parts of your life.
Life Switch by Madhuri Banerjee
Life Switch || Madhuri Banerjee
Life Switch is a thrilling, emotional, dramatic, and erotic love story. Nandita, a staid housewife, switches lives with Annie, her doppelgänger. She swaps her phone, her house, her husband, and her mundane family life for Annie’s dazzling business life at an advertising agency. When secrets are revealed, their lives become brutally difficult.
Oblivion and Other Stories by Gopinath Mohnaty
Oblivion and Other Stories || Gopinath Mohnaty
Gopinath Mohanty’s anthology Oblivion and Other Stories contains twenty short stories. They portray the forgotten ones, the monotony of living on the outside of life—of the impoverished, tribals, and regular people—invisible amid the feudal environment of Orissa in the twentieth century.
Bad Liars by Vikrant Khanna
Bad Liars || Vikrant Khanna
When the body of a well-known fund manager, Anant Kapoor, is discovered in his home, the police quickly suspect his wife of murder. She has no excuse, and she stands to benefit directly from his death. However, when the police dig deeper, they discover two other suspects who are equally likely to commit the crime. Who, and more importantly, why, killed Anant?
Dattapaharam by V.J. James
Dattapaharam || V.J. James
Dattapaharam, a novel by critically acclaimed and bestselling Malayalam author V.J. James, is a rumination on solitude, man’s connection with nature, and the strings that bind us to this world. It is a surreal novel in which the author’s imagination soars like an eagle and words flow like the untouched springs in a rainforest. Dattapaharam is a powerful novel for our anthropocentric age, written by one of the most exciting voices to emerge from the Indian subcontinent. It is at times a fable on the modern world, at times a search for identity amid a quest for discovery, and on the whole a moving tale that takes the reader deep into the forests to understand what truly makes us human.
Kitne Ghazi Aaye Kitne Ghazi Gaye by K.J.S. Dhillon
Kitne Ghazi Aaye, Kitne Ghazi Gaye is an autobiographical, candid, and emotive account of an Army veteran’s life. It concentrates on the personal, professional, and, most significantly, family life of an Army soldier, and will not only provide insight into the challenges and tribulations he endured, but will also inspire a broad range of readers, particularly young defence aspirants.
The Jaipur Literature Festival, also called the ‘greatest literary show on Earth’, is the Multiverse of Madness for every littérateur! Over one lakh people attended the 16th edition of the Jaipur Literature Festival last week, which featured sessions by over 500 speakers and artists from around the globe. Here’s a recap of Penguin at JLF 2023!
Pic 1: Visitors pay homage to the festival with heartfelt messages Pic 2: #SPOTTED Namita Gokhale’s The Blind Matriarch finds it’s way to the streets of the Pink City
In the words of Festival Director, Namita Gokhale, “The Jaipur Literature Festival 2023 had an emphasis on translations and shared human narratives. Writers and translators broke beyond the boundaries of language and reached out across cultures and continents.
2023 was truly a vintage year with a stellar range of writers from India and across the world. The audiences were as ever deeply engaged and responsive. Five days of lucid dreaming with intellect and creative imagination at play.”
Pic 1: Children line up to have their copies signed by the iconic Sudha Murty. Pic 2: Bestselling author Durjoy Datta draws massive crowds during his opening session at JLF Day 1.
This year, Penguin presented India’s budding writers with an exciting, once-in-a-lifetime lifetime! The Perfect Pitch is a contest where writers get a chance to pitch their book to a jury of eminent people from the world of publishing.
Five shortlisted authors got to pitch their book to a distinguished panel at JLF with the winner being offered exclusive one-on-one mentorship, for a chance for them to hone their talent and polish their book. The mentors and jury included two editors from Penguin – Elizabeth Kuruvilla and Gurveen Chadha – author of Manjhi’s Mayhem, Tanuj Solanki, and Shreya Punj, also known as The Editor Recommends.
Our winner for the first edition of The Perfect Pitch was Subi Taba.
Pic 3: Meet the Perfect Pitch jury and finalists!
Subi Taba, the winner of The Perfect PitchSubi Taba being announced the winner of The Perfect Pitch 2023
The icing on the cake for us was to see so many of our debut authors at the festival this year, and the cherry on top? Six of our books made it to the top fifteen bestsellers!
Penguin authors among the Top 15 Bestsellers at JLF 2023 ?
Energize Your Mind by Gaur Gopal Das
Energize Your Mind || Gaur Gopal Das
Gaur Gopal Das, renowned author and life coach, decodes the mind in this book. He uses anecdotes and analytical studies to educate us how to discipline our minds for higher well-being. He gives engaging activities, meditation techniques, and worksheets throughout the book to help us take control of our minds.
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida || Shehan Karunatilaka
Set in Colombo, 1990, Maali Almeida, a war photographer, gambler, and closet gay, has died in what appears to be a celestial visa office. His dismembered body is sinking in Beira Lake, and he has no idea who killed him. At a time when scores are settled by death squads, suicide bombers, and hired thugs, the list of suspects is depressingly long, as the ghouls and ghosts who gather around him can attest. Even in the afterlife, Maali’s time is running short. He has seven moons to contact the man and woman he loves the most and lead them to a hidden stockpile of images that will rock Sri Lanka.
The Magic of the Lost Story by Sudha Murty
The Magic of the Lost Story || Sudha Murty
The Magic of the Lost Story, written in India’s favourite storyteller, Sudha Murty’s, distinctive style, captures the value of asking questions and keeping the answers alive. This story takes you on an unforgettable adventure as it follows the gorgeous Tungabhadra River, which is filled with delightful artworks and wondrous terrains.
The Last Heroes by P Sainath
The Last Heroes || P. Sainath
The Last Heroes tells the stories of the footsoldiers who fought for Indian independence. The men, women, and children in this book include Adivasis, Dalits, OBCs, Brahmins, Muslims, Sikhs, and Hindus. They are from all across the country, speak a variety of languages, and include atheists and believers, Leftists, Gandhians, and Ambedkarites.
The Song of the Cell by Siddhartha Mukherjee
The Song of the Cell || Siddhartha Mukherjee
In The Song of the Cell, Siddhartha Mukherjee narrates the tale of how scientists discovered cells, began to comprehend them, and are now using that knowledge to create new humans. He entices readers with writing that is vibrant, lucid, and intriguing, making complex science exciting. The Song of the Cell is a masterwork, told in six sections and filled with Mukherjee’s personal experience as a researcher, clinician, and voracious reader.
Life’s Amazing Secrets by Gaur Gopal Das
Life’s Amazing Secrets || Gaur Gopal Das
Gaur Gopal Das is one of the world’s most well-known and sought-after monks and life coaches, having taught millions of people. Life’s Amazing Secrets, his debut book, distils his life experiences and lessons into a light-hearted, thought-provoking book that will help you match yourself with the life you want to live.
Check out our must-read debut authors! ?
Hacking Health by Mukesh Bansal
Hacking Health || Mukesh Bansal
Mukesh Bansal tackles the monumental challenge of deciphering science, summarizing research, and charting the journey of our relationship with our bodies in Hacking Health. This book draws from ancient wisdom while also debunking unscientific myths to help you make informed choices in pursuit of good health, using a blend of firsthand opinion and cutting-edge science. This book looks into the breadth and depth of holistic health and helps you traverse the lines between science and pseudoscience, from nutrition and exercise to relaxation and immunity, proper nutrition and mental health to ageing and lifespan.
Slow is Beautiful by Gunjan Ahlawat
Slow is Beautiful || Ahlawat Gunjan
Slow is Beautiful is the opportunity to go on an adventure filled with awareness and contemplation in the form of an exhilarating book. Through the eyes of the author, Ahlawat Gunjan, we get to perceive, evaluate, contemplate, and apply using artistic abilities developed through years of study to re-ignite a lost inclination. The book urges you to embrace a new aesthetic viewpoint by introducing you to form, colour, and composition. Every one of the sixty simple prompts in this book is an important step that is illustrated by vivid ink and watercolour drawings drawn from nature and created and carefully crafted by the artist himself to inspire readers to draw, erase, paint, experiment, create, and, most importantly, accept their mistakes.
Rethink Ageing by Nidhi Chawla & Reshmi Chakrobarty
Rethink Ageing is a montage of significant stories that demonstrate how the narrative of ageing in India is changing. They fight ageism, which is deeply ingrained in Indian culture, with rigid ideals of ‘acceptable’ behaviour. Why should our age prohibit us from pursuing the lives we desire? We live in an ageing community that is adjusting to nuclear families, distant children, and ambiguous social support. To adopt active ageing, the best form of preventative healthcare, urban Indians are negotiating health difficulties, loneliness, and changing social benchmarks. This book offers a comprehensive insight into comprehending ageing, its influence on society, and how to conquer certain ‘obstacles’. We are no longer defined and restricted to our biological age.
I Am Onir and I am Gay by Onir
I Am Onir and I Am Gay || Onir
I Am Onir and I Am Gay is a powerful autobiography on addressing and conquering obstacles. This visceral and brutally honest personal story of faith, love, and the pursuit of dreams, co-written with his sister Irene Dhar Malik, is a game changer.
All the Right People by Priyanka Khanna
All the Right People || Priyanka Khanna
Shaan Singh, a Delhi party girl by night and a senior politician’s obedient daughter by day, understands whatever role to play to get her way. She is feisty and highly brilliant, and she has her own political ambitions. How far would she go to keep her freedom if her parents drive her into marriage for strategic reasons? Or will she succumb?
All The Right People is a glittering, whip-smart, and extremely amusing book that takes you into the secret, privileged world of the most wealthy and powerful families in Bombay, Delhi, and London while telling a universal story. Of love, loss, family, friendship, and difficult decisions a nd of women reclaiming control of their lives.
Half Empress by Tripti Pandey
The Half Empress || Tripti Pandey
Tripti Pandey’s historical novel The Half Empress takes the reader to the regal hallways of nineteenth-century Jaipur and recounts the tale of a magnificent woman who has been deliberately erased from history. Raskapoor, the daughter of a Muslim mother and a Brahmin father, is best remembered today by the guides who often cite her as a celebrity prisoner at the famous Nahargarh Fort, upon whom the Maharaja violated all standards to give the title of ‘Half Empress’.
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi lives on in the heart of every Indian. His contributions as a freedom fighter and political leader continue to inspire people from all over the world. This Martyrs’ Day, lets sift through these books and recall the sacrifices of Mahatma Gandhi and several other freedom fighters who risked their lives to safeguard our nation.
Gandhi’s Assassin by Dhirendra K. Jha
Gandhi’s Assassin || Dhirendra K. Jha
Gandhi’s Assassin: The Making of Nathuram Godse and His Idea of India delves into Godse’s encounters with the people and organisations that shaped his worldview and gave him a feeling of purpose. The book recounts Godse’s gradual hardening of determination, as well as the tragic decisions and intrigue that eventually led to Mahatma Gandhi’s death in the turbulent aftermath of India’s independence in 1947.
Kitne Ghazi Aaye, Kitne Ghazi Gaye by Lt Gen KJS ‘Tiny’ Dhillon
Kitne Ghazi Aaye, Kitne Ghazi Gaye is an anecdotal, frank, and evocative account of an Army veteran’s life. It concentrates on the personal, professional, and, most significantly, family life of an Army soldier, and will not only provide insight into the challenges and tribulations he endured, but will also inspire a broad range of readers, particularly young defence aspirants.
Mahatma Gandhi by Raja Rao
Mahatma Gandhi || Raja Rao
Mahatma Gandhi’s life is the story of a hero. Raja Rao upends the literary biography genre with imaginative non-linear chronology, through dialogue and anecdote, locating the physical within the metaphysical, and with a book that is both retrospective and contemporary at the same time in Mahatma Gandhi: The Great Indian Way. Rao concentrates on Gandhi’s years in South Africa, the birthplace of nonviolent resistance, before moving on to the epic independence struggle in India, which won Gandhi worldwide acclaim during his lifetime.
Gandhi before India by Ramachandra Guha
Gandhi Before India || Ramachandra Guha
Based on archival research in four continents, this book explores Gandhi’s experiments with dissident cults, his friendships and enmities, and his failures as a husband and father. Gandhi Before India tells the dramatic story of how he mobilized a cross-class and inter-religious coalition, pledged to non-violence in their battle against a racist regime.
Writer, Rebel, Soldier, Lover by Akshaya Mukul
Writer, Rebel, Soldier, Lover || Akshaya Mukul
Premchand, Phanishwarnath Renu, Raja Rao, Mulk Raj Anand, and Josephine Miles are among the writers featured in Writer, Rebel, Soldier, Lover, as are Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, revolutionary Chandra Shekhar Azad, and actor Balraj Sahni. Its settings range from British prisons to an academically vigorous Allahabad and present-day Delhi, as well as monasteries in Europe. is ambitious and intellectual, but it’s also an achingly beautiful tempest of a read.
India’s Most Fearless Series by Shiv Aroor and Rahul Singh
India’s Most Fearless || Shiv Aroor and Rahul Singh,
India’s Most Fearless highlights fourteen true stories of extraordinary bravery and fearlessness, offering a glimpse into the kind of heroism demonstrated by our troops in impossibly terrible situations and under immense provocation. Its two highly anticipated sequels bring you fourteen and ten more stories, respectively, of great fearlessness, bringing you closer than ever to the personal bravery demonstrated by Indian military soldiers in the line of duty.
1971 by Rachna Bisht Rawat
1971 || Rachna Bisht Rawat
1971: Charge of the Gorkhas and Other Stories, revisits the battlefields of the 1971 Indo-Pak war through the eyes of valiant soldiers from the army, navy, and air force who sacrificed their lives for a cause greater than themselves.
The Burning Chaffees by Balram Singh Mehta
The Burning Chaffees || Balram Singh Mehta
India launched a decisive war against Pakistan in 1971. However, prior to all-out war, an even more critical tank engagement was fought on 21 November 1971 by the C Squadron 45 Cavalry, which wrecked Pakistani General A.A.K. Niazi’s preparations for triumph and set the foundation for the Pakistani Army’s ultimate destruction. Brigadier B.S. Mehta’s The Burning Chaffees is a gripping account of the decisive combat of November 21st.
The Good Boatman by Rajmohan Gandhi
The Good Boatman || Rajmohan Gandhi
In this book, Rajmohan Gandhi, a grandson of Mahatma Gandhi and an acclaimed biographer and scholar, attempts to understand the phenomenon that was Gandhi. This he does by examining in detail dominant and varied themes of Gandhi’s life. His unsuccessful bid to keep India united, his attitude towards caste and untouchability; his relationship with those whose empire he challenged; his controversial experiments with chastity; his views on God, truth and non-violence; and his selection of heirs to lead a new-born nation.
The Death and Afterlife of Mahatma Gandhi by Makarand R Paranjape
The Death And Afterlife Of Mahatma Gandhi || Makarand R Paranjape
Paranjape’s meticulous study culminates in his reading of Gandhi’s last six months in Delhi where, from the very edge of the grave, he wrought what was perhaps his greatest miracle – the saving of Delhi and thus of India itself from the internecine bloodshed of Partition. Paranjape, taking a cue from the Mahatma himself, also shows us a way to expiate our guilt and to heal the wounds of an ancient civilization torn into two.
The Man Before the Mahatma by Charles DiSalvo
The Man Before The Mahatma || Charles DiSalvo
At the age of eighteen, a shy and timid Mohandas Gandhi leaves his home in Gujarat for a life on his own. At forty-five, a confident and fearless Gandhi, ready to boldly lead his country to freedom, returns to India. What transforms him? The law. The Man before the Mahatma is the first biography of Gandhi’s life in the law. Using materials hidden away in archival vaults and brought to light for the first time, The Man before the Mahatma puts the reader inside dramatic experiences that changed Gandhi’s life forever and have never been written about—until now.
Mahatma Gandhi and his Apostles by Ved Mehta
Mahatma Gandhi And His Apostles || Ved Mehta
Ved Mehta’s book on Gandhi (1977) is one of the great portraits of the political leader. Travelling the world to talk to Gandhi’s family, friends and followers, drawing his daily life in exacting detail, Mehta gives us a nuanced and complex picture of the great man and brings him vividly alive.
My Dear Bapu by Gopalkrishna Gandhi
My Dear Bapu || Gopalkrishna Gandhi
Chakravarti Rajagopalachari, or Rajaji, was famously described by Mahatma Gandhi as his ‘conscience keeper’. The eighty-odd largely unpublished letters presented here span the period from the run-up to Independence to its early years, providing deep insight into the struggles and endeavours of Indian public life.
The Living Gandhi by Tara Sethia
The Living Gandhi || Tara Sethia
This inspiring volume presents unique insights from leading international scholars, activists, educators and thought leaders on the contemporary relevance of Gandhi’s ideas and actions. The essays here reveal that for Gandhi, legitimate coercion by the state in certain cases was compatible with ahimsa; a balance between spiritual and material values was essential for a true civilization; and swaraj anchored in self-discipline and self-restraint was imperative for sustainable ways of life.
Gandhi, The Years That Changed the World by Ramachandra Guha
Gandhi lived one of the great 20th- century lives. He inspired and enraged, challenged and delighted millions of men and women around the world. He lived almost entirely in the shadow of British Raj, which for much of his life seemed a permanent fact, but which he did more than anyone else to bring down. In a world defined by violence and warfare and by fascist and communist dictatorships, Gandhi was armed with nothing more than his arguments and example. While fighting for national freedom, he also attacked caste and gender hierarchies and fought-and died-for inter-religious harmony. This magnificent book tells the story of Gandhi’s life from the time he left South Africa to his participation in the Second Round Table Conference.
Do you lack motivation on Monday? Are Monday morning blues making you dizzy? While at your work desk, all you can think about is the warm cocoon of your bed, but the moment the moon is at its apex you cannot sleep. Are you also one of the many people who cannot sleep at night and feel sleepy during the day? Being an author, columnist, and podcaster who has written on beauty and wellness for more than two decades, Vasudha Rai brings a solution to your sleeping problems and others to renew your mind, body and spirit through, Ritual: Daily Practices for Wellness, Beauty & Bliss. Here’s an excerpt from her book for a healthy sleep mindset.
*
Ritual: Daily Practices for Wellness, Beauty & Bliss || Vasudha Rai
When we sleep well, we perform better the next day, our interpersonal relationships are better, we’re inspired to work out, eat healthy and make the right choices. On the contrary, when we don’t get enough sleep, we’re not inspired to do anything at all. The first step of sleep hygiene then is to put away your phone which will only happen when you are determined. Try replacing your smartphone or tablet with a book (especially one that is mildly academic/ slow paced). It may not be as stimulating as social media, but that is the whole point.
If you’re an overthinker, it may be a good idea to write down a list of things to do the next day, lest you forget. In Ayurveda, this is especially recommended for the ambitious pitta type. Vata types do well with a warm oil foot massage that works to ground their flight, anxious energy. Kapha types usually don’t have a problem falling asleep – for them the problem is oversleeping). But whether it’s journaling, meditation, massage, sound healing, the idea is to wind down and destress. The mind cannot run at a breakneck speed and then be expected to calm down and then help you fall asleep.
Someone like me who gets stimulated easily prefers to either read a non-fiction/ knowledge book or indulge in a sound bath before bed. Personally, I find that sometimes even reading on my phone is okay as long as I’m looking up information about beauty, health and wellness. For me these are comforting areas of interest. For you it could be language, astronomy or art history. If I get involved in an engaging conversation I stay awake longer. So even if I’m on my phone, I avoid social media because I don’t want to be faced with excitement, fear, revulsion, admiration, or any other stimulating information right before bed.
The big worry is if we will be able to sleep at all. Often the inability to fall asleep is what keeps us up all night. I remember reading an article about sleep management a while back on a particular night that I spent tossing and turning. It was almost 4am and I couldn’t bear the thought of listening to the birdsong in the morning after a night I had laid awake. So I picked up my phone and looked up ‘What can you do when you can’t sleep all night’. Among the various tips the author had given one line stood out so beautifully that I remember it to this day. A somnologist said something on the lines of ‘ultimately you will go to sleep at some point, it may not come soon enough but it will come for sure’. I felt comforted by that and have worried a little bit lesser since then.
The paradox is that when we try to stay up is when we fall asleep the soonest. So my trick when I’m wakeful in the middle of the night is to do something, instead of just tossing around in bed. I keep a heavy academic book, with difficult concepts in my bedside drawer. It could also be an old, classic novel. Something heavy and verbose always makes me feel drowsy. But that’s just me, we are all different and have different needs. Think about it like this – we feel the sleepiest when we’re trying to stay awake. So instead of tossing and turning waiting for it to come, engage yourself in something boring. You could step out of the room for a few minutes, lie down and listen to a guided meditation, journal your thoughts. If you wake up in the middle of the night and aren’t able to go to sleep, try one of these, or anything else that does not involve a screen.
**
Get your copy of Ritual from your nearest bookstore or Amazon.
January 26th holds a special place in the heart of every Indian. It marks the day we commemorate the enactment of the Constitution of India. As we celebrate India’s 74th Republic Day, here are our favourite books and audiobooks to fill you with patriotism and fervour.
Bravehearts of Bharat by Vikram Sampath
Bravehearts of Bharat || Vikram Sampath
History has always been the victor’s handmaiden. This book explores the lives, times, and works of fifteen long-lost and completely forgotten unsung heroes and heroines of our history, bringing to light the contribution of soldiers who not only armour-clad stormed into battle, but also kept the torch of hope alive under harsh circumstances.
The Last Heroes by P. Sainath
The Last Heroes || P. Sainath
The foot-soldiers of Indian independence share their stories in The Last Heroes. Adivasis, Dalits, OBCs, Brahmins, Muslims, Sikhs, and Hindus are among the men, women, and children represented in this book. They come from many parts of the country, speak various languages, and include atheists and believers, Leftists, Gandhians, and Ambedkarites.
A Little Book of India by Ruskin Bond
A Little Book of India || Ruskin Bond
As India celebrates 75 years of independence, we give you a glimpse of our beloved country through the words of our favourite author, Ruskin Bond. He pays tribute to the country that has been his home for 84 years, drawing on his own memories and perceptions of it. A Little Book of India is an amalgamation of our homeland’s physical and spiritual features that leads you on a nostalgic and mystical trip.
The Rise of the BJP by Bhupender Yadav and Ila Patnaik
The Rise of the BJP || Bhupender Yadav, Ila Patnaik
In this book, veteran BJP politician and cabinet minister Bhupender Yadav and leading economist Ila Patnaik collaborate to recount the BJP’s journey from humble beginnings to winning 303 Lok Sabha seats in 2019 and becoming the world’s largest political party. While focused on the wider economic and political tale, the book includes numerous minor, but highly significant stories of individuals and circumstances that led to the BJP’s present state.
Planning Democracy by Nikhil Menon
Planning Democracy || Nikhil Menon
Nikhil Menon’s fascinating narrative of a gifted scientist known as the Professor, a trailblazing research facility in Calcutta, and the appealing idea of ‘democratic planning’ brings the world of planning to life in this engaging history. Menon illustrates how India walked a tightrope between capitalism and communism in the face of global wars and international disputes. Planning Democracy recasts our view of the Indian republic, explaining how planning came to define the nation and how it still shapes our society today.
Scars of 1947 by Rajeev Shukla
Scars of 1947 || Rajeev Shukla
More than seven decades after India’s partition in 1947, the burden of sadness remains heavy in the hearts and minds of those impacted. A nation was divided into two with a single stroke of ink on a map, hurting families from generation to generation, and the resulting wounds are still achingly deep even today. Scars of 1947 is a touching and nostalgic compilation of accounts of an unforgettable period that left two nations scarred for life.
The Life and Times of George Fernandes by Rahul Ramagundam
The Life and Times of George Fernandes || Rahul Ramagundam
The Life and Times of George Fernandes tells the story of George Fernandes, who rose from the streets of Bombay to walk the halls of power. Rahul Ramagundam’s fascinating biography gives a window into George’s political evolution and tracks the trajectory of India’s Socialist Party from its founding in the 1930s to its breakup into the Janata Party in the late 1970s. This book follows the journey of India’s opposition parties as they attempted to dethrone the long-ruling Congress Party from its apex.
Nehru and the Spirit of India by Manash Firaq Bhattacharjee
Nehru and the Spirit of India || Manash Firaq Bhattacharjee
Plato’s philosopher king, Jawaharlal Nehru, ‘found’ an India that remains an unexplored promise. Nehru and the Spirit of India examines his intellectual and political legacy in a critical and nuanced manner. Bhattacharjee, a second-generation refugee, advocates for a “minoritarian” approach to national politics. He forces us to learn from the insights of poets and thinkers, breaking ideological and disciplinary boundaries. This intriguing book, written with simplicity, presents an original take on Nehru and Indian history.
Bhagat Singh by Satvinder S. Juss
Bhagat Singh || Satvinder S. Juss
This well researched biography is an exhaustive journey into Bhagat Singh’s life and serves as a contemporary antidote. The book delves into his family’s history before he was born, studying the influence that numerous episodes, policies, and people played in creating the identity of a renowned revolutionary while also diving into his views on significant issues of the time.
Challenges to A Liberal Polity by M. Hamid Ansari
Challenges to A Liberal Polity || M. Hamid Ansari
Challenges to a Liberal Polity, written by Hamid Ansari, former Vice President of India, is a book that puts to light some of the most pressing challenges that affect our thinking every day. This book, which is thorough, persuasive, and expressive, will appeal to a wide range of readers, as well as politicians, policymakers, and students and scholars of Indian politics, history, and sociology.
The People of India by Ravinder Kaur and Nayanika Mathur
The People of India || Ravinder Kaur, Nayanika Mathur
In this book, some of South Asia’s most eminent scholars collaborate to write about a person or subject with particular significance in modern Indian politics. In doing so, they cumulatively bring us a new understanding of what the politics at the heart of New India are—and how we might effectively analyse them. Ravinder Kaur and Nayanika Mathur’s superb anthology features fresh and accessible writings by South Asia’s best social science and humanities specialists.
Hello Bastar by Rahul Pandita
Hello Bastar || Rahul Pandita
Rahul Pandita provides an authoritative account of how a small group of revolutionaries infiltrated Bastar in Central India in 1980 and established a strong force that New Delhi now considers as India’s greatest internal security problem. Based on extensive on-the-ground reporting and extensive interviews with Maoist leaders such as their supreme commander Ganapathi, Kobad Ghandy, and others who are imprisoned or have been killed in police encounters, this book is a combination of firsthand storytelling and daring analysis.
Our Moon Has Blood Clots by Rahul Pandita
Our Moon Has Blood Clots || Rahul Pandita
Rahul Pandita and his family were fourteen years old when they were forced to evacuate their home in Srinagar. They were Kashmiri Pandits, the Hindu minority in a Muslim-majority Kashmir that, by 1990, was becoming increasingly agitated by India’s Azaadi shouts. Our Moon Has Blood Clots tells the narrative of Kashmir, where Islamist militants tortured, killed, and forced hundreds of thousands of Kashmiri Pandits to evacuate their homes, forcing them to live in exile in their own country for the rest of their lives. Rahul Pandita’s history, home, and loss tale is extremely intimate, fascinating, and unforgettable.
Gandhi’s Assassin by Dhirendra K. Jha
Gandhi’s Assassin || Dhirendra K. Jha
Gandhi’s Assassin: The Making of Nathuram Godse and His Idea of India explores Godse’s interactions with the groups that shaped his worldview and provided him with a sense of purpose. The book depicts the progressive hardening of Godse’s resolve, as well as the tragic decisions and intrigue that eventually led to Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination in the tumultuous wake of India’s independence in 1947.
The Muslim Vanishes by Saeed Naqvi
The Muslim Vanishes || Saeed Naqvi
The decibel levels on caste, the Hindu-Muslim split, Pakistan, and Kashmir are too high for a discourse to take place, with each side aggressively defending their own story. Saeed Naqvi’s razor-sharp, kind, and amusing drama draws on a variety of influences—from grandma’s bedtime stories to Aesop’s fables and Mullah Nasruddin’s satirical tales—to spring an inspired surprise on us, bringing us on a journey into both history and fiction.
Head Held High by Vishwas Nangre Patil
Head Held High || Vishwas Nangre Patil
Head Held High, translated from the Marathi book Mann Mein Hai Vishwas, is an account of IPS officer Vishwas Nangre Patil’s life—from his humble beginnings, through school, college, long hours of studying for the UPSC examinations, and finally, his role in counterterrorism operations during the Mumbai attacks. This touching and realistic narrative of his most formative and hard years is guaranteed to resonate with individuals who wish to enter the Indian public services.
Operation Sudarshan Chakra by Prabhakar Aloka
Operation Sudarshan Chakra || Prabhakar Aloka
Despite having experienced great personal anguish, Ravi and his colleagues band together to start clever counterterror and counterintelligence operations dubbed Operation Sudarshan Chakra, putting everything, even their individual lives, in jeopardy.
The Architect of the New BJP by Ajay Singh
The Architect of the New BJP || Ajay Singh
The Architect of the New BJP employs extensive research and specific examples to demonstrate how the BJP has evolved over the years. It shows lesser-known contributions, including as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s attempts with traditional party-building methods, his acute eye for detail, and the several new methodologies for party expansion. Ajay Singh not only studies the party’s past, including the vision of its founders, but also offers a view into the party’s future.
We can see Sarojini Naidu’s innermost thoughts and feelings on these pages, as well as the important role she played in shaping the country’s freedom struggle and ideas as a young nation, particularly through rousing speeches on the Education of Indian Women and the Battle for Freedom, which were broadcast on All India Radio on 15 August 1947.
Against All Odds by S. ‘Kris’ Gopalakrishnan, N. Dayasindhu, Krishnan Narayanan
Against All Odds || S. ‘Kris’ Gopalakrishnan, N. Dayasindhu, Krishnan Narayanan
Against All Odds: The IT Story of India is an insider’s narrative of Indian IT during the previous six decades, filled with anecdotes. It draws on the firsthand experiences of Kris Gopalakrishnan and fifty other industry titans who helped to build and define the IT sector. This is a narrative about endurance and resilience, forethought, preparing and being ready when opportunity knocks, a spirit of adventure, and, most importantly, unshakeable faith in technology and the belief that it would help India. It’s a happy ending, and the best is yet to come!
Gautam Adani by R.N. Bhaskar
Gautam Adani || R.N. Bhaskar
This book shines light on what we didn’t know about Gautam Adani but should have. It dives deep, covering a variety of fascinating incidents from Gautam Adani’s life, revealing his early life, his introduction to business, and the lessons and opportunities he took advantage of.This book is dedicated to analysing Gautam Adani’s business practises, which have piqued everyone’s interest.
Books Available on Audio
India’s Most Fearless and India’s Most Fearless 2 by Shiv Aroor and Rahul Singh
India’s Most Fearless || Shiv Aroor, Rahul Singh
India’s Most Fearless tells fourteen genuine stories of exceptional bravery and fearlessness, providing a look into the type of heroism displayed by our warriors in unimaginably harsh conditions and under tremendous provocation. Its much awaited sequel delivers to you fourteen more stories of incredible fearlessness, bringing you closer than ever before to the personal bravery displayed by Indian military soldiers in the line of duty.
The Man Who Saved India by Hindol Sengupta
The Man Who Saved India || Hindol Sengupta
No other political figure comes close to the contributions of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel to preserve and protect the Indian nation. However, little is known or appreciated about Patel’s significant contribution to India’s making. The Man Who Saved India is a magnificent account of Sardar Patel’s life. Hindol Sengupta, a numerous award-winning and best-selling author, brings Patel’s resolute life of hardship and his ardent determination to keeping India secure to life with ferociously detailed and pugnacious anecdotes.
Bose by Chandrachur Ghose
Bose || Chandrachur Ghose
There haven’t been many Indian heroes whose lives have been as spectacular and exciting as Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s. That is, however, a judgement of his life based on what is commonly known about him. Bose: The Unwritten Story of an Inconvenient Nationalist is a fast-paced, thought-provoking, and completely engrossing read that will introduce you to many previously untold and unheard anecdotes of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.
10 Judgements That Changed India by Zia Mody
10 Judgements That Changed India || Zia Mody
This book contextualises the judgements, explains essential concepts, and maps their implications by examining critical subjects such as custodial fatalities, reserves, and environmental jurisprudence. Ten Judgements That Changed India, written by one of India’s most renowned lawyers, is an authoritative yet approachable book for anybody interested in understanding India’s legal system and the underpinnings of our democracy.
The Kargil Girl by Flight Lieutenant Gunjan Saxena (Retd.), Kiran Nirvan
From supplying vital arsenal to Indian troops in the Dras and Batalik regions to casualty evacuation from the ongoing battle. From meticulously relaying messages to her seniors of enemy positions to narrowly escaping a Pakistani rocket missile during one of her sorties, Saxena fearlessly discharges her duties, earning herself the title ‘The Kargil Girl’. This is her wonderful story in her own words.
Nehru And Bose by Rudrangshu Mukherjee
Nehru And Bose || Rudrangshu Mukherjee
Had relations between the two great nationalist leaders deteriorated to the point where Bose saw Nehru as an enemy? The interesting book by Rudrangshu Mukherjee examines the contours of a friendship that did not entirely develop as political ideas split, and delineates the shadow that fell between them—for Gandhi saw Nehru as his chosen heir and Bose as a prodigal son.
Partitions of the Heart by Harsh Mander
Partitions of the Heart || Harsh Mander
Harsh Mander believes that the partition in 1947 wasn’t the only one. He feels that another schism is taking place in our hearts and brains. A human rights and peace activist, Mander, examines whether the republic has preserved the objectives it set out to achieve in Partitions of the Heart: Unmaking the Idea of India, and provides searing, unflinching insight into the dimensions of hate violence. This painstakingly studied societal critique is a rallying cry for public compassion, conscience, and justice, as well as a tribute to humanity’s tenacity.
Looking for a mouthwatering meal to celebrate International Hot and Spicy Food Day? We’ve curated just the perfect recipe book recommendations for you that will make you want to cook your heart out! Pick up your favourite one from the list – they’re sure to tingle your taste buds.
On the Pickle Trail by Monish Gujral
On the Pickle Trail||Monish Gujral
In this book, Monish Gujral brings together a collection of 100 pickles to start you on your journey of pickling. These recipes are not only simple and easy to make, each also has health benefits. From the Italian Giardiniera (pickled vegetables) to the Israeli Torshi Left (white turnip pickle), from the Gari (Japanese ginger pickle) to the Cebollas Encurtidas (pickled onions from Ecuador), this book is a treasure trove of some of the best pickles from around the world. Start your lip-smacking journey today!
Degh to Dastarkhwan by Tarana Husain Khan
Degh to Dastarkhwan || Tarana Husain Khan
Originally indifferent eater and cook, Tarana Husain Khan, stumbled upon a nineteenth-century Persian cookbook at Rampur’s renowned Raza Library, that instantaneously set her on a voyage into the history of Rampur cuisine and the legends surrounding it.
Degh to Dastarkhwan revolves around the question of what truly sets Rampur’s cuisine apart from others. Each chapter is a metaphor for a sentiment, a festival. The variety of Rampuri cuisine, from the lavish royal cuisine to the straightforward everyday meal, lays the groundwork for the expression of love, sorrow, healing, and spirituality.
The Rana Cookbook by Rohini Rana
The Rana Cookbook || Rohini Rana
The elegant palaces of Nepal were not only renowned for their glitz and architecture but their lavish feasts as well. Only the palace cooks were fortunate enough to have acquired these delicious recipes. For the first time ever, the doors to the palace kitchens are opened in this gorgeous book, giving us a look into the delectable royal cuisine.
Rohini Rana has compiled and documented the dishes that are cherished by each Rana prime minister’s family in this phenomenal book. This premium, exquisitely designed cookbook tries to preserve these recipes for future generations by showcasing delicious meals from the palaces.
This Handmade Life by Nandita Iyer
This Handmade Life || Nandita Iyer
This Handmade Life is all about discovering your passion and mastering it. Divided into seven sections on baking, fermenting, self-care, kitchen gardening, soap-making, spices, and needlework, encourages us to take our time and engage in straightforward hobbies that bring us pure delight.
The book is about hands-on activities that can be contemplative and restorative for the body, mind, and spirit. It is written in Iyer’s trademark lyrical and approachable style. Iyer has succeeded in serving up a book that is inspirational and motivational at a time when both are in short supply by taking the reader through a variety of personal and transforming interests.
What’s Cooking in India?
What’s Cooking In India?
The books On the Kebab Trail and On the Dessert Trail by Monish Gujral are ideal for anyone who wants to explore the world through food! With over a hundred Kashmiri recipes, P. Krishna Dar’s Kashmiri Cooking is a gorgeously illustrated edition of a well-known classic. Highway on My Plate: The Indian Guide to Roadside Eating by Rocky Singh and Mayur Sharma is a must-have travel companion!
The Essential Sindhi Cookbook by Reejhsinghani Aroona
The Essential Sindhi Cookbook || Aroona Reejhsinghani
The Sindhi community may trace its origins back to the Harappan civilization and claims a unique continuity of tradition and lifestyle in the Indian subcontinent. Cuisine, as explained in the opening to this book, is a crucial component of this continuity. While Sindhi cuisine has absorbed components from other cuisines, particularly Mughlai and Punjabi, it has always maintained its own distinct blend of flavours and scents. The answers to all questions relating to the preparation and serving of Sindhi food are all here in this comprehensive guide to a distinctive culture.
The Essential Delhi Cookbook by Priti Narain
The Essential Delhi Cookbook || Priti Narain
The Penguin Essential Cookbooks are a pioneering endeavour to preserve the art of traditional Indian cooking. Each book is prepared by a skilled chef who combines regional or community-specific recipes with a lengthy introduction that details the rituals and customs associated with eating and presenting food. Recipes in the Essential Delhi Cookbook are gathered from the various communities that have made Delhi their home, including the Khatris and Kayasths, as well as Mughlai and Punjabi foods. Raan, Bheja, Methi Dal ki Pakori, Muthanjan Pulao, Mathri, Papri, Chaat, and Sharbat-e-Ghulab are among the recipes.
The Essential North-East Cookbook by Hoihnu Hauzel
The Essential North – East Cookbook || Hoihnu Hauzel
If there is one section of our country that has yet to be explored, it is the North East, at least in terms of its food. Those who live in or have visited the seven sister states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura will tell you that the North East’s chefs produce an incredible variety of cuisines that combine tradition and innovation in surprising ways.
The Essential Andhra Cookbook by Bilkees Latif
The Essential Andhra Cookbook || Bilkees Latif
Enjoy the enticing flavours of Andhra cuisine. While Hyderabadi cuisine is well-known for its distinct Mughlai flavour, food from other parts of Andhra, one of India’s largest and most culturally varied states, is relatively obscure. The author brings together for the first time the various tastes of Andhra cooking, from the simple idli-sambar to spicy seafood specialties, in this contribution to the Penguin series on Indian food and customs.
