Diwali is here! We know you have very happy and excited young ones around and so we’d love to recommend these timeless gifts from your favourite storytellers! From a scenic walk through our various places of worship to some more glimpses of Rama, there is a lot to choose from!

Take your pick:

The Serpent’s Revenge

How many names does Arjuna have? Why was Yama cursed? What lesson did a little mongoose teach Yudhisthira?

Award-winning author Sudha Murty reintroduces the fascinating world of India’s greatest epic through the extraordinary tales in this collection, each of which is sure to fill you with a sense of wonder and bewilderment.

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The Upside Down King

Did you know there was a time when bears spoke, the moon laughed and babies were found inside fish? Did you know Ravana’s half-brother was the god of wealth? Have you ever seen a man with a thousand arms?

The tales in this collection surround the two most popular avatars of Lord Vishnu-Rama and Krishna-and their lineage. Bestselling author Sudha Murty takes you on an arresting tour, all the while telling you of the days when demons and gods walked alongside humans, animals could talk and gods granted the most glorious boons to common people.

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Fun in Devlok Omnibus

Why is Indra an unhappy god? Why is the cow such a cool animal? Who is the demon of forgetfulness?

Master storyteller Devdutt Pattanaik answers these curious questions and reveals many more secrets of the world of gods and demons in this delightfully illustrated omnibus, featuring all six tales in the Fun in Devlok series. Jump right in. The gates of Devlok are open!

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The Puffin Book of Hindu Gods and Goddesses

Whose weapon of choice is a sugar-cane bow and a flower arrow? Who lives on Mount Meru? Whose superpower is knowledge?

From silly arguments to epic battles, from nasty monsters to divine divas, The Puffin Book of Hindu Gods and Goddesses juggles a range of tales and characters from Hindu mythology with colourful, zany illustrations to boot.

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The Puffin Ramayana

The popular classic in which good vanquishes evil, now in a pocket-friendly version!

The traditional ingredients are all there—drama and excitement, gods and princes, love and war, infinite stories within stories, monkeys who cross oceans and carry mountains, shape-changing demons and bizarre monsters—but described with freshness and vitality by Bulbul Sharma. This contemporary retelling, which answers questions and provides explanations, is the perfect first Ramayana for everyone!

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Amma, Take Me to Tirupathi

Come, explore the places where we worship!

Follow Amma and the boys to know all about the world-famous temple of Tirupati Balaji. Told through interesting stories with captivating illustrations, this new series introduces readers to the history of different faiths and their associated monuments.

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Two-Epics-In-One

The country’s favourite mythologist, Devdutt Pattanaik, empowers and entertains with a double bill of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata for a whole new generation of readers, in his easy, distinctive style.

This gorgeous flipbook, bringing together Pattanaik’s previously celebrated works, is both playful and informative! Flip the book and look at the epics in a brand new light.

We hope you enjoy these stories with your younger ones. Penguin wishes you a very happy Diwali!

India’s favourite mythologist, Devdutt Pattanaik, is back! Get a double dose of his masterpieces in a gorgeous flipbook to get another perspective into Mahabharata and Ramayana.

Here’s an excerpt from one half of the book – The Boys Who Fought – depicting the Pandavas as they prepare for one of their many heroic battles:

The Fifth Fight, as Warriors

The Kauravas were delighted at having located the Pandavas before the thirteenth year was over.

Unfortunately, their joy was short-lived. Bhishma said that the Kauravas’ calculation was faulty by a year. They had not considered the extra month that needs to be added to a year every three years. So technically, the Pandavas had actually been in exile for more than thirteen years.

Drupada sent a messenger to the Kauravas on behalf of his sons-in-law, demanding that they keep their end of the bargain and return Pandava territory to the Pandavas. The Kauravas refused.

Then the Kauravas sent Sanjay, Dhritarashtra’s charioteer, to tell the Pandavas not to return from their exile for the sake of peace. The Pandavas refused.

Then Krishna went to Hastinapur to reach a compromise. ‘Don’t give them everything. Just five villages,’ said Krishna. The Kauravas refused. Instead they insulted the Pandavas for behaving like beggars.

It was clear that there would be no compromise nor peace. War had to be declared; sides had to be picked.

Two-Epics-In-One is the perfect gift for the young ones to celebrate the spirit of this festive season!

Journalist Jigna Vora’s book, Behind Bars in Byculla, is a highly personal and powerful story of her unjust incarceration and years spent behind bars. Here’s what she has to say about prison:

Jail is not a rehabilitation centre, it’s a recruitment centre.

In prison, life is ruled by rules. One is deprived of basic freedom for survival. It’s secondary whether you have committed a crime or not, or whether you are male or female. Once you are sent to prison, life changes in each and every aspect.

Being woman makes it a bit more difficult because of various issues like hygienic conditions etc.

During my days of covering crime, I had covered many cases wherein women were accused and sent to jail. I had many stories relating to jail. Little did I know that someday I would become the story others write about.

In jail, there is no privilege being a woman. Do you ever think of human rights violations in prison?  Why does no one think of that and raise them? Perhaps because it is assumed by society that once jailed, the person is a criminal.

Once out from jail, society’s perception of the person changes. When society refuses to accept the person, he/she gets into vicious circles of crime. The inmates are not judgmental, and maybe because of this, the person tries to connect them once outside and form their own groups, getting into bigger crimes.

Behind Bars in Byculla is a story of survival and the complex power dynamics that exist within the walls of a prison. Find out Jigna Vora’s story, in her own words.

India is one of the largest economies in the world today and it has been predicted that it would become the third largest economy by 2030. Yet, an average Indian is worse off than his counterpart in other developing nations like Algeria, Indonesia, Mongolia and Morocco. The tethers of corruption and fragility have prevented it from becoming an Asian Tiger.

Author Dev Kar, a former senior economist at the International Monetary Fund, delves into the nooks and crannies of the Indian economy in a closely researched narrative in an attempt to chart out a path forward.

 

While a number of books have been written on India’s governance, this is the first to assess specific weaknesses in relation to other countries in the world. Assessments of governance and fragility are necessarily subjective in nature. Nevertheless, readers will find a clear picture of the country’s state of democracy and how it has evolved under successive governments. The central message is that good governance is fundamentally important. As I describe, even strongly governed advanced countries have paid a steep price for relaxing institutional oversight and overlooking corruption. Surely, then the risks arising out of a failure to govern are much higher for India. Yet, in the pursuit of high rates of economic growth, economists often lose sight of the need for inclusivity and sustainability. Together, these determine the quality of life of citizens, regardless of whether they are rich or poor. Truly, even the rich cannot insulate themselves from the fallout of poor governance. After the book went to press, signs have emerged of a sharp slowdown in economic growth. Policy measures such as tax cuts, liberalizing business regulations, increasing government expenditures and lowering interest rates may indeed counter the slowdown and avoid a crash. However, if underlying weaknesses in governance remain unaddressed, the slowdown can again emerge to derail growth. Tagore once said that when designing a chariot, we need to think not only of how fast it can go but also consider the depth of the ditches lying across its path. Without good governance, growth tends to occur in spurts and fails to improve the lives of the vast majority. A large part of the problem is that policymakers often avoid asking a basic question—whose growth are we talking about? Does growth further enrich the rich or are the benefits shared equitably by all? There is no denying that economic growth, over the past two decades, have lifted millions out of poverty. Yet, India has one of the world’s most unequal distributions of income. A main reason is that even though India achieved impressive rates of growth, entrenched corruption led to bad investment choices. Meanwhile, poorly educated and unhealthy workers could not take advantage of economic growth no matter how high they were. Thus, the benefits of growth accrued mainly to the top income brackets. In time, rising income inequality can align with other factors to undermine the sustainability of economic growth. You would think politicians would boost investments in health and education to preempt these forces. Not necessarily. Because the return on such investments takes a long time to mature, they remain unattractive to politicians fixated on short-term electoral cycles. The book deals with a wide range of such issues explained in a manner that can be appreciated by the general public. For instance, how do dirty politics nurture poor governance, corruption impact economic growth, black money drive income inequality, and weak institutions breed more corruption? Sometimes issues are explained through the lens of current events and personal experience while in other instances, I cite developments in the United States and other countries to contrast differences in governance. It took me a year and a half to write the book. In the process, I discovered an India I was unaware of. Perhaps, these discoveries would also surprise readers. Under the glare of evidence, my criticisms of the status quo may seem harsh but ultimately it was an abiding love for India that led me to write the book.

India: Still a Shackled Giant is a critical roadmap to understand the strengths and weaknesses of our country’s economical structures. Get your copy today!

Travelling into the stark deserts of Kutch, I Saw Myself by Shabnam Virmani and Vipul Rikhi explores the contemporary presence of epic love legends of the region, such as Sohini-Mehar and Sasui-Punhu, brought to throbbing verse by the powerful eighteenth-century Sufi poet Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai. As the authors travel to villages to meet folk singers and lovers of Latif’s poetry, immersing in sessions that stretch into the night, they unearth a unique, thriving love-soaked ethos in which the call to oneness rings out like a defiant manifesto for our divisive times.

Retelling epics along with other tales and historical events that created the field of experience from which Shah Latif’s poems sprang, I Saw Myself brings into English a selection of his finest poems. A spell is cast, of story and song, of metaphor and meaning. The insights that emerge are subtle, even startling, radical at times, solace-giving at others, but always deeply meaningful.

Here’s what you should know about the famed poet!

Shah Abdul Latif lived from 1689 to 1752 CE, writing most of his poetry in the first half of the eighteenth century.

Soon after his birth, the Mughal empire in Delhi began to collapse and a Sindhi religious sect from Balochistan— the Kalhoras—gained ascendancy, ruling Sindh during much of Shah Latif’s later life, a time of relative political stability in Sindh

Latif is widely held to be the greatest poet of the Sindhi language. Most of his poetry was collected into a single work now referred to as Shah Jo Risalo.

Latif was born in a village called Hala Haveli in Sindh in a prominent Sayyad family (held to be descendants of Prophet Muhammad himself).

To read more about him, get your copy of I Saw Myself today!

Anusha is disillusioned and heartbroken, she finds herself struggling to work for WeDonate.com, a charity. On the opposing side is Ananth who finds no cause to be too small to support.

They can’t escape each other when their lives entangle in a way that moving together is the only solution.

Meet the complex characters from Durjoy Datta’s new book,Wish I Could Tell You:

Ananth Khatri:

A young twenty-three year old boy who is the only son of a set of religious, over-protective and sometimes possessive set of parents. Ananth is  sincere, loving and filled with endless empathy. At 5’10”, He is the tallest member of his family.

“My growing up has been hard on them. If they could, they would choose the three-year-old in a white frock over the twenty three- year-old they are struggling to get into a blazer.”

Anusha Sardana:

She is an only child living with her mother and aspires to be a writer someday. Her father’s death left a big hole in her and her mother’s lives and they have not been able to recuperate and move on since it happened seven years ago.

“At night, to celebrate, Mumma and I ordered Chinese. We put out a plate for Baba. The chowmein on his plate swam in soya sauce and chilli vinegar. Just like Baba used to like it.”

Saraansh Gupta:

He is a fresh out of movie-school graduate. His family is against him pursuing his education in this field and have stopped talking to him, cut a huge chunk of his finances and they are threatening to take away his car the driver. They want him to get into the family business of buttons.

“Saraansh orders a skinny latte and sits in the far corner of Starbucks. He’s nervous but pumped. This meeting is going to be his big break, he can feel it in his bones. He’s smiling thinking of the future…”

Rachita Somani:

She has been at WeDonate for three years. The job is leaving tell-tale signs on her face. The intricate crow’s feet at the corner of her eyes, the huge bags underneath, the despondent look on her face,  are unmissable.

“Rachita had come to WeDonate with idealistic notions about people’s niceness, about their philanthropic tendencies. Now she knew that people who donated money to medical campaigns did it for another dopamine hit.”

Find out more about these characters and follow their story in Durjoy Datta’s new book Wish I Could Tell You.

As the Indian middleclass discovers the world it finds that it has money to spend, that new prosperity is finding its first expression in its food choices.

This is a book that focuses on Indians in the kitchen. It looks at the ingredients that have become available to us, and traces the history of many that we often take for granted.

It also looks at some of the dishes that we regard as essential components of Indian cuisine and considers their origins and the way in which they have spread all over India—and in many cases, all over the world.

Vir Sanghvi’s  Indian Pantry talks about everyday ingredients and unknown facts about them.

 

Potato can be considered the king of vegetables.You can cook the potato any way you like. You can boil it,roast it, bake it, fry it or cook it in a subzi, and it will still taste as good.

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There’s a whole generation in the West that has never seen a pea pod and regards the fresh pea as a strange and exotic vegetable.

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No matter which part of India you go to, there is a great baingan dish: the begun bhaja of Bengal, the bharta of north India, the simple ringan nu shaak of Gujarat or the many wonderful baingan preparations of Andhra, such as vankaya peanut kura.

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Goans, like the Brazilians, prize the cashewnut, while in the rest of South America, it is the outer cashew apple that is the delicacy.

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Emperor Akbar planted 1,00,000 mango trees all over India— one reason why the mango’s popularity perhaps extends to every part of the country.

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The strawberry that we know today, is a hybrid. It was created from the American variety in the nineteenth century when British gardeners cross-bred strawberry plants to create the ‘Keens Seedling’ (one of the gardeners was called Michael Keens), which was a large flavourful strawberry of the sort we eat today.

As the Indian middle class discovers the world, it finds that it has money to spend, that new prosperity is finding its first expression in its food choices.

The food boom is a symptom of a nation that is now confidently exploring the world, if not with its mind, certainly with its stomach! Get your copy of The Indian Pantry for the very best of (rude) food!

Between the third centuries BC and AD were written thousands of verses in Tamil that have collectively come to be known as Sangam literature. The expressions of love between a man and a woman in these love poems gave way to passionate expressions of devotional love, where the heroine became the devotee and the hero became God. Through the centuries of patriarchy, women negotiated varied levels of existence and largely went unnoticed until they found a path for self-expression through bhakti or devotion. While the dominant form of worship was to prostrate before God, women found innovative ways of personal expression, often seeing the lord as a lover, friend, husband, or even son. The individual outpourings and the unfettered voices of these women refused to be drowned in the din of patriarchy gathering momentum until this became a pan India movement.

Here are some pertinent voices from For The Love of God!

Muktabai

Where darkness is gone, I live, where I am happy. I am not troubled by coming and going I am beyond all vision above all spheres His spirit lives in my soul. Mukta says: He is my heart’s only home.

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Meerabai

Your gorgeous kingdom does not please me O king, there are no holy men in your kingdom All are liars and good-for-nothings. I have given up my ornaments Even my bangles O king I do not plait my hair Or apply kajal to my eyes Meera’s lord is the courtly Giridhara.

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Roopa Bhavani

Selflessness is the sign of the Selfless

Bow down at the door of the Selfless

The selfless are of the highest authority

The Kings of the time and the weavers of the crest and crown.

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Lal Ded

The trouble of all existence is removed If you call upon Rama Today you will receive happiness If you call upon Rama Let  divali pray to Thee and call Upon Rama.

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Akka Mahadevi

I have fallen in love, O mother with the Beautiful One, who is without any family, without any country and without any peer; Chenna Mallikarjuna, the Beautiful, is my husband. Fling into the fire the husbands who are subject to death and decay.

In For the Love of God, Sandhya Mulchandani delves deep into historical accounts of these women who fell in love with God.

Shilarna Vaze, chef and founder of Gaia Gourmet, has cooked for the best parties and the biggest stars in Bollywood. In her book Party like a star, she shares the secrets of her scrumptious recipes, advice on picking the right party professionals and the key to indispensible checklists. Thrown into the mix are essential tips for décor, service, and menu planning, as well as expert and celebrity inputs on how to put together a perfect soiree.

Shilarna’s journey from a budding epicurean to becoming a name to reckon with in the catering industry has all the sweet and savoury of her recipes.

Read on to know more about Shilarna Vazé and her super successful brand!

The Cordon Bleu–trained chef Shilarna Vazé has ten years of experience in creating sensational recipes for all preferences. She has successfully curated menus for varied events such as citrus-themed baby showers, all vegan birthdays and delectable brunches.

Juhu girl Shilarna met her chef husband, Christophe, on the beaches of Goa. Being obsessed with food as they are, she calls their union a ‘match made in culinary heaven’ and their daughter Zanskar the ‘star in their universe.’

Shilarna and Christophe opened a restaurant called Gaia, in Goa, where the menu was inspired by all their favourite food. Their decision to move to a big city brought the restaurant and their Goa dream to an end.

While planning a larger canvas for her skills, Shilarna ran a short-lived sushi delivery service called Ninja Sushi.

Agreeing to a request made by a Ninja Sushi client, Shilarna and Christophe catered for a small baby shower which eventually led to the conception of Gaia Home Chef, their wildly popular catering service.

The phenomenal success of Gaia Home Chef led to a change in gears and Shilarna and team launched a gourmet catering company, Gaia Gourmet, which went on to become one of the better-known catering services in Mumbai and Goa.

With Gaia Gourmet, Shilarna and Christophe began catering for big international and domestic brands such as Raw Mango, Chandon and Christian Louboutin while continuing to arrange private home parties.

Shilarna is Bollywood’s go-to chef when it comes to impeccably organised events. She has catered for high-profile celebrities like Priyanka Chopra, Sonam Kapoor, Shahid Kapoor and Aamir Khan.

Shilarna was voted one of the fifty most influential people in the Indian food scene by Conde Nast Traveller.

Shilarna Vazé (popular as Chef Chinu Vaze on Instagram and TV) is a chef, TV host, writer, influencer and mum. She also writes for several publications and blogs.

Putting the spirit of celebrations centre-stage Shilarna writes, ‘There’s going to be laughter in the air and shots going down gullets and hugging and kissing and good cheer. Forget about the society ladies who will dissect whatever outfit you might wear. Forget about the disapproving in-laws who might frown on the money spent. Forget about the stain on the carpet and the crash of wine glasses from behind the scenes. Look for magic and a pinch of salt.’

In a first of its kind, Shilarna’s book offers unique recipes with engaging anecdotes from events she has catered interspersed with messages from her famous clients.