Publish with Us

Follow Penguin

Follow Penguinsters

Follow Penguin Swadesh

© 2020 Penguin India

Building a Happy Family – An Interview with Raageshwari Loomba Swaroop

Posted on by Penguin India

You can’t have a happy family unless you’re happy yourself. Raageshwari Loomba, an award-winning speaker on mindfulness, shows us how to create an excellent atmosphere for the entire family to thrive in. Her relatable style is coupled with real-life examples, such as that of Albert Einstein, who couldn’t speak till the age of four and was a poor student. His parents encouraged him with love and allowed him to learn at his own pace. This, she shows, is the way to bring up your own little genius.
Building a Happy Family brings to you 11 simple mindfulness philosophies that will enrich and strengthen your and your children’s inner world. Through scientific research and her own intimate story of heartbreak and facial paralysis, Raageshwari emphasises how our thoughts can manifest further struggles or glory, and how teaching children early that our inner world attracts our outer world is key. Parents are taught to encourage their children’s original expressions, creativity and joy, and not lose sight of it in their own lives too. This is the secret to a happy family.

 

Read below an interview with the author:

 

Please tell us about a piece of advice that you got from your mother and still hold on to.

As a child, I remember standing in the kitchen beside my beloved Mom Veera, watching her cook. She would return from office and whip up a delicious tadka dal. She always said and repeats even today “Be grateful you have food that you can eat. Be grateful that you have a family to share it with”. As a child, it translated in my mind to the idea that women must cook. But today, I know the deeper significance it has is to create the true essence of a family. It’s all about gratitude, simplicity and togetherness. 

 

You mention in the book that parenting is about raising the parent and not the child. Would you like to tell us about how you came to a realization this profound?

Even as a child, I would spend time with children younger than me. In school, my friends would be looking for me but I would be helping the teachers in the kindergarten section. I have always loved  spending time with toddlers. Where others see tantrums, I see wisdom. I like that toddlers are mindful, easy-going, loving, forgiving and filled with unique insights. They hold no grudges from the past and have no anxiety about the future. The way they learn to walk is a treat to watch. They have single-minded focus. They fall many times but they stand up and try again. And it’s not out of a sense of competition. They are not looking over their shoulders to see if other toddlers have started to walk first. They simply excel in completing the tasks that matter to them. They walk up to strangers and cuddle and bond, not affected by any culture, status or moral ground. They relish these moments and enjoy them to the fullest. What a marvellous attribute of Mindfulness they have. What a pity we parents make them lose it. However, we are well-meaning parents, and once had these very qualities too. So it makes me wonder why many of us don’t see that we can learn about life from these ‘little masters’!

 

With parents in metropolitan cities working longer hours, children have less access and time to spend with their parents. Any tips on how families can consciously work on this?

Parents who work don’t have any lesser of a bond with their children than the parents who are home with their children all day. The secret lies in connecting with your child and their deep interests. A study by the University of Toronto published in the Journal of Marriage and Family in 2015 said that the average number of hours that parents spend with their children has only grown over the years, contrary to what parents may feel or believe. It has grown from 7.3 hours in 1975 to 13.7 hours in 2010, even as the share of mothers working outside the home rose from 41% in 1965 to 71% in 2014. For fathers, the number rose from 2.4 hours in 1975 to 7.2 hours in 2010. Yet, we parents think we are not doing enough and end up feeling guilty and at fault. So the answer lies in quality time. It is not at all important to always hover around your children to build a bond with them. In fact, step back, and try to enjoy just a 15-minute play date filled with presence, no agenda and complete trust. The idea is to be fully present and give them your complete attention whenever you are with them.

 

You emphasize on reading as a habit. Which were your favourite books growing up?

Little Snow Girl, Cinderella and Ramayana immediately bring back memories of my childhood. I actually think Cinderella is a masterpiece if explained to a child well. I had little focus on the Prince. For me, the moral of the story was loud and clear—if you are kind, miracles will surround you.

 

What is the best time for kids to use affirmations during the day? How can a parent choose the right one?

The morning time as they wake up is the best for affirmations, because a good night’s sleep is a mental cleanser. As we wake up, we are naturally in a meditative state. So it is best to stand in front of the mirror or affirm in bed itself to cement your cleansed mind with these beliefs. Choose affirmations according to an attribute you wish to invite into your life. Observe that most probably the child will mirror qualities that you possess or struggle to have yourself.  For example, if your child is shy, but wishes to be an extrovert, let them affirm something like, ‘I love my ideas, and I happily share them with the world’. If your child is struggling to focus on books, they can affirm, ‘I enjoy observing the shape of numbers and letters in books.’ If the child is older the affirmation could be, ‘Books are my doorway to great ideas. I’m falling in love with books on a daily basis.’ If your child stammers (first observe if the home has caustic fights, or if the child or either parent is reprimanded constantly to ‘shut up’ or ‘be quiet’) the affirmation could be, ‘I love the sound of my own voice. The world loves the sound of my own voice. I speak clearly just like a king/queen. 

 

Raising kids in a competitive world can bring out parents’ insecurities at times. Any suggestions on dealing with those?

This book is not about training your child to be the best. This book is about making YOU realise that you already have the best child. The Mindfulness journey can only begin from this thought.  Observe ‘successful adults ’ (according to your definition )  Do they look happy? The highest number of mental health tragedies are linked to the so-called ‘high achievers’. Our definitions of success and accomplishments will have to change. Most of us adults walk around directionless, and with that empty soul we decide to guide our children. We will have to first nurture our inner child and tell ourselves ‘we are perfect the way we are’. And we will have to allow our children to follow their bliss. We as a community of families, schools and colleges will have to collectively re-define success and accomplishments so our children can truly thrive. We will have to focus on building their inner world first. It is important to make them believe that they are perfect the way they are, and that a parents’ love is not conditional at any cost. We adults will have to first believe ourselves that happiness is not a moving target; happiness is right here, right now.

 

Looking after yourself before others is necessary for an emotionally healthy life and also very tricky when you’re teaching your kids. Any tips for parents on this?

In my book, I feel the most important chapter is one called ‘Oxygen mask theory’. When you are energized with oxygen first, you will be more alert and able to attend to your child and navigate a crisis situation far better. Parenting too needs an oxygen mask theory. Your needs are like oxygen. Parents must learn to attend to their own needs first, so they can enjoy parenting, not have outbursts and handle decisions with balance. Another important reason why you must value your needs is that it sends an important message to your child. I talk about childhood patterns in the book, so if you want your child to grow up as someone who nurtures himself/herself, then there is no better person than you to show this to your child!

 

 If you could go back to your 20-year-old self and give her a piece of advice, what would that be?

Forgive and let go of the past, don’t worry about the future. Just enjoy this beautiful moment called NOW!

 

 On the occasion of Mother’s Day, is there a message you’d like to share with all the wonderful mothers out there?

First I want to make a space for women who may be struggling to become mothers biologically. I always think of you on every Mother’s Day. I want you to remember this—we women are born mothers. There is something deeply spiritual how daughters nurture their parents from the moment they are born. So you were, are and always will be a mother.

Happy Mother’s Day! Now I would like to wish the rest of us who have been lucky to have been blessed with a child. Remember that you have a child, which is a blessing.  On Mother’s Day, I would like to all  of us to remember that we are the only ones who can understand each other’s pain, shortcomings, guilt and turmoil like no one else can. Hence, we must be the last ones to cause pain to each other’s soul.

Happy Mother’s Day!

 

Get your copy of Building a Happy Family here 🙂

What Does Motherhood Mean?

Posted on by Penguin India

As much as we celebrate motherhood and mothers, the diversity of experiences of mothers as individuals are rarely talked about.

As with everything else, literature gives us an expansive space to explore different facets of motherhood, and the nuances of women’s experiences as mothers. On Mother’s Day, we are looking at some powerful narratives that celebrated mothers as more than mothers – as women, as individuals, and as humans.

 

Momspeak

What is it like to be a mother in India?

Pooja Pande peels off the layers of social propriety to delve deep into the visceral reality of motherhood, much glorified but barely understood in India. Exploring the spectrum of experiences mothers have as women, as humans-from ecstasy to depression, jealous possessiveness to indifference, exhaustion to sensual desire-she reveals the personal, social and emotional roller-coaster motherhood can be.

 

Sarojini’s Mother

Is motherhood a purely biological concept?

Sarojini-Saz-Campbell comes to India to search for her biological mother. Adopted and taken to England at an early age, she has a degree from Cambridge and a mathematician’s brain adept in solving puzzles. Her story is a poignant exploration of motherhood as an emotional concept over a biological one; especially through Sarojini’s powerful connection with her adoptive mother Lucy, whose loss is what gets her to look for her ‘real’ mother in an attempt to find purpose in her life.

 

A Good Wife: Escaping the Life I Never Chose

This memoir does away with all conventional preconceptions to explore a personal experience of enforced wifehood and motherhood. Within this, we also find an overarching female experience through the mother-daughter bond.

Married off at fifteen, Samra Zafar suffered her husband’s emotional and physical abuse that left her feeling isolated, humiliated and assaulted. Desperate to get out, and refusing to give up, she hatched an escape plan for herself and her two daughters.
 

My Mother is in the Air Force

Another way of breaking barriers is putting a spin to the “superhero” trope for the mums!

Rohan thinks his mom is a bit like a superhero-she flies in to save the day, she loops and swoops between the clouds, she even jumps off planes wearing parachutes! Told from the son’s perspective, this story is unconventional and heartwarming in its depiction of a modern mother working for the air force, and how that informs her child’s perspective of her; an especially important story when the concept of a ‘working mother’ is still so nebulous in the Indian society.

Millionaire Housewives

Millionaire Housewives tells the stories of twelve enterprising homemakers who, in spite of having no prior experience in business, managed to build successful empires through the single-minded pursuit of their goal, defying all stereotypes.

This title features on our list because of the real, personal stories it tells of entrepreneurship and innovation in a society where ‘homemakers’ are often unacknowledged and unseen in their contributions.

Motherhood is a layered concept – like any other human experience. These stories are just some examples wherein writers explore the unseen and unspoken emotions of mothers and women. Which stories about mothers have stayed with you? Share with us in the comments below!

All Books Talk . . . and Listen! – The How’s and Why’s of Making your Child a Reader

Posted on by Penguin India

‘If you want your children to be intelligent, read fairy tales to them.’  

—Albert Einstein 

You can’t have a happy family unless you’re happy yourself. Raageshwari Loomba, an award-winning speaker on mindfulness, shows us how to create an excellent atmosphere for the entire family to thrive in. Her new book, Building a Happy Family brings to you 11 simple mindfulness philosophies that will enrich and strengthen your and your children’s inner world. 

Through scientific research and her own intimate story of heartbreak and facial paralysis, Raageshwari emphasises how our thoughts can manifest further struggles or glory, and how teaching children early that our inner world attracts our outer world is key.

In this excerpt from her new book, Raageshwari tells you about the benefits of reading, and how to get your children to become readers! 

Imagination will save the day 

Einstein said, ‘Imagination is everything.’ It can relieve a child of stress or anxiety and have creative benefits for you as well. It’s the only pathway for us to escape into a magical world, especially when things are not going our way. If your boss is acting boorish, or you’re stuck in a traffic jam or have a dentist’s appointment coming up, you have to shift focus to something joyful and uplifting. 

Imagination truly thrives with the guidance of books. No wonder research in 2016 by Harvard Health Publishing (Harvard Medical School) says that ‘reading books could add years to your life’. I definitely think it has to do with them being happier as they have more imagination. 

‘The researchers studied the records of 5635 participants in the health and retirement study, an ongoing investigation of people who were fifty or older had provided information on their reading habits when the study began. They determined that people who read books regularly had a 20 per cent lower risk of dying over the next twelve years compared with people who weren’t readers or who read periodicals. This difference remained regardless of race, education, state of health, wealth, marital status and depression.’ 

Now, children need imagination to believe that anything is achievable and possible, especially during their most formative years when they build beliefs and patterns for life. 

Reading books to children helps boost their brain power, as opposed to the TV or phone, which offers comatose viewing that actually stills the brain. 

Reading to children introduces them to emotions that we display as we read out to them. As a result, your child will have a larger vocabulary, greater confidence and wonderful social skills. 

Perhaps you already know all this, but did you know that YOU are the greatest conduit through which your child will learn to love books? 

Sudhanshu and I read to Samaya every evening even when she was in my womb. We decided to watch TV only by appointment over the weekends and view shows that were musical or uplifting. We knew that if we wished to inculcate reading habits in our child, we would have to first do away with mindless browsing of the Internet or the TV. 

We bought fairy-tale books that we had loved as children. We loved reading them to Samaya. It opened so many windows into our own childhood and interesting memories came flooding back. I cannot recommend this practice enough. You will bond as a couple on deeper levels. 

Plant the seeds of reading 

When Samaya was born, we read picture pop-up books to her every evening. Sometimes she would cry, sometimes babble, sometimes just go to sleep, but we were consistent and never ended a reading session without finishing a book. Soon she started to nibble on the books, and then she started to tear them and destroy them. We accepted this interaction. It was a relationship with books, and we had to be patient and be positive that it would grow into a lifelong bond. As she grew up, she crawled around distracted, while we kept reading to her after supper every evening. It did seem she was least interested, but we knew she was absorbing it all like a sponge. Samaya would look at covers and jabber away, trying to say the names. 

At fifteen months old, she pulled out a book from her library and came running to us, prattling, ‘Story book.’ She was hooked to one of the purest forms of entertainment, the most loyal friend one can have, and a world of its own: books! 

At age two, she knew her choices and intricate titles such as Incredible You, Snail and the Whale and Giraffes Can’t Dance. She is now three, and her mornings begin with a book and her evenings end with a book. She uses words such as kaleidoscope, stabilizer, Stegosaurus, Panchatantra and meditation. She is forming an understanding of good and bad, why empathy is important, why reaching out to strangers can be a good thing too. 

Reading for pleasure 

I know of many adults who read long and information- packed documents all day at the office. Hence, they don’t wish to read a word when they come back home, let alone read to children. I understand as I’m married to a barrister. However, reading for pleasure is completely different, and there is enough research to back this. Scientists have urged professionals to not mix ‘reading information’ with ‘reading for pleasure’.1 Evidence suggests that no matter how stressed and worn out you may be, once you read for pleasure, you immediately feel re-energized as this is a mindful activity of stepping into another world. 

Adults argue with me, saying that TV is a greater escape as they just have to sit on a couch with food and enjoy a show. I don’t disregard TV, as with selective viewing we can gain immense insights and knowledge. However, if you are seeking mindfulness, peace and energy in your life, books are a far greater escape. 

TV and films may also bring new worlds into our lives with vibrant characters. They can push us to the edge of our seats and entertain, but books are inclusive. With books, it becomes about your story, your character and your life. This movement in the brain leads to imagination that is vital in our world today. 

Reading for pleasure entails picking up a book that has no connection with your work. So it could be a book on travel, science fiction, a biography or just a cookbook. It is reading a book with no agenda and no schema, for relaxation and the joy it brings you. 

Interestingly, for toddlers, every book is a pathway to pleasure. 

Reading parents will have reading children 

I have learnt that discipline and diktats rarely work in the long run. They have not worked on us and will not work on our children, especially if you want confident children with free spirits and buzzing minds. What works is setting examples. BE what you wish to see. We cannot expect our children to pick up books if we are busy picking up phones. Your children look up to you more than you know. Hence, they love aping you. So grab a book and get started. Remain focused and give books your complete commitment first, and the rest will follow. 

In case the well-being of the family is not incentive enough, the beauty about the glorious habit of reading is that you will finally start to connect with your core and the real you. People spend a lifetime being lost, without knowing themselves. With books, you will gift this pathway to self- realization to your child and yourself. 

You may frown upon my selling reading to you when your concern is your children. Well, children do not do as they are told but as they see. Research tells us that children who become avid readers live in an environment where family members read at home. Parents who are members of libraries, read books and read aloud to their children are twice as likely to have children who are voracious readers. Also, you must be aware by now that this book emphasizes the philosophy that mindful parenting is about bringing up the parent and not the child. The focus has to be on us, our inner world, be it when we are dealing with children, spouses or our colleagues at work. Once you master this art, you will thrive. 

In Building a Happy Family, parents are taught to encourage their children’s original expressions, creativity and joy, and not lose sight of it in their own lives too. This is the secret to a happy family!

Bookish Gifts for Mother’s Day!

Posted on by Penguin India

Mother’s Day is coming and we do miss scrambling and shopping for gifts to pamper our mothers with.

While we brainstorm ideas to make this day more special than it already is – we decided to ask our fellow Penguins about the books (because, what else, right?) they would love to gift to their mothers!

 

 

My mother and I share a relationship where most things go unsaid. She lost her mum at a very young age and to bring her some comfort, I would like to gift her LEGACY by Sudha Menon which is a collection of personal and evocative letters from parents to their daughters. The wisdom my grandmother couldn’t give her now, some of these delightful and inspirational letters might!

Vaishnavi Singh, Manager – Digital Platforms & Video Rights

*

My mother loves everything written by Gulzar and ofcourse loves his voice too (she always wanted dad to speak like him). I grew up listening to ghazals and songs written by Gulzar because my mother is a huge fan of his writings  I love the way my mom actually makes me understand each and every word in a song written by him as if he actually sat with her when he was penning it.

For her undying love for Gulzar, i’d like to gift her the book, SELECTED POEMS BY GULZAR. She will love reading them!

Soumili Sen, Executive – Digital

*

I would love to gift Mumma Sudha Murty’s THREE THOUSAND STITCHES. She adores short, impactful stories and especially the ones that are more about people rather than the plot. She has enjoyed other books by Sudha Murty in the past, is an ardent fan of her writing, so I think Three Thousand Stitches would be perfect for her collection.

Ananya Mathur, Consultant – Marketing & Digital

*

While my entire family is a bibliophile, it was my mum who fired our crazy obsession for books, so much so that books became a part of our household, our home décor, our dinner tables, and our bedtime rituals. Believe it or not, she started working only to be able to afford the books she wanted to read, after her father couldn’t expend any more money to her. Presently, she is over 70 years old and books seem to have lost their charm on her. She no longer has the patience or the span of attention and I have seen her struggle to read. Now if I am asked to gift her a book, I think I will give her Sudha Murty’s HERE, THERE AND EVERYWHERE. A simple book with real stories and a message at the end of each. My mom discovered Sudha Murty at the Penguin Annual Lecture 2019 and she was thoroughly taken with her personality, her life story, and her charisma. I believe my mother would enjoy traversing through Mrs Murty’s world of timeless stories.

Pallavi Narayanan, Senior Manager – Corporate Communications

*

My pick is LEGAL CONFIDENTIAL: ADVENTURES OF AN INDIAN LAWYER. My mother’s always loved consuming content surrounding crime and the legal system. The context of this book being a memoir as well as it being based in Delhi will make it an absolutely thrilling read for her.

Veer Misra, Freelancer – Digital

*

Meditating for Healthier Emotions – a Lesson from Ikigai

Posted on by Penguin India

Ikigai is the Japanese word for ‘a reason to live’ or ‘a reason to jump out of bed in the morning’, and we all have it. It’s the place where your needs, desires, ambitions, and satisfaction meet. A place of balance. It’s a small wonder that finding your ikigai is closely linked to living longer.

As we find ourselves in challenging times, it’s important to keep our minds healthy. Embracing the impermanence of things and meditating is hence, necessary and in this excerpt from Héctor García and Francesc Miralles’s book, Ikigai, you will learn just that.

Meditating for Healthier Emotions

In addition to negative visualization and not giving in to negative emotions, another central tenet of Stoicism is

knowing what we can control and what we can’t, as we see in the Serenity Prayer. Worrying about things that are beyond our control accomplishes nothing. We should have a clear sense of what we can change and what we can’t, which in turn will allow us to resist giving in to negative emotions. In the words of Epictetus, “It’s not what happens to you, but how you react that matters.”

In Zen Buddhism, meditation is a way to become aware of our desires and emotions and thereby free ourselves from them. It is not simply a question of keeping the mind free of thoughts but instead involves observing our thoughts and emotions as they appear, without getting carried away by them. In this way, we train our minds not to get swept up in anger, jealousy, or resentment.

One of the most commonly used mantras in Buddhism focuses on controlling negative emotions: “Om.

man.i padme hūm.,” in which om. is the generosity that purifies the ego, ma is the ethics that purifies jealousy, n.i is the patience that purifies passion and desire, pad is the precision that purifies bias, me is the surrender that purifies greed, and hūm. is the wisdom that purifies hatred.

The here and now, and the impermanence of things

Another key to cultivating resilience is knowing in which time to live. Both Buddhism and Stoicism remind us that the present is all that exists, and it is the only thing we can control. Instead of worrying about the past or the future, we should appreciate things just as they are in the moment, in the now.

“The only moment in which you can be truly alive is the present moment,” observes the Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh.

In addition to living in the here and now, the Stoics recommend reflecting on the impermanence of the things around us.

The Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius said that the things we love are like the leaves of a tree: They can fall at any moment with a gust of wind. He also said that changes in the world around us are not accidental but rather form part of the essence of the universe—a rather Buddhist notion, in fact. We should never forget that everything we have and all the people we love will disappear at some point. This is something we should keep in mind, but without giving in to pessimism.

Being aware of the impermanence of things does not have to make us sad; it should help us love the present moment and those who surround us.

“All things human are short-lived and perishable,” Seneca tells us.

The temporary, ephemeral, and impermanent nature of the world is central to every Buddhist discipline. Keeping this always in mind helps us avoid excessive pain in times of loss.

Finding your ikigai is easier than you might think. This book will help you work out what your own ikigai really is, and equip you to change your life. You have a purpose in this world: your skills, your interests, your desires and your history have made you the perfect candidate for something. All you have to do is find it.

The Night Sparkled and So Did All of Us

Posted on by Penguin India

Memory of Light is a tender romance of two young courtesans in Nawabi-era Lucknow. The entire novel unfolds through the narrator, Nafis Bai’s memory of events, lending it her unique voice, which stays with the reader.

Intrigued? Read an excerpt from the book below:

Late at night before the big occasion, I tried the outfit on her; the fabrics I had chosen kissed her skin, her skin not washed-out white like the English ladies’ but kanak kamini, warm as wheat, as gold.

‘Like lightning flashing in the summer sky,’ I said, as I tied the silver drawstring with its pearl pendants, gleaming through the pale blue swirl of the peshwaz and dangling below its hem.

While I dressed her she undressed me, discarding the purple I had selected for myself.

‘Purple doesn’t suit you,’ she said. ‘Parrot-green blossoms on you. Wear this green one with—let’s see.’ She threw her red orhni over me. ‘There—it’s like a flame on you.’

Until then purple had been my favourite colour. I’ve never worn it with pleasure since.

The night sparkled and so did all of us, lit by the sheen of youth. Even I felt beautiful when her eyes touched me. The whole town seemed to be there, troops of merchants with tributes for the English, foreigners with heavily powdered hair, and every dancer worth the name. Bands were playing foreign instruments, organs bellowed and fireworks fizzed above. A group of hijras performed and then Ratan. I looked up from a dark corner where I was adjusting Chapla’s shoes with their long curling toes, to see Sharad framed in a lighted doorway, chest half-visible through lacy white embroidery—a flowering tree covered with leaves and buds. His hair was abundant in those days, long curls almost out of control, and his eyes were on Ratan.

Mir Insha was in his element—flitting from group to group, alight with laughter. ‘Even the buds are proffering their glasses,’ he whispered to me, as champagne bubbled up in crystal for a fat European lady and her young daughter. ‘Look, flowers and bunches, all are imbibing.’ I giggled; the lady’s dress, billowing stiffly round her, did make her look a bit like a bunch of large showy flowers, the kind that the white people favour.

Then he whispered to Chapla:

Chaar naachaar hu’a jaana hi Landan apna
Le ga’i chheen ke dil ek firangan apna

No choice, I have to go to London now
A foreign woman has snatched away my heart

At this, both of us burst out laughing and Ammi threw us a reproachful glance.

He brought it all to life again in his poem—glasses, bottles, free-flowing liquor, lights in the trees, delicacies laid out on tables. He ignored Azizan resplendent in magenta and gold, and devoted his attention to Chapla, doing justice to my handiwork:

With a silken drawstring flowing like water,
Satin trousers blooming like foliage,
A light blue silk peshwaz like a cloud,
Its skirt edged with silver like a moonflower,
A veil of moon and stars like a moonlit night,
Anklets tinkling like drops of rain,
Chapla Bai stood up to dance.
Seeing her, Khutan gazelles forget to leap
Nature made her replete with beauty
From her face the Pleiades borrow radiance
The envy of fairies, she’s called ‘Lightning’
Light’s world turns dark when she departs . . .
Who can praise the breasts of that infidel idol?
Oh lord, their curves and that rising youth—
Half-blossomed lotuses, two fine founts,
They shine like round swelling whirlpools
Or like chakva and chakvi sitting on two shores,
The string of pearls between is Jamuna . . .
That ring-watch blooming with delicacy
I’d sacrifice to it hundreds of sounding organs . . .
Her plait like the shade of a kadamb tree . . .

What an eye he had for detail—the verse I liked best described how her red heels made the white beads on her pearlescent white silk shoes reddish like ratti, those poisonous seeds used to weigh gold, or like red champa flowers with their creamy insides:

Those two arms boughs of the tree of Paradise—
Obtain from them what your heart desires

Her forearms male and female skinks
The sight of them drives men and women wild . . .
Those red heels make the pearls on her shoes
Look like red ratti seeds or champa flowers
. . . Today’s the fourth day of the month of June
This happy day shines with special beauty

To know what happens next, check out Memory of Light. 

Quarantine Travels: Take a Trip into These Books

Posted on by prhi-dev

 

‘Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are.’ – Mason Cooley

If you are a reader like us – we’re sure you’d agree that we have never needed to step out to have our own adventures and travels. Times are uncertain and quarantining is not always easy. But one perk of being a book lover is that we always have an escape within reach!

We have piled up some (e)books that you can dive into if you are craving a bit of retreat from the real world!

The Best of Ruskin Bond

What better to transport you than Ruskin Bond?

This one brings together the best stories and poetry from one of our favourite storytellers. This literary landscape is worth disappearing into for its rich web of emotions and unforgettable characters.

*

The Torchbearers

We suggest bringing some exciting adventure into your homes with Prem, Kushal and Samhita – three endearing kids whose designated roles as ‘The Torchbearers’ set them on the path to fight demons and find the Nectar of Immortality to bring the gods back in power.

Also – there is a very punny fish in there!

Puffin Book of Bedtime Stories

Here’s one for the restless young ones! From a wandering elephant to a helpful yeti, from flying houses and faraway galaxies; delight the kids with a range of imaginative stories that would make their bedtime more exciting and active.

*

Artemis Fowl Series

Impossible to recommend just one – so we advise diving into this whole series of misadventures!

Join twelve-year-old Artemis in discovering a whole new a world of armed and dangerous – and extremely high-tech – fairies.

This is a major Disney film now, so we think it’s high time to prepare on the page before the onscreen adventure!

*

Little Women

Timeless tales are perfect to transport yourself into different times and memories. Meg, Jo, Amy and Beth are always a delight to revisit in the rural neighbourhood of Marmee in Masuchusetts.

*

The French Lieutenant’s Woman

A classic, delightful, and often irreverent postmodernist novel, this one takes you to back to the Victorian age in the most metafictional way possible. AND you get to choose from three endings!

*

The Shadow Lines

Another celebrated classic – Amitav Ghosh’s story a must-read in these times for its themes of memory and its stream-of-conscious narrative. This is a perfect read to tie in with the reflective and nostalgic headspace we are in these days.

*

Chats with the Dead

Whodunnits are so brilliant at sucking you in – and Shehan Karunatilaka’s novel puts a delightful spin on the genre! This one takes you to a lot of places: the aftermath of the Sri Lankan civil war, life, afterlife, and everything in-between.

*

Sarojini’s Mother

This literary masterpiece is in our list mostly because of Kunal Basu’s cinematic prose that would take you right into the sights and scenes of Calcutta. This is a perfect window to the city to transport you while sitting on your beds and chairs.

As eclectic as we have tried to keep this, there are ALWAYS more worlds out there to step into. If you know about them, hit us up!

The Star of India – An Excerpt

Posted on by Penguin India

From the glitz of Hollywood to the lush chambers of Indian royalty, The Star of India weaves a spirited tale of a strong-willed woman whose fate was deeply entwined with the momentous birth of modern India.

Read an excerpt from the book below:

 

–

 

But this weekend, it would be just us.

It was low tide. I ran down to the water, planted my legs and felt the icy surf rush over my feet. Sporty rolled up his trousers and followed, capturing me in his arms.

As we walked along the hard-packed sand, he told   me of a boyhood passed in two worlds, the traditional one where he was a demi-god to his people and the modern one where he studied at Cambridge and lived with a freedom he could not know at home.

‘You’re cast in two different roles—but in real life.

Does it feel confusing?’

His pace slowed. ‘I do need to change hats frequently.’ ‘Or turbans? Handsome, I’ll bet,’ I flirted, thinking how dashing he’d look in royal attire. A piece of dark red sea glass caught my eye. I picked it up and presented it  to

him with my head bowed. ‘Tribute, Your Highness.’

He studied the piece, rubbing his finger over its edges, holding it up to the light.

I was embarrassed. ‘It’s nothing really.’

‘Ah, but this is a jewel from the heart.’ The smile that had flickered across his face faded. ‘After a while, when one is surrounded by so much treasure, these things become commonplace.’ The smile returned. ‘Like pebbles on a beach.’ I glanced at the shoreline, trying to imagine such a life.

Such wealth.

‘I will tell you the story of another gift,’ he said. ‘An ancient ruby, red as blood. It was brought to India by the Central Asian Mughal invaders and passed from father to son as a symbol of their rulership. You may know the name Shah Jahan?’

‘He built the Taj Mahal! For his wife who died in childbirth.’ That I remembered from my research in the library.

‘Before her death, Mumtaz gave him four sons. To prevent their eventual power struggle, Shah Jahan had the Mughal Ruby set in a special ornament, which he alone would place on the turban of his chosen successor. He would, in effect, maintain control of the “crown.”’

I paused, the surf numbing my feet, my ankles.

‘But this was not to be. After all, Shah Jahan had rebelled against his own father. And so it was with his sons, for the most ambitious was his least favourite; he was disrespectful and close-minded. To prevent the ruby from falling into his hands, the emperor bestowed it on a raja of Bengal who had saved his life in battle—the King of Koch, my ancestor. But with the gift came a prophecy: If ever he or his descendants ever lost control of this precious jewel, our family would fall.’ We set off, walking up the beach.

The curse Tony had mentioned. ‘How terrible. Don’t you worry about thieves?’

‘Not really. The ornament is kept with our everyday jewels inside a palace vault, protected by a high official. I wear it on ceremonial occasions.’

Everyday jewels.  ‘I  never  read  about  any  of  that in

National  Geographic.’

‘And you never will. Even our curses remain a secret,’ he said with a twinkle.

‘My lips are sealed.’

Sporty gave me a searing look. ‘I hope not.’

I leaned down and splashed him. ‘You said you’d never known a woman with a real job. But your mother ruled when you were young. Sounds like she had a job, too.’

He tipped his head. ‘Ma was an astute ruler, strong- minded and protective of our people. They revere her, love her.’

‘What does she do now?’

‘Ma is not shy about giving me advice.’ He grinned. ‘She travels quite a bit—friends all over Europe. She leads a different kind of life there. Freer. She is a fascinating woman with a keen intelligence and great style. I want you to meet her.’

‘I’d like to.’ His mother had telephoned his Beverly Hills Hotel bungalow from Paris a few times, and I’d heard them talk about political events back home.

‘When your film is over, we will fly to New York and you can show me around. Then I can show you Paris. How does that sound?’

Boris had hinted Sporty planned to invite me to India, but this was the first mention of travel plans. Giddy with fear and hope, I inhaled the sharp salty smell, gazing down at a ruffle of white foam. When I looked up, the sun had appeared behind his face. For an instant, I couldn’t see his features, only his golden aura. ‘I’ll check my datebook.’ I tried to be nonchalant.

An Introduction to Pashtoon Society

Posted on by Penguin India

John Butt came to Swat in 1970 as a young man in search of an education he couldn’t get from his birthplace in England. He travels around the region, first only with friends from his home country, but as he befriends the locals and starts to learn about their culture and life, he soon finds his heart turning irrevocably Pashtoon.

He wrote about his experience in his book, A Talib’s Tale. What did he learn about the society while living in Swat?

Read on to find out:

Women are linked to honour

The most important thing for a Pashtoon is his honour. And that honour is inextricably tied to her honour: the honour of Pashtoon womenfolk.

Hippies are liked by some, disliked by some

The government disliked hippies, especially impoverished vagrants like myself. The population at large loved them, since they adopted their lifestyle…stayed in their hotels, even though they did not have much money to spend.

Rumours are pretty credible in Pashtoon society

In Pashtoon society, rumour has more credibility than confirmed truth.

The fall of Amanullah Khan in 1929 was a watershed moment

 Ever since then[the fall], the harmony between the forces of Pashtoonwali and Islam has been upset; the balance between progressive and conservative forces of Pashtoon society battered.

The progressive had no time for jihad

The progressive, nationalist, secular Pashtoon forces had no time for jihad. In fact, they were sympathetic to the socialist government in Afghanistan and even had a soft spot for their Soviet backers, against whom jihad was being conducted.

Women were able to take more risks in society

Women are able to act with a lot more impunity than men in Pashtoon society.

There’s a need to heal the rift between the different sections

If there is one lesson I have learnt from the lifetime I have spent amongst the Pashtoons, it is that the key to Pashtoons living at peace with themselves is to heal this rift between progressives and conservatives—the secular and religious elements of Pashtoon society—that bedevils their public life.

A Talib’s Tale –The Life and Times of a Pashtoon Englishman is available now (also as an e-book)!

Meet One of the Most Influential Spiritual Writers Of Our Times

Posted on by Penguin India

A devotee of Sai Baba of Shirdi, Ruzbeh N. Bharucha is one of the most influential spiritual writers of our times. His latest book, The Fakir: The Journey Within follows Rudra, a lover and devotee of BABA.

Who is Ruzbeh N. Bharucha?  Read on to find out:

 

 

Ruzbeh N. Bharucha is the author of nineteen published  books, his bestselling Fakir trilogy has been translated into several languages.

~

A former journalist, Ruzbeh N. Bharucha is also a documentary film-maker.

~

His documentary Sehat . . . Wings of Freedom, on AIDS and HIV in Tihar Jail, was screened at the XVII International AIDS Conference in 2008.

~

He  is the 110th Master for the ‘Speaking Tree’, where he writes an immensely popular blog on spirituality.

~

His book My God Is a Juvenile Delinquent has been included in the reading list of all judicial academies in India.

~

He has appeared on national television and spoken about his  contribution to spirituality and spiritual literature.

What makes him and his writing stand out? You’ll have to read his latest book, The Fakir to find out!

error: Content is protected !!