Samskara: A Rite for a Dead Man by U.R. Ananthamurthy
Translated from Kannada by A.K. Ramanujan Samskara, originally written in Kannada in 1965, sheds light on the caste system and ways of Brahmanism in the contemporary world. The word ‘Samskara’ has several meanings: rite of passage, ritual, transformation as well as death rites. This short novella, it refers to the death rites of a man […]
The Small-Town Sea by Anees Salim
“You should walk either ahead of me or behind me”, he said. “Why” “You should learn to walk alone” Unlikely advice for a father to give to a thirteen-year-old son…. but it captures the background against which The Small-Town Sea written by Anees Salim, and published by Penguin Random House India is set. The Small-Town […]
Legend of Suheldev: The King Who Saved India by Amish Tripathi
It is 11th Century CE, and India is fragmented and tormented by invasions of Mahmud Ghazni. This is the point where the curtains open to Legend of Suheldev, not the most common figure in historical discussions, passed down through folklore. It’s written (in a way) by Amish, but mostly by his initiative, the Immortal Writer’s […]
Flash Fiction: Kahani Har Ghar Ki
Words: ~1300 | Theme: Domestic Fiction The mop groaned on hearing her footsteps, and whispered to the broom, “Hai hai! She is here. Why can’t she follow a schedule? Doesn’t she know that I like to take a nap in the afternoon? Whenever she gets the urge, she starts to sweep”. The broom responded, glumly, “Haan […]
Friends, conversations and a bookstore in Banaras
Why does he not stock books in Hindi and those for children? A friend I had gone with to the Harmony Bookstore in Banaras asked me. I pointed her to Rakeshbhai, the curator and owner of this deceptively quaint bookstore. “If I keep Hindi books I need to have a range and number that does […]
Ep. 8: Courtesans in the Indian Imagination with Ruth Vanita
In this eighth episode of India Booked, Ayushi Mona speaks to the stalwart academic and writer Ruth Vanita. They chat about her journey writing about the courtesans of India (in Dancing with the Nation: Courtesans in Bombay Cinema and Memory of Light), what inspired her to write about the courtesan culture, how Victorian morality changed […]
The Day Before Today: Lockdown Stories by Gayatri Gill
The Day Before Today: Lockdown Stories, as the name suggests, are stories filled with and about the trepidation that all of us will relate to – being stuck at home. Gayatri Gill packs this book with short and long stories, poems and rhymes even, that showcase the shockingly suffocating feeling in each form. Every piece […]
Topi Shukla by Rahi Masoom Raza
Rahi Masoom Raza weaves Topi Shukla the way a dastango weaves their dastaan. It gently takes the reader by the hand into the world of Topi, Iffan, Sakeena and their friendship; plunging into the soul of UP in the 1960s. Oral tradition as a narrative tool within a melange of intertextuality ruptures the conventional form of […]
The Wall by Gautam Bhatia
‘Imagine a Horizon.’ ‘I can’t.’ A simple concept, aye? The furthest point the eye can see, where land, or sea, meets sky. Where the world turns away, leaving your imagination filled with visions of infinite freedom and a new life on the other side. Except the people of Sumer, where The Wall, written by Gautam […]
Kavyanjali: Selected Poetic Works of Haldhar Nag
Translated from Kosali by Surendra Nath Padmashree and Odia Sahitya Akademi award winning poet Dr. Haldhar Nag is popularly known as Lok Kabi, poet of common men, for his simplistic style, use of common man’s language , treatment of nature and for highlighting daily life activities. He is often compared to the revered odia poet […]
