"Peregrine falcons are hunters, the fastest creatures in the world. But when Talon is locked in a cage--his wings stilled forever--his mighty heart and spirit are broken. He bemoans the loss of his wings, crooning the song all caged birds sing. No bird or squirrel anywhere in the world would ever dream of rescuing a falcon. But in the Rose Garden lives a squirrel like no other. Shikar the squirrel, a kind-hearted creature, is friends with the birds of the garden. His tiny heart bleeds for Talon and the terrible fate that has befallen him. And late one night, Shikar and his bird friends mount a daring rescue attempt."--Page [4] of cover.
Peregrine falcons are hunters, the fastest creatures in the world. But when Talon is locked in a cage—his wings stilled forever—his mighty heart and spirit are broken. He bemoans the loss of his wings, crooning the song all caged birds sing. No bird or squirrel anywhere in the world would ever dream of rescuing a falcon. But in the Rose Garden lives a squirrel like no other. Shikar, the squirrel, a kind-hearted creature, is friends with the birds of the garden. His tiny heart bleeds for Talon and the terrible fate that has befallen him. And late one night, Shikar and his bird friends mount a daring rescue attempt.
WELCOME TO STORK-PUR, THE PLACE OF NO RETURN One moonlit night, when Shikar, the squirrel, asks his favourite doves, Lovey and Dovey, to tell him a story, they recount their time at Stork-pur, a mysterious bird commune. A place no bird would ever want to visit. On a secret mission, the doves are taken hostage by a villainous stork whose dark plan is to rule the bird-world. Danger lurks in every corner of the caves the doves are imprisoned in, and they wonder whom they can trust? The talkative green pigeon, the mesmerizing whistling thrush or the magnificent golden eagle? The feather-raising adventure ends finally in a story the doves dub as 'the story of all stories'–one that deeply affects Shikar and alters his notions of himself, his past and his origins. Return to the Rose Garden to read about the enthralling capers of your favourite feathered friends and bird-squirrel, as they swap stories of daring and wonder.
The city is home to beautiful rose-coloured flamingos that feed in its creeks and mudflats. But when one among them, Sunglow, disappears, the skybird Longtail is called in to investigate. Rumour has it that the seagulls and the crows are behind the bird-napping, and Longtail zeroes in on two possible suspects—Skull, the brash seagull, and S-Crow, the tough and ruthless leader of the crows. But will the brave skybird be a match for them? Can he find the missing flamingo before sundown, or will he face a most terrible consequence? Return to the ledges of the fountain in the Rose Garden to read about the enthralling capers of your favourite feathered friends and bird-squirrel as they swap stories of daring and wonder.
‘A literary heavyweight’—Indian Express In these bold, wry and ebullient stories, Meera’s astonishing range of narrative techniques is on full display as she expertly lays bare the faultlines behind the façade of everyday life, sometimes with dark humour and sometimes with astoundingly bitter sadness.
My Snowdrop is rare, he is exotic. He is the most wonderful squirrel in the whole wide world. I want my squirrel back.' The Rose Garden's beloved squirrel, Shikar-Snowdrop to young Mitalee-has vanished without a trace. No one can find him! Last seen in the company of a paradise flycatcher-a stunning bird with a long white tail-he has left no other trail. So, to save their friend, the loyal bird gang must fly to distant forests to track down the glamorous creature, who might just be able to help. Return to the ledges of the fountain in the Rose Garden to read about the enthralling capers of your favourite feathered friends and bird-squirrel as they swap stories of daring and wonder.
Do you think Indian history is boring? Check out what these ancient reporters had to say about our country many centuries ago. In his book, Indika, Megasthenes, a Greek traveller, wrote about giant meat-eating ants that dug for gold in mines somewhere in eastern India! Hiuen Tsang, from China, was witness to an assassination attempt on King Harshavardhana at a religious gathering. The Venetian Marco Polo described how the people of Kashmir could use charms to change the weather and bring about darkness. Athanasius Nikitin, from Russia, was amazed by the sultan of Bidar, who went hunting accompanied by 10,000 men on horseback, 50,000 on foot, 200 elephants, 100 dancers, 300 horses, 100 monkeys and 100 concubines! Read astonishing stories about India written by explorers who came to the country as pilgrims, students, traders, voyagers and fortune-seekers from the 3rd century BC till the mid-twentieth century. These visitors left behind fascinating accounts of their perilous journeys in an unknown land; descriptions of what the people ate, wore and thought; who ruled them and how; the strange animals of this land, and many more startling facts which are often the only written historical records of those times. Filled with incredible stories and nuggets of information, In the Country of Gold-digging Ants brings alive the exciting adventures of eleven intrepid men and women, and may just make history your most favourite subject!
It s 2006 and George Bush is about to come to India on state visit. As part of histour, armed with the knowledge that 70 per cent of India is below thirty, he asks to meet one youngIndian achiever who represents the new face of the nation. The US consulate shortlists India Today s six top Indian achievers under thirty. They are astockbroking genius, unfortunately named Kapil Dev, a possibly lesbian novelist, the CEO of alipstick company, a not-for-profit activist with sexist views, a call center owner who once lived inAmerica, and a Microsoft programmer who likes the ladies. The winner will be selected through a round of tests, each more absurd than the other. The nextday, the President will shake their hand among a long line of waiting Indian luminaries. And all sixcandidates are desperate to win-some are even prepared to sell their soul for it. Who will come outfirst? Smart, slick, and sarcastic, The President is Coming is a searing comedy that captures the pulse ofthe nation like no other book has.
An original, provocative and compelling reading of the subcontinent’s history In this remarkable study, well-known biographer Rajmohan Gandhi, underscoring the prominence in the Mahabharata of the revenge impulse, follows its trajectory in South Asian history. Side by side, he traces the role played by reconcilers up to present times, like the Buddha, Mahavira and Asoka. Encompassing myth and historical fact, the author moves from the circumstances of Drona’s death and Parasurama’s slaying of the Kshatriyas to the burst of Islam in India and Akbar’s success in gaining acceptance for it, the executions of Guru Arjan Dev and Guru Tegh Bahadur, and Shivaji’s achievement of self-rule. His explanation of the 1947 division of India identifies the role of the 1857 Rebellion in shaping Gandhi’s thinking and strategy, and reflects on the wounds of Partition. The survey of post-Independence India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka also touches upon the tragic bereavements of six of their women leaders. Incisive and finely argued, Revenge and Reconciliation compels us to confront historical and contemporary realities of intolerance, while pointing to possible strategies of mutual accommodation in India and the rest of South Asia at the threshold of the twenty-first century.
