Malhar wants to be a famous tabla player. But why do tabla players always sit to one side of the stage? Are they not important enough? Malhar wants answers--and he wants to sit in the middle!
Chitti loves reading. But there are just not enough books in her village and some of her friends think they are boring! Can Chitti make them change their minds?
At twelve, he was King of Fergana. At fifteen, he was King of Samarkand. And at nineteen, he was King of Exactly Nowhere. This is the story of Babur, the first Mughal emperor of Hindustan. It is based on the Babur Nama, in which Babur writes about the events in his life, and of the people and things he loved or hated. Descended from two legendary conquerors, Chenghis Khan and Amir Temur, Babur spent much of early life losing kingdoms, wandering through the Uzbek mountains and almost living the life of a vagabond. This is the story of the strange and wonderful things the future brought to him. Lavishly illustrated in Mughal miniature style paintings, this action-packed tale of this legend, king and adventurer will fascinate children and their parents alike.
A visitor mistakes Ritu’s bird call for an ostrich’s and wants to see the bird. But there are no ostriches on Henry Island! where will Ritu find one to show him?
As India approaches its seventieth year of Independence, its people continue to grapple with multiple discourses: a few from the left, a considerable sum from the right and an impressive lot from the centre. This book brings together diverse views from people across a wide spectrum of life-politicians, activists, administrators, artistes, academicians-who offer their idea of India. With a contextual introduction by Nidhi Razdan, this politically charged, argumentative, candid and humorous book opens a window to our understanding of India that largely remained untold and unknown for a long time.
Why did pirates covet maps more than gold? Does Mars sometimes slip into reverse gear? Can trees reveal secrets of the past? There are millions of facts that we know about the world-that the earth is round, that birds migrate and that dinosaurs once roamed the planet. But how do we know what we know? Regaling us with tales of remarkable men and women who didn't rest until they got the answers they sought, Shruthi Rao chronicles the stories behind the discoveries and inventions we take for granted today. This book, in fifty marvellous accounts, tells us of the sense of mystery and wonder that propel scientists to find solutions to the puzzling problems of the world around us.
A great library is freedom. And that freedom must not be compromised. It must be available to all who need it, and that's everyone, when they need it, and that's always.'--Ursula le Guin Libraries. We love them. Tyrants tremble before them. There are children in the world desperate for them, and people who are willing to put their own lives at risk to save them. In this book, you'll discover the oldest libraries, and the largest ones. You'll find libraries in battlefields, in Antarctica and even in space. You'll come across libraries in boats, on the backs of donkeys and elephants, and in telephone booths. And you will meet amazing people who will do almost anything to take libraries to people who need them In this celebration of libraries, Shruthi Rao and Anuradha Jagalur bring together inspiring and fascinating stories to delight all those who love books and libraries