The Magic Key is a series of folktales retold by India's third president Dr Zakir Husain. "For all children," he wrote, "the first books they read are the key to the magic of the world." Translated into English by the author's great-granddaughter, Samina Mishra, these books will delight anyone learning to read for the first time, and are perfect for parents and teachers to read aloud. With colourful illustrations and simple text, they can unlock the wonderful
The first in a detective series that “immediately joins the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency as representing the best in international cozies” (Booklist, starred review). Meet Vish Puri, India’s most private investigator. Portly, persistent, and unmistakably Punjabi, he cuts a determined swath through modern India’s swindlers, cheats, and murderers. In hot and dusty Delhi, where call centers and malls are changing the ancient fabric of Indian life, Puri’s main work comes from screening prospective marriage partners, a job once the preserve of aunties and family priests. But when an honest public litigator is accused of murdering his maidservant, it takes all of Puri’s resources to investigate. With his team of undercover operatives—Tubelight, Flush, and Facecream—Puri combines modern techniques with principles of detection established in India more than two thousand years ago, and reveals modern India in all its seething complexity.
“Sri Jagannath Puri” by author HG Sarvasakshi Das is a captivating exploration of the spiritual and cultural significance of the sacred city of Puri, India, home to the revered Jagannath Temple. This insightful book delves into the temple’s rich history, rituals, and traditions, offering readers a comprehensive understanding of its profound importance in Hinduism. It serves as a spiritual guide for those seeking to connect with the divine in this sacred pilgrimage destination.
An account of the architecture, sculpture, paintings and associated festivals of the great Vaisṇava shrine of Jagannatha at Puri in Orissa, on the east coast of India, together with a new analysis of the origin of the icons of the Triad.
The book is about lord Jagannatha - the established god of Hindus and His temple at Puri known as Badadeula. The book is for general reading for those interested to know about lord Jagannatha and His temple at Puri and not a historical treatise. Many of the descriptions and anecdotes in it are from the epics, legends and folktales that may or may not have historical relevance. But at the same time, they are interesting facts about lord Jagannatha since ages. The book with the captioned name is divided into four chapters (1) Lord Jagannatha, (2) The Temple - Badadeula, (3) The Festivals of Jagannatha and (4) Mahaprasada. (the food offerings to Jagannatha). The eight annexes deal with (i) Important temples in Puri, (ii) Important mathas (monasteries) in Puri, (iii) Different beshas (costumes/dresses) of Jagannatha, (iv) Important festivals in Badadeula, (v) Fables and facts about Jagannatha,(vi) Invasion on Puri and Badadeula by Afghans and Moguls (vii) Salient facts and figures about Badadeula and Puri and (viii) Places of interest in and around Puri.
This rich ethnography in a rural village in North Bali illuminates the construction of desire by exploring cultural practices regarding courtship and marriage, motherhood, and connubial fidelity. The way these cornerstones of daily life are played out in the alternative arenas of tourism and illness highlight pervasive gender disparities in the expression of sexuality. By allowing key informants to tell their stories in their own voices and by skillfully interweaving fictionalized interludes, the author gives us not only a rigorously researched ethnography but an intimate and fully realized portrait of Balinese women's innermost desires.
A sampler from each title in Hall’s fun, exotic, mystery series, about which Andrew McCall Smith says, “These books are little gems. They are beautifully written, amusing, and intensely readable.” An honest public litigator is accused of murdering his maidservant in The Case of the Missing Servant; the Hindu goddess Kali comes down to earth and murders a laughing scientist in The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing; and the father of the most prominent cricket player in India dies at a feast in The Case of the Deadly Butter Chicken. In each of these unique, humorous mysteries, the beloved Most Private Investigator, Vish Puri, sets out to get to the bottom of these witty whodunits, with many a hiccup along the way.
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Salt to the Sea and Between Shades of Gray comes a gripping, extraordinary portrait of love, silence, and secrets under a Spanish dictatorship. Madrid, 1957. Under the fascist dictatorship of General Francisco Franco, Spain is hiding a dark secret. Meanwhile, tourists and foreign businessmen flood into Spain under the welcoming promise of sunshine and wine. Among them is eighteen-year-old Daniel Matheson, the son of an oil tycoon, who arrives in Madrid with his parents hoping to connect with the country of his mother's birth through the lens of his camera. Photography--and fate--introduce him to Ana, whose family's interweaving obstacles reveal the lingering grasp of the Spanish Civil War--as well as chilling definitions of fortune and fear. Daniel's photographs leave him with uncomfortable questions amidst shadows of danger. He is backed into a corner of difficult decisions to protect those he loves. Lives and hearts collide, revealing an incredibly dark side to the sunny Spanish city. Master storyteller Ruta Sepetys once again shines light into one of history's darkest corners in this epic, heart-wrenching novel about identity, unforgettable love, repercussions of war, and the hidden violence of silence--inspired by the true postwar struggles of Spain. Includes vintage media reports, oral history commentary, photos, and more. Praise for The Fountains of Silence "Spain under Francisco Franco is as dystopian a setting as Margaret Atwood’s Gilead in Ruta Sepetys’s suspenseful, romantic and timely new work of historical fiction . . . Like [Shakespeare's family romances], 'The Fountains of Silence' speaks truth to power, persuading future rulers to avoid repeating the crimes of the past." --The New York Times Book Review “Full of twists and revelations…an excellent story, and timely, too.” --The Wall Street Journal "A staggering tale of love, loss, and national shame." --Entertainment Weekly * "[Sepetys] tells a moving story made even more powerful by its placement in a lesser-known historical moment. Captivating, deft, and illuminating historical fiction." --Booklist, *STARRED REVIEW* * "This gripping, often haunting historical novel offers a memorable portrait of fascist Spain." --Publishers Weekly, *STARRED REVIEW* * "This richly woven historical fiction . . . will keep young adults as well as adults interested from the first page to the last." --SLC, *STARRED REVIEW* * "Riveting . . . An exemplary work of historical fiction." --The Horn Book, *STARRED REVIEW*
