Category: Books

Prarambh – The Beginning by Gangadhar Gadgil (translated by Arvind Dixit)

August 31, 2015

The National Book Trust brings out an interesting series called Aadaan- Pradaan (interchange/ give and take). As the name suggests, the objective of the series is to introduce well-known works (mainly novels or collection of short stories) of a particular region/ language to people from other regions to foster national integration. This is a valuable … More Prarambh – The Beginning by Gangadhar Gadgil (translated by Arvind Dixit)

Gaata Rahe Mera Dil – 50 Classic Film Songs – Anirudha Bhattacharjee and Balaji Vittal

July 11, 2015

A couple of weeks back, I saw a tweet announcing an upcoming book that piqued my curiosity. I wanted to get my hands on it right then. The book was titled Gaata Rahe Mera Dil, a compilation of 50 classic Hindi film songs from the period 1935 to 1993. And it had a still of Nutan and Dev Anand on … More Gaata Rahe Mera Dil – 50 Classic Film Songs – Anirudha Bhattacharjee and Balaji Vittal

The Upstairs Wife – An Intimate History of Pakistan by Rafia Zakaria

June 29, 2015

December 27, 2007 is still fresh in my memories. Just after Christmas, and a day off from work, my husband and I had finished watching a Dutch movie after a sumptuous meal, and were looking out at the canal outside our apartment in Amsterdam. It was then his smartphone beeped – one of those news alerts. This … More The Upstairs Wife – An Intimate History of Pakistan by Rafia Zakaria

Karna’s Wife – The Outcast Queen by Kavita Kane

June 23, 2015

It is no surprise that the Mahabharata has spawned numerous versions and retellings in different languages over the years. The world’s longest poem, this Sanskrit epic has a complex narrative structure that comprises of stories within stories within stories. It is indeed such a vast epic that no matter which version/ retelling one reads, one learns something … More Karna’s Wife – The Outcast Queen by Kavita Kane

Give Me the Moon (Mujhe Chand Chahiye) by Surendra Verma (Transl. By Pramila Garg)

April 19, 2015

Had I seen the cover of this book in Hindi, I would never have picked it up. Typically reminiscent of the lurid, racy pocket books sold in book stalls at railway stations, this cover features an image of the sultry, sensuous Urmila Matondkar with her hand raised, transposed on to the jazzy blue background so that it conveys … More Give Me the Moon (Mujhe Chand Chahiye) by Surendra Verma (Transl. By Pramila Garg)

The Sun’s Seventh Horse (Suraj Ka Satvaan Ghoda, by Dr Dharamvir Bharati transl. by Ajneya)

April 9, 2015

In the good old days when Doordarshan was the only channel we had, there was an art film called Suraj Ka Satvaan Ghoda that was aired. It remained etched in my memory mainly because it was made by the master film-maker, Shyam Benegal and it starred Rajit Kapoor, the underrated actor who immortalised Byomkesh Bakshi on TV. The movie … More The Sun’s Seventh Horse (Suraj Ka Satvaan Ghoda, by Dr Dharamvir Bharati transl. by Ajneya)

Gunahon Ka Devta by Dharamvir Bharati (Chander and Sudha, transl. by Poonam Saxena)

March 20, 2015

There was a Hindi movie made in 1990 called Gunahon ka Devta. Starring Mithun Chakraborty and Sangeeta Bijlani, it was a typical late 80s B-grade action movie – about an honest police inspector getting falsely implicated for a crime he never committed and his son taking revenge and bashing up the baddie. For a long time, I was under the … More Gunahon Ka Devta by Dharamvir Bharati (Chander and Sudha, transl. by Poonam Saxena)

Durgeshnandini – Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyaya (Transl. Arunava Sinha)

March 15, 2015

Last month, at the Book Fair, I came across a book that refreshed many memories. I studied English literature, back in those days when English literature meant British literature only. So studying Indian literature in English or any other language was out of question. But there were many professors who would try to educate us, and … More Durgeshnandini – Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyaya (Transl. Arunava Sinha)

Tithidore or When The Time is Right – Buddhadeva Bose (translated by Arunava Sinha)

February 16, 2015

I do not make new year resolutions. However one ‘resolution’ I made this year, if it can be called that, is to read as much Indian writing in regional languages as possible. So, am attacking my pile of books quite religiously to find such gems and read them. An unintended (but not entirely unwanted) consequence of this renewed vigour … More Tithidore or When The Time is Right – Buddhadeva Bose (translated by Arunava Sinha)