Ashwathama

The story of Yayati is perhaps one of the most intriguing and fascinating episodes of Mahabharata. Yayati was a great scholar and one of the noblest rulers of olden times. He followed the shastras and was devoted to the welfare of his subjects. Even the king of gods, Indra, held him in high esteem. Married to seductively beautiful Devyani, in love with her maid Sharmishtha, and father of five sons from two women, Yayati unabashedly declared, 'My lust for pleasure is unsatisfied'. His quest for the carnal continued.

The second book in the Ajaya series, Kali ka Uday tells the story of the vanquished in the epic war Mahabharata. The book narrates the story from the point of view of the Kauravas. The story starts with the Kaurava prince Duryodhana challenging Krishna before the apocalyptic war breaks out. The author describes a city waiting with bated breadth for the outcome of the war. While women, noblemen, priests and humble beings helplessly watch the war and its consequences unfold in front of them, the greedy traders circle the skies in anticipation of what's to come next.

The story of Ravana and his people has been told innumerable times. This is the Hindi translation of the number one national best seller. This saga is of victory and defeat - a story that has been tainted by India's oppressed and exploited caste for 3,000 years. Unlike the Ramayana, the story of Ravana has never been told so far. But now it's time to speak for the dead and the defeated. 

The Mahabharata endures as the great epic of India. But while Jaya is the story of the Pandavas, told from the perspective of the victors of Kurukshetra, Ajaya is the narrative of the ‘unconquerable’ Kauravas, who were decimated to the last man. At the heart of India’s most powerful empire, a revolution is brewing. Bhishma, the noble patriarch of Hastinapura, is struggling to maintain the unity of his empire. On the throne sits Dhritarashtra, the blind King, and his foreign-born Queen - Gandhari.

The multi-dimensional aspect of the characters found in the Hindu spiritual world is unlike any other. The Hindu Gods and Goddesses embody both positive as well as negative characteristics. Bhartiya Pauranik Kathaein discusses how these opposing energies are valued equally in the Hindu worldview and how they balance out over time. Not only does this book reveal the essence of the Hindu worldview but also helps interpret ancient stories to inform the contemporary generation.

द्रौपदी महाभारत ही नहीं, भारतीय जीवन तथा संस्कृति का एक अत्यन्त विलक्षण और महत्वपूर्ण चिरत्र है-परन्तु साहित्य ने अब तक उसे प्रायः छुआ नहीं था।

In the Republic of Vaishali - which comprises eight different states and is run by their elected representatives - lives the beautiful Ambapali. Considered to be the most beautiful woman in the whole republic, she is eventually forced to dedicate herself to the republic as a Nagarvadhu (literally, the wife of the city). She, however, demands various privileges in exchange for this and is granted all of them by the authorities, with the condition that she must fulfil her duties well.  

In this sparkling collection of stories, India’s best-known writer addresses some pertinent questions: Why do we believe in miracles? Can a horoscope guarantee the perfect wife? Is the Kamasutra a useful manual for newlyweds? Margaret Bloom arrives in Haridwar from New York to save her soul. But she soon discovers that there are temptations even on the banks of the holy Ganga.

The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, often shortened to Hamlet , is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1602. Set in Denmark, the play depicts Prince Hamlet and his revenge against his uncle, Claudius, who has murdered Hamlet's father in order to seize his throne and marry Hamlet's mother. Hamlet is Shakespeare's longest play and is considered among the most powerful and influential works of world literature, with a story capable of "seemingly endless retelling and adaptation by others".

Shiva, ‘the destroyer’ among the Hindu trinity (of gods), is depicted in many contradictory manners. He is an ascetic who wears animal skin, his body smeared with ashes. Contradictory to his wild nature, he is also depicted as having a family, with a beautiful wife and two children. There are many more such varied representations of Shiva, the most prominent of these being the Linga and the Nataraja. The author, Devdutt Pattanaik, introduces listeners to these varied aspects and representations and then sets about interpreting them.

The year is 340 BC. A hunted, haunted Brahmin youth vows revenge for the gruesome murder of his beloved father. Cold, calculating, cruel and armed with a complete absence of accepted morals, he becomes the most powerful political strategist in Bharat and succeeds in uniting a ragged country against the invasion of the army of that demigod Alexander the Great. Pitting the weak edges of both forces against each other, he pulls off a wicked and astonishing victory and succeeds in installing Chandragupta on the throne of the mighty Mauryan empire.

In 1707, when Emperor Aurangzeb went to his grave, the Mughal empire began to crack into a hundred fractured pieces. It was the lure of the Deccan that drained this conqueror’s energies, putting him on a course of collision with his most threatening adversaries. After all, the Deccan was a land that inspired wonder. Its treasures were legendary, and its kings magnificent. It was a horizon of rousing adventure, attracting talent from beyond oceans.

2017, Delhi – Vidyut’s dying ancestor summons him to Banaras. The old Brahmin chieftain of the Dev-Raakshasa Matth, or the God-Demon Clan, bears a chilling secret. Their bloodline carries an ancient curse that will plague mankind - towards its own violent extinction. 1700 BCE, Harappa – Harappa is a magnificent city on the banks of the mighty Saraswati river. The darkness of treachery, taantric exorcism and bloodshed unleashes itself on the last devta, paving the way for his devastating revenge…and the horrifying truth behind the fall of the glorious civilisation.

It is a popular belief that the Ramayana is idealistic while the Mahabharata is realistic. Yet these two epics have identical building blocks, identical themes and identical history. In this groundbreaking book, Devdutt Pattanaik, India’s most popular mythologist, explores the similarities and dissimilarities between the two epics in a ‘playful analysis’. Whether it is the family structure, forest exile or war, the comparison between the two epics proves a startling point - the Mahabharata is in fact a reaction to the events in the Ramayana.

Dark Horse is one of the most popular novels of this decade written in Hindi. Such a live and vivid portrayal of the life of candidates preparing for the civil services examination in the Hindi medium were not focused in any other book to date. A candidate preparing for the country's highest honored examination is not only an aspirant but also has a multifaceted lifestyle and struggles in his lap. This is the story of the same struggle.