Draupadi (Hindi Edition)

Strange as it may appear, Draupadi, the most accomplished heroine of the Mahabharata, happens to be the most suffering, most sacrificing, and yet most misunderstood character from the epic. Though counted among the five supremely virtuous women, honoured as pancha sati in mythology, the name Draupadi still bears stigma and is often contemptuously uttered by people in society as the woman who brought about the greatest war of all time. Pratibha Ray makes a determined effort to present a balanced portrayal of the epic character.

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.

This is a collection of some of the best stories selected by the Nobel Prize winner Rabindranath Tagore. 

1699 BCE, the Marshes of Aryavarta – As the titanic waves of pralay swallow city after city, a final battle for the Ark and the Earth begins. A ruthless barbarian-king threatens the very existence of mankind, heralding Kaliyuga - the eon of Kali. 2017, Banaras – A sacred nakshatra erupts in the night sky as the fateful, prophesied hour arrives. A God-sacrifice turns into a horrific raakshasa-bali, even as the devta uncovers the bloodstained chronicles of a sinister Brotherhood.

The story of Devangana is set in a 12th-century town named Vikramshila, situated in modern-day Bihar. The protagonist of the book is Divodas, who is the son of a local lord named Dhananjay. One day Divodas decides to give up his ancestral wealth and leave his family to become a Buddhist monk. This inflicts great pain upon his parents and the father-like figure Sukhdas. Upon arrival at the Buddhist monastery, he experiences the injustice and hypocrisy prevailing there. Then he decides to revolt against it, and he is thrown into the jail of the monastery for this.

A perfect college. Three imperfect students. A caring hostel. Three careless mates. The decisive years. Three ignorant souls. A bomb blast and a close shave. Welcome to life through the gate of BHU.

It is an irony of fate that despite being an extremely important and immortal character in the saga of Mahabharata, Ashwatthama has always been neglected. There are other characters in puranic literature, including Ashwatthama, who are considered immortal. But where other characters have received immortality in the form of a boon, Ashwatthama received in the form of a curse! 

In Meri Gita, acclaimed mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik demystifies The Bhagavad Gita for the contemporary listener. His unique approach - thematic rather than verse-by-verse - makes the ancient treatise eminently accessible.In a world that seems spellbound by argument over dialogue, vi-vaad over sam-vaad, Devdutt highlights how Krishna nudges Arjuna to understand rather than judge his relationships. This becomes relevant today when we are increasingly indulging and isolating the self.

From a renowned historian comes a groundbreaking narrative of humanity’s creation and evolution - a number one international best seller - that explores the ways in which biology and history have defined us and enhanced our understanding of what it means to be “human”.

Anne Frank’s Diary of a Young Girl is one of the most memorable books in the face of the holocaust that Nazi Germany and its collaborators unleashed on European Jews between 1941 and 1945 across German-occupied Europe. Anne Frank was a German-born Jew hiding in Amsterdam with her family in 1942 when Nazis occupied Holland. She started keeping a diary in hiding - a diary she’d received for her 13th birthday from her parents.

Kurukshetra is a Hindi classic. It gives an extraordinary account of the Kurukshetra war mentioned in the Mahabharata. It describes in vivid details the armed confrontation that took place between the Pandavas and the Kauravas. This bloody war lasted eighteen days. The author's own views on war are showcased in this work. He criticizes war but also admits that it is a necessary evil. It describes the demerits of war and the damage it does to mankind, through the medium of poetry.

Kitne Pakistan? is a 2000 Hindi novel by Kamleshwar, a noted 20th-century Hindi writer. A pioneer of the Nayi Kahani (New Story) movement of the 1950s, and later a screenwriter for Hindi cinema, Kamleshwar’s novel, employing allegory and realism, deals with a vast expanse of human history, as it follows the rise of sectarianism, nationalism, Hindutva and communalism. Kitne Pakistan? casts doubts about the true motives of the people who make decision on behalf of and for common people, who throughout history have been bearing the brunt of their decision.

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.  

Three thousand years ago, deep inside the forests of India, a great 'thought- revolution' was brewing. In those forest labs, the brightest scientist-philosophers contemplated the universe and reflected upon the already-ancient texts called the Vedas, gaining some startling insights into questions that we still have no watertight answers to. This joyful, fun guide to some of India's most enduring and secular wisdoms, reinterpreted for first-time explorers by author Roopa Pai, is guaranteed to keep you listening.  

This inspiring tale provides a step-by-step approach to living with greater courage, balance, abundance and joy. A wonderfully crafted fable, The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari tells the extraordinary story of Julian Mantle, a lawyer forced to confront the spiritual crisis of his out-of-balance life.