Kankal [Eyes]

One of the only two completed novels by the famous poet and playwright Jaishankar Prasad, Titli is a ‘social novel’ that addresses themes of feudalism, poverty and oppression of women. First published in 1933, this novel is a part of the ‘progressive’ phase of Hindi literature where various writers were creating works to reform and improve society.  

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।

Maati hee vinaashleela bani aur ussi maati se fhir mila punarjeevan. 1999 mein Odisha mein ek aisa bhayankar cyclone aaya jo uttari mahasagar mein abhi tak ka sabse vinaashkari cyclone tha. Samudra ka paani tatt ko paar kar 35 kilometer andar tak pahuch kar Jagatsinhpur zile ke tamaam gaaon ko tahas-nahas kar gaya aur anumaan hai ki 50,000 logon ki ismein jaan gayi.

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.  

Meri Priya Kahaniyaan contains the favourite stories by the fierce and celebrated poet Amrita Pritam, selected by her. Amrita Pritam, the first female Punjabi poet, novelist, and essayist, and the leading voice of 20th-century Indian literature, was awarded Jnanpith in the year 1982. She authored more than a hundred compositions and has left a special mark in the stories, just like her poems, which are about female sexuality, self-realisation and the pain of loss at a time when women mostly wrote on conservative themes.

A young girl was forced to marry a widower of her father's age, who has three sons from his former wife. The plot unfolds to reveal her husband’s suspicion of a relationship between her and his eldest stepson, a suspicion that leads to the death of many family members and destroys the family. 

Sachchidananda Hirananda Vastyayana ‘Agyeya’ (Ajneya) is an important poet and writer of the ‘adhunik kaal’ (modern period) of Hindi literature. Meri Priya Kahaniyan (My Favourite Stories) is an anthology of 12 of his selected stories, where after 15 years of hiatus, he revisits his old writings as an exercise to reflect on questions of audience reception, truth and the position of a writer vis-à-vis the world he inhabits and the world that he creates.

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.

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.

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.

For me travelling is like that constant feeling of retrospection and soul searching inside of me. For some reason, stories of people from faraway lands make my mind anxious and my brain go into a frenzy. It has been mentioned innumerable times that happiness cannot be found outside of you; it is inside of you - in one’s heart. Even then we go out in search of happiness - either through materialistic possessions or through someone else’s existence. 

This Hindi play by Mohan Rakesh debuted in 1958 and is considered the first modern Hindi play. The play received a Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for best play in 1959. Before this play was written, Hindi plays were either idealistic or didactic, devoid of any connection with contemporary reality; above all their language remained the language of literature, which wasn't suitable for the stage. This play changed it all. Mohan Rakesh went on to write two more plays and left one unfinished at the time of his death in 1972.

Mirza Ghalib was an Urdu poet who is known for his unique and smooth style of writing. This book is a compilation of the events which happened throughout his life, along with few of the poems written by him. The poems in this book are an ideal listen for people who are fascinated by Urdu poetry but do not understand the nastaliq, the script in which Urdu is written.  

Mustaq Ahmed Yusufi Urdu ke jaane-maane lekhak the, jinki vyang rachnaayein apna ek alag sthaan rakhti hai. 1990 mein likhe unke upanyaas aabe-gum ka yeh Hindi anuvaad hai. Tufail Chaturvedi ne iska anuvaad aisi sehaj bhasha mein kiya hai ki padhte hue lagta hai maano yeh hindi ki hee moolkriti ho. 

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.