Both were first composed in verse and, coming down the centuries in the ancient oral tradition, have deeply influenced the history, culture and arts of not only the Indian subcontinent but of most of South-East Asia. The Mahabharata tells of a Great War, and the events that lead upto it. The original Mahabharata in Sankrit is an epic poem of 100,000 couplets seven times as long as the Iliad and the Odyssey together.

    Still an integral part of India's cultural and religious expression, the Ramayana was originally composed by the Sanskrit poet Valmiki around 300 b.c. The epic of Prince Rama's betrayal, exile, and struggle to rescue his faithful wife, Sita, from the clutches of a demon and to reclaim his throne has profoundly affected the literature, art, and culture of South and Southeast Asia-an influence most likely unparalleled in the history of world literature, except, possibly, for the Bible. Throughout the centuries, countless versions of the epic have been produced in numerous formats and languages. But previous English versions have been either too short to capture the magnitude of the original; too secular in presenting what is, in effect, scripture; or dry, line-by-line translations. Now novelist Ramesh Menon has rendered the tale in lyrical prose that conveys all the beauty and excitement of the original, while making this spiritual and literary classic accessible to a new generation of readers.

    It maps a wide and often complicated terrain of historical happenings, their main players in groups and as individuals, and contexts that enable us to see the formation of a nation through documents of resistance and struggle, assimilation and rejection.

    Soon he was one of the family. From the winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award, a staggeringly beautiful and precise story about a Bengali family in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the impossibilities of love, and the unanticipated pleasures and complications of life in America.  “Hell-Heaven” is Jhumpa Lahiri’s ode to the intimate secrets of closest kin, from the acclaimed collection Unaccustomed Earth.  An eBook short.

    At the battle of Panipat five months later he routed the mammoth army of the Afghan ruler of Hindustan. Mughal rule in India had begun. It was to continue for over three centuries, shaping India for all time. Full of dramatic episodes and colourful detail, THE MUGHAL EMPIRE tells the story of one of the world's great empires.

    This monument would soon become known as the Taj Mahal - a sight famous around the world for its beauty and the emotions it symbolizes.Princess Jahanara, the courageous daughter of the emperor and his wife, recounts their mesmerizing tale, while sharing her own parallel story of forbidden love with the celebrated architect of the Taj Mahal. Set during a time of unimaginable wealth and power, murderous sibling rivalries, and cruel despotism, this impressive novel sweeps you away to a historical Hindustan brimming with action and intrigue in an era when, alongside the brutalities of war and oppression, architecture and the art of love and passion reached a pinnacle of perfection.

    Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar's statues are found in the most remote villages in the country, where they represent the aspirations of all Dalits. In this book, the author presents with empathy Ambedkar's struggle to become educated, overcome the stigma of untouchability and pursue his higher studies abroad.

    Piya Roy, a young American marine biologist of Indian descent, arrives in this lush, treacherous landscape in search of a rare species of river dolphin and enlists the aid of a local fisherman and a translator. Together the three of them launch into the elaborate backwaters, drawn unawares into the powerful political undercurrents of this isolated corner of the world that exact a personal toll as fierce as the tides.

    As he travels among Islamists and the emerging Hindu Muslim class in India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, Mishra explores the myths and places of the Buddha's life, the West's "discovery" of Buddhism, and the impact of Buddhist ideas on such modern politicians as Gandhi and Nelson Mandela. Mishra ultimately reaches an enlightenment of his own by discovering the living meaning of the Buddha's teaching, in this "unusually discerning, beautifully written, and deeply affecting reflection on Buddhism" (Booklist).

    The poems focus on the triangular island opposite Wayside Inn. Arun would sit for hours at a window table, gazing out at this stony stage. Anyone familiar with this part of Bombay will recognize the island, the pi-dogs, Jehangir Art Gallery’s pipe-smoking lavatory lady, the ubiquitous crow, the street-cleaners, and all the other open-air residents of Kala Ghoda. They are so familiar that they have become invisible. Who notices the tiny boy-child being bathed on the roadside? The little girl with the silver fig-leaf hiding her crotch? The acid-burned woman with the hideous face? When they crowd round a particularly rich-looking car at the traffic-lights the passengers ignore them, will them into invisibility again. But Arun had been watching them for a long time, and celebrated their lives from dawn to dusk and right round the year.

    Yet the projects he envisioned laid the foundation for the nation's development once it became independent. More extraordinary still, these institutions continue to set the pace for others in their respective areas. For, among his many achievements are the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, which has groomed some of the country's best scientists, the Tata Steel plant in Jamshedpur, which marked the country's transition from trading to manufacturing, his pioneering hydro-electric project, and the Taj Mahal hotel in Mumbai, one of the finest in the world. In these as in other projects he undertook, Jamsetji revealed the unerring instinct of a man who knew what it would take to restore the pride of a subjugated nation and help it prepare for a place among the leading nations of the world once it came into its own. The scale of the projects required abilities of a high order. In some cases it was sheer perseverance that paid off "as with finding a suitable site for the steel project. In others, such as the Indian Institute of Science, it was his exceptional persuasive skills and patience that finally got him the approval of a reluctant viceroy, Lord Curzon. In For the Love of India, R.M. Lala has drawn upon fresh material from the India Office Library in London and other archives, as also Jamsetji's letters, to portray the man and his age. It is an absorbing account that makes clear how remarkable Jamsetji's achievement truly was, and why, even now, one hundred years after his death, he seems like a man well ahead of the times.

    This account of his revelatory journey is a tumultuous love story, a spiritual odyssey, and a rollicking escapade all rolled up into one. Tarnoff is a fevered, risk-taking writer with an uncanny ability to render place. The Bone Man of Benares is a lunatic bird of a book, flapping, singing, soaring, often all at the same time. It's a wild-hearted celebration of cross-cultural discovery, a laugh-out-loud, delirious adventure that traverses the chasm of time, speaking to readers young and old about the universal need for connection.

    His life enables us to see God face to face. No one can read the story of his life without being convinced that God alone is real and that all else is an illusion.

    explores the journey of Gulzar, famed director, lyricist, screenplay writer, short story writers and what he first and foremost wants to be known as a poet! Meghna Gulzar, daughter of sahitya Akademi award winner Gulzar, has woven the life of her father between the barriers of the conventional pattern of a biography to present a book that marks the poet's life, career , personal reader will feel like an intrinsic part of Gulzar's life.

    He approaches the city from unexpected angles, taking us into the criminal underworld of rival Muslim and Hindu gangs; following the life of a bar dancer raised amid poverty and abuse; opening the door into the inner sanctums of Bollywood; and delving into the stories of the countless villagers who come in search of a better life and end up living on the sidewalks.

    He looks at Ghaffar Khan 'with the spectacles of today rather than those of 1947', emphasizing that for people in the twenty-first century who live in the shadow of September 11, Badshah Khan's unwavering commitment to nonviolence and Hindu-Muslim unity offers valuable lessons.

    The Portuguese arrive in Goa armed with guns, swords and crucifixes to the agricultural village of Adolshi, where Hindus have been living peacefully. A sense of foreboding fills them as tigers prowl, cow bones appear in wells, chariot wheels break on festival day. The Portuguese king has licenced Jesuits to take over and staunch white men move about preaching the word of the Son of God. Land is seized, families broken. But Padre Simao Peres is convinced that love and not force will bring about a change of heart. With the Inquisition looming like an axe over everyone s heads, a saga of choice plays out for the people of the village. Recounting a history forgotten to most people now, Mahabaleshwar Sail's epic novel, Age of Frenzy, documents a turbulent past of religious rifts, caste hierarchies and power shifts which changed the ethos of a significant part of the western coastline of India forever.

    India is a nation of 1.2 billion, but the country’s 100 richest people own assets equivalent to one-fourth of India’s gross domestic product.Capitalism: A Ghost Story examines the dark side of democracy in contemporary India, and shows how the demands of globalized capitalism has subjugated billions of people to the highest and most intense forms of racism and exploitation.

    B. R. Ambedkar’s Dalit movement for the first time. Focusing on the involvement of women in various Dalit struggles since the early twentieth century, the book goes on to consider the social conditions of Dalit women’s lives, daily religious practices and marital rules, the practice of ritual prostitution, and women’s issues. Drawing on diverse sources including periodicals, records of meetings, and personal correspondence, the latter half of the book is composed of interviews with Dalit women activists from the 1930s. These first-hand accounts from more than forty Dalit women make the book an invaluable resource for students of caste, gender, and politics in India. A rich store of material for historians of the Dalit movement and gender studies in India, We Also Made History remains a fundamental text of the modern women’s movement.

    Numerous anecdotes are the greatest strength of this important book. "He presents the transcultural Good News in culturally understandable ways for the India of the 21st century." -H. Stanley Wood, Center for New Church Development, Columbia Theological Seminary

    It studies how people are distributed over the earth, how they make their living from it, and how they transform it. Various geographical regions of the world have been discussed in eighteen chapters with detailed text on individual nations within each of these regions. Written in a logical, cogent and convincing style, the principles of brevity and clarity have been followed all through the book. Combining informative text with a wealth of the latest data, maps and illustrations, this attempt offer a comprehensive coverage of almost all the countries of the world in a single volume. It is hoped that this compact, yet wide-ranging, the account will be of immense help to the students and teachers alike. About The AuthorMajid Husain is former Professor of Geography, Jamia Millia Islamia (Central University), New Delhi. Having a high degree of commitment to teaching and research, Dr Husain has an unparalleled ability of simplifying the difficult concepts of geography and the capacity to analyze the enormous facts in a cogent manner.Dr Husain’s books, particularly Evolution of Geographical Thought, Human Geography, Systematic Agricultural Geography, Fundamentals of Physical Geography, Models in Geography and Geography of Jammu and Kashmir are widely acclaimed and accepted as text and reference books both in India and abroad.Table of Contents Africa North Africa Northeastern Africa West Africa West central Africa Southern Africa Asia Southwest Asia South Asia Southeast Asia East Asia Central Asia Europe North America Middle America South America Oceania Antarctica.SPECIFICATIONS OF WORLD GEOGRAPHY 4TH EDITION (PAPERBACK)CONTRIBUTORSAuthor Majid HusainBOOK DETAILSPublisher Rawat PublicationsPublication Year 2012ISBN-13 9788131605301ISBN-10 8131605302Language EnglishEdition 4th EditionBinding PaperbackNumber of Pages 432 Pages

    Yet while the forging of international borders between India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Burma (the 'Bengal Borderland') has been a core theme in Partition studies, these crucial borderlands have, remarkably, been largely ignored by historians. While South Asia is poorly represented in borderland studies, the study of South Asian borderlands appears indispensable because here a major and intensely contested experiment in twentieth-century border making took place. Without direct reference to the borderlands as a historical reality it is not possible to understand how post-colonial societies in South Asia developed, the extent to which South Asian economies actually became bounded by borders, or the ways in which national identities became internalized. In examining this crucial region, Willem van Schendel challenges existing assumptions about the nature of relationships between people, place, identity and culture, and raises particularly urgent questions in the context of globalization, with its predictions of the 'end of geography' and a borderless homogenous world. This book will interest historians, geographers, political scientists and economists, as well as South Asianists and migration experts, and will appeal to academics, students and practitioners.

    just after Babri Masjid. An excellent narrative, clear and thoughtful. a very unique volume that should be read by scholar and layperson alike

    She argues that the intersection of feminist politics, law, and the state often paradoxically and severely distorts important ethical and emancipatory impulses of feminism. Menon reviews historical challenges to the liberal notion of rights from Marxist, feminist, postcolonial, and critical legal scholars, and analyzes current Indian debates on topics including abortion, sexual violence, and Parliamentary quotas for women. Far from being a call to withdraw from the arena of law, Recovering Subversion instead urges feminists everywhere to recognize the limits of rights discourse and pleads for a politics that goes beyond its boundaries.

    Presented here is a small part of the musical legacy of one of the foremost families which has preserved and collected this ancient music and developed it to the highest standards: the Baba Allauddin Gharana of the Seni tradition. This volume introduces the great richness and variety of the different styles of music as taught by one of the century's greatest musicians, Ali Akbar Khan.

    Beginning by addressing the idea of a 'paradox of desire', whereby we must desire to end desire, the varieties of desire that are articulated in the Pali texts are examined. A range of views of desire, as found in Western thought, are presented as well as Hindu and Jain approaches. An exploration of the concept of ditthi(view or opinion) is also provided, exploring the way in which 'holding views' can be seen as analogous to the process of desiring. Other subjects investigated include the mind-body relationship, the range of Pali terms for desire, and desire's positive spiritual value. A comparative exploration of the various approaches completes the work.

    The first step is to perceive, perceive what you are thinking, perceive your ambition, perceive your anxiety, your loneliness, your despair, this extraordinary sense of sorrow, perceive it, without any condemnation, justification, without wishing it to be different. Just to perceive it, as it is. When you perceive it as it is, then there is a totally different kind of action taking place, and that action is the final action. Right? That is, when you perceive something as being false or as being true, that perception is the final action, which is the final step.'This book consists of the talks Krishnamurti have between December 1970 and January 1971. For those who have gone seriously into Krishnamurti teachings, this book offers strikingly new perspectives on man's ancient quest for self-knowledge.

    Idiomatic usage is also covered to create a dictionary that is easy to use.

    In 1990, psychiatrist and Amma devotee Dr. Janine Canan met Amma and, with Amma's blessing, began collecting quotations from Amma's public talks, personal dialogues, and songs. Here, Dr. Canan has translated Amma's beautiful and timeless words so that they are preserved and available for all. Included are themes such as “Love, the Cure,” “Surrendering the Ego,” and “Entering the Stream of Grace.” In all, MESSAGES FROM AMMA delivers the powerfully inspiring teachings of a modern-day saint—a woman whose very life is the incarnation of love.All author royalties are donated to Mata Amritanandamayi Center for charitable activities in India. For more information about Amma, visit www.amma.org. Amma has spoken at such prestigious conferences as the United Nation's Women's Peace Initiative, and she is the recipient of the 2002 Gandhi-King Non-Violence Award.Includes stunning, never-before-published full-color images of Amma.Reviews“A supernova of spirituality.” —Hinduism Today “The world today needs solid proof that our human values are useful. Amma's work in the field of spirituality as well as social service, provides us with the much needed proof.” —Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Prime Minister of India“Amma has comforted with her wonderful huggings . . . more than 21 million people. . . . She stands here before us: God's love in a human body.” —Jane Goodall, author of Reason for Hope“Ammachi is the embodiment of pure love. Her presence heals.” —Deepak Chopra, M.D., author of The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success“Amma's life is action, a cosmic gesture of acceptance through her capacity to give love to virtually everyone she encounters. There is no doubt this is precisely what the world needs in our age.” —Brother Wayne Teasdale, author of The Mystic Heart“Amma . . . is fast becoming a world-renowned spiritual leader like Mother Teresa and Mahatma Gandhi.” —Reuters “Amma's spiritual hugs and charitable works, including orphanages, women's shelters, hospices, and vocational education for the poor, have helped her to become what many . . . consider a living saint.” —Los Angeles TimesMessages from Amma: “Amma's warm, powerful words are gifts for people who need their spirits lifted.”—Voice of Asia. And Vision Magazine finds “This book is like Amma: beautiful and gentle in style, filled with purity of thought, and direct, simple words.”

    The essays included do not merely reflect his long-term political and moral concerns but are also a continuous intellectual challenge to us. In Bonfire of Creeds, as in his entire intellectual life, the two pivots of his work have remained the political psychology of violence and the cultural psychology of knowledge. Trained to explore the complexities of human subjectivity, Nandy has continued to explore the extremes of human destructiveness and human creativity and to use knowledge as a therapeutic intervention in society and politics. This collection, introduced by Gustavo Esteva and Madhu S. Prakash, gives the reader a comprehensive introduction to the democratic, post-secular sensitivities that shape Nandy's approach to transformative politics and his non-hierarchical, anti-technocratic ideas of people's knowledge.

    

    Among these, the portrayal of the Goddess is perhaps the most alluring. In just a few of her manifestations, she appears as a devoted wife, a master of the arts, a terrifying demon slayer, a scornful critic, a doting mother and a crafty lover stealing off into the night. The Vedic tradition, the beauty, power and grace of the Goddess is as one, with God, reflecting the universal truth that male and female are simply different expressions of one supreme, absolute truth. The stories of these and many other goddesses, spanning from the obscure to the iconic, are gathered here in a timeless celebration of Goddess imagery, symbolism and lore. The arresting, original portraits that accompany them complete this mythic repertoire with a stunning gallery of color, form and meaning.

    How, then, to account for the long-standing veneration, in Asian Buddhist communities, of bone fragments, hair, teeth, and other bodily bits said to come from the historic Buddha?Early European and American scholars of religion, influenced by a characteristic Protestant bias against relic worship, declared such practices to be superstitious and fraudulent, and far from the true essence of Buddhism.John Strong's book, by contrast, argues that relic veneration has played a serious and integral role in Buddhist traditions in South and Southeast Asia-and that it is in no way foreign to Buddhism.The book is structured around the life story of the Buddha, starting with traditions about relics of previous buddhas and relics from the past lives of the Buddha Sakyamuni. It then considers the death of the Buddha, the collection of his bodily relics after his cremation, and stories of their spread to different parts of Asia.The book ends with a consideration of the legend of the future parinirvana (extinction) of the relics prior to the advent of the next Buddha, Maitreya. Throughout, the author does not hesitate to explore the many versions of these legends and to relate them to their ritual, doctrinal, artistic, and social contexts.

    His enquiry into India, popularly known in its original Arabic version as Tarikhu'l Hind, is erudite and, as a historic chronicle of its kind, a classic. There is much in this chronicle that reads like fiction, while being at the same time an objective record of the history, character, manners and customs of India of that time.Sachau's well-known English translation of the classic has been used in this publication, but edited specially for a large and popular readership.

    

    Islamic regulation and statecraft in a predominately Hindu country required strategic shifts from the original Islamic injunctions. Islamic principles could not regulate beliefs in a vast country without accepting cultural limitations and limits on the exercise of power. As a result of cultural adaptation, Islam was in the end forced to reinvent its principles for religious rule. Acculturation also forced key Islamic terms to change so fundamentally that Indian Islam could be said to have acquired a character substantially different from the Islam practiced outside of India.

    This study examines Maratha military culture through a battle-by-battle analysis of the campaigns. Randolf Cooper challenges the ethnocentric assumptions that associate Western political ascendancy with "The Military Revolution" and argues that the real contest for India was the struggle to control the South Asian military economy, rather than a single decisive military battle. Victory depended more on economics and intelligence than on superiority in discipline, drill and technology.

    Aijaz Ahmad discusses the progress of neo-imperialism and the increasing influence of fascism in the third world societies and critically evaluates their resources – cultural, social and ideological.CONTENTSIntroduction to the Second EditionIntroduction to the First EditionOn the Ruins of Ayodhya: Communalist Offensive and Recovery of the SecularRight Wing Politics, and the Cultures of CrueltyGlobalization and Culture

    The update looks at recent nuclear dealings between India and the United States, including Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's 2005 visit to America. Under the highly controversial agreement that emerged, the United States would give India access to U.S. nuclear technology and conventional weapons systems. In exchange, India would place its civilian nuclear program under international monitoring and continue the ban on nuclear testing. Praise for the hardback edition "A fascinating study of how diplomatic dialogue can slowly broaden to include subtle considerations of the domestic politics and foreign policies of both countries involved." Foreign Affairs "An important addition to the literature of modern diplomatic history."—Choice "Detailed and revealing... an honest behind-the-scenes look at how countries make and defend policies.... A must-read for any student of diplomacy."—Outlook (India) "A rapidly engrossing work and a welcome addition to modern world history shelves."—Reviewer's Bookwatch "A highly engaging book; lucid, informative and at times, amusing."—International Affairs

    Examines the history of the Mughal presence in India from 1526to the mid-eighteenth centuryCreates a new framework for understanding the Mughal empire byaddressing themes that have not been explored before.Subtly traces the legacy of the Mughals' world intoday's India.

    All the factual aspects related to Shivaji Maharaj are described with due importance. The events covered give a realistic idea of Shivaji's life, performance and struggle for freedom(Swarajya). Shivaji's childhood, Afzalkhan episode, shaistekhan, relation with Jaising, visit to Agra, war with the Mughals, Coronation, Campaign of Jinji and the last two years before death of Shivaji are also property illustrated.

    Initially skeptical, Marshall was eventually persuaded by his research and travels that astrology not only contains the psychology of antiquity, but also offers profoundly modern insights into the workings of the mind. Astrology conveys important truths about the human character and the course of history, he argues, and can help us find our true place and purpose in the universe.

    By analyzing documentary sources as well as original field data, she examines the shaping of religious identities in South Asia, particularly in North India. The author argues that the perception of Islam and Hinduism as two monolithic and perpetually antagonistic faiths coexisting uneasily in South Asia has become so deeply ingrained that the complexity of the historical fabric is often overlooked or ignored. She demonstrates how the emergence of clear-cut categories is a comparatively recent phenomenon, and shows how the past is characterized by a remarkable fluidity and diversity in the social and religious milieus of the two faiths. In exploring the historical mechanisms that have led to the emergence and crystallization of religious identities the author sheds light on the increasing number of conflicts which threaten the harmonious co-existence of South Asian communities today.

    Robert Elgood seeks to fill this scholarly gap with Hindu Arms and Ritual, a new and richly illustrated study that examines pieces from the Tanjore Palace Armory in south India.Tanjore arms reveal a wealth of information about Hindu warrior society through the intricate and symbolic iconography carved on them. As Elgood shows, inscribed gods, goddesses, and sacred animals and plants infused the weaponry with divine powers of assistance. Drawing on evidence from various sources, such as ancient manuscripts and contemporary art, Elgood also challenges the commonly held opinion that most south Indian arms date from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Instead, he argues, many pieces were made during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and are attributable to the Vijayanagara and Nayaka courts. This beautifully illustrated work is an invaluable contribution to the historical study of Indian arms and material culture.

    

    In particular, the destruction of the Babri Masjid in 1992 raised a number of urgent questions relating to desecration of temples in India's medieval period.

    In the first book, Cohn traced the development of Indian civilization by combining historical and anthropological approaches to the subject and provided a framework by example for the study of any complex society. The second book has become a legend of sorts, cited extensively in glowing terms by a whole host of scholars, who have taken the essays in this book to be a starting point for a methodology which combines the historical and anthropological approaches. The third title is a brilliant collection of Cohn's writings from the last fifteen years, discussing areas in which the colonial impact has generally been overlooked.

    It is designed to meet the needs of readers looking for an accessible overview of broad trends in Indian economy, polity, religion, culture and kinship structures. The Handbook has five main sections. In the first of these, the reader is introduced to the field of sociological study in India. Subsequent sections cover demographic features including ecology and urban migration; India's religious and cultural landscape; the alliance between family and state; economic structure; and politics.