At 15, she moves to the home of a "liberal" uncle in Lucknow. Here, during the 1930s, as the struggle for independence sharpens, Laila is surrounded by relatives and university friends caught up in politics. But Laila is unable to commit herself to any cause: her own fight for independence is a struggle with traditional life as she falls in love with a man not chosen by her family. With its beautiful evocation of India, its political insight and unsentimental understanding of the human heart, this is a classic of Muslim life.

    The Tagores tried to combine traditional Indian culture with Western ideas. Tagore was the first Indian to bring an element of psychological realism to his novels. His writing is viewed as spiritual and mercurial; his seemingly mesmeric personality, flowing hair, and other-wordly dress earned him a prophet-like reputation in the West.This volume consists of a novel, a memoir, selection of short stories and collection of 103 poems called Gitanjali.