Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of Ramayana

Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of Ramayana [Illustrated] [Paperback]

Book Description :

It is significant that the only character in Hindu mythology, a king at that, to be given the title of ekam-patni-vrata, devoted to a single wife, is associated with the most unjust act of abandoning her in the forest to protect family reputation. This seems a deliberate souring of an uplifting narrative. Ram's refusal to remarry to produce a royal heir adds to the complexity. The intention seems to be to provoke thought on notions of fidelity, property and self-image. And so the mythologist and illustrator Devdutt Pattanaik retells the Ramayana, drawing attention to the many oral, visual and written retellings composed in different times, in different places, by different poets, each one trying to solve the puzzle in its own unique way. This book approaches Ram by speculating on Sita: her childhood with her father, Janaka, who hosted sages mentioned in the Upanishads; her stay in the forest with her husband, who had to be a celibate ascetic while she was in the prime of her youth; her interactions with the women of Lanka, recipes she exchanged, emotions they shared; her connection with the earth, her mother, and with the trees, her sisters; her role as the Goddess, the untamed Kali as well as the demure Gauri, in transforming the stoic prince of Ayodhya into God.

Key Features:

• Following the tremendous success of Jaya, which retold the story of the Mahabharata, in Sita, the renowned mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik retells the Ramayana for the modern reader
• Sita delves into the stories of the Ramayana, bringing to light hidden social and cultural elements and a variety of perspectives
• The book synthesizes Ramayana stories from all over the country and abroad
• Beautifully illustrated with nearly 200 drawings by the author

Gandhi Before India

Gandhi Before India [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

Book Description

In 1893, when Mohandas Gandhi set sail for South Africa, he was a 23-year-old briefless lawyer who had failed to establish himself in India. The two decades that he spent in South Africa were to be the making of the Mahatma. In this remarkable biography, Ramachandra Guha argues that Gandhi’s ideas were fundamentally shaped before his return to India in 1915. It was during his years in England and South Africa that he came to understand the nature of imperialism and racism; and it was in South Africa that he forged the philosophy and techniques that would undermine and ultimately destroy the British Empire. Based on a wealth of new material and archival research in four continents, Gandhi Before India presents a vivid portrait of Gandhi and the world he lived in, a world of sharp contrasts between the coastal culture of Gujarat, High Victorian London, and colonial South Africa. It explores in rich detail his experiments with dissident cults such as Tolstoyans and vegetarians, his friendships with radical Jews, heterodox Christians and devout Muslims, his enmities and rivalries and his failures as a husband and father. It tells the dramatic, profoundly moving story of how he inspired the devotion of thousands of followers as he mobilized a cross-class and inter-religious coalition, pledged to non-violence in their battle against a brutally racist regime. This deeply researched and beautifully written book will radically alter our understanding and appreciation of India's greatest man.

Key Features:

1. This book covers the twenty years that Gandhi spent in South Africa, which has never before been written about in such detail

2. Ram Guha argues that the two decades Gandhi spent in South Africa were to be the making of the Mahatma. It was there that he forged the philosophy and techniques that would ultimately destroy the British Empire

3. It is based on a wealth of new material, and archival research in four continents

4. It explores his friendships, his enmities, his failures as a husband and father

5. It narrates the dramatic story of how he mobilized thousands of devoted followers, pledged to non-violence as they battled South Africa’s brutally racist regime

6. This book will radically alter our understanding and appreciation of Mahatma Gandhi

The Discovery of India

The Discovery of India [Paperback]

Book Description

Gives an understanding of the glorious intellectual and spiritual tradition of (a) great country. — Albert Einstein Written over five months when Jawaharlal Nehru was imprisoned in the Ahmadnagar Fort, The Discovery of India has acquired the status of a classic since it was first published in 1946. In this work of prodigious scope and scholarship, one of the greatest figures of Indian history unfolds the panorama of the country's rich and complex past, from prehistory to the last years of British colonial rule. Analysing texts like the Vedas and the Arthashastra, and personalities like the Buddha and Mahatma Gandhi, Nehru brings alive an ancient culture that has seen the flowering of the world's great traditions of philosophy, science and art and almost all its major religions. Nehru's brilliant intellect, deep humanity and lucid style make The Discovery of India essential reading for anyone interested in India, both its past and its present.