Böcker av Arshud Mahmood

In The Village Clock, Arshud Mahmood takes us inside a remotely beautiful world, a rural village in India under British colonial rule. How distant the empire seems! In one story, a young government clerk forsakes his desk job for a less remunerative one that allows him to be outdoors. In another, on her wedding day, a bride's family insults the family of the groom by presenting a marriage contract that suggests a lack of faith in the groom's devotion, and another bride is chosen and married that afternoon. Figures like Lord Mountbatten and King George V, referred to in passing, seem slightly grotesque figures of fun, reminders of a tumultuous modern world that threatens the horizon without ever quite arriving.

Inspired by an ancient bronze figurine, this romantic tale brings to life Dancing Girl of the Indus Valley. In the town of Harappa 4,500 years ago, Zara captivates Ramey, of the jewelry making clan, as she performs at the famous Spring Festival. Their attraction flourishes until her father Dogar unexpectedly thwarts their plans. A journey of discovery filled with misunderstandings, greed, and intrigue, ultimately leads to a shocking revelation-and mysterious redemption.

In both agricultural and urban areas, fuel hydrocarbons, metals, solvents, and other contaminants-left behind by the property's previous occupants-are surfacing, bringing construction projects to a grinding halt and leaving developers wondering what to do next. This book examines the obstacles of contaminated land and associated water and explains, in an easy-to-read narrative style, how best to take care of such sites.