Böcker av Swapna Dutta

The Mahabharat, one of the two great epics of India, depicts life on earth and human beings in all its myriad shades. There is a popular saying that what has not been depicted in the Mahabharat, be it good or bad, does not exist in life. It is the story of human beings with all their goodness and virtues as well as faults, frailties and weaknesses.In the age of the Mahabharat people lived life king-size. A son thought nothing of renouncing the throne and with it, life's major happiness, for the sake of making his father happy. A celestial river could readily agree to go down on earth, marry a human being and give birth to eight young brothers. A princess, unfairly rejected by her lover, could pray so hard, so earnestly and for so long that Lord Shiva himself could be moved and grant her the boon of destroying the man who had ruined her happiness. A sage who is otherwise a wonderful man has such a massive ego about not keeping his promise that he demands an obnoxious and cruel sacrifice from an innocent and devoted disciple. In the Mahabharat one sees man at his best and at his worst. And how good and evil always co-exist side by side.

"Ancient and medieval Indian history is full of stories. Many of the characters are real and the incidents are said to have happened. But there are hardly any historical records about them. It is difficult to say how much of it belongs to actual history and how much to tradition and local folklore because it all happened so long ago. Both have blended to create these fascinating legends, available in several versions. True or not, they are interesting and portray Indian culture and happenings of a forgotten era. Many of them are mentioned in standard works of history and important literary works. I found a few in Tod's Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan, Kalhana's Rajatarangini, Somdeva's Kathasaritsagara and folk literature of various states. Wherever there is more than one version of the stories I have selected the ones I liked the best. The legends deserve to be remembered for the values they symbolize.How did king Shatavahana react when one of his queens insulted him by calling him him uneducated? Was he able to live down that insult? How did Shiladitya, the son of a humble temple attendant, become the first Suryavanshi king? How far would a king of Kashmir go to prove himself just and fair-minded? What were the adventures faced by Jayapir Vinayaditya, the dashing king of Kashmir? Why did the poet-king Matribandhu give up his throne? These are some of the legends portrayed in this collection. "

As one who loves to travel, for me one thing has always been of prime importance. I cannot write about a place unless I am moved by it, either because of memories or interesting legends associated with the place or something I feel to be significant. In some cases hot tourist spots leave me cold while a neglected corner makes me feel that it is well worth writing about.To Sail beyond the Sunset consists of 12 write-ups about places I have visited and loved. It is in 2 parts. The first is about places outside India while part II speaks of places in India. They describe my personal impressions and feelings and do not claim to be an all-inclusive fact file. But I sincerely hope that if my stories interest my readers they will visit the places and find out whatever else I may have left out.

Life can be quite unexpected sometimes and one can confront unusual situations in the quietest of places. Sometimes incidents crop up that cannot be explained by logic and the past can loom up in a haunting sequence. Sometimes good intentions can go awry and speaking the truth can have dire consequences. And one can make a hash of things with the best of intentions. At other times even a single mistake can change one's life. At a crunch one may need to play a trick to fight stupid superstition. And what eyes see may not always be the whole truth.What happens when a couple of strangers suddenly land up for shelter at Anita's place one stormy evening? Can Deepak and Seema stop their grandmother from going away to live all alone in their ancestral house? What happens when all the servants suddenly vanish in the house with the long terrace? Can Tina play the role of George Washington successfully because she is keen to stand out as a heroine in real life? What happens when Ruby steps inside the old house where the dust is as thick as a carpet and there are cobwebs in every corner? Can one really judge a person by merely looking at the obvious? These are some of the situations the reader will come across and realize that life can be really amazing and often incredible. Six stories for teenagers/young adults.

There are moments and incidents in everyone's life that are hilarious, absurd and sometimes crazy. Incidents that could make the reader remember something similar that happened to them or simply enjoy the joke. Or else read about a time that is quite different from now. That's the kind of memories I have been sharing in my newspaper "middles" and my Facebook postings over the years. Life is serious, sometimes worrisome and often complicated where a breather is usually welcome.I have divided the contents into three parts. Salad Days deal with incidents belonging to my school, college and university days and as a lecturer. What happened when we wanted to buy English records for our common room? Or had our letters censored by the hostel superintendent? What was my first job in college like in a small and conservative town where most people did not believe in higher studies for women? Learning to Be a Housewife speaks of the next chapter in my life where hilarious mistakes of every kind happened. How did I deal with the strange fish-seller, the vet and the prying neighbours? And That is Life has incidents and musings right up to my twilight years, many of them about a different time and place, and my final realization that Life never stops surprising you.

The book introduces the reader to the major festivals celebrated around the world, especially in India. It also gives a brief write-up on how winter festivals were celebrated before and after the advent of Christianity. It mentions well known legends related to festivals and concludes with a few contemporary stories, each with a festival as its central theme.What do festivals, in general, symbolize?Which festivals are specially meant for brothers and sisters?How were winter festivals celebrated around the world before the advent of Christianity?How did the tradition of the Christmas Tree come about?Why is Ramewaram known as the Agni-teertham?What is special about the popular Christmas Carroll, "Silent Night"?What gives Sudeep a new meaning to Holi? How does Sayan discover the true message of Dussera? How does the "Face Book" enable Neeti to find the best Eid gift for Zubie Khala?

What happens when Rahul, Neha and Juhi, caught in a sudden storm, seek shelter in a bungalow with seven pillars destroyed by the tsunami years ago? Can Kuttu save his mango tree when his father is forced to sell it to the village carpenter because of drought? What does peace-loving booa-dadi do when confronted by four lively kittens? Are Chumki and Bobo able to hold on to a dog named Rocky when he walks into their lives out of the blue? How does the visit of a stranger affect a small town where people have lost their jobs because of the advent of computers? Does Munna manage to find Bholu, a stray pup that he had picked up from the dustbin and loved more than himself? What is so special about the violin that Mohan chacha keeps in his village store? How does an unexpected train journey help Sumit to shake off his growing pains and come to terms with reality and life? How do a group of school friends help a budding rock singer get back to his groove?Read about all these people and their roller-coaster ride through the varied moods and moments of life.(197 words)

As one who loves to travel, for me one thing has always been of prime importance. I cannot write about a place unless I am moved by it, either because of memories or interesting legends associated with the place or something I feel to be significant. In some cases hot tourist spots leave me cold while a neglected corner makes me feel that it is well worth writing about. To Sail beyond the Sunset consists of 12 write-ups about places I have visited and loved. It is in 2 parts. The first is about places outside India while part II speaks of places in India. They describe my personal impressions and feelings and do not claim to be an all-inclusive fact file. But I sincerely hope that if my stories interest my readers they will visit the places and find out whatever else I may have left out.