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Savitribai Phule, Mahasweta Devi, Amrita Pritam, Medha Patkar, Kamla Bhasin, and countless others have, since the nineteenth century, fought for and won equal rights for Indian women in a variety of areas-universal suffrage, inheritance and property rights, equal remuneration, prevention of sexual harassment at the workplace, and others. Pioneering feminists believed that due to these hard-won rights, their daughters and granddaughters would have the opportunity to have rewarding careers, participate in the social and political growth of the country, gain economic independence, and become equal partners in their marriages. On paper, it would appear that the lot of Indian women in the twenty-first century has vastly improved but, in reality, the demands of capitalism and the persistence of patriarchal attitudes have meant that they continue to lead lives that are hard and unequal, especially when compared to their male counterparts. Indian women are among the most overworked in the world-they spend on average 299 minutes on housework and 134 minutes on caregiving per day, shouldering 82 per cent of domestic duties. They are burdened with work from such a young age that many are forced to drop out of schools, leave the labour force, and give up dreams of financial independence. For those who have the privilege of choosing to have a career, the only way they can make this viable is by doing the 'double shift': women are expected to do most of the housework, childcare, and caregiving, whether they have jobs or not. While these problems apply to all women across the country, those in India's middle class face an altogether unique challenge because middle-class families have mastered the art of simulating an environment of empowerment in their homes. Lies Our Mothers Told Us: The Indian Woman's Burden takes a close look at the gender inequality that forms the bedrock of India's middle class-this forces women try and be 'superwomen' while ignoring the deleterious effects on their mental and physical health. Using available data and anecdotal evidence from the real lives of Indian women across the country, journalist Nilanjana Bhowmick asks if, in our patriarchal society, the assertion that 'women can have it all' comes at too high a price.

Mujhse pehli si mohabbat meri mahbuub n maang ('My dearest, don't ask for the love we once had) This line from Faiz's first poetry collection deeply touched the public consciousness, and it signalled the arrival of a new kind of poet who not only wrote about agonies of love but at the same time confronted the issues of daily struggles, including poverty, hunger, injustice and the oppressive colonial regime. He fused his lyrical compositions with the grammar of revolution and resistance that was needed while not giving up on alluring descriptions of the beloved's tresses and ruby lips. There was the beloved, he said, but there was also the struggle of attaining freedom, and these two things were not separate. He brought these two themes together, and they became one. Jahaan par ham tum khare hain dono sahar ka raushan ufq yahien hai ('The place where both of us are standing is dawn's bright horizon') As a secular humanist, Faiz was not willing to accept the idea that people should be separated based on their religious identities. All human beings yearn, he emphasized, for peace and harmony. National boundaries can separate people, but they cannot divide the emotional affinity they have for one another. To understand the importance of this cosmic vision, one had to look at the earth from the sky and see the planet as the home for all its inhabitants. This book traces the evolution of the poet's work from its early days to the time of its full fruition. A poet's life is not different from the words that he writes and that is why in this book, poetry and biography are meshed in presenting a rich portrait of an exceptional poet.

In the run-up to independence, a vile plan was devised by a handful of powerful princes to not join either India or Pakistan. The plan was led by the chancellor of the chamber of princes, Nawab of Bhopal, who was operating under the patronage of Mohd. Ali Jinnah, Lord Wavell and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. The idea was to create a Third Dominion called Princestan where the 565 princely states would stay outside the ambit of the two free states and retain paramountcy under the aegis of the departing British. The success of such a malevolent plan would have made the newly independent nation unstable and vulnerable.

Leading without Licence provides guidelines for how you can lead in your everyday life whether you are an ordinary citizen who wants to address social issues in your neighbourhood, a student seeking to change campus politics, or a professional looking to make a mark in your company.

Thoughts and Reflections is a collection of Pranab Mukherjee's views on a range of subjects, from democracy and its institutions to education and innovation, from economic policy to the nation's security. This unique compilation throws a new light on the dilemmas confronting contemporary India. Equally, it presents the hopes of a young and vibrant population, as also the aspirations of a country at the threshold of becoming a global economic power. These quotes of a statesman, visionary and the First Citizen of the Republic find resonance with an India of over a billion dreams.

Part history, part legend, part sacred lore, Rukmini will leave the readers spellboundRukmini nodded with a confident smile. 'Trust me, Acharya. In addition to the mayhem I fought against in my own family, I also fought against the fear of uncertainties that would envelope my life, if, all gods willing, I wed Krishna. I am no stranger to the fact that life would become only more challenging at Dwaraka.'A Princess. A Lover. A GoddessAn overreaching emperor thought he would use her as a pawn.H

Every community, tribe, and sub-community in India has its own ghosts. For centuries, the spirit world has captured the imagination of Indians. Some are believed to live near waterbodies and sneak up on passers-by; others roam around fields on summer afternoons, seduce lost men, and, in some cases, protect you from evil. From the north Indian chudails, who are said to prowl neighbourhoods in search of their victims, and the mechho bhoots from West Bengal that love fish, to the fearsome ghosts from Tamil Nadu called muni pei-the Indian ghost family is enormous, with no official headcount. Who are these shadowy creatures that haunt dense forests? What are the mysteries hidden beneath the surface of deep, calm waters? And how are we to understand these restless spirits who have permeated our memories, psyches, imaginations, and literatures? Riksundar Banerjee, an authority on Indian ghosts, investigates stories of creatures from the spirit world from all over India, in an effort to unravel the truth behind the legends, beliefs, superstitions, and experiences all of us are aware of. The result is The Book of Indian Ghosts-an authoritative, deeply researched, and spooky account of the otherworldly beings that haunt India and Indians. The Book of Indian Ghosts is the first of its kind to present a deeply researched account of the supernatural entities that have captured the Indian imagination. Spooky as well as informative, the collection features lesser-known legends, myths and folklore about spirits and ghosts from remote parts of the country. Riksundar Banerjee is an authority on Indian ghosts. He has investigated stories of the spirit world from across the country.

The essays in On Citizenship provide the reader with clear, informed, compelling insights into the vexed issue of citizenship in India today. The four writers featured in this book-Romila Thapar, N. Ram, Gautam Bhatia, and Gautam Patel-are all experts in their fields. It breaks down the history of citizenship, how it evolved during the Constituent Assembly debates, the nationwide CAA-NRC protests and makes a compelling case against the ruling dispensation.

"I have had Assamese dishes in Victor Banerjee's home and that was good, very good. But knowing what a wonderful cook Jyoti is, I shall try all the recipes in her book. At least those ingredients I can gather together in our little bazaar, hundreds of miles away from the great Brahmaputra valley of Assam, in the foothills of the Himalayas, my home in Mussoorie."The first complete cookbook on Assamese cuisine, Ambrosia from the Assamese Kitchen presents an array of delectable dishes that reflects the variegated hues of the culture of Assam. The Assamese believe that their food is rather bland and simple, with little or no spice at all and yet it is delicious. Regional aromatic herbs add varied flavours to the cuisine, making it simple, yet savoury and wholesome. The author's knowledge of different Assamese dishes stems from her profound understanding of the culture and traditions of Assam, which come to life in the pages of the book. This book contains more than a hundred recipes and is a must-have for those ready to try out mouth-watering delicacies which are easy to make, healthy and simply delectable

A millennial's guide to the Bhagavad Gita, the foundational text on dharma.As Arjuna stands on the battlefield of the Great War of Kurukshetra, he finds himself surroundedby men he has known for years. He must wound, maim or kill them to earn what the Pandavasdeserve. But how can he kill those in whose laps his childhood was spent, those gurus whotaught him to hold his bow? As Arjuna faces this dilemma, Krishna, an avatara of Lord Vishnu,appears before him in his universal form. And thus begins a dialogue between them on whatis right and what is wrong, on dharma and on the cycle of cause and consequence.One of the core Hindu scriptures, the Bhagavad Gita holds important lessons on how we canlive our lives and fulfil our duties, but the millennials may consider it too ancient for theiruse or too complex for their understanding. In this book,