About us

NIYOGI BOOKS

Over two hundred books, out of which twenty-five
have won awards—Niyogi Books is one of India’s
youngest and fastest growing publishing houses.
The journey has been remarkable, the progress
and pace commendable. The team at Niyogi
Books is involved in every stage of the publishing
process—from selection, sourcing, research and
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institutions. We believe in the sanctity of the written
word and are committed to bringing out high quality
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  1. niyogibooks says:
    December 10, 2010 at 12:24 pm
    CONTENTS NEW RELEASES HAMPI (HC) 6 Mussoorie Medley (FB) 7 Thanjavur (HC) 8 Rethinking Modernity (HC) 9 The Honest Always Stand Alone (HC) 10 Kayakalpa (HC) 10 Never A Disconnect (HC) 11 Dancing with Kali (FB) 11 In Search of Your America 12 Inner Guidance 12 FORTHCOMING TITLES Sir Padampat Singhania (HC) 14 Nainsukh of Guler 15 Rabindranath Tagore: A Chronicle of his Life and Works 16 Kutiyattam 17 Rapture: The Art of Indian Textiles 18 Indian Painting: The Lesser Known Traditions 19 Invisible City: The Hidden Monuments of Delhi (FB)/(HC) 20 Folk Arts of West Bengal and the Artists’ Community 21 Middle Time 22 Well Met in Cyprus 22 Soiled Clothes 23 Tantu: The Loom of Life 23 bACkLIST The Dialogue of: Awaara (FB) 26 The Dialogue of: Mother India (FB) 27 Akriti to Sanskriti (HC) 28 Indian Paintings: in the Sarabhai Foundation (HC) 29 Tibetan Art (HC) 30 Pahari Masters (HC) 31 Chitra-pothi: Illustrated Palm-leaf Manuscripts from Orissa (HC) 32 The Word is Sacred; Sacred is the Word: The Indian Manuscript Tradition (HC) 33 Close to Events: Works of Bikash Bhattacharjee (HC) 34 Visual Rhapsody (HC) 35 Uttara Yogi (HC) 36 Half A Face (FB) 36 The Girmitiya Saga (HC) 37 Lata Mangeshkar in Her Own Voice (HC) 38 Field Marshal KM Cariappa (HC) 39 Sunil Gavaskar (HC) 40 Sourav Ganguly: The Maharaja of Cricket (HC) 41 Karan Singh: A Tryst with History (HC) 42 In the Shadows: Unknown Craftsmen of Bengal (FB) 43 Beethoven and Friends (HC) 44 Wit and Humour in Colonial North India (HC) 45 White & Black: A Journey to the Centre of Calcutta (HC) 46 The Forgotten Palaces of Calcutta (HC) 47 Heaven on Earth: The Universe of Kerala’s Guruvayur Temple (HC) 48 The Ramayana: Love and Valour in India’s Great Epic (HC) 49 Hindu: Joy of Life (FB) 50 Sayings from the Vedas, Upanishads and Bhagvad Gita (Slip case) 51 Dilli’s Red Fort: By the Yamuna (HC) 52 Jama Masjid: Call of the Soul (HC) 53 Partners in Freedom: Jamia Millia Islamia (HC) 54 The Bakkarwals (HC) 55 Delhi: Light, Shades, Shadows (FB)/(HC) 56 A Guide for Gentlemen Chefs (FB) 57 So Many Journeys (HC) 58 Odissi: The Dance Divine (HC) 59 Wild Wonders of India (HC) 60 Sunderbans: The Mystic Mangrove (HC) 61 Riding the Himalayas (FB) 62 India Through the Ages (HC) 63 The Trial of Mangal Pandey: State Papers (FB) 63 Mutiny Memoirs (FB) 64 The Alipore Bomb Case (FB) 65 Meeting Lives (HC) 66 A Triptych (FB) 66 A to Z of 121 Unconventional Management Concepts (FB) 67 Office Fables (FB) 67 Wings of Fantasy (FB) 68 Stop Smoking Stay Cool (PB) 68 Ranga Roopa (FB) 68 I Believe I Can Fly (FB) 69 World Cup Cricket Quiz (FB) 69 Ashray (FB) 69 4 NEW RELEASES Hampi is one of the greatest heritage sites in India. It has not merely temples and palaces but the remains of a complete medieval city—the magnificent Vijayanagar. There is an exquisite collection of monuments that lie scattered across a picturesque landscape. Founded in the 14th century, the kingdom of Vijayanagar thrived for three hundred years. It was one of the greatest cities of the medieval world, legendary not just for its wealth and military prowess but also for its art, architecture, crafts and culture. Some of the finest architecture and sculpture can be seen at Hampi. It is one of the World Heritage Sites of the UNESCO. Once traders and adventurers across the globe came to Vijayanagar, but in the 16th century the city was sacked by invaders, abandoned by its people, and it never rose again. Today as travellers and pilgrims wander through its beautiful palaces and temples, it seems that the world has returned to Hampi once again. 6 HAMPI Discover the Splendours of Vijayanagar by Subhadra Sen Gupta THE AUTHOR Subhadra Sen Gupta writes on various aspects of Indian history and culture through fiction and travel writing. Her books aim to capture the fascinating, vibrant and many-hued aspects of the people, places and history of India. She also enjoys writing historical fiction for children and scripting comic books. THE PHOTOGRAPHER Clare Arni is a Bangalore-based photographer and specialises in architecture, travel and documentary photography. She has worked with UNESCO, Wall Street Journal, Wallpaper City Guides and Conde Nast and her work has been exhibited across the world. Specifications: Size: 9 inches x 9 inches binding: Hardcover with Dust Jacket Paper: 150 gsm matt coated Page extent: 262 Photographs: 158 ISbN: 978-81-89738-64-8 Price: INR 995 MUSSOORIE MEDLEY Tales of Yesteryear by Ganesh Saili THE AUTHOR Mussoorie born Ganesh Saili has had a life-long love affair with the Garhwal Himalayas. Settled atop a spur in Landour, he has taught English and American literature at Mussoorie’s post-graduate college. Having had the good fortune of living in the hills, he has seen the changing facets of the hill station. For thirty years and more, he has researched and trekked these mountains, capturing in words and film the awe-inspiring beauty of the hills. Several of his books have been translated into French, German, Dutch, Italian and other foreign languages. Numerous periodicals, journals, magazines, films, books and national awards are a testimony to his roots. Specifications: Size: 8.5 inches x 7 inches binding: Flexiback Paper: 150 gsm matt coated Page extent: 208 Photographs: 143 ISbN: 978-81-89738-59-4 Price: INR 695 In the spring of 1808, Captain Hyder Jung Hearsey and Captain Felix Raper became the first visitors to get a view of the Garhwal Himalayas from the bend near Lal Tibba in Landour. For centuries the Himalayan foothills have been summer retreats, where, the chaans or temporary thatch-shelters of the local hill folk were the only signs of human habitation. It was left to the British to come up, move in and claim all the credit for discovering hill stations all over India. In the early nineteenth century, Capt Young, an intrepid official of the East India Company arrived in Landour, was charmed by the gentle climate—an indispensable relief from the heat of the plains down below—and built a shooting lodge in Mullingar. ‘Like meat, we keep better here,’ gushed Lady Emily Eden… ‘The climate! No wonder I could not live down below. We were never allowed a scrap of air to breathe…The air is a cool sort of stuff, refreshing, sweet and apparently pleasing to the lungs…I see this as the best part of India.’ The Raj summers in Mussoorie, chintz tablecloths and lace doilies, amateur dramatics of the Mussoorie Theatre Group at the Happy Valley Club: all these are woven together with long years of research. Ganesh Saili’s Mussoorie Medley: Tales of Yesteryear takes the reader down nostalgia lane to evoke the mystery and 7 magic of the times gone by. In this fascinating study, in words and images, Pradeep Chakravarthy and Vikram Sathyanathan narrate the cultural history of Thanjavur—starting from its early days of grandeur during the Chola Empire when the Chola ruler Raja Raja I built the Rajarajeswaram temple, now known as the Brihadeeswara temple, which celebrates its 1000th year of consecration in 2010. They weave together known and unknown histories of the various rulers—the Cholas, the Nayaks, the Marathas and the British— and of the Big Temple into a rich tapestry of cultural heritage that is Thanjavur. They reveal to the readers the treasure house of the Sarasvati Mahal Library and lead them into the narrow lanes, or sandhus, where the painters who created the now famous Thanjavur style lived beside bangle-sellers, textile merchants, perfumers and the devadasis. They invite the reader on a long trip on the fertile river bank of Kaveri where Carnatic music and Bharatanatyam as we know them today were created and flourished alongside drama forms like the bhagavatha mela and yakshagana. The temples, the palace, the bronzes, the paintings, the frescoes, the cuisine, the weapons of war and ivory dolls, the kalamkaris, and literary genres like the abhyudayamus, the prabandhams and the kuravanjis—they are all brushstrokes that make up a colourful painting, which tells the story of the city of Thanjavur. THANJAVUR A Cultural History Text: Pradeep Chakravarthy Photographs: Vikram Sathyanathan THE AUTHOR Pradeep Chakravarthy was born in Tirunelveli in 1975. He completed his education in Madras, New Delhi and London and works in leadership training in a premier information technology company. He has published more than a hundred articles in leading dailies. Aseries of articles on the Sarasvati Mahal Library was the beginning of his tryst with Thanjavur. His other books which are in press include one on temple vahanas and another on the lesser known temples in Tamil Nadu. Pradeep’s other interests include aquariums, Carnatic music and gardening. Pradeep and his wife Anusha live in Madras with their son Raghavan. THE PHOTOGRAPHER Vikram Sathyanathan was born in Coimbatore in 1976. He has a Masters in Business Administration from Richmond College, UK. Vikram is an entrepreneur who manages a family business and runs a company with interests in the chemical industry. Besides photography Vikram is involved in several related pursuits. Nature and wildlife conservation are two of his important hobbies. Vikram and his wife Sandhyaa live in Coimbatore with their son Prahalad. Specifications: Size: 11 inches x 8.5 inches binding: Hardcover with Dust Jacket Paper: 150 gsm matt coated Page extent: 220 Photographs: 174 Map: 5 ISbN: 978-81-89738-62-4 Price: INR 1250 RETHINKING MODERNITY Towards Post Rational Architecture By Jaimini Mehta THE AUTHOR Prof. Jaimini Mehta is a practising architect and an academician based in Vadodara, India. He studied architecture at M.S. University of Vadodara, and at the University of Pennsylvania in the Louis Kahn Studio. He went on to work in the offices of Louis Kahn and Mitchell/Giurgola Associates in Philadelphia. Returning to India in 1975, he set up his own practice and taught at a number of Indian as well as American universities. He was an Adjunct Professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at Troy, New York and at CEPT University in Ahmedabad, India. He also worked as Head of the Schools of Architecture at Vadodara and Goa. At present he is an Honorary Director of the Vadodara based “Centre for the Study of Urbanism and Architecture” which he instituted in 2006. He contributes regularly in the ongoing discourse on architecture through articles in Indian as well as international journals. Among his many writings is the book, Louis Kahn, Architect co-authored with Romaldo Giurgola and published in 1975. Specifications: Size: 10 inches x 9 inches binding: Hardcover with Dust Jacket Paper: 150 gsm matt coated Page extent: 146 Photographs: ISbN: 978-81-89738-72-3 Price: INR 795 The enlightenment project to usher in Modernity, launched in 16th century Europe, did not spare Architecture either. However, the normal historical progression of architectural thought (and production) towards Modernity suffered a paradigm shift during the mid-18th century. This was caused by an epistemological obstacle in the form of the separation of architecture and engineering and resulted in the increasing rationalization of Architecture. Critical writings of a number of post Renaissance scholars and academicians aided this process; Prof. Mehta terms it “Academic Architecture”. While the pre- Renaissance literature was content to codify the practice of architecture, the new writings actively sought to “construct” an identity of architecture commensurate with the prevailing rise of rationalism and to reconcile modern architecture with modern science and industry. The overwhelming need to validate architecture from the logico-mathematical perspectives of Rationalism favoured the cerebral over the sensuous and away from the existential qualities of architecture. Drawing from a number of diverse sources such as philosophy, social sciences, art and technology, Prof. Mehta argues that alternatives to the rationalist and positivist narratives have always existed in the West as well as in several non-Western cultures but the very strong “foregrounding” of Rationalism during the last two and a half centuries confined them to the academia. Through his analysis he brings to focus the fact that since the middle of the 20th century the epistemological obstacle is effectively ruptured and the contours of the Post Rational Architecture are emerging in the works of several young architects. THE HONEST Always Stand Alone By CG Somiah Candid and outspoken, CG Somiah shares his experiences as an Indian Administrative Officer, from his first posting to Orissa as Assistant Collector to the more heady days of fighting terrorism in Punjab, keeping an eye on the country as Home Secretary and Central Vigilance Commissioner and, finally, a six-year tenure as Comptroller and Auditor General of India. His efforts to stem corruption resulted in a loss of promotion for two years. His colleagues were upset about his plight and some of them were of the view that it was not prudent to defy corrupt politicians who can harm one’s career. Somiah, however, heartily disagreed with them. Speaking straight from the heart, Somiah’s narrative is well- knit and crisply put together. It takes us back to the exciting days of Rajiv Gandhi’s prime ministership and gives us a glimpse into the discussions that took place at the highest political level. As its title suggests, The Honest Always Stand Alone marks the journey of a man who always upheld the truth. THE AUTHOR CG Somiah was the Comptroller and Auditor General of India from 1990 to 1996. He was the first Indian to be elected a member of the United Nations Board of Audit by the UN General Assembly in 1993. In 1995 he became the Chairman of the Board responsible for the audit of the UN, its many agencies across the world and the UN Peace Keeping Force. An enthusiastic tennis player as well as a regular golfer, CG Somiah has held many important posts in the Government of India, including Home Secretary and Central Vigilance Commissioner. He lives in Bengaluru with his wife, Indira and still enjoys his game of bridge. Specifications: Size: 8.5 inches x 5.5 inches binding: Hardcover with Dust Jacket Page extent: 276 ISbN: 978-81-89738-71-6 Price: INR 395 KAYAKALPA Translated by Biman Arandhara Anuj Kripalani is an internationally renowned scientist who apparently has everything—scientific breakthroughs, awards, fame, wealth and a fine family. A deep personal crisis makes him return to India, to rediscover himself and to find out an answer to the question that has always haunted the human race from time immemorial. Anuj thus sets forth on a physical, emotional, spiritual and scientific journey in India. He is reunited with his former sweetheart and finds spiritual solace in his guru. But the answer to the question—the key to rejuvenation—continues to elude him till he finally learns the secret, in which he is helped by a yogi’s Kayakalpa treatment and modern science. While he feels like a creator, sculpting his human subjects anew, unforeseen complications arise. He is caught in a dilemma and has to make a difficult choice. His discovery tests his ethics and ultimately a profound realisation dawns upon him. THE AUTHOR An agro-meteorologist by profession, Dr Lakshmi Nandan Bora has so far authored twenty-nine novels and twenty-six short story collections, some of which have been bestsellers for a number of years. He has been honoured with the prestigious ‘Saraswati Samman’ (2008), besides a number of awards, including ‘Sahitya Akademi Award’ (1988) and ‘Assam Valley Literary Award’ (2004). A former professor of physics and agro-meteorology and chairman of the Assam Pollution Control Board, he now edits the widely circulated Assamese weekly Goriyoshi. Biman Arandhara, a journalist with The Assam Tribune, has translated over sixty short stories, three novels (including Kayakalpa), a couple of biographies and several other articles of varying interests. Specifications: Size: 8.8 inches x 5.8 inches binding: Hardcover with Dust Jacket Paper: 70 gsm book Print Page extent: 280 ISbN: 978-81-89738-67-9 Price: INR 395 NEVER A DISCONNECT By Sadhna Shanker By Lalita Das What did the three of them have? Abha had Parul, Rekha a marriage and a lover, and Simran a steadfast longing for a man who Goa, land of sun, surf and sand, of secluded coves, and of forested hills, where foreigners frolic on the beaches without restraint and where, in the refused to hold her hand. Not much, when life has so much to offer. Yet each stood at this crossroad by choice. Never a Disconnect is a journey. It is a multi-layered story of subtle anguish, yearning and hope, moving back and forth from past to present. Abha, Rekha and Simran pass through the portals of Delhi University on a roller coaster ride of idealism, romance and dreams. Then they wake up. Meeting professional challenges, grappling with failed and failing relationships, parenthood, religious differences, and myriad expectations, they face life – with its simple joys and complex desires. From mothers who lived for others, to daughters who try to live for themselves, there is always hope that perhaps, someday, granddaughters will actually live for themselves. THE AUTHOR Sadhna Shanker is a multi-faceted craftsperson of words. Author, essayist and travel writer, her first book, Ahlan- wasahlan – A Syrian Journey was published in English, Hindi and Arabic in 2006. Her collection of essays When the parallels meet was published in 2007. Ms Shanker has been published widely including in the International Herald Tribune, Christian Science Monitor, The Times of India, Hindustan Times, The Hindu, Indian Express, and Femina. This is her debut novel. A senior officer of the Indian Revenue Service, she lives in New Delhi. Specifications: Size: 8.8 inches x 5.8 inches binding: Hardcover with Dust Jacket Paper: 70 gsm book Print Page extent: 312 ISbN: 978-81-89738-66-2 Price: INR 395 Hindu villages just a few kilometres inland, repressive traditions still rule. When the boundary between the two is crossed, the consequences can be unpredictable. In Goa, while roaming the beaches with a band of hippies, Alec, an upand- coming English lawyer, meets Anu, the daughter of a prominent Hindu landowner, who is yearning for the freedom of choice. Their marriage sets in motion a chain of events that culminates eighteen years later when Ronnie comes to Goa to visit the beach where his mother was lost in the sea and meets Meera, a young girl – whose mother is also dead – living with her grandparents all three of whom are being ostracised by the community. And watching over them is Maushi—Anu’s mother and Meera’s grandmother. An intricately woven saga of love, revenge and retribution, the book resonates with the ethos of karma; the eternally intertwined dance of destruction and creation—the dance of Kali, who wipes out the karma and fulfils the desires of her devotees. Weaving in Hindu and Christian philosophies, Goan and hippie cultures, the modalities of Western urban gentry and the Indian rural structure, the lucid narrative skilfully juxtaposes human emotions—tribulations with failures; empathy with apathy; vengeance with resurrection—celebrating the poise and strength of womanhood. THE AUTHOR Lalita Das was born in Mumbai and studied architecture in Sir J J College of Architecture, Mumbai, Planning and Urban Design in A A School of Planning, London, and Regional Planning at MIT, Boston. Her projects and numerous articles on diverse subjects— interdependence of architecture and social systems, architecture designed by women, life of the adivasis—have been published in Indian and international publications. She has presented papers on town planning in ancient India and on position of women in Hinduism at various international conferences held in London, Manchester, Cardiff, Toronto and Colombo. She now lives in Mumbai and is a practicing architect. Specifications: Size: 8.8 inches x 5.8 inches binding: Flexiback Paper: 70 gsm book Print Page extent: 300 ISbN: 978-81-89738-60-0 Price: INR 295 IN SEARCH OF YOUR INNER GUIDANCE and the FOUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS AMERICA By Olga Mark Landsberg By Howard Wimer This reference book is intended for use by students, immigrants and visitors to the United States of America. It is a complete handbook for life in the United States of America, from application for visa, travelling arrangements through all the stages of life as an immigrant to life insurance policies. The reader will find it helpful in all aspect of life in the USA. It is intended to be a manual for all those who dream to settle in the United States of America, students and the casual visitor who is in search of adventure. Specifications: Size: 7.5 inches x 4.5 inches binding: Flexiback Paper: 70 gsm NS Maplitho Total pages: 488 ISbN: 978-81-89738-61-7 Price: INR 295 Communication is the key to living a successful life—both inner and outer communication. Inner Guidance and the Four Spiritual Gifts explores how your personal communication system works and how to make the most of it to live true to your life’s purpose. Each of us is born with four spiritual gifts—clairvoyance (inner vision), clairaudience (inner thoughts or ideas), prophecy (inner knowing) and healing (inner feelings). Some of these gifts are more well developed in us than others, and they are the foundation for how we individually communicate and use our intuition in daily life. These gifts are like personality traits that define us as a person and determine how we relate to others. This intriguing and practical book shows you how to identify your primary gifts—your strong points and main avenues of communication— and use them to make your best decisions. You’ll also learn: • How to make the most of the hunches, visions, ideas and feelings you receive every day • Where inspiration really comes from and how to overcome the specific challenges that prevent you from recognizing and acting on it • How to trust your intuition • How to become more sensitive to the inner guidance that is meant to help you in specific and practical ways Finally, Inner Guidance and the Four Spiritual Gifts shows how you can use each of the four gifts to better relate to and communicate with yourself, your inner guidance and others in your personal, family and business life. Specifications: Size: 8.5 inches x 5.5 inches binding: Flexiback Paper: 70 gsm book Print Page extent: 328 ISbN: 978-81-89738-57-0 Price: INR 395 FORTHCOMING TITLES This book presents in words and pictures the story of This book presents in words and pictures the story of an exemplary nationalist who was destined to change the course of Indian history. This is also the story of an innovative industrialist who has touched the lives of many, both in India and across the world. Sir Padampat Singhania: Man of All Seasons is a tribute to this great man, presented by his sons, Dr Gaur Hari Singhania and Govind Hari Singhania. The builder of a vast industrial empire, JK Organisation, Sir Padampat Singhania was a visionary and a towering personality. He was an upholder of noble values and came across as a karamyogi to everyone. Sir Padampat had many firsts to his credit. An honorary doctorate holder, he was decorated with the title of ‘The Knight of the British Empire’. Today he is remembered most of all for his significant contributions to the world of industry and commerce, legislative bodies, federation of assemblies, educational, sports and religious institutions. 14 SIR PADAMPAT SINGHANIA Man of All Seasons By Dr. Gour Hari Singhania Govind Hari Singhania THE AUTHORS Dr Gaur Hari Singhania, Vice-President of the JK Organisation, is a distinguished industrialist who is associated with a number of educational, religious, social, charitable and sports organisations. He holds a Master of Arts degree in Economics and a PhD degree in Economics from Agra University. He has held the position of Chairman of the Merchant Chambers of Uttar Pradesh and Employers Association of Northern India. A multifaceted personality, he has played an important role in promoting trade bodies and contributing to voluntary organisations. Govind Hari Singhania, Director, JK Organisation, is an entrepreneur in his own right. He graduated from Christ Church College, Kanpur (Agra University). A dynamic Rotarian, his untiring efforts to promote India while he was President, ASSOCHAM, have been highly appreciated. He is equally devoted to the arts, cultural and sports activities and gardening. He has contributed in a significant manner to the growth of the JK Organisation, one of the largest business houses in India. Along with his brother, Dr Gaur Hari, he has enhanced the rich legacy that they inherited from their illustrious father, Sir Padampat Singhania. NAINSUKH OF GULER A great Indian painter from small hill-state By BN Goswamy THE AUTHOR bN Goswamy, distinguished art historian, is Professor Emeritus of Art History at the Panjab University, Chandigarh. His work covers a wide range and is regarded, especially in the area of Pahari painting, as having influenced much thinking. He has received the Jawaharlal Nehru Fellowship, the Rietberg Award for Outstanding Research in Art History, the Padma Shri (1998) and the Padma Bhushan (2008) from the President of India. Among his publications are: Pahari Painting: The Family as the Basis of Style (Marg, Bombay,1968); Essence of Indian Art (San Francisco, 1986); Wonders of a Golden Age (with E. Fischer, Zurich, 1987); Pahari Masters: Court Painters of Northern India (with E. Fischer; Zurich, 1992); Indian Costumes in the Collection of the Calico Museum of Textiles (Ahmedabad, 1993); Nainsukh of Guler: A great Indian Painter from a small Hill State (Zurich, 1997); Painted Visions (New Delhi, 1999); Piety and Splendour: Sikh Heritage in Art (New Delhi, 2000); Domains of Wonder (with Caron Smith; San Diego, 2005), and I See No Stranger: Early Sikh Art and Devotion (with Caron Smith; New York, 2006). At Haridwar, where the Ganga descends from the mountains into the plains and begins its magestic journey towards the sea a long, long way off, every evening devotees light simple earthen lamps, place them on small platters of leaves along with some flowers and standing on the long brick steps on the bank, release them gently on the surface of the sacred waters. The lamps float steadily at first and then, when the current takes them over and sweeps them along towards the middle of the river, they begin to dip and toss as they join countless others, similary released by other hands from those very banks. It is a magnificent sight. The night becomes filled with sounds and silences and the stars of lamp-light. But, in a sense, one cane take in the scene only as a whole: to follow the course of a single lamp on those waters is almost impossible, for every thing shifts, eddies form; objects become obscured from view and merge with others, and then they disappear. To trace the life and career of a painter in India is somewhat akin to following the course of an earthen lamp on swift waters. The glow is bright and warm, and one can keep it within sight for a while, but quickly things turn and uncharted vastness takes over. If then, knowing this and going against the prevailing (perhaps even comfortable) state of anonymity that is almost a defining condition of hearths of India, this book concerns itself with one individual painter, Nainsukh, it is because the glow that comes from him is remarkably soft yet definite and alluring. Rabindranath Tagore, a name very close to our hearts, evokes a feeling of pride, awe and inspiration and continues to arouse our curiosity to know more about this multi-faceted personality. Biographers have either tried to analyse his works in the light of his life or in the perspective of his contemporary time. This book chronicles the Poet’s contributions in the context of the period to which he belonged, bringing into light those incidents, anecdotes and issues which have often been overlooked but which nonetheless are significant as they enable us to understand Tagore better. His role as a son, brother, husband, father; his accomplishments as a poet, philosopher, writer, painter, choreographer, actor; his relations with his family, friends, contemporary writers and poets, as well as predecessors; his correspondences with the political leaders of his time within the nation as well as abroad; and above all, his interpretations about life, revealing his quest for love, faith and devotion and his deep-rooted anguish, his unfulfilled dreams and expectations as projected in the broad sweep of this lucid narration reveal two facets of the Poet—a man of extraordinary abilities yet a man having ordinary expectations, who could thereby understand the joys and sorrows of the common man keeping aside his own gains and losses. And it is for this reason that Tagore remains dear to all people cutting across boundaries, generations, caste, creed or sect. RABINDRANATH TAGORE A Chronicle of his Life and Works By Nitapriya Ghosh THE AUTHOR Born (3 December 1934) at Barisal town, Nityapriya Ghosh came to Calcutta with his family in 1947. He studied in Hindu School, Presidency College and Calcutta University. After a stint as a college lecturer in English and a brief tenure in the Government of India’s central civil service, he became a corporate publicity and public relations executive, retiring from service in 1992. Working as an assistant editor in 1966-1967 with Samar Sen, the editor of Now, he wrote a monograph on him, for Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi, in 1990. He contributed to The Statesman, Calcutta, as its weekly television columnist for ten years. A book reviewer for newspapers and magazines, he has co-edited a book of documents on The Partition of Bengal, 1905. He has written three books of essays in Bengali on popular literature. A prolific writer, he has also written and edited several books on Rabindranath Tagore; Dakgharer Harkara, Ranur Chithi Kabir Sneha, The English Writings of Rabindranath Tagore, vol. 4 (edited), Mukher Katha Lekhar Bhashay Vol 1-4 (edited) and In the Company of a Great Man being a few of them. Other titles will be available shortly 1. Poetry and Beyond Paintings of Rabindranath Tagore by Shovon Som 2. Tagore’s Dance by Utpal K. Banerjee 3. In search of Frozen Music — Rabindranath Tagore and The Architecture of Santiniketan by Samit Das 4. Two Sisters and Three Companions Translated by Nirmal Kanti Bhattacharjee 5. The Other Tagore: Essays, Speeches, Letters of Rabindranath Tagore Compiled and Edited by Subrangshu Maitra KUTIYATTAM The Heritage Theatre of India By Sudha Gopalakrishnan THE AUTHOR Sudha Gopalakrishnan has studied India’s traditional arts forms for three decades, especially the performing arts of Kerala. Her books include From the Comic to the Comedic (a comparative analysis of the comic mode in Bhasa and Shakespeare), Krishnagiti (a translation of the source text of Krishnattam with C.R. Swaminathan), Nalacharitam (a translation of the Kathakali text and performance manual) and Kaikottikkalippattukal (a compilation of the oral tradition of Kaikottikkali songs, in collaboration with Radha Madhavan). Sudha is a trained dancer of Kathakali and was Vice President of Margi (Thiruvananthapuram). She was the Founder Director of the National Mission for Manuscripts, which led India’s effort to source and place information on one million manuscripts on http://www.namami.org. She has been associated with UNESCO’s intangible heritage stream as an expert, and has steered three successful nomination dossiers for India to UNESCO. This resulted in the proclamation of Kutiyattam, Vedic Chanting and Ramlila as ‘Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity’. Currently, Sudha is President of the non-profit SAHA (Stirring Action on Heritage and the Arts). She is working to create Sahapedia, an online repository on Indian knowledge systems. She lives in New Delhi. Kutiyattam: The Heritage Theatre of India, is the first major book on this vibrant theatre tradition that existed in Indiafrom the times of the Natya Sastra. It traces the history and evolution of Kutiyattam through different ages, its aesthetics and theatre grammar as well as the challenges in its transmission to a new generation of artists and viewers. Kutiyattam is widely acknowledged as the only living link to India’s ancient theatrical tradition, right from the times of the Natya Sastra. While its origins are hazy, it is said to have an unbroken history of around two thousand years, and combines old Sankrit theatre with the regional forms of Kerala. It has its own distinctive theatrical conventions and improvisations, with highly sophisticated facial expressions and a fluent vocabulary of gestures. It elaborates action by extending the performance score to heights of imaginative fancy. Ever since it ventured outside Kerala’s temple-theatres in the 1950s, it has been appreciated by a wider circle of connoisseurs, and challenged by shifting systems of patronage. This book, the first such effort on Kutiyattam, discusses the theory and practice of the art form and aims to introduce it to a larger readership. It traces the history and evolution of Kutiyattam, its aesthetics and theatrical grammar as well as the ways in which it can be brought alive to a new generation of artists, critics and spectators. It also includes the translation of the performance manual of ‘Asokavanikanakam’, from Saktibhadra’s play Ascharyachudamani, as an illustrative example. This book celebrates India’s spectacular textile art. It takes the reader on a visual odyssey spanning 500 years, tracing the images created on cloth for India’s magnificent courts and temples, as well as for more distant but not less discerning patrons in Europe and Asia. It showcases the motifs and colours of some of the most remarkable Indian textiles to have survived from the past. Several of these have never been published before, and some appeared in textile books and journals so many decades ago that they are now nearly unknown. At a time when specialist studies have confined the appreciation and study of India’s historical textiles to academic circles and connoisseurs, this book offers a truly unique survey of the subject to a new generation of textile enthusiasts, practitioners, and researchers. 18 RAPTURE The Art of Indian Textiles By Rahul Jain THE AUTHOR Rahul Jain is a textile researcher and historian who lives and works in New Delhi. His publications include technical studies of the traditional Indian drawloom, the woven silks of Sultanate India, as well as the court velvets, sashes, and luxury fabrics of Mughal India. Among his other writings are art historical studies of Indian textiles in the Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Islamic Art, London, and in the royal collection of Mehrangarh, Jodhpur. He has also written about contemporary Indian hand-crafted textiles. He runs a workshop of traditional drawlooms in Varanasi. The workshop weaves silk samite, lampas, and velvet textiles modelled on historical Indian and Iranian fabrics. INDIAN PAINTING The Lesser Known Traditions Edited by Anna L Dallapiccola THE EDITOR Anna L. Dallapiccola was Professor of Indian Art at the South Asia Institute of Heidelberg University from 1971 to 1995. In 1991, she was appointed Honorary Professor at Edinburgh University, and has regularly lectured at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London, and was Visiting Professor at De Montfort University Leicester until 2004. Among her most recent publications are South Indian Paintings: a catalogue of the British Museum collection (2010), and The Great Platform at Vijayanagara (2010). Contributing Authors in this Volume: 1. Jyotindra Jain 2. Nina Sabnani 3. Sona Datta 4. T. Richard Blurton 5. Samiran Boruah 6. Mary Beth Heston 7. Kavita Singh 8. Kirtana Thangavelu 9. Rosemary Crill India has an astonishingly rich variety of painting traditions. While miniature painting schools became virtually extinct with the decline of aristocratic patronage, a number of local vernacular idioms still survive and continue to develop, adjusting to social and political changes. The present collection of papers is the volume of the proceedings of the conference ‘Indian Painting: The Lesser Known Traditions’ held in Houston in 2008. The aim of the conference was to highlight these lesser known artistic expressions grouped, until the recent past, under the heading of ‘folk art’. These artistic expressions are now beginning to be recognized as of pivotal importance for an understanding of the social setting in which they have evolved. The essays concentrate on the following geographic areas: Assam, Bengal, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala. The time-span, covered by the works discussed by the contributors, ranges from the late seventeenth century to the present day. I asked my soul, what is Delhi? She replied: The world is the body and Delhi its soul. Mirza Ghalib may have been indulging in hyperbole when he penned these famous lines, but there is no denying that Delhi is a notch above the other great metropolises of India. What sets it apart is the multitude of historic ruins that dot the city. Every ruler down the ages wished to adorn his beloved Delhi, to leave a mark that would last and so left behind a landscape that is studded with jewels from the past. Neophyte New Delhi has been quick to discard most of them on the rubbish heap of history, choosing to validate a bare minimum with a name, an identity and a place of visibility. Where it was possible to make the law look the other way, many of these monuments were razed to the ground to make way for colonisation and development. Disregarded as no more than inconvenient piles of rocks and stones, many have been pulled down, built upon and built around. Invisible City: The Hidden Monuments of Delhi explores this other Delhi—the little-known, seldom- visited and largely unheard-of, the Delhi that has been rendered practically invisible. INVISIBLE CITY The Hidden Monuments of Delhi By Rakhshanda Jalil THE AUTHOR Rakhshanda Jalil has co-authored Partners in Freedom: Jamia Millia Islamia and Journey of Faith (forthcoming) with Mushirul Hasan. Among her books published in recent years are: Neither Night Nor Day, A Winter’s Tale & Other Stories by Premchand, Circle & Other Stories, Through the Closed Doorway and Black Borders. Rakhshanda Jalil is Media and Cultural Coordinator at Delhi’s Jamia Millia Islamia. FOLK ARTS OF WEST BENGAL and the Artists’ Community By Shankar Sen THE AUTHOR Born in an obscure village of Howrah District in West Bengal, Tarapada Santra had to struggle against stringent poverty and the innumerable handicaps of being born in one of the lowest echelons of a caste-ridden society to be recognized in the end as a leading authority on the folk arts of Bengal. He had successfully introduced a totally new set of systems and procedures for field survey and research, which were gratefully accepted by his successors and are being pursued in his home state even to this day. Shankar Sen, who has won wide recognition as a talented translator through his previously published books of prose and poetry, has done a brilliant job of reproducing Tarapada Santra’s meticulous descriptions of almost every conceivable item, which formed a part of Bengal’s rural life in earlier days, starting from clay-built dwelling houses and corn-bins to folk paintings, kanthas or patched cotton sheets, alpona floor decoration, hand-woven sitting mats, hand fans, dolls, terracotta horses, masks for folk dancing and even moulds for making traditional Bengali sweets. This book shall fulfill the dreams of many million admirers and followers of Tarapada Santra,— artists, artisans, art-lovers and enthusiasts who had long cherished hopes of seeing the works of Tarapada Santra presented before readers of the rest of the world. Tarapada Santra’s life was devoted entirely to the discovery of the rich heritage of art in rural Bengal. Folk Arts of West Bengal and the Artists’ Community is an eloquent testimony to this committed quest for indigenous efforts that would otherwise have been lost to posterity. Santra’s work, however, is no mere compendium of dry facts and precise information, even though the exactitude of specifics betrays the comprehensive research that had to be undertaken before writing a book of such breadth and magnitude. He had a keen, educated and sensitive eye which allowed him to comment upon the quality and validity of these varied art forms with knowledge and authority. The book describes a whole array of artistic efforts that range from corn-bins and folk paintings to doll-making and the making of masks for festivals. Santra’s love for these manifestations of the rural artistic spirit finds expression in the care and diligence with which he writes about them. It is a testament to his unflagging industry that there is no greater or more comprehensive work on this subject than his work. In this English translation by Shankar Sen, the keepers of his tradition hope for a wider readership for this seminal and inimitable work of scholarship. MIDDLE TIME WELL MET IN CYPRUS By Priya Vasudevan By Javaid Qazi As Maya drove to her parents’ house, she reflected on her meeting with Toni. So, Tulsi had been doing research. This seemed to be a clue. Maybe she had found the story of Thulasi’s murder or Achale’s story in the archives—how easily the names came to mind; it was almost as if she really knew them well! In a way, she did; they had been on her mind quite often since she’d been to the flat. Was Tulsi’s murder somehow connected to the story in Middle Time? Toni had seemed reluctant to discuss the dance drama’s script. Had Tulsi reproduced something she had found in her research? Had she been murdered because she had stumbled upon something? What bearing could a centuries’ old story have on modern secrets? THE AUTHOR Priya Vasudevan is a lawyer and writer. As a lawyer, she has written training manuals and trained teachers, lawyers and judges in human rights law. She has assisted or functioned as Member in Enquiry Commissions into Human Rights Violations, formal and informal, and has filed PILs on diverse issues such as dowry death, trafficking in children, housing rights, prisoners’ rights and bonded labour. Priya also serves as an Arbitrator and is a member of regional organizations such as Asia Pacific Forum for Women, Law and Development. She has written ‘Contempt of Court’ in Halsbury’s Laws of India for Butterworths India Limited (now Lexis Nexis). Priya’s articles have been published in magazines such as Femina. She has also published several short stories for children, including Nazreen’s Park (Orient Longman Ltd.) and short stories for children in Children’s World and Target. Priya lives with her husband and two daughters in Chennai. Well Met in Cyprus recounts the experiences of Robert, a not-soyoung American professor who meets and falls in love with Anara, a young Kazakh girl. Robert invites Anara to come and live with him in north Cyprus where he is teaching at a university in Kyrenia. Their idyllic life on Aphrodite’s Island and the quaint village of Karmi takes a serious turn when Anara’s visa problems bring uncertainty and tension. Anara takes a job at a casino, hoping to get a work visa, and gets enmeshed unwittingly in the dangerous world of big money, alchoholics, gamblers, pimps and prostitutes. When she vanishes suddenly, a desperate Robert launches a campaign to rescue her. Travel through picturesque Cyprus and discover where Anara’s destiny leads her. THE AUTHOR Javaid Qazi has been writing fiction for over four decades. His collection, Unlikely Stories, was published by Oxford University Press in 1998. His stories have appeared in Massachusetts Review, Chelsea, Toronto South Asian Review, Kansas Quarterly and Sequoia. He has also translated and published the stories of well- known Urdu authors such as Intezar Hussain, Nayyar Masood and Ahmed Hamesh. He was born near Lahore in 1947. In 1968 he went to the United States to study English literature. Over the last forty years, he has taught English literature in various universities in the U.S., at Manas University in Bishkek, Kyrghyz Republic and at Girne American University in the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus. He has also worked as a technical writer in the computer industry. He lives in San Jose, California with his wife. SOILED CLOTHES TANTU By Sunil Gangopadhyay The Loom of Life By S.L. Bhyrappa Mandira, a girl from Calcutta, goes to London to pursue higher studies. There she marries Thomas Brockway, a promising young aristocrat with enviable political lineage. By the time Tom (Thomas) has been elected M.P., Mandira finds herself celebrating the silver jubilee anniversary of their marriage. Her grown-up children, Robin and Liz, are well settled in life. At this juncture, Mandira experiences a strange emotional void. Suddenly, she opts for a different way of life—of self-imposed solitude, initially in England and then in India. But to what end? Does she attain what she has yearned for or does life still have surprises in store for her? And is her filial affection, particularly for her daughter, reciprocated? THE AUTHOR Sunil Gangopadhyay (b. 1934) is one of the most illustrious figures in the world of Bengali literature. A critically acclaimed poet and a bestselling novelist and writer, he has so far penned numerous novels, collections of poems, children’s books and short stories. He is the founder-editor of Krittibas, a groundbreaking Bengali poetry journal and joint editor of the reputed Bengali literary magazine, Desh. He has won many prestigious awards including Ananda Puraskar (1972 and 1989) Sahitya Akademi Award (1985) and Saraswati Samman (2005). He has been elected president of the Sahitya Akademi and is a visiting professor at Visva-Bharati University. TRANSLATOR An MA in English from Calcutta University, Sujal Bhattacharya has translated the works of Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay and Taslima Nasreen. He is a teacher by profession as well as a freelance writer. Bhyrappa examines the very fibre of contemporary Indian life— social, political and psychological in terms of the post-independence, post-Gandhian scenario. Panoramic in scope, moving as it does from a small village near Channarayapattana, Bangalore to Mysore, Banaras and Delhi. Police brutality, goondaism, the phoney five- star hotel culture, theft and smuggling of art objects—everything falls in the path of the novel. The ubiquitous corruption, bribery and nepotism—from the village to the city is portrayed with absolute candour and honesty prompting us to ponder over the steady erosion of traditional values and the rank philistinism that has enveloped the present day life corroding the very moral fibre of our nation today. The range of characters, entirely credible, is astonishingly comprehensive—the true Gandhian idealist, who, in spite of all odds holds on to his ideals; an honest and uncompromising journalist- editor, who, in spite of personal tragedy remains steadfast to his professional ethics and integrity; the liberated career woman who sleeps around in order to gain favours in business; the academic- politician with a carefully cultivated charm seducing gullible and impressionable young women. Simply a fascinating novel about modern India–surveying the state of the country from Mahatma Gandhi to the days of Indira Gandhi’s Emergency. THE AUTHOR Santeshivara Lingannaiah Bhyrappa is one of the best-selling Kannada novelists today.The uniqueness of Dr Bhyrappa is that he is as much a popular novelist as a scholarly writer. THE TRANSLATOR S Ramaswamy is a three-time Fulbrighter at the universities of California,Texas and Yale;twice a British Council Scholar at Oxford and London. He is a Fellow of the Silliman College, Yale University,USA. BACKLIST The Dialogue of Awaara, Raj Kapoor’s Immortal Classic is a book for lovers of both cinema and language, featuring K.A. Abbas’s original screenplay and dialogue, based on a story by K.A. Abbas and V.P. Sathe. A seriously neglected area of Indian cinema is the subject of film dialogue. Though cinema is mainly a visual experience, it is through dialogue that we know the thoughts and emotions of the film’s characters. Through K.A. Abbas’s words and the poetic songs by Shailendra and Hasrat Jaipuri, Awaara’s Judge Raghunath (Prithviraj Kapoor), Raj (Raj Kapoor) and Rita (Nargis) come alive. The film has a wonderful mix of one-liners, quips, punchlines and catchphrases while being modern, witty and full of nuance. Awaara’s dialogue and songs have been carefully transcribed from the film’s original soundtrack by Suhail Akhtar and Vijay Jani and presented in Hindi, Urdu and Roman scripts. The English translation of the dialogue, an introduction and commentary are by Nasreen Munni Kabir. With a foreword by Randhir Kapoor, this unique book also features many stills from a most loved and enduring classic by Raj Kapoor, one of Indian cinema’s master filmmakers. The Dialogue of: AWAARA Raj Kapoor’s Immortal Classic by Nasreen Munni Kabir THE AUTHOR Born in Panipat (now in Haryana) on 7 June 1914, Khwaja Ahmed Abbas, popularly known as K.A. Abbas, was a prominent man of many talents. A film director, novelist, screenwriter and a journalist, he wrote in Urdu, Hindi and English. An IPTA (Indian People’s Theatre Association) member, known for his strong political beliefs, Abbas was famously on the side of the underdog. Awaara is his first collaboration with Raj Kapoor. A celebrated journalist, film critic and publisher, V.P. Sathe was also an active IPTA member. Hugely knowledgeable about Indian cinema, Sathe ran a successful film advertising agency and was responsible for R.K. Films’ publicity for many years. He co-wrote with K.A. Abbas a number of film stories, including Awaara. Notes on translator: Author and documentary filmmaker, Nasreen Munni Kabir has written many books on Indian film, including Guru Dutt, a life in cinema (Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 1996) and Lata Mangeshkar in her own voice (Niyogi Books, 2009). Her next publication is The Dialogue of Mother India, Mehboob Khan’s Immortal Classic (Niyogi Books, 2010). Specifications: Size: 10 inches x 9 inches binding: Flexi Cover Paper: 150 gsm matt coated Page extent: 292 Photographs: 260 ISbN: 978-81-89738-54-9 Price: INR 1250 The Dialogue of: MOTHER INDIA Mehboob Khan’s Immortal Classic Specifications: Size: 10 inches x 9 inches binding: Flexi Cover Paper: 150 gsm matt coated Page extent: 320 Photographs: 244 ISbN: 978-81-89738-58-7 Price: INR 1250 THE AUTHOR Born in Lucknow in 1908, Vajahat Mirza began his cinema career as an assistant cameraman at New Theatres in Calcutta. He later moved to Mumbai in the 1940s where he worked as an actor and a director. An exceptional screenplay and dialogue writer, Vajahat Mirza’s poetry in Urdu, though never published, was also regarded as first-rate. He gave to Indian cinema extraordinary screenplays, including Mughal-e- Azam (co-writer), Shikast, Yahudi, Gunga Jumna and Leader. The award- winning Mother India was his sixth collaboration with Mehboob Khan. Nephew of celebrated writer Agha Jani Kashmiri, Syed Ali Raza’s distinctive and marvellous writing style shone through from his first film Andaaz (directed by Mehboob Khan). S. Ali Raza wrote dialogue for many Mehboob Khan films, including the popular Aan. During the making of the film, he met the actress Nimmi and they later married. S. Ali Raza passed away in Mumbai on l November 2007 at the age of 85. Notes on translator: Author and documentary filmmaker, Nasreen Munni Kabir has written many books on Indian film, including Guru Dutt, a life in cinema (Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 1996), Lata Mangeshkar in her own voice (Niyogi Books, 2009) and The Dialogue of Awaara, Raj Kapoor’s Immortal Classic (Niyogi Books, 2010). by Nasreen Munni Kabir The Dialogue of Mother India, Mehboob Khan’s Immortal Classic features the film’s complete dialogue by Vajahat Mirza and S. Ali Raza and songs by Shakeel Badayuni presented in Hindi, Urdu, and Roman scripts. Lavishly illustrated, the original dialogue is accompanied by an English translation, introduction and commentary. Though cinema is primarily a visual medium, dialogue is crucial to every aspect of the film narrative. It can identify the location of the story, direct and hold the attention of the viewer, develop plot, create atmosphere, situate the story in a social and cultural context and, most importantly, reveal and express every character’s emotion. The film’s dialogue, brilliantly delivered by Nargis, Raaj Kumar, Kanhaiyalal, Sunil Dutt and Rajendra Kumar bring alive this magnificent saga of survival and fortitude. Acknowledged as one of Indian cinema’s most important and best-loved films, Mehboob Khan’s Mother India has a powerful and poignant screenplay that matches its visual beauty and enduring appeal. 27 The Dialogue of: MOTHER INDIA Mehboob Khan’s Immortal Classic Specifications: Size: 10 inches x 9 inches binding: Flexi Cover Paper: 150 gsm matt coated Page extent: 320 Photographs: 244 ISbN: 978-81-89738-58-7 Price: INR 1250 THE AUTHOR Born in Lucknow in 1908, Vajahat Mirza began his cinema career as an assistant cameraman at New Theatres in Calcutta. He later moved to Mumbai in the 1940s where he worked as an actor and a director. An exceptional screenplay and dialogue writer, Vajahat Mirza’s poetry in Urdu, though never published, was also regarded as first-rate. He gave to Indian cinema extraordinary screenplays, including Mughal-e- Azam (co-writer), Shikast, Yahudi, Gunga Jumna and Leader. The award- winning Mother India was his sixth collaboration with Mehboob Khan. Nephew of celebrated writer Agha Jani Kashmiri, Syed Ali Raza’s distinctive and marvellous writing style shone through from his first film Andaaz (directed by Mehboob Khan). S. Ali Raza wrote dialogue for many Mehboob Khan films, including the popular Aan. During the making of the film, he met the actress Nimmi and they later married. S. Ali Raza passed away in Mumbai on l November 2007 at the age of 85. Notes on translator: Author and documentary filmmaker, Nasreen Munni Kabir has written many books on Indian film, including Guru Dutt, a life in cinema (Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 1996), Lata Mangeshkar in her own voice (Niyogi Books, 2009) and The Dialogue of Awaara, Raj Kapoor’s Immortal Classic (Niyogi Books, 2010). by Nasreen Munni Kabir The Dialogue of Mother India, Mehboob Khan’s Immortal Classic features the film’s complete dialogue by Vajahat Mirza and S. Ali Raza and songs by Shakeel Badayuni presented in Hindi, Urdu, and Roman scripts. Lavishly illustrated, the original dialogue is accompanied by an English translation, introduction and commentary. Though cinema is primarily a visual medium, dialogue is crucial to every aspect of the film narrative. It can identify the location of the story, direct and hold the attention of the viewer, develop plot, create atmosphere, situate the story in a social and cultural context and, most importantly, reveal and express every character’s emotion. The film’s dialogue, brilliantly delivered by Nargis, Raaj Kumar, Kanhaiyalal, Sunil Dutt and Rajendra Kumar bring alive this magnificent saga of survival and fortitude. Acknowledged as one of Indian cinema’s most important and best-loved films, Mehboob Khan’s Mother India has a powerful and poignant screenplay that matches its visual beauty and enduring appeal. 27 India is a civilization of many images, a culture of many visual feasts, a tradition where the visible and the palpable are as important as the oral and the occurrent, where our highest truths are embodied not only in our erudite texts but in our kathas (stories) and gathas (songs), akritis (visual forms) and rachanas (compositions), rich with a variety of forms, shapes, designs and motifs. Akriti to Sankriti: The Journey of Indian Forms explores some akritis that adorn both majestic and grand monuments, as well as common and ordinary spaces, and which through their purely visual language are pointers to not only our culture, but equally to brahma jnana or transcendental knowledge. These beautiful visual representations of both the ordinary people and artisans, are not individual expressions but that of the shared experiences of the community and the preserve of the family, passed down through endless generations. They are neither mere designs nor decorations, nor meant only for rites and rituals, but in their own unpretentious way become sources of visual knowledge and have a culture of their own. Akriti to Sanskriti, a unique analysis and repository of Indian visual forms, is a collector’s tome. AKRITI TO SANSKRITI A Journey of Indian Forms by Harsha V. Dehejia THE AUTHOR Harsha V. Dehejia has a double doctorate—one in medicine and the other in Ancient Indian Culture, both from Mumbai University. He is a practising physician, and Professor of Indian Studies at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. His main interest is in Indian Aesthetics. A widely respected aesthete and art collector, he has written extensively on Indian art and culture, including Parvati, Goddess of Love (1999); Despair and Modernity: Reflections on Modern Indian Paintings (2000); A Celebration of Love: The Romantic Heroine in the Indian Arts (2004); Celebrating Krishna: Sensuous Images and Sacred Words (2005); Gods Beyond Temples (2006) and A Festival of Krishna (2008). Specifications: Size: 11 inches x 8.5 inches binding: Hardcover with Dust Jacket Paper: 150 gsm matt coated Page extent: 248 Photographs: 282 ISbN: 978-81-89738-53-2 Price: INR 2500 INDIAN PAINTINGS IN THE SARABHAI FOUNDATION by B.N. Goswamy THE AUTHOR B.N.Goswamy, distinguished art historian, is Professor Emeritus of Art History at the Panjab University, Chandigarh. A leading authority on Indian art, his work covers a wide range and is regarded, especially in the area of Pahari painting, as having influenced much thinking. He is the recipient of many honours, including the Jawaharlal Nehru Fellowship, the Rietberg Award from Switzerland for Outstanding Research in Art History, the Padma Shri (1998) and the Padma Bhushan (2008) from the President of India. Prof. Goswamy has written extensively. Among his publications are: Pahari Painting: The Family as the Basis of Style (Marg, Bombay, 1968); Painters at the Sikh Court (Wiesbaden, 1975); Essence of Indian Art (San Francisco, 1986); Wonders of a Golden Age (with E. Fischer, Zurich, 1987); Pahari Masters: Court Painters of Northern India (with E. Fischer; Zurich, 1992); Indian Costumes in the Collection of the Calico Museum of Textiles (Ahmedabad, 1993); Nainsukh of Guler: A great Indian Painter from a small Hill State (Zurich, 1997); Painted Visions: The Goenka Collection of Indian Painting (New Delhi, 1999); Piety and Splendour: Sikh Heritage in Art (New Delhi, 2000), Indian Costumes II: Patkas in the collection of the Calico Museum of Textiles (Ahmedabad, 2002); Domains of Wonder (with Caron Smith; San Diego, 2005), and I See No Stranger: Early Sikh Art and Devotion (with Caron Smith; New York, 2006). As a guest curator, Professor Goswamy has been responsible for major exhibitions of Indian art in Paris, San Francisco, Zurich, San Diego, and Frankfurt. As Visiting Professor, he has taught at some of the most prestigious Universities, including the Universities of Heidelberg, Pennsylvania, California (at Berkeley and Los Angeles), Zurich, and Texas (at Austin), and lectured extensively at museums and universities in Europe, the U.S., and India. Specifications: Size: 11.81 inches x 9 inches binding: Hardcover with Dust Jacket Paper: 130 gsm matt coated Page extent: 160 Photographs: 201 ISbN: 978-81-86980-28-6 Price: INR 2500 The paintings to which this volume serves as a catalogue belonged once to one or the other member of the Sarabhai family. But, compared to so many other distinguished collections which the family owned, and later gifted either to the Calico Museum of Textiles or the Sarabhai Foundation—of textiles, pichhwais, manuscripts, Jain artifacts, and south Indian bronzes, among them—they have remained little known till now. There is no dominant theme that runs through the collection, and paintings may not, by themselves, have been a dominant passion in the life of the Sarabhais, but the works they collected reflect great discrimination and aesthetic sensibility. What is more, in the collection there is remarkable breadth and even the casual viewer would be struck by the well-rounded view it offers of the broad historical development of Indian painting. There are works here that come from as early as the 11th century and as late as the 19th; small Pala works on palm-leaf jostle here against some of the earliest works done on paper when that material came into use; Mughal works like those from some of the most celebrated series like the Hamza Nama or the Padshahnama stand close to dazzling folios from the so-called ‘Palam’ Bhagavata; the painter Chokha of Deogarh figures in the collection as much as the great Nainsukh of Guler does. The present volume, authored by one of India’s foremost art historians, invites one, through long and detailed notes, to linger over each work, and savour it. Looking at these paintings with studied leisure can turn into an experience akin to slowly and gently unrolling an unending, embroidered scroll with one’s hands. beings. 30 30 The rich artistic heritage of Tibet reveals the depths of meditations of great masters, translated into the majestic abundance of iconic symbols that take the form of three-dimensional images or two-dimensional thankas. Tibetan Art is a comprehensive introduction to the complex iconography of thankas. It provides a glimpse of the mindset of this art and
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    January 6, 2015 at 11:02 am

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