Monday 30 June 2014

Present's Book

Rabindranath Tagore: Life and Works by Mallikarjun Patil from Authorspress.

Anyone can find a great pleasure in reading a great Indian writer like Rabindranath Tagore. I had an opportunity to study him recently. The present book ?Rabindranath Tagore: Life and Works? has seven chapters. The first chapter is a simple story about how Tagore lived. The next six chapters speak of what Tagore did. Chapter-Two is about Tagore?s Gitanjali, a remarkable literary event in world poetry. Chapter-Three is about Tagore?s other books of poetry.

As a prominent Bengali, and in a way, a pioneer English poet, Tagore wrote poetry as if it was his first love. Chapter-Four ?Rabindranath Tagore?s Plays? is noteworthy. The chapter covers his major plays in English. What more Tagore was a fine experimentalist, realist and theatre personality. Chapter-Five ?Rabindranath Tagore?s Fiction? covers a critical interpretation of many of his novels that are available in English. Chapter-Six is about Tagore?s non-fictional prose works like Nationalism, his Hibbert Lectures and The Religion of Man.

The last chapter is about his ?Other Aspects?: Theatre, Dance, Music and Painting. There is a list of books for further reading. I believe that this book is a comphrehensive and critical account of Tagore?s entire corpus of writing and it will help both the teachers and students of Indian English literature for a better understanding of Tagore.


In our Poetry section, Rs. 750, in hardback, 198 pages, ISBN: 9788172738600


Black American Predicament in Toni Morrison's Fiction by Syed Mujahid from Authorspress.

The first of the African-American woman novelist to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993, Toni Morrison is one of the foremost contemporary African-American women novelists. Morrison describes herself as a ?black woman novelist?, and all her novels deal with African-American characters and communities. From her first novel, The Bluest Eye to her most recent one, she has explored the African-American experience, and by extension, the human experience. In her novels one can find the African - American woman?s quest for identity, her adjustments or lack of it with the social environment, her dilemma, desires, disappointments, hopes, aspirations and frustrations in a male-dominated society under constant friction with an imposing, alien, white social culture.

In her explorations of such complex social, political and philosophical concerns, Morrison acknowledges that reality is ambiguous and that truth is frequently impossible to apprehend. She belongs to the tradition and group of African-American women writers - Maya Angelou, Toni Cade Bambara, Alice Walker, Gloria Naylor, and Zora Neale Hurtson - for whom writing is a liberating tool, a subversive strategy and an artistic mode for self-expression. Her fictional writings have a variety of thematic dimensions, and her treatment of contemporary problems has a depth and magnitude not frequently found in other writer?s works.

Her novels raise the themes and issues of racism, sexism, classism, culture, religion, slavery, freedom, equality, quest for identity, alienation, fragmentation, aspirations and frustrations. Like William Golding?s, her novels have a fabulist quality as she has been directly influenced by African-American folk tales. Like George Eliot, she has a rare gift for characterization. The present book highlights the black American Predicament in all her novels. It makes a valuable contribution to the oeuvre of American literature, feminist studies and sociology.


In our Poetry And Fiction section, Rs. 995, in hardback, 198 pages, ISBN: 9788172738228


Introspective Voyager: A Collection of Critical Essays on the Poetry of K.V. Raghupathi by Dr. P.V. Laxmiprasad from Authorspress.

Dr. K. V. Raghupathi (born 1957) is an Indian author best known for his poetry in English language. His poetry is rooted in the abundance of philosophy, nature, transcendentalism, imagery and social perspectives, and replete with similes, metaphors, personifications, apostrophe, irony, climax, anti climax and full of rhetoric and symbols. More often he takes the readers on the spiritual exploration of radical philosophical thoughts which strongly speak through all the collections. He has authored ten poetry collections, two novels, four critical works and two books on Yoga.

He is a recipient of several awards that include Michael Madhusudhan Dutt Award, Kolkata in 2001, H.D.Thoreau Fellowship, Dhvanyaloka, Mysore in 2000 and the best chosen poet for 2003, Poetry Society of India, New Delhi and Rock Pebbles National Award for creativity, 2014, Bhubaneswar. Books Authored by K.V. Raghupathi, Poetry: (i) Desert Blooms (Writers Workshop, Kolkata, 1987) (ii) Echoes Silent (Writers Workshop, Kolkata, 1988) (iii) The Images of a Growing Dying City (Writers Workshop, Kolkata, 1989); (iv) Small Reflections (Writers Workshop, Kolkata, 2000) (v) Voice of the Valley (Minerva Press India Pvt. Ltd, New Delhi, 2003); (vi) Wisdom of the Peepal Tree (Minerva Press Pvt. Ltd, New Delhi, 2003) (vii) Samarpana (Reliance Publishing House, New Delhi, 2006); (viii) Orphan and Other Poems (Sanbun Publishers, New Delhi, 2010); (ix) Dispersed Symphonies (APH Publishing Corporation, New Delhi, 2011); (x) Between Me and the Babe (Authors Press, New Delhi, 2013).

Fiction: (i) The Invalid (Cyberwet.Net, Allahabad, 2012); (ii) The Disappointed (Cyberwet.Net, Allahabad, 2014). Critical works: (i) Emerson?s Orientalism (Prestige Books, New Delhi, 2007); (ii) Brave New Wave: 21 Indian English Poets (Book Enclave, Jaipur, 2009); (iii) Critical Exposition of Gopal Honnalgere Poems, (Authorspress, New Delhi, 2011); (iv) Critical Perspectives on Women Poets in Indian English Poetry (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, UK, 2014). Others: (i) Yoga for Peace (Abhinav Publishers, New Delhi, 2006); (ii)Yoga and Zen: A Monograph (Sharada Publishing House, New Delhi, 2007).

In our Poetry And Fiction section, Rs. 995, in hardback, 198 pages, ISBN: 9788172738501

Saturday 28 June 2014

Primus books

Interrogating Politics and Society: Twentieth - Century Indian Subcontinent by Suranjan Das from Primus Books.

Interrogating Politics & Society: Twentieth-Century Indian Subcontinent broadly addresses three themes relevant to South Asian history: communalism, nationalism and the social underworld. Focusing on communal riots and patterns of communal mobilizations in twentieth-century subcontinent, the essays in this volume enrich our understanding of an issue that continues to plague our body politic. Bengal's involvement with India's freedom struggle highlights an intermingling of mainstream nationalism and various forms of protest politics, a theme which has also been dealt with in the volume.

In examining the underworld of Bengal, Interrogating Politics intermingles social history and political history. By way of new insights on crime and criminality, the book studies the goondas, a part of Calcutta's underworld, and the dacoits of nineteenth-century rural Bengal. Hopefully, this volume will renew an interest in political history at a time when in current Indian historiography academic preoccupations lie with economic and social history and interdisciplinary studies. It should be of interest to both practitioners of history and the general reader.

In our History section, Rs. 950, in hardback, xvi+212 pages, ISBN: 9789380607771


Mughal Architecture, (Revised Edition): An Outline of its History and Development (1526-1858) by Ebba Koch from Primus Books.

The architecture created in southern Asia under the patronage of the great Mughals (1526-1858) is one of the richest and most inventive of the Islamic area, including such world famous buildings as the Taj Mahal in Agra or the tomb of Humayun in Delhi, the palaces and mosques in Agra, Delhi, Fatehpur Sikri and Lahore. The author provides a concise and richly-illustrated survey of the history of Mughal architecture and the various influences exerted on the Mughal style by Central Asian-Timurid, earlier Indian and Persian architecture as well as European engravings.

All building types are considered, not only the well known masterpieces but also country houses, hunting palaces, gardens, mausoleums, mosques, bath houses, bazaars, and other public buildings. Many of these are still unknown to specialists. This unique book, covering the whole range of Mughal architecture and including the numerous new photographs and detailed plans, presents the results of the author's extensive field work in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh as well as Iran and the central Asian region of the Soviet Union. The author's in-depth knowledge of the original sources provides the reader with invaluable background information.


In our Art and Architecture section, Rs. 1950, in hardback, xvi+160 pages, ISBN: 9789380607535


Essays in Ancient Indian Economic History, (2/e) by Brajadulal Chattopadhyaya from Primus Books.

Essays in Ancient Indian Economic History is part of a three-volume set focusing on the developments in the economic history of India during the last millennium. The essays in this volume provide an outline of the change in the status and orientation of early Indian economic history and in the approach to the economic features of ancient Indian history.

The essays traverse diverse subjects such as the function of property, family and caste, the origin of the state in early India; agriculture, surplus appropriation and distribution, and labour; the role of crafts and craftsmen in the economy of early India; and trade and trade organizations, and coinage. In doing so, the volume attempts to provide a chronological and spatial view of early Indian economy.

Re-issued in a revised form to synchronize with the Platinum Jubilee Celebrations of the Indian History Congress, the essays are accompanied by a new Preface and an Introduction that highlight the changing contours of emphases, shifting focus and methodologies and projections of research, both encouraged and documented under the aegis of the Indian History Congress.


In our History section, Rs. 1095, in hardback, xviii+240 pages, ISBN: 9789380607559


Essays in Medieval Indian Economic History, (2/e) by Satish Chandra from Primus Books.

Essays in Medieval Indian Economic History is part of a three-volume set, comprising representative articles of Indian History Congress Proceedings (1935-85). In their analysis of the economic history of India during the thirteenth-eighteenth centuries, the essays in this volume delineate a shift from the studies of policies to the working of the revenue system, and its impact on the lives of the Indian people. Further, they highlight patterns and trends of agricultural production, the role of Madadd-i-ma'ash holders, and institutions involved in agricultural expansion and improvement, and the incidence of rural taxes.

The scholarship also marks the growing interest in urban studies, and in the structure and role of the business community in India, in relation to the growth of the economy in India, and its relationship to the State. Several essays deal with subjects as diverse as coinage and mints, and the international debate on the impact of the European trading companies and their system of armed trade and monopoly on the Indian economy and the Indian business community.


In our Essays and Nonfiction And History section, Rs. 1295, in hardback, xviii+302 pages, ISBN: 9789380607580


Essays in Modern Indian Economic History, (2/e) by Sabyasachi Bhattacharya from Primus Books.

Essays in Modern Indian Economic History is part of a three-volume set, comprising representative articles of Indian History Congress Proceedings (1935-85). The essays in this volume provide an overview of the continuities and changes in the historians' approach to the economic aspects of 'modern' Indian history. In the agenda of economic historians, the problems uppermost have been the policies of the colonial state, the impact of metropolitan capitalism on colonial trade and industry, and in particular the evolution of land revenue systems in various regions.

At the same time, many of the continuities from the pre-colonial period to the so-called modern period in terms of social institutions, political structures, and organization of production have engaged historians. This collection indicates how historical research in modern economic history has pushed beyond the study of colonial economic policies per se, into the processes internal to the economy and society under the impact of these policies — resulting in the development of a culturally and socially sensitive economic history.

Re-issued in a revised form to synchronize with the Platinum Jubilee Celebrations of the Indian History Congress, the essays in this volume are accompanied by a new Preface and an Introduction that highlight the changing contours of emphasis, shifting focus/es and methodologies and projections of research, held under the aegis of the Indian History Congress.

In our History section, Rs. 1295, in hardback, xxii+306 pages, ISBN: 9789380607986


Cross-Cultural Management: Practice and Research by Neelu Rohmetra And Anil Gupta from Primus Books.

The need to appreciate cross-cultural perspectives and orientations is increasingly seen as indispensable. Globalization and emerging markets have highlighted the challenges of working in a multicultural environment. Strategically, these challenges can be viewed positively and can be a source of competitive advantage for individuals, organizations, as well as communities and nations.

Presented in the form of empirical research papers, contributed by scholars from emerging economies such as India, China, Pakistan, South Africa, and Taiwan, Cross-Cultural Management: Practice and Research focuses on a variety of issues including competencies, communication, tacit knowledge, entrepreneurial attitudes across cultures, multicultural work teams, models of organizational learning and 'crossvergence'.

This volume will appeal to researchers, academicians and practitioners of behaviour and culture management. It will also be a useful resource and reference work on cross-cultural issues in business management.


In our Management Studies section, Rs. 1495, in hardback, xvi+288 pages, ISBN: 9789380607719

Thursday 26 June 2014

Latest Books

Literature and Merginality: Comparative Perspectives in African American Australian and Indian Dalit Literature by Dr. Parmod Kumar Mehra from Kalpaz Publications.


Literature and Merginality: Comparative Perspectives in African American Australian and Indian Dalit Literature.

In our Literature And Dalit Studies section, Rs. 865, in hardback, 288 pages, ISBN: 9789351280231







Climate Change And Threats To Human Security by Narottam Gaan from Kalpaz Publications.

The Westphalian paradigm of state as a hard shelled political and territorial boundary to impregnate all those who have been walled in as citizens with an impenetrable security shield is no longer impervious and insensitive to the volley of threats hurled at them by the emerging non-traditional and non-state sources. One of such sources of threats remaining menacing to the people is the climate change with its apocalyptic consequences not centuries ago foreseen or predictably crafted within the contours of state security and its associated military establishment.

The utter inadequacy and increasing irrelevance of weapons however lethal and sophisticated may be, in the face of climate change has challenged the narrow, reductionist, linear and one directional state centric security but also has laid the building block for redefining security that moves beyond the state down to the level of every single individual that can be comprehensively christened as human security. Yet one could argue with equal plausibility that the wrong end of a smokestack can be as much of a security threat to humans as the barrel of a gun.

This book compiled of a sheaf of articles written from various perspectives mostly focuses on the threats the climate change poses to human security. NarottamGaan, both Ph.D and D.Litt, Professor and former Head of Post- Graduate Department of Political Science, Utkal University, Vanivihar, Bhubaneswar has been teaching Political Science and International Studies with unflinching commitment and dedication. Not being lured by the lucre of Allied Services (ICS) in 1983-84, he preferred to stay in the academic life. Publication of innumerable articles and research papers in various journals in India and abroad, and thirteen books come as a testament to his prominent scholarship and deep acquaintance with a plethora of wide ranging subjects and contemporary issues concerning policy makers, statesmen, scholars, social scientists and humanity at large.

Privileged to visit Austria, Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia on an Austrian government scholarship, he attended many conferences and programmes abroad and received advanced degree in international studies from European University Center for Peace Studies, Stadtschlaining, Austria. Critically delving deep into the Western concepts as 'given' to analyse, understand and interpret issues with incisive contestation of their contemporary relevance from an Indian perspective has been one of his illuminating intellectual cornerstones. His present focus on climate change, environmental security, development, peace, human security and economic rethinking and various national and international issues of current importance challenging the conventionally ingrained notions of state, sovereignty and national and international security, entitles him to be one of the few celebrated scholars receiving wide acknowledgement and accolades from abroad.


In our Ecology and Environment section, Rs. 999, in hardback, 335 pages, ISBN: 9789351280156

Regional Cooperation in south Asia: A Study of Political and economic Dimensionn of SAARC by Nidhi Sharma from Kalpaz Publications.

In the present global and economic regimebased on the WTO (GATT) and IMF system,which has sustained the world economy sinceWorld War II, regionalism, through whichneighbouring countries seek to strengthentheir economic and political relations byentering into some form of “regionalintegration” has become a major trend. Theglobal trend towards a fee trade and theformation of intra-regional blocs spurredSouth Asia into action and in 1985, the SouthAsian Association for regional cooperationwas formed.

The compulsions and prospects forregional integration in South Asia aretremendous. There are obvious economicobstacles and political differences and thereare also various ways to overcome them.This book has been divided into fivechapters describing the conceptual analysis ofthe of regional integration, theories, the roleof WTO, the historical development andorigin of SAARC, SAARC institutionalcentre, SAARC charter and various functionsof SAARC regional centers, had alsoanalysed the present economic and politicalcondition of SAARC nations and variouseconomic and political impedimentsprevailing in the region, ways to overcomeand the future prospects of SAARC.


In our Economics section, Rs. 950, in hardback, 316 pages, ISBN: 9789351280347

Tuesday 24 June 2014

Lie Groups and Lie Algebras for Physicists

Lie Groups and Lie Algebras for Physicists by Ashok Das And Susumu Okubo from Hindustan Book Agency.

Ashok Das and Susumu Okubo are colleagues at the University of Rochester and are both very well known theoretical high energy physicists. Das has worked on supersymmetry, supergravity and various other areas in theoretical physics, while Okubo, who was awarded the Wigner Medal for his contributions to Group Theory in 2006 has long been interested in the applications of Lie algebras and other non-associative algebras in both physics and mathematics.

The emphasis in the present book is on the interrelations of representation theories of Lie groups and the corresponding Lie algebras. It is intended for students of theoretical physics at the post-graduate level, and researchers interested in applications of Lie group theory and Lie algebras in physics will find it invaluable.


In our Physics section, Rs. 625, in paperback, 358 pages, ISBN: 9789380250632

Monday 23 June 2014

Primus Books

Contesting Colonialism and Separatism by Mohammad Sajjad from Primus Books.

Contesting Colonialism and Separatism: Muslims of Muzaffarpur Since 1857 is an account of the Muslim communities of Muzaffarpur in north Bihar, and explores the history of the area, the socio-political behaviour of the Muslim communities, their economic conditions and negotiations for a share in the power-structure. This study is presented in three segments: (a) the political evolution of the area during the colonial era through an exploration of the sub-regional socio-political setting; (b) the participation of the Muslims of this area in the Congress-led movements till the 1930s, narrating the largely untold story of Muslim resistance to the Muslim League's politics of territorial separatism, despite their grievances against and alienation from the Congress during 1937-47; and (c) their post-independence experiences and political anxieties, problems and prospects.

This book attempts to look at history from both a national as well as local perspectives, describing the broader events of Indian politics in the context of the local political system as it evolved, and the participation as well as location of the Muslim communities in those events and processes. Inter-community cooperation and harmony prevailed over divisive politics even during the most vitiated atmosphere of 1946-7. Tracing the trajectory of Contesting Colonialism and Separatism: Muslims of Muzaffarpur Since 1857 is an account of the Muslim communities of Muzaffarpur in north Bihar, and explores the history of the area, the socio-political behaviour of the Muslim communities, their economic conditions and negotiations for a share in the power-structure.


In our History section, Rs. 1195, in hardback, 186 pages, ISBN: 9789384082048



Essays on Hinduism, (3/e) by Karan Singh from Primus Books.

In this collection of essays the author discusses the basics of Hinduism. Outlining the message of the Bhagavad-Gita and the Upanisads, he argues that Hinduism is not a cult, nor a bunch of dogmas, but a religion of the highest order that speaks of an immanent and transcendental god. It also offers a philosophy of life that cuts across ethnic and geographic barriers between men.

According to him, the essentials of Hindu religio-philosophic teaching are pervaded by the ideal of universalism and love for humanity. The author drives home the relevance of Hindu universalism to an age in which nations are armed for mutual annihilation.

He maintains that successful application of the religio-philosophic teachings of Hindu seers will help humankind to overcome the worst crisis facing it in this nuclear age, and will lead to restructuring the world on the all-embracing principle of freedom and equity. The text is followed by the author's lucid translation and commentary on Mundaka Upanisad.


In our Religion section, Rs. 395, in paperback, 178 pages, ISBN: 9789384082017



Sarnath: Antiquity & Tradition by Anand Singh from Primus Books.

This book is an attempt to discuss the status of Buddhism in SÄrnÄth on the basis of the vast available original sources. It is a reconstruction of different Buddhist traditions that evolved in SÄrnÄth since the preaching of four noble truths to the construction of Dharmachakrajina VihÄra in the early medieval age. An objective assessment of the history, architecture, epigraphs and decline of SÄrnÄth has been undertaken by placing reliance mainly on archaeological, epigraphic and literary sources.

An effort has been made to analyse the religious traditions, origin and geo-morphological construction of the SÄrnÄth region, dhammacakkapabattana, its religious and architectural symbolism and patronage. The probable causes of the decline of Buddhism in Sarnath is also traced on the background of Chinese, Indian and Persian sources supported by archaeological reports.Z


In our History section, Rs. 795, in hardback, 194 pages, ISBN: 9789380607740


Invoking Ambedkar: Contributions, Receptions, Legacies by Biswamoy Pati from Primus Books.

It hardly needs to be emphasized that besides being a person with a remarkable vision, B.R. Ambedkar was intimately involved with many factors that created the basis of what India is today. At the same time, one cannot overlook Ambedkar's 'past' and the fact that he grew up facing discrimination and being made to sit on the floor outside the classroom as a child, as he was a Dalit. Even today, millions of Dalit children face similar discrimination in their everyday life.

Such incidents are distinct reminders of the continuing relevance of Ambedkar and the uncivil and barbaric nature of India's 'civil' society. This book brings together a wide variety of scholarly ideas: the way 'Aryans' are perceived in Dalit historical thinking; seeing the problem of Dalit liberation through the lenses of Adam Smith; the election of the Constituent Assembly (1946) with which Ambedkar was intimately involved, and which scripted India's Constitution; the approach of Gandhi and Ambedkar to the process of planning and India's economic development; and Ambedkar's attitude to Marx and Buddha, as well as Dalit Christianity. This book also includes a comparative study of Ambedkar and some of his contemporaries like Charan Singh and Ram Manohar Lohia in Uttar Pradesh.

In our History section, Rs. 795, in hardback, 182 pages, ISBN: 9789380607900

Saturday 21 June 2014

Aspects of Modernity

Aspects of Modernity: American Womens's Poetry by Sukanya Dasgupta from Jadavpur University Press.

This volume features a collection of contemporary essays about women poets writing in northern America over a period of two centuries. Foregrounding changing socio-cultural and political mores, understandings and issues, the essays illuminate a spectrum of aspects of modern life, and its ideological precedents in northern America. The essays feature women poets with a wide variety of concerns. The public and political concerns of Phillis Wheatley and Emma Lazarus are explored, as are the private and political concerns of Marianne Moore, H.D. and Gwendolyn Brooks.

Muriel Rukeyser and Adrienne Rich’s demarcation of a changing world finds a place beside Sylvia Plath’s insistence on the power of her own voice. The Nuyorican poet Julia de Burgos tells of her own route, while Tracy Chapman and the Affrilachian poets speak their anger of a world that makes such a route impossible for the poor and marginalised. A distinctly contemporary concern with ecology concludes the seventeen essays of this volume.


In our Poetry section, Rs. 550, in paperback, 230 pages, ISBN: 9788192752594

Thursday 19 June 2014

The Two Hotel Francforts, Margaret Thatcher, (1/e)

The Two Hotel Francforts by David Leavitt from Bloomsbury India.

It is the summer of 1940, and Lisbon is one of the only neutral ports left in Europe – a city filled with spies, crowned heads and refugees of every nationality, tipping back absinthe to while away the time until their escape. Awaiting safe passage to New York on the S. S. Manhattan, two couples meet: Pete and Julia Winters, expatriate Americans fleeing their sedate life in Paris; and Edward and Iris Freleng, elegant, independently wealthy, bohemian, and beset by the social and sexual anxieties of their class. Swept up in the tumult, the hidden currents of the lives of these four characters – Julia's status as a Jew, Pete and Edward's affair, Iris's increasingly desperate efforts to save her tenuous marriage – begin to come loose. This journey will change the four of them irrevocably, as Europe sinks into war.

In our Fiction section, Rs. 399, in paperback, 272 pages, ISBN: 9781408815151






Margaret Thatcher, (1/e): Power and Personality by Jonathan Aitken from Bloomsbury India.

As Britain’s first woman Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher brought about the biggest social and political revolution in the nation’s post-war history. She achieved this largely by the driving force of her personality – a subject of endless speculation among both her friends and her foes.

Jonathan Aitken has an insider’s view of Margaret Thatcher’s story. He is well qualified to explore her strong and sometimes difficult personality during half a century of political dramas. From first meeting her when she was a junior shadow minister in the mid 1960s, during her time as leader of the Opposition when he was a close family friend, and as a Member of Parliament throughout her years in power, Aitken had a ring side seat at many private and public spectacles in the Margaret Thatcher saga.

From his unique vantage point, Aitken brings new light to many crucial episodes of Thatcherism. They include her ousting of Ted Heath, her battles with her Cabinet, the Falklands War, the Miners’ Strike, her relationships with world leaders such as Ronald Reagan, Mikhail Gorbachev and King Fahd of Saudi Arabia and the build up to the Shakespearian coup inside the Conservative Party which brought about her downfall.

Drawing on his own diaries, and a wealth of extensive research including some ninety interviews which range from international statesmen like Mikhail Gorbachev, Henry Kissinger and Lord Carrington to many of her No.10 private secretaries and personal friends, Jonathan Aitken’s Margaret Thatcher – Power and Personality breaks new ground as a fresh and fascinating portrait of the most influential political leader of post-war Britain.


In our Biography section, Rs. 799, in hardback, 784 pages, ISBN: 9781408831847

Tuesday 17 June 2014

Scaling Heights

Scaling Heights: Anthology on Contemporary Indian English Poetry by Gopal Lahiri And Kiriti Sengupta from Authorspress.

Indian Poets Writing In English Have Already Acquired An Identity And Character Over The Years. The Anthology, Scaling Heights, Offers A Rich And Rewarding Collection Of Poems Written By Young, Unheard, Yet Promising Poets From A Diverse Background, And The Established Poets As Well. 

The Volume Showcases The Kaleidoscopic Nature Of Poems Written On Universal Theme, Exploring The Complexities Of Modern Life And Evoking The Romancing Past, And In The Process Tracing The Path Of The Current English Poetry Written In India.

In our Poetry section, Rs. 595, in paperback, 302 pages, ISBN: 9788172738099

Sunday 15 June 2014

Terror and Performance

Terror and Performance by Rustom Bharucha from Tulika Books.

Focusing on four primary motifs – ‘September 11’, Islamophobia, Truth and Reconciliation, and non-violence – this book offers a non-Eurocentric perspective on the dangerous liaisons between terror and performance. Instead of equating ‘terror’ with ‘terrorism’, it offers alternative epistemologies and narratives of terror by drawing on a vast spectrum of human cruelties relating to war, genocide, apartheid, communal and ethnic violence, in India, Rwanda, South Africa and Palestine, among other parts of the global South.

From exposing the liberal biases of ‘September 11’ as the paradigmatic event of terror in our times, the book reflects on how the ‘war on terror’ has catalysed an upsurge of Islamophobia in the performances of everyday life. Against the fictions of ‘passing’, ‘covering’ and ‘queering’ Muslim identities, the book juxtaposes the very real terror of genocide and communal violence in which Muslims have been marked and killed.

Extending the concept of ‘performance’ beyond theatre practice, the book also interrogates the performativity of political discourse with particular reference to state-sponsored processes of Truth and Reconciliation in post-genocide Rwanda and post-apartheid South Africa. By contrasting the conflicting modalities of Truth and Reconciliation, it questions how the performances of guilt, confession and forgiveness can be valorized at the expense of securing justice for the victims.

To what extent can non-violence serve as an instrument of justice in the age of terror? Is it possible to envision justice outside the strictures of the law? The concluding chapter of this book probes these questions through the activist performances of Mahatma Gandhi in a larger context of critically re-examining his role as a one-man Truth Commission. Affirming the need for non-violent political resistance, Terror and Performance envisions how a turbulent peace may be realized through the uncertainties of the here and now.

In our Performing Arts and Drama section, Rs. 695, in hardback, xvi+252 pages, ISBN: 9789382381372

Friday 13 June 2014

Mid-Wicket Tales

Mid-Wicket Tales: From Trumper to Tendulkar by S Giridhar And V J Raghunath from Sage India.

Written with the passion of a fan and knowledge of a cricketer, Mid-Wicket Tales: From Trumper to Tendulkar is for all genuine lovers of cricket from every cricketing nation. It celebrates cricket in all its hues and brings alive the rich history, romance and technical nuances of the game, where diligent research and analysis is blended with rare and interesting anecdotes.

Even as the essays reflect the authors’ passion for the game, there is a perspective, balance and tolerant objectivity right through the book. Thus, if they lavish praise on Rahul Dravid for his batting or the wondrous all-round skills of Garry Sobers or the incomparable slip catching of Bobby Simpson, they also admire the less successful test cricketers, for there are just a few thousand test players in 137 years of international cricket. It is the sort of book one can reach out and spend 30 minutes on any number of occasions, just like meeting old friends.

In our General section, Rs. 525, in hardback, 292 pages, ISBN: 9788132117384

Wednesday 11 June 2014

The Contradictions of Real Socialism and Towards Immediacy in World Peace

The Contradictions of Real Socialism: The Conductor and the Conducted by Michael A Lebowitz from Aakar Books.

What was “real socialism”—the term which originated in twentieth-century socialist societies for the purpose of distinguishing them from abstract, theoretical socialism? In this volume, Michael A. Lebowitz considers the nature, tendencies, and contradictions of those societies. Beginning with the constant presence of shortages within “real socialism,” Lebowitz searches for the inner relations which generate these patterns. He finds these, in particular, in what he calls “vanguard relations of production,” a relation which takes the apparent form of a social contract where workers obtain benefits not available to their counterparts in capitalism but lack the power to decide within the workplace and society.

While these societies were able to claim major achievements in areas from health care to education to popular culture, the separation of thinking and doing prevented workers from developing their capacities as fully developed human beings. The relationship within “real socialism” between the vanguard as conductor and a conducted working class, however, did not only lead to the deformation of workers and those elements necessary for the building of socialism; it also created the conditions in which enterprise managers emerged as an incipient capitalist class, which was an immediate source of the crises of “real socialism.”

As he argued in The Socialist Alternative: Real Human Development, Lebowitz stresses the necessity to go beyond the hierarchy inherent in the relation of conductor and conducted (and beyond the “vanguard Marxism” which supports this) to create the conditions in which people can transform themselves through their conscious cooperation and practice—i.e., a society of free and associated producers.


In our Sociology section, Rs. 225, in paperback, 222 pages, ISBN: 9789350022160



Towards Immediacy in World Peace: Papers and Proceedings of The World Peace Congress by Rajani Kannepalli, Kanth Padmamalini, G Rao, Karen Ohnesorge And Tung-Yi Kho from Aakar Books.


This volume commemorates the third landmark in the march of the World Peace Congress, the event held in Thailand in the summer of 2010. It includes most of the major presentations at this meeting. 

A landmark event, the Congress called for a historic ban on war to be adopted by the UN declaring war as Illegal. The Resolution was sent to the Secretary General of the UN.

In our Strategic Affairs section, Rs. 400, in hardback, 176 pages, ISBN: 9789350021125

Monday 9 June 2014

Finding the Space to Lead

Finding the Space to Lead: A Practical Guide to Mindful Leadership by Janice Marturano from Bloomsbury India.

The complexity and relentless pace of our world places exceptional demands on leaders today. They work incredibly hard and yet feel that they are not meeting their own expectations of excellence. They feel disconnected from their own values and overburdened. By the thousands, they seek out books on leadership skills, time management, and “getting things done,” but the techniques these volumes offer, useful as they are, don’t often don’t speak to the leader’s fundamental sense that something is missing.

Janice Marturano, a senior executive with decades of experience in Fortune 500 corporations, explains how Mindful Leadership training integrates the practice of mindfulness—meditation and selfawareness— with the practical tools of management, enabling leaders to bring a wider range of their capacities to the challenges at hand. We already know from scientific research that mindfulness practices enhance mental health and improve clarity and focus. FINDING THE SPACE shows how this training has specific value for leaders.

This is not a new “leadership system” to add to the burden of already overworked people. It brings the concepts of mindfulness into the everyday life of anyone in a leadership role, through specific exercises that address practical issues—the calendar, schedule, phone usage, meetings, to-do list, and strategic planning, as well as interpersonal challenges such as listening and working with difficult colleagues.

Leaders who have experienced mindfulness training report that it provides a “transformative experience” with significant improvements in innovation, selfawareness, listening, and making better decisions. In FINDING THE SPACE TO LEAD, Marturano masterfully lays out her proven techniques for promoting mindfulness in the busy executive's working life.


In our Essays and Nonfiction section, Rs. 399, in paperback, 208 pages, ISBN: 9789384052669

Saturday 7 June 2014

The Politics and Economics of Regionalism

The Politics and Economics of Regionalism: How Neighbours Converge by I.P. Khosla from Konark Publishers.

Though there are exceptions, neighbours are increasingly inclined to converge naturally in today’s world. It was not always so. From Kautilya onwards, sagacious thinkers have told us it is natural for neighbours to be enemies. In the twenty first century, however, as economic competition replaces military and strategic rivalry in the relations between nations, it has become the norm for them to look across their borders with economic cooperation in mind: trade, investment, the exchange of services, other complementarities and common interests that will serve to make them more competitive.

There are other factors too. Geographical propinquity, the unities of history, cultural commonality, language spilling across borders, all make the neighbourhood a comfort zone for working together. It also then becomes a zone of peace. Regionalism has thus become both important and interesting. It has spread rapidly and widely, encompassing, in a few decades, the entire world in regional cooperation organizations of myriad forms. At the deepest level, cooperation and peace are symbiotically bonded within the human genome, a bond which has effect on and continues into social life, economics, politics and sociology, culture and tradition, among a large number of factors that govern human behaviour. This starts with individuals and goes on to groups and generalizing further, to the different kinds of community that humans have formed throughout history.

One important part of that history deals with the fact that groups of all kinds find it beneficial, profitable, and empowering to work together and to set themselves large aims. But all of this can as well be the foundations for cooperation as for rivalry. And there has been so much concentration on the other part of history, the one that deals with conflict and military rivalry, that the part that deals with cooperation and peace has been relatively neglected. Nowadays the picture is more balanced; there is growing attention to the forces that make for peace and cooperation, a growing literature that attempts to understand the circumstances in which a complex of states within any region will employ these forces to rule out war and even the possibility of war in their mutual relations.

Regionalism is juxtaposed with globalism, sometimes in opposition to it, sometimes working jointly, and there are a large number of theories that have been put forward to understand both these phenomena. However it is now more and more apparent that regionalism is the major driving force of today. That, too, makes it increasingly important, as well as interesting, to understand its different aspects. This book explains regionalism with an emphasis on the various economic theories and models as well as other theories that have been propounded over the years since 1945. It has detailed case studies of three important regional cooperation ventures: SAARC; ASEAN and the European Union, in the hope that these will flesh out many of the theories.


In our Management Studies section, Rs. 795, in hardback, 494 pages, ISBN: 9789322008383



Thursday 5 June 2014

India/ Mulla Sadra

India: Economy, Politics and Society by Stuart Corbridge, Craig Jeffrey And John Harriss from Oxford University Press (India).

Twenty years ago India was usually thought of as a typical developing country, home to the largest number of poor people of any country in the world, and beset by problems of low economic growth, casteism and violent religious conflict. Now India is being feted as an economic powerhouse which might well become the second largest economy in the world before the middle of this century. Its democratic traditions, moreover, remain broadly intact.

How and why has this historic transformation come about? And what are its implications for the people of India, for Indian society and politics? These are the big questions addressed in this book by three scholars who have lived and researched in different parts of India during the period of this great transformation.

Each chapter seeks to answer a particular question. When and why did India take off? How did a weak state promote audacious reform? Does caste still matter? Why is India threatened by a Maoist insurgency? In addressing these and other pressing questions, the authors take full account of vibrant new scholarship that has emerged over the past decade or so, both from Indian writers and India specialists, and from social scientists who have studied India in a comparative context.

In our Politics section, Rs. 750, in hardback, 400 pages, ISBN: 9780199450596



Mulla Sadra by Ibrahim Kalin from Oxford University Press (India).


This book introduces the readers to the fascinating world of Mulla Sadra's thought, one of the most important figures of the later Islamic intellectual tradition. Sadra's "Transcendent Wisdom" is based on the fundamental insight that all things derive their reality and truth from the all-inclusive reality of existence.

Along the "four journeys" of his philosophical quest, Sadra produces a world-picture that is a reflection of the infinite symphony of existence and its modalities. His penetrating deliberations on the human state and spiritual anthropology provide one of the most profound statements of the underlying unity between humans, the universe and the Divine.

The book takes the reader through the elaborate and rich world of Sadra's intellectual journey and shows its relevance for today's philosophical issues in the Islamic and Western worlds.

In our Religion section, Rs. 495, in paperback, 192 pages, ISBN: 9780199451173

Tuesday 3 June 2014

Delhi Old and New

Delhi Old and New: Inkline Drawings by Kavita Iyengar from Bloomsbury India.



The drawings within the pages of this book are an attempt to capture the monumental glory of Delhi and Provide a story of the City through its historical architecture unique to the region.

In our History section, Rs. 495, in hardback, 120 pages, ISBN: 9789382951254 

Sunday 1 June 2014

The Concept of Vakrokti in Sanskrit Poetics

The Concept of Vakrokti in Sanskrit Poetics by Suryanarayan Hegde from Readworthy Publications.

In the whole range of Sanskrit poetics, the term vakrokti took altogether a new significance and the highest position as the all pervading poetic concept in Kuntaka's Vakroktijivita. He revived the concept from more verbal poetic figure to the lessons of poetry. He not only explains but also explores the multi-dimensional aspects of Vakrokti. But unfortunately.

No comprehensive study of Vakrokti has been done in a systematic way. This book is an effort in this direction. Presenting the major schools of Sanskrit poetics, the book gives general definition of vakrokti and its multi-dimensional implications.

Further taking a close look at the views of different theorists on vakrokti, it exposes in detail kuntaka's theory of vakrokti and makes its critical analysis in relation to various literary concepts-alankara, svabhavokti, rasavadalankara, marga and rasa. Finally, it deals with the striking similarities between dhavni and vakrokti, and brings out the fundamental aspects of practical criticism as shown by kuntaka.



In our Poetry section, Rs. 595, in hardback, 192 pages, ISBN: 9788189973933