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Seth, however, consciously veers clear of this convention in the interest of simplicity and approachability. On the whole, through his careful attention to the rhythm, rhyme, and religio-cultural resonances of the Awadhi text, Vikram Seth pleasurably and deftly carries over the cherished hymn to English through this translation.

The most interesting aspect of the story is the natural disaster. The old man points to the sea and says, ‘Look!’. When they looked, no one was screaming; the scene was horrific—from the top of the hill they could see a wall of water approaching…a tsunami! There was water everywhere.

The children must not take the question freed from the confines of the bag to adults, rather they take it to other beings that are free of control; for instance, a crow, and they compile more questions that must be asked. Predictably the adult world of rule and control, the system and the administration, is weary of this development. But the seekers must not give up and the questioning must continue.

The hallmark of Prabhat’s writing style is the simplicity and ease of his storytelling, which takes readers straight back to their childhood. The length of the stories does not diminish their essence; instead, it makes them more concise and impactful. Each story is a precious gem in itself, illuminating the complexities and beauty of the human mind.

In his creations, Sushil not only pays attention to and reveres the magnificence of nature, he also questions the human sensibilities and pride by bringing new imageries that pump so much life that nature almost emerges as a potent entity which needs our attention. In his other creations like ;g lkjk mtkyk lwjt dk(Eklavya)

Taposhi’s real-life, sensitive use of colours are easy on the eyes; there is a dream-like quality in the illustrations that also perhaps reflects Amol’s inner world which keeps harping on that one dream—of becoming one with his kind.

To some such a clinical approach may appear the best method to navigate their way through Britain’s culture wars involving Brexit, immigration, and racism, etc. But the point also is that the debate about Empire in Britain today is not so much about the past as it is about contemporary issues that face the country, and it is often not easy to be clinical about them—especially for those from former British colonies living in Britain today.

Pattanaik interprets a particular Harappan seal as a woman trying to prevent warriors from attacking each other, and assumes that it is a depiction of a myth which indicates a lack of drive for violence. And since myths are supposed to unravel the deep structures of our minds, he argues that Indians were peace loving while violence was the fate of Egyptians and Mesopotamians! Historians are wary of such generalizations.

The Movement gradually acquired political flavour, initially attempting to develop a collective Oraon identity, and later, anti-British and anti-missionary stances and participation. The Tana Bhagat Movement has many facets. It can be read as ‘peasant consciousness’ (Singh, 1988), tribal insurgent consciousness marked by economic reasons (Chaudhury, 1989), a class struggle and ongoing power dispute between landlords and begari workers (Mohaptra, 1991)

The author masterfully brings the key players of India’s unification to life, allowing us to see beyond their titles and into their fears and motivations. Rather than painting the rajas as mere obstacles, we feel their deep sense of betrayal by the British and growing distrust of Congress—emotions that simmer beneath their political decisions.

The book is a wonderful introduction to the lives of various freedom fighters, especially at a time when the ideas of freedom and independence are much debated. Many of them have passed away owing to natural causes in the last few years; many living into their late nineties and some even past hundred

In this book we learn something of the history of battalions, of the movement of forces, of wartime strategies and the reasoning behind tactics employed in times of conflict. We also come to understand how decisions in wartime are made keeping in mind our strengths and weaknesses

Prabhu encourages them to form their own opinions and interpretations, and support their ideas with evidence from the artwork itself. He illustrates this while talking about ‘a tapasvin…and a god’ from the mammoth rock face. He describes the sculpture–man standing on one leg, arms aloft, fingers locked.

Sunny’s text highlights the transformation of Jharkhand from ‘the land of forests and rivers’ to ‘a land of industries and mines’ (p. 8), and raises critical questions for young minds to rethink the very nature of development, land rights, ecological challenges, environmental sustainability and social justice.

Ajeet Bajaj’s narrative of rafting down the Alsek River in snow-bound Alaska and Canada’s Yukon Plateau was another edge-of the-seat thriller, with icebergs, rapids and grizzly bears! Apparently, there are signboards on that route warning adventurers how from that point onward, they ‘are part of the food chain’!

I was a bit skeptical of the book at the outset, wondering how a book could do justice in guiding someone in the complex field of STEM or even the process of being an innovator in, say, five steps and was wary about the possibility of oversimplification. Some of the claims did raise my brows—like trying to teach ‘how to think creatively’

The section on career and finance deals with examinations, career choices and the question of earning money. This section is a good read for parents too, as they will find important tips and methods for handling their child during examination pressure tests.

These fairy tales shall interact with the readers where an iconic character like Snow White can be hearing impaired and communicates through sign language; story reading can in itself be re-invented to make it more inclusive for all hearing-impaired children. Shabdo, the trusted hearing aid, magnifies sounds and enables hearing through varying frequencies and at times the disturbing whistles.

There are twists and turns, and the final destination back to India across the border seems close yet far away, fraught with danger at every step. The author shows how nothing is black and white, and even a hidebound Pakistani intelligence agent lets his humanity peep through his tough exterior. To say more would be a spoiler.

For this realization to dawn she is helped by a small time ‘newbie’ influencer Sameer. They both make mistakes and come out better human beings, thanks to unexpectedly meeting each other.