By Manoranjan Byapari. Translated from the original Bengali into Hindi by Amrita Bera

With enough on this abundant earth to feed everyone for many lifetimes and when one is well fed, it is easy to forget that hunger drives the world even today. The novel opens with a chapter titled ‘Bhat’(cooked rice) in which Garib Das, father of the titular bhaga hua ladka, the runaway boy who will be born later that night, walks a long distance, hungry and weary, to ask the local well-to-do Brahmin Shivnath Bhattacharya for some rice.


Reviewed by: Kopal
By Ranjan Bandyopadhyay. Translated from the original Bengali into Hindi by Shubhra Upadhyay

On April 19, 1884, at the age of 25, Kadambari Devi consumed a heavy dose of opium to end her life. After ingesting the drug, Kadambari fought for her life for two days before she passed away on April 21, 1884. This incident took place four months after the marriage of twenty-three year old Rabindranath in the illustrious Thakur house of Bengal.


Reviewed by: Anita Singh
By Girish Karnad.Translated from the original Marathi into English by Srinath Perur. Translated from English into Hindi by Madhu B Joshi

I remember Girish Karnad as a character in the film Swami and that made a lasting impression on a college-going boy. The calmness and poise displayed by Karnad gave me an idea about the kind of persona he was. After Swami, I continued waiting for the movies he acted in.


Reviewed by: Naval Chandra Pant
By Mandira Shah

As someone who grew up devouring adventure and mystery stories with passionate interest, I began reading this one expecting a similar roller-coaster ride that ended with the catharsis of a happy ending, suitably punctuated with nail-biting tension and thrills.


Reviewed by: Anjana Neira Dev
By Vishwas KS, VR Ferose, Sriram Jagannathan

A genre that is neither new to children nor young adults, visual narrative be it in comic books or full length illustrated novels feeds on generations that have grown on Amar Chitra Kathas whose reach is evident in the vast number of languages it is published in. Even in its full-length avatar with a focused lens on themes beyond the voracious need for mythology, graphic novels no longer qualify as nascent and upcoming as mainstream publishers ensure that supply meets the readers’ growing demand.


Reviewed by: Gitanjali Chawla
By Ilina Singh. Foreword by Eric Falt

The book is replete with wonderful anecdotes like the one of meteorologist Anna Mani from Peermade, Kerala, who at the age of eight, declined the gift of diamond earrings and requested a copy of the Encyclopedia Britannica instead!


Reviewed by: Manu Mehrotra & Ambika Mohan