Bücher veröffentlicht von Aleph Book Company

Carpets adorn living spaces across the length and breadth of the country and are appreciated for many qualities-their design, their colours, their 'feel'-but rarely their history. Yet, each carpet has a story hidden within its intricate details, and the value of a carpet is not only determined by what it costs, or by its technical and aesthetic qualities, but also by the story it carries. Of Indian Carpets and Carpetwallahs: An Appreciation tells the stories of Indian carpets by delving into the histories of an assortment of unique carpets-that of delicate Kashmiri carpets, a Herati-inspired carpet made in Amritsar, and even one made in Rampur jail-collected by Norwegian diplomat Jon Westborg over his lifetime. Of Indian Carpets and Carpetwallahs: An Appreciation melds history, memory, and aesthetics beautifully to create a complete and detailed picture of the Indian carpet-making tradition.

Empower Yourself Right Now curates timeless pearls of wisdom from the world's greatest supergurus whose words have motivated billions around the globe and shown them the path to success and fulfilment. Delving deep into the roots of the most commonly faced roadblocks to personal growth such as self-doubt, negative patterns of thinking, procrastination, wavering focus, and a fear of the unknown, each excerpt in the book offers a fresh and powerful perspective that will transform your life.

Can the Mind Be Quiet? carries the essence of the teachings of Jiddu Krishnamurti, one of the greatest thinkers of the twentieth century. The book is divided into sixty chapters, each describing a unique spiritual encounter with people from diverse backgrounds. The conversations and private interviews between various seekers and Krishnamurti address a wide array of questions such as 'How do I bring up my children?', 'Can the mind unburden itself?', 'What does virtue mean?', 'What really is sacred?', 'Can the brain ever be quiet?', and many more. With every answer, Krishnamurti imparts eye-opening insights into the self, society, education, interpersonal relations, spirituality, and, most importantly, how to lead a peaceful and fulfilling life. Can the Mind Be Quiet? distils the core of Krishnamurti's wisdom with unmatched clarity.

Shortlisted for the Man Asian Literary Prize 2012. Musharraf Ali Farooqi's new novel, set in an unnamed Pakistani city shortly after Partition, unravels the lives of Ustad Ramzi, one of the greatest wrestlers of the land, who is now old and warmed only by the memories of his past and the equally renowned Gohar Jan, a courtesan whose kotha once welcomed lords of the land butis now in danger of being shut down. Through the course of this book we witness Ustad Ramzi's almost fanatical devotion to his craft and his akhara and the attempts of his younger brother Tamami also a wrestler to rise from the towering shadow of Ustad Ramzi. We witness, also,the unusual, unspoken bond that grows between the celibate wrestler and the elegant courtesan, both past their prime. Spare, haunting and exquisitely written, between Clay and Dust is a remarkably original offering from a novelist working at the height of his powers. Key Features By the bestselling author of The Story of a Widow (shortlisted for the DSC Prize, 2010). Musharraf Ali Farooqi is widely regarded as one of Pakistan's biggest writers, together with Mohsin Hamid, Mohammed Hanif and Daniyal Mueenuddin This is perhaps the first major novel in English set in the world of pehelwans and tawaifs, both immensely popular characters in South Asian culture

Bengal is home to both Hindus and Muslims, and her people farm the fertile Gangetic delta for rice and vegetables as well as fishing the region?s myriad rivers. As recipes for fish in yoghurt sauce, chicken with poppy seeds, aubergine with tamarind, duck with coconut milk and the many other delights in Bengali Cooking testify, Bengal has given the world some of its most delicious dishes. This highly original book takes the reader into kitchens in both West Bengal and Bangladesh by way of the seasons and religious and other festivals that shape the region?s cooking. Bengali Cooking is much more than a cookbook: it is also a vivid and deeply-felt introduction to Bengal?s diverse cultures and landscapes.

The first translation into English of a beloved medieval Indo-Persian epic, The Adventures of Amir Hamza is the gripping account of the exploits of Amir Hamza, the greatest warrior of his time, defender of the True Faith, lover of blindingly beautiful women and scourge of infidels, demons, trolls, devs and assorted evil-doers. In Musharraf Ali Farooqis extraordinary translation, which took nearly a decade to finish, Hamzas magical world comes thrillingly alive.

Six and a third Acres was the first modern Odia novel, and has remained at the heart of Odin literary excellence ever since. It was published as Chha Mana atha guntha in the literary monthly Utkal Sahitya between 1897-99. Over a century after it was first published, this sombre tale continues to attract readers because of fakir Mohan senapati's innovative technique, indelible characters, wit, imagination, and tremendous insights into the rural milieu. The novel is about village politics, caste oppression, malpractices, and land-grabbing under the zamindari system in colonial Odisha. Ramchandra mangaraj, a sly zamindar of the village of govindpur, is notorious for taking over the lands of poor peasants and farmers. This time, his avaricious gaze falls on a small patch of land-six and a third acres-belonging to a humble, god-fearing weaver couple. Unable to fight the zamindari devious schemes, the couple succumbs to the harsher realities of caste-ridden village life.

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We lose it. We gain it. We hate it. We hide it. We shame it. We suck it in and we even suck it out. Fat is an international obsession, a dirty word and our least understood body part. A ground-breaking combination of historical, cultural and cutting-edge scientific research, The Secret Life of Fat reveals everything we need to understand fat, how it influences our appetite and willpower, how it defends itself when attacked and why it grows back so quickly. Find out how our genetics and hormones determine how much fat we have and where exactly it will show. Fascinating and surprising in equal measure, this book will give you a powerful new understanding of fat.

Indian food is one of the world's most popular cuisines. Even as it has transformed the contemporary urban foodscape in this age of globalization, social scientists have paid scant attention to the phenomenon. The essays in this book explore the relationship between globalization and South Asia through food. Udipi restaurants, Indian food in colonial times, dum pukht cuisine, staples of the prepared food industry like Bangalore's MTR Foods, Britain's curry culture, Indian fast food in California-these and other distinctive aspects of South Asia's food and culture are examined to gain new insights into subcontinental food and the ways in which it has influenced the world around us

In this book, read three stories from Shiva's adventure-filled life. Find out the tale behind the origin of the river Ganga and what role Shiva had to play in it; how the Shiva lingam avatar of Shiva came about and how Shiva destroyed three demons with one arrow. Beautifully retold by Subhadra Sen Gupta and accompanied by Tapas Guha's magnificent illustrations, this book will be loved by every child.

The monotheistic religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam have severely limited the portrayal of the divine as feminine. But in Hinduism 'God' very often means 'Goddess'. This extraordinary collection explores twelve different Hindu goddesses, all of whom are in some way related to Devi, the Great Goddess. They range from the liquid goddess-energy of the River Ganges to the possessing, entrancing heat of Bhagavati and Seranvali. They are local, like Vindhyavasini and global, like Kali; ancient, like Saranyu and modern, like 'Mother India'. The collection combines analysis of texts with intensive fieldwork, allowing the reader to see how goddesses are worshiped in everyday life. In these compelling essays, the divine feminine in Hinduism is revealed as never before-fascinating, contradictory, powerful.

In June 2001, the king of Nepal and almost his entire family were massacred. Unrest, simmering over the previous decade, boiled over and pushed the nation into free fall. In 2005, the dead kings brother reinstated monarchy, crushing any hope that parliamentary democracy would flourish in Nepal. A period fraught with uncertainty and intense turmoil ensued: the Maoists waged a bloody Peoples War; the monarchy mounted a bloodier counter-insurgency effort; political parties bickered and fought endlessly; and the citizens bore the brunt of it all. Wide-ranging in scope the book spans the beginning of the monarchy, through the early democratic movements, to the present Forget Kathmandu is many things: history, memoir, reportage, travelogue, analysis. But, above all, it is an unflinching, clear-sighted attempt to make sense of the bad politics that plagued and continues to plague the country. It remains as worryingly relevant to present-day Nepal as it was when first published in 2005.

In 1930, the American historian and philosopher Will Durant wrote that Britain's 'conscious and deliberate bleeding of India... [was the] greatest crime in all history'. He was not the only one to denounce the rapacity and cruelty of British rule, and his assessment was not exaggerated. Almost thirty-five million Indians died because of acts of commission and omission by the British-in famines, epidemics, communal riots and wholesale slaughter like the reprisal killings after the 1857 War of Independence and the Amritsar massacre of 1919. Besides the deaths of Indians, British rule impoverished India in a manner that beggars belief. When the East India Company took control of the country, in the chaos that ensued after the collapse of the Mughal empire, India's share of world GDP was 23 per cent. When the British left it was just above 3 per cent.The British empire in India began with the East India Company, incorporated in 1600, by royal charter of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth I, to trade in silk, spices and other profitable Indian commodities. Within a century and a half, the Company had become a power to reckon with in India. In 1757, under the command of Robert Clive, Company forces defeated the ruling Nawab Siraj-ud-Daula of Bengal at Plassey, through a combination of superior artillery and even more superior chicanery. A few years later, the young and weakened Mughal emperor, Shah Alam II, was browbeaten into issuing an edict that replaced his own revenue officials with the Company's representatives. Over the next several decades, the East India Company, backed by the British government, extended its control over most of India, ruling with a combination of extortion, double-dealing, and outright corruption backed by violence and superior force. This state of affairs continued until 1857, when large numbers of the Company's Indian soldiers spearheaded the first major rebellion against colonial rule. After the rebels were defeated, the British Crown took over power and ruled the country ostensibly more benignly until 1947, when India won independence.In this explosive book, bestselling author Shashi Tharoor reveals with acuity, impeccable research, and trademark wit, just how disastrous British rule was for India. Besides examining the many ways in which the colonizers exploited India, ranging from the drain of national resources to Britain, the destruction of the Indian textile, steel-making and shipping industries, and the negative transformation of agriculture, he demolishes the arguments of Western and Indian apologists for Empire on the supposed benefits of British rule, including democracy and political freedom, the rule of law, and the railways. The few unarguable benefits-the English language, tea, and cricket-were never actually intended for the benefit of the colonized but introduced to serve the interests of the colonizers. Brilliantly narrated and passionately argued, An Era of Darkness will serve to correct many misconceptions about one of the most contested periods of Indian history.

Rupi birthed her eldest son squatting in the middle of a paddy field, shin-deep in mud and slush. Soon after, Gurubari, her rival in love, gave her an illness that was like the alakjari vine which engulfs the tallest, greenest trees of the forest and sucks their hearts out. Now Rupi, once the strongest woman in her village, lives out her days on a cot in the backyard, and her life dissolves into incomprehensible ruin around her. The Mysterious Ailment of Rupi Baskey is the story of the Baskeys the patriarch Somai; his alcoholic, irrepressible daughter Putki; Khorda, Putki s devout, upright husband, and their sons Sido and Doso; and Sido s wife Rupi. Equally, the novel is about Kadamdihi, the Santhal village in Jharkhand in which the Baskeys live. For it is in full view of the village that the various large and small dramas of the Baskeys s lives play out, even as the village cheers them on, finds fault with them, prays for them and, most of all, enjoys the spectacle they provide. An astonishingly assured and original debut, The Mysterious Ailment of Rupi Baskey brings to vivid life a village, its people, and the gods good and bad who influence them. Through their intersecting lives, it explores the age-old notions of good and evil and the murky ways in which the heart and the mind work.