Zen
By Shabnam Minwalla Publisher: Duckbill Books Modern Mumbai – independent-minded Zen contemplates college, conflicted by feelings for the perplexing Yash. 1939 – Zen’s great-grandmother Zainab writes a diary detailing her life and events in the wider world. An absorbing page turner with well-developed characters from several generations giving insights into politics and religion past and […]
The Henna Start-up 🏆
By Andaleeb Wajid Publisher: Penguin Random House India When Abir discovers her mother has not been paid for her work, she and her friends work on a creative way to ensure this doesn’t happen again. In a first-person narrative set in tech city Bangalore, this novel addresses concerns around class and gender with lively dialogue […]
Unknown Heroes of India’s Freedom Struggle
By P. Sainath Publisher: Tullika P Sainath lights a beacon on the many stories of freedom fighters from the margins. The book was meticulously researched through in-person interviews of those who joined the Independence movement, even those whose methods diverged from Gandhi’s. This book has many brushes and voices – for each of the 16 […]
From Makaras to Manticores: Around India in 100 Mythical Creatures
By C.G. Salamander Sheena Deviah (Illustrations) Publisher: Hachette Some 260 well written, designed and illustrated pages take the reader through the widths, depths and breadths of India and its coastlines and examine 100 mythical creatures. The creatures may exist in myths and legends, in folklore, as images in paintings, maps and statuettes, or in the […]
Bipathu and a Very Big Dream
By Anita Nair Publisher: Puffin Books Bipathu and a Very Big Dream addresses BIG themes of gender bias, inclusivity of people with disabilities, and power imbalance based on economic class all without dwelling on them. The story is set in a village in Kerala where Hindus and Muslims coexist within the Malayali identity. Bipathu is […]
Meera Mukherjee: Breaking Moulds
By Vaishali Shroff Shivam Choudhary (Illustrations) Publisher : Art1st Meera Mukherjee: Breaking Moulds is the story of Meera’s first fascination with art begins as she watches her mother create enchanting alponas at the entrance to their home. The story follows her journey to Europe where she learns artistic styles of modern masters. She eventually returns […]
A Thousand Full Moons
By Shobha Viswanath Keerthana Ramesh (illustrations) Publisher : Karadi Tales A Thousand Full Moons captures an intergenerational cultural milestone from a child’s perspective. Nila’s great-grandmother Muthassi is going to see a thousand full moons soon when she turns 80, but then there’s an accident! How the family rallies around and deals with this unexpected situation […]
When We Are Home
By Priyadarshini Gogoi Pankaj Saikia (illustrations) Publisher : Pratham Books When We Are Home gives voice to the many families displaced in Assam during annual floods. Each page draws us into the world that Moromi remembers as her home. The illustrations are vivid and take us on a journey through rural Assam. The narrative is […]