He doesn’t have a name. He doesn’t have an address. But he is smart, funny, and spunky. Will he survive on the mean streets of Mumbai? January 2001: A twelve-year-old boy is found under a pile of rubble after the devastating earthquake in Bhuj. Miraculously, he’s still alive. But he doesn’t remember anything—not even his name. Binna—the boy with no name—is slowly recuperating in a hospital, when he overhears he’s going to be transferred to an orphanage. Terrified at the thought, Binna runs away to Mumbai, becoming one of the many homeless children in the city. Living out of a restroom in Charni Road station, Binna soon finds work in a nearby Udupi restaurant and develops a bond with his fellow workers. But after two terrifying encounters with a local criminal and his gang of thieves and beggars, he is eventually taken in by an NGO that cares for young runaways. Here, he forms deep friendships and grapples with memories from his past—a Ganesha idol, the smell of incense and the familiar lilt of Marathi. Will Binna ever find his way back to his family?
It is AD 3000. Hiding from the world in a cave in Mount Kailash, Dawn encounters two strange beings on her sixteenth birthday. They urge the long-lost princess of Kashmir to fulfil the prophecy of fighting the Troika. This nefarious trinity-the merciless leader Arman, the AI war machine AIman and their supreme, omniscient overlord Dushita-is a vicious manipulator of stories, minds and histories. With an army of weaponized AIs and mind-controlled automatons based in Kashmir, they rule over a deadly world where men have lost their souls and women have been slain-all heading to Sarvanash, the Great Apocalypse.
With a motley group of five outlaw boys, Dawn sets upon a tumultuous journey across Time and Space to battle the most technologically lethal empire known to humanity. Her only hope is to seek out secrets hidden in the Niti folk tales of Kashmir and unlock the powers within her to become the ultimate warrior.
As the only female left in the world, Dawn will decide the fate of the Universe. But can she unleash her body, mind and spirit and ignite the fiery cosmic power of all the women who have ever lived?
A sci-fi saga that reveals eternal truths as it traverses the terrains of the Kashmir Valley-the birthplace of the greatest stories ever.
Ruskin Bond had his first short story published when he had just left school. Two years later, his first novel, The Room on the Roof, was accepted by a London publisher. On the ship that brought him home to India, he met a twelve-year-old girl called Koki, who shared her chocolates with him, having heard that he did not have money for chocolates. He did not see Koki again, but she turns up in his stories from time to time. She doesn’t grow old. She is twelve-year-old Koki forever. And if you live close to nature, to flowers, trees, birds and mountain streams, you will remain young, like Koki and Somi. “Over the years, I have written hundreds of stories. And whenever I write a story about children and the creatures of the forest, the years slip away and I am a boy again,” says Ruskin Bond.
A tale of borders and beliefs shaped by the games people play
1947
New Delhi. Cyril Radcliffe’s hands are clammy, partly from the heat but mostly from the enormity of the task assigned. Mopping the sweat off his brow, he picks up his pen, draws a deep breath–and a dark line.
Rawalpindi. A barbaric frenzy of rioters fills the streets, disrupting a game of pithoo between Toshi and her brother, Tarlok, shattering their lives unimaginably.
2008
Rawalpindi. Cricket-crazy Inaya is sneaking out behind her father’s back for net practice when she discovers that she is not the only one in her family keeping a secret.
New Delhi. Jai accidentally stumbles upon an old, hidden away diary in his kitchen. The date of its last entry: 17 August 1947.
As Jai and Inaya’s unlikely worlds collide, another story unfolds. A story that started with the drawing of a line. A story that shifts the truth in their lives.
The small fish that thought big … The gods descended to meet this incredible fish and reward her for her inspiring strength. One of them turned her colour from pink to bright, sparkling gold, so that she would stand out amongst all other fish. Everyone has a dream. Kaya’s was to see the world. For a tiny koi fish in a little pond, it seemed like an impossible feat. Yet her courageous journey has become a thing of legend in many countries and cultures. This story, inspired by a real fish, real events, folk tales, and beliefs, will inspire you to follow your dreams, no matter how big.
A story about four friends, a city in need of help, a bunch of clueless groan-ups and a very angry, very brown and very dangerous cloud.
Amni wakes up one morning to find the sky taken over by a huge brown cloud. Where did this cloud appear from suddenly? Even as she and her friends Mithil, Tammy and Andrew start finding out more, their city of Mumbai starts reeling from the changes the cloud brings to the weather. Bhura Cloudus, as the media calls it, contains noxious gases, causes scalding rain to fall, makes birds flee the city, and suffocates every living thing.
What will Mota Bhai, the powerful politician, do now? Can Vidisha and Bidisha, the scientist twins, find a solution? And what about superstar Pavan Kumar and the amazing cloud-sucking machine? Can Bhura ever be driven away, or is it already too late?
Thought-provoking, funny and inspiring, A Cloud Called Bhura is about the changing global climate and the havoc it can cause, as well as the forces of friendship, trust and community that give hope and will help counter this deadly threat to humanity.
Angry ghosts, whispering ghosts, social media ghosts, ghosts who lurk inside books, ghosts who appear in the biryani pot…find all kinds of spooky beings in this collection of stories by one of India’s favourite children’s writers. Ajji may have died, but her presence hangs around the abacus she used, always ready to pick faults in her grandchildren and point out their mistakes. But when a royal necklace goes missing, only Ajji can save the day. Banno BI says she is a witch, and the neighbourhood children stay far away from her. Yet it is to Banno BI and her djinns they turn when they are in trouble and need help. Dhani’s life may have ended too soon, but can he take the help of his old laptop and his social media account to bring a bully to justice? And when a biryani vs Pulao battle breaks out in Nawabi Lucknow, who else can settle scores but the ghost of a celebrated chef? Subhadra Sen Gupta ghost stories are curious, quirky and entertaining. They will make you laugh, Sigh, and look carefully over your shoulder each time you turn a Page!.
Doma has come all the way from Ladakh to visit her friend Veda in Mumbai. While Doma loves the sights and sounds of the big city, she longs for the mountains of Ladakh. Imagine her surprise when Veda reveals that there are mountains in Mumbai too! Author Labanya Ghosh takes you on an unforgettable tour of Mumbai, and illustrator Pallavi Jain’s watercolors bring alive this beloved, bustling coastal city.
From the time Meena was a baby, she’s been obsessed with camels. This fixation only becomes stronger when she’s gifted a real camel for her birthday! Absolutely thrilled with her new pet, Meena simply refuses to get off that camel!
Hina lives in a haveli in Purani Dilli, the walled city of Delhi, She is not alone here: almost hundraded other people live with her in this rambling old house. Hina comes from family of zardozi embroiderers and is learning this craft herself. She dreams of becoming a teacher.