By Daniel Lak
Rs 800
Recasting the Indian epic Mahabharata from the perspective of Princess Panchaali, veteran novelist Divakaruni (Queen of Dream) offers a vivid and inventive companion to the renowned poem. Born from fire and marked with the prophecy that she will change the course of history; the strong-willed Panchaali declares early on that she won’t spend her life merely supporting the men around her. Soon enough, she bucks tradition by simultaneously wedding all five famous Pandava brothers, who have been denied their rightful kingdom, and finds herself the happy mistress of the much-envied palace of illusions.
India China Relations: The Border Issue and Beyond
By MohanGuruswamy and Zorawar Daulet Sing
Rs 1272
At the outset, this book must be viewed as a policy relevant document rather than an abstract historical research paper. The authors have revisited the seemingly intractable India-China border dispute from a contemporary conflict resolution perspective and thus are relatively detached from the historical baggage that has so often influenced other commentaries on this controversial subject. The great natural defensive line of northern India, the mighty Himalayas, separating Tibet from north-east India, is a barrier which, by tradition, was impenetrable. This defensive line is embodied by the 1914 Line, India’s non-negotiable interest. Thus, from an Indian perspective, it can never be conceived that its frontiers with China are ever formalized on the Brahmaputra plains.
The Palace of Illusions: A Novel by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Rs 632
In this panoramic view of the new India, Daniel Lak uses vivid narrative to show that the world’s largest democracy is well on its way to becoming not only one of the world’s dominant economies but perhaps the next liberal superpower. Combining anecdote, travel writing, factual reportage, and expert commentary, Lak takes his readers on a heady tour of this rapidly changing land. The result is a lively and riveting portrait of how growing wealth and influence are fashioning India into the next superpower.
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