A Treasure Trove Of Myths From India When Surya The Sun God Got Married, His Wife Could Not Bear The Heat Of His Rays And Ran Away. Surya Was Heartbroken And The World Plunged Into Darkness. A Dwarf Asked A King For Some Land, Which He Measured With Three Footsteps, And Ended Up Claiming The Earth And The Sky. Sage Daksha Got His Daughters Married To The Moon, But Later, In A Fit Of Rage, Cursed The Moon With Consumption, Making It Wax And Wane. These Are Some Of The Fifty Myths From India Recounted In This Fabulously Produced Book. From Wise Sages To Demonic Asuras, Beautiful River Deities To Arrogant Kings, Wayward Gods To Brave Princes, This Collection Of Myths Showcases The Most Enchanting And Magical Stories From Indian Mythology. With Over 100 Stunning Full-Colour Illustrations, This Book Will Not Only Bring Alive A Fantastic World Of Gods And Demons, It Will Also Be A Loved And Treasured Possession To Be Enjoyed For Many Years.

When travel writer Christopher Stewart arrives at a riverside resort in Kerala, India to meet Koman, Radha's uncle and a famous dancer, he enters a world of masks and repressed emotions. From their first meeting, both Radha and her uncle are drawn to the enigmatic young man with his cello and his incessant questions about the past. The triangle quickly excludes Shyam, Radha's husband, who can only watch helplessly as she embraces Chris with a passion that he has never been able to draw from her. Also playing the role of observer-participant is Koman; his life story, as it unfolds, captures all the nuances and contradictions of the relationships being made--and unmade--in front of his eyes.From BooklistLushly infused with Hindu mysticism and potently imbued with volcanic emotions of fury, contempt, fear, and wonder, Nair's spirited tale of forbidden love set in contemporary India mirrors the radiance and majesty of the traditional Indian dance form known as kathakali. The presence of a young American irrevocably alters the lives of Radha; her husband, Shyam; and uncle Koman. Tape recorder in hand, Chris Stewart is ensconced in the resort compound operated by Radha's husband, intent on interviewing Koman about his once illustrious career as a kathakali dancer, yet it is Radha who fatefully captures his interest. Their attraction is immediate and immense, starkly contrasting the thinly disguised revulsion Radha feels for Shyam. As the lovers flaunt convention and Radha risks ostracism, Koman ruefully reveals the complex details of his heritage and the sacrifices he chose to make for the sake of his craft. Tempestuously exotic, Nair's intricately woven multicultural and multigenerational saga pulsates with passion and desire. Carol HaggasCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reservedReview"Tempestuously exotic, Nair's intricately woven multicultural and multigenerational saga pulsates with passion and desire."--Booklist"This intricately plotted novel by Nair (Ladies Coupé), her third to be published in the United States, blends myth, history, and human emotion into a mixture as sweet as the nectar of the jackfruit and as tangled as human behavior . . . Highly recommended."--Library Journal, starred reviewPraise for Ladies Coupé"Nair is a powerful writer, who through this tender story shows great understanding and compassion for women and for the choices and regrets they cannot avoid."--Booklist"Nair's strength lies in bringing alive the everyday thoughts, desires and doubts of these six ordinary women."--Times Literary Supplement" . . . quietly powerful . . ." --Kirkus Reviews"A sensitive exploration of the tension of self-actualization vs. familial responsibility in a society with traditional values, this novel . . .will surely resonate with readers everywhere."--Library Journal"Nair is a powerful writer. . . she has created what must be one of the most important feminist novels to come out of South Asia."--Daily Telegraph (UK)

"Nair writes big, brave descriptions of one brutal murder after the next, relentlessly describing each death even as sub-inspector Santosh loses his breakfast over them."—Time OutIt's the first day of Ramadan in heat-soaked Bangalore. A young man begins to dress: makeup, a sari, and expensive pearl earrings. Before the mirror he is transformed into Bhuvana. She is a hijra, a transgender seeking love in the bazaars of the city.What Bhuvana wants, she nearly gets: a passing man is attracted to this elusive young woman—but someone points out that Bhuvana is no woman. For that, the interloper's throat is cut. A case for Inspector Borei Gowda, going to seed, and at odds with those around him including his wife, his colleagues, even the informers he must deal with. More corpses and Urmila, Gowda's ex-flame, are added to this spicy concoction of a mystery novel.Most intriguing is the grim world of Bhuvana. Her hijra fantasies,...

What does thirteen-year-old Nandita's disappearance have to do with the murder of a prominent lawyer in a gated community? As Gowda investigates, he is suddenly embroiled in Bangalore's child-trafficking racket. Negotiating insensitive laws, indifferent officials, and uncooperative witnesses, he is in a race against time to rescue Nandita from one of the most depraved criminal rings he has ever encountered.

Meera is happily submerged in the role of corporate wife and cookbook writer. Then, one day, her husband fails to come home. Overnight, Meera, disoriented and emotionally fragile, becomes responsible not just for her two children, but also her mother, grandmother and the running of Lilac House, their rambling old family home in Bangalore.A few streets away, Professor J.A. Krishnamurthy or Jak, cyclone studies expert, has recently returned from Florida, to care for his nineteen-year-old daughter, the victim of a tragic accident. What happened on her holiday in a small beachside village? The police will not help, Smriti’s friends have vanished, and a wall of silence and fear surrounds the incident. But Jak cannot rest until he gets to the truth.Meera and of Jak's paths intertwine as they uncover the truth about the secrets of their pasts and the promise of the future. The Lilac House is a sweeping story of redemption, forgiveness and second chances. Review"Dazzlingly alive and brilliantly written, Nair's novel probes the complicated ways we live with our pasts and struggle to forge our uncertain futures. About fathers and daughters, husbands and wives, and the thorny, yearning nature of love, The Lilac House is a knockout." --Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of Pictures of You"A compelling and memorable tale, with characters that jump off the page. The Lilac House offers a delightful peek into the troubled yet intriguing lives of two people drawn together by karma. Nair vividly portrays the complex social fabric of contemporary India in its many colors and textures.” --Shobhan Bantwal, author of The Unexpected Son and The Dowry Bride"An intricately crafted story that feels both ancient and modern, exploring the difficult symbiosis of marriage and parenthood, with moments of luminous beauty and empathy" --Roopa Farooki, author of The Way Things Look to Me and Half Life “Anita Nair explores the complexity of being a modern Indian woman with gentle candor. This is a story that simmers with the realities that make up the urban female experience and it does so without judgment.” --Advaita Kala, author of Almost Single“THE LILAC HOUSE is an unflinching, intense look at the emotional landscape of grief and recovery, of lives shattered and remade. Anita Nair offers a detailed and textured portrayal of a society wife and a professor who find in one another the strength, acceptance, and courage to move forward in the face of devastating loss.” --Anjali Banerjee, author of Imaginary Men and Haunting Jasmine About the AuthorAnita Nair lives in Bangalore, India. Her books have been published in several languages around the world. Her last novel, Mistress, was long listed for the 2008 Orange Prize in the UK, and named a finalist for the 2007 PEN/Beyond Margins Award in the U.S. The Lilac House was recently adapted for stage and film in India.