ABOUT THE BOOK
J.P. Das's short fiction is one of the central pillars of the genre in Oriya. His stories map out the silences, frustrated hopes and contradictions of an entire generation of Indians. The present collection brings together nineteen of the best titles taken from the first volume published in English, The Magic Deer (1983), to the last The Will (2007).

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
MAURICIO D. AGUILERA LINDE is a senior lecturer at the University of Granada (Spain). A visiting senior fellow at the Universities of Rutgers (New Jersey), Moscow (Russia), Delhi, Utkal (India), Berkeley and Stanford (USA), he has been actively involved in the research of contemporary drama and short fiction. He has co-edited the first collection of Oriya short stories in Spanish. He has translated Fakir Mohan Senapati's masterpiece, Six Acres and a Third, (Madrid: Eneida) and two anthologies of Gopinath Mohanty's short stories.

ABOUT THE BOOK
The old man was no storyteller. Under the pressure of his first grandson, he became one. He started by telling stories from the epic Ramayana. He tells the young boy that Dasharatha had three wives, the child asks why he himself had only one wife. He tells the child that only Muslims are permitted to have more than one wife. The child concludes that Dasharatha was a Muslim and consequently so was Ramachandra.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Born in 1931, BISWAKESH TRIPATHY SERVED served as a lecturer in a college in Assam. In 1954 he joined the Indian Police Service. He served in two Police services and two Paramilitary Forces. He dealt with Naga Insurgency in its peak period (1960-63), Telengana violence in Andhra Pradesh, Nav Nirman agitation in Gujarat, Punjabi Suba agitation in Punjab, Naxalite terrorism in Kolkata during 1969-71, Odisha Police strike and Khalistani agitation.

ABOUT THE BOOK
In this book, the author has made an effort to share rare experiences of his life which keep coming back to him, sometimes winking, sometimes smiling and sometimes just starting at him.
The book describes the author's life as an IPS officer, and his tussle with Naga insurgents (1960-63) and Naxalites in Calcutta (1969-71). The author recounts the challenges faced by him during the communal riots in Gujarat, the Telengana agitation and the Punjabi suba agitation (1968-69).
He writes in great detail about the Khalistani terrorism and the Blue-Star Operation (1982-84) and how he escaped the terrorists' bullet.
The book also speaks about his interesting encounters with personalities like Indira Gandhi,Gyani Zail Singh, Siddhartha Shankar Ray, and film-maker Raj Kapoor

ABOUT THE BOOK
Nandita was one of the most beautiful devadasis of Lord Jagannath Temple of Puri, in Orissa. The book depicts the romance set between her and the young English officer, which ultimately ended with the belief of her death. Her death cast a shadow in the Officer's personal life, both in England and in India, till he witnessed his past love in the reincarnation of a six-years-old girl in the Darjeeling Hills.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr. Krishna YADAV, M. S. FRACS, MNAMS, FICS, is presently a senior Pediatric Surgery Consultant at Apollo Hospital, New Delhi. She had her training in general and pediatric surgery at various hospitals in Australia.

ABOUT THE BOOK
Don't let anyone tell you it cannot be done. There are super powers that lurk beneath the surface of every humbling. Bewildered and baffled young woman who holds a wailing combination of spermamatozoa and ova to her breast and smiles contentedly in new minted motherhood.

ABOUT THE BOOK
This volume brings together under one cover all the plays of J. P. Das which came out in their English versions at different times. The plays in this volume are very different from each other in characterisation and treatment. Each play stands its own ground as a marker of some of the tensions that disturb the modern man and our contemporary society

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
This volume will bear testimony to the versatility of J. P. Das who is also a well-known poet, fiction-writer and essayist. N. K. Bhattacharjee is a reputed scholar, academician and translator, Bhattacharjee currently works as the Director of K. K. Birla Foundation.

ABOUT THE BOOK
The title of the book in itself is revealing its contents, portraying re-interpretation of the plight of the disadvantaged, as captured in various works of Mulk Raj Anand, yet, an exhaustive effort has been made to investigate and analyse varied aspects projected in the works such as causes for social, economical, psychological and political problems of the disadvantaged section of the society. In any case, the book will leave enough margin for future critics of Mulk, if he pretended to be a reformer or he was.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
To begin with, SHRUTI NATH, a post-graduate from University of Allahabad in English literature did her doctorate from Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth, Varanasi.

ABOUT THE BOOK
In search of the invisible African, celebrated diplomat Michael Marco VISITS India, where he is reunited with a former colleague who finds himself in dire straits due to his supposed association with Maoist insurgents combating the State. Returning to India after a series of inexplicable murders in Sweden, Michael Marco resolves to rescue his friend from Maoist connections, and is in the process of connecting the various dots when he comes face to face with the mindless brutality of the terrorists.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
KRISHNAN SRINIVASAN is the first and only Indian foreign secretary to write novels. His quartet of political thrillers, which are full of diplomatic and psychological insights, follows master diplomat Michael Marco’s adventures through South Africa, Libya, the United States, Britain, Sweden and India.

ABOUT THE BOOK
The 15 intensely- felt short stories that in this collection, were written in a vivid, luminous prose, reveal those truths that stun with their clarity.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
KEKI N. DARUWALLA, One of India’s foremost poets and short story writers, has been widely published and anthologized. Daruwalla retired as Chairman JIC.

This is a series of stories which provide intuitive insights into the mysterious and complex working of the human mind. In evocative and controlled prose, the author, with rare understanding and empathy, delves into the interaction between the inner complexities and outer lives of ordinary people who find themselves at significant cross roads and make the choices that propel them into the next phase of their lives.

SADIQA PEERBHOY is currently the Director of Innergy Skills which runs professional courses, softskills and creative workshops for corporates.

It is an inspiring story for all — today’s leaders, young men and women. Asoka has shaped today’s India more than any other leader—vegetarianism, compassion for all life, religious tolerance, and love for peace. Buddhism is his gift to the world. The novel continues to read like a lovely, and often a very funny dream.

After his M.A. in English from Allahabad University, HARISH SINGHAL taught briefly there, then joined the Indian Revenue Service. Soon he left India to do J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.

The book is a romance set in Chamba, surrounded by the Dhauladhar ranges. ‘Dhauladhar’ means a white crest or ridge. The romance between a bureaucrat and a woman surgeon revolves around the lure of travel in the mystic, beautiful land of Shiv Bhumi or Shiva’s abode, Mount Kailash, and the legends and beliefs of the land.

KRISHNA RAJVIR, MS, FRACS, MNAMS, FICS, is presently a senior Paediatric Surgery Consultant at Apollo Hospital, New Delhi. She is also the Chief Editor of the Journal of Paediatric Surgery in Developing Country.

A romance set around the Dain Kund Peak in picturesque Dalhousie, also known as the “Singing Hill” because the sound created by the wind blowing through the lush tall trees created an aura as if nature itself was singing the Song of Mountains in praise of the Almighty. It was here the two hearts fell in love and she wrote her first poem dedicated to the Song of Mountains.

This royal bargain brought the romance between the royal and commoner and together their travel to the beautiful capital city of Nahan, the powerful seat of the Sirmaur Kingdom so famous for its Renuka Lake.

A sinister curse trails the House of Loya, a powerful Marwari family of arms dealers that head a vast conglomerate of industries. Leading oddly distorted lives where immorality and sexual perversions are infinitely glorified they cruise along mindlessly even as they become victims of strange mishaps and untold tragedies.

NEELIMA DALMIA ADHAR, daughter of the renowned industrialist Ramkrishna Dalmia and an eminent Hindi poetess and novelist, Padma Bhushan awardee Dineshnandini Dalmia. She divides her time between writing and pursuing her interest in Poetry, Hindu Philosophy and the Paranormal.

This is a story of our time. N. V. Subramanian explores the odds stacked against love, and the irremediable vanities that keep human relationships at surface. Set in Delhi, Courtesan of Storms runs through the lives of Leela, a phychiatrist, Selt, a declinist, Calcutta writer Sid Ray, Sharmista with a news. T.V. Career, Ranjit, a schizoid dealer of spirits, and Ragini, a designer with the smarts.

N. V. SUBRAMANIAN lives and works in Delhi as a strategic writer. Subramanian rose swiftly in the profession, becoming assistant editor with Sunday Mail and India Week, and quit the print media as Chief of bureau, deputy editor and roving editor for Sunday Magazine.

The Dance of Death is the story of Chhaya, the girl with a hauntingly beautiful face, who is burdened with the guilt of her brother’s death. Her marriage to a high-profile police officer, Rakshit, and the near idyllic life in Manipur, is rocked when it erupts with drug menace, HIV/AIDS and insurgency creating a macabre dance of death, etc.

VANDANA KUMARI JENA is an officer belonging to the Orissa cadre of the Indian Administrative Service. She has written over 250 middles in leading newspapers. Her short stories have been published in several anthologies.

Ronen received great encouragement when he was chosen as the only boy from Class 9 of Delhi Public School, R.K. Puram, to participate in the Young Author Competition. There are very few fictional productions which have been written by fourteen-year olds for readers of their own age group. Fire Within is an unusual effort of creative writing that has flowed out of the imagination of a precocious Indian author in English whose literary skills are truly remarkable.

India’s youngest novelist at the age of fourteen (his debut novel was titled “Fire Within). Ronen has framed this story against the backdrop of Sherwood College Nainital, which he has visited twice since it was his father’s alma mater Emerging from his vivid imagination are a group of boys and girls who go through various incidents, all of which are part of schooling and growing up.

Born on 7 August 1992, Ronen was initially the despair of both his teachers and parents, as he neither liked to read nor write! However, after much cajoling, it was found that he was blessed with an unusual memory and ability to relate verbatim any story that was read or told to him.

After retirement, M.K. DHAR, took to freelance journalism contributing frequently to Indian Express, The Times of India, The Telegraph and other regional newspapers and magazines. Maloy had earned deep insight and expertise in counter-insurgency, counter-terrorism and counter-intelligence operations while serving in several problem threats of the nation.

A fiction is not always a fictious and fantasias rendition of reality. Black Thunder, wrapped in the skin of fiction, tells the true story of cathartic culmination of follies that fanned competitive religious fundamentalism and pushed the people to the path of ethno-religious insurgency.

Set in Bhopal, the heart of India, where family ties, love politics, corruption, religion all play their assigned roles to the hilt. The City From Here is a heartbreaking story of mothers and daughters, hatred and compassion, revenge and forgiveness, and the disasters of destiny.

A seasoned storyteller, Atiya Bansal has worked variously as a freelance journalist, broadcaster and teacher. The City From Here is her debut novel. She lives in Hong Kong.

The aim of the writer is to evoke the philosophical underpinnings of the whirlwind that arose in the decade of the nineties in the silicon valley.
The excitement involved with accomplishing anything, the visceral power of human cupidity, and the distant rumble of sibling rivalry, is all that this story is about.

NISHI CHAWLA teaches courses in World Literatures and in Writing at the University of Maryland as well as at the George Washington University.

In December 2002, Indian Government imposed anti-dumping duty on CFLs imported from China or Hongkong. Three persons planed import of CFLs from Hongkong but through Indonesia, showing as if the import was from Indonesia. The purpose was to save anti-dumping duty. They succeeded and saved forty-two crore of rupees.

ASHOK BHASIN is recipient of President of India award in recognition of his extraordinary commitment to work and distinguished services. He is an author of three books in the field of customs and Central Excise, which have been highly acclaimed.

The Town of Fools (Madayannur) is situated on a shared mental map. Its very unreality makes it real. The characters and situations that people this book are amongst us. Connected through an overt or coincidental link, we are the people of Madayannur.

NAHLA NAINAR, a graduate in English Literature from Stella Maris College, Madras, she has done her Masters in Media Arts from Nottingham-Trent University, U.K. She is working as Features Production Editor with The Gulf Times, Doha, Qatar.

Kokila presents the grim reality of rural India of early 40s and 50s in its repulsive ugliness, with numerous characters portraying a host of human emotions and characteristics largely dictated by the circumstances of their lives.

SURENDRA KUMAR has served as a Minister (Press Information and Culture) at the High Commission of India in London and Ambassador of India to Mozambique and Libya. He also served as the Consul General of India in Chicago from February 2000 till August 2003. Presently, he is serving as the High Commissioner of India to Kenya in Nairobi.

Structure of the book is neat and tidy. The title of the book contains the blueprint of that structure. Beauty Prosperity Victory so read the title, first, the theme of beauty is taken up, next to the theme of prosperity and finally the theme of victory is taken up. The writer believes in economic potential of India and hopes that a prosperous India will be beautiful and victorious also. Buy the book and preserve it! It contains the reflections of a young Indian.

MANOHAR MRITYUNJAYA is a graduate from IIT Delhi and an alumnus of D.P.S., R.K. Puram. He believes in the economic potential of India.

The stories included in this collection are characterised by a style of narration that is simple and straightforward, delineation of unforgettable characters and skilful construction of plots some of which have the potential of being developed as novels but have been deftly abridged into short stories like trees grown as bonsai. Pathos and humour, frustration and hope all merge into the fabric of these stories, making the reader feel that this world is not such a bad place to live in.

CHANDRAMONI NARAYANASWAMY is an author well-known in literary circles as a poet, translator and writer of short stories for children. Her career spans forty years as an administrator and a judge.

The saga of The Karans of Penang talks about K.S. Karan, a blind admirer of the British, had a sudden change of heart when his only son Krishna became the victim of torture at the hands of the colonial masters.

With the same zeal, he joined the Indian National Congress, then fighting for the freedom of the country. His loyalty to the Congress led to his banishing his son from his house when Gandhi was assassinated and the R.S.S. of which his son was a member, was suspected to have a hand in it. His whims and obstinancy put his children Krishna and Susy through a series of strange experiences, with Krishna at the receiving end of most of the shocks and calamities.

It is a story about woman finding one's place in the post-modern sphere. Rachel's voyage of female self-discovery speaks of a woman who wanted something better for herself, even if she wasn't quite sure what.
SUSAN PARULEKAR is an anthropologist and inveterate explorer. She has lived and travelled throughout the world as a means by which to understand life, as well as herself.

Currently based in Delhi, she has conducted research on and written about subjects as diverse as Hindi Cinema, the Miss India pageant and the use of space in contemporary Bombay.

These seventeen short stories are reflective of the times we are living in. Some could be termed surreal, but strange are today's settings when there's little distinction between fact and fiction. Others have been conceived by everyday realities intruding into emotions.

In between writing a weekly column and doing features and interviews for several newspapers HUMRA QURAISHI has been writing short stories.

In the book, Guesswork written by Krishnan Srinivasan, Dipak a street smart Anglo-Indian meets an elderly lady in Libya on his way to meet his sister in Europe. This reclusive lady claims to be the descendant of an European Royal family. Dipak persuades his sister's husband, who happens to be a well-known film director to make a film about this mysterious woman. Meanwhile, the film director is taken hostage in Libya which is followed by a diplomatic crisis involving the United States, Israel and the Arab world with fears of a nuclear catastrophe.

KRISHNAN SRINIVASAN is a former Foreign Secretary and Deputy Secretary General of the Commonwealth.

During the period of racial discrimination in South Africa, the world's Superpowers go head to head in their cold war in Southern Africa, influencing liberation movements, local politics and regime change. The embattled American Ambassador, a crucial player and chief negotiator, sees his challenges widen from the Soviet threat to dissidence in his Embassy and turbulence in his private life. He finds an unlikely ally in this novel of convoluted diplomatic swings and roundabouts.

The book traces the lives of these poor migrants in search of their pot of gold. Exploited at every turn, the author’s low-key style highlights their plight and how easy it is even for simple, honest men to turn to crime in desperation. The book lifts the lid off the lives of blue-collar workers in the Middle East. It captures the humour and pathos of the sweltering classes in thankless, low-paid jobs. Here is a rare insight into the lives of taxi drivers who keep the transport system of Dubai well-oiled. As the traffic rolls on, the world fails to take note of their pain and suffering.

An international journalist, editor and author, SHAMLAL PURI, has worked with the media as a professional journalist and photographer in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Middle East in a career spanning over 30 years.