Our Most Definitive Best Books of 2022!

A fully imagined world: propulsive, prophetic, dizzying" - Jeet Thayil, author of Names of the Women"An astonishing debut. An amazing imagination" - Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, author of The Last Queen"A masterwork-a book that is three great novels in one" -…

High in the Western Ghats in northern Kerala is a land of mist and mystery, of forests and folklore, rich with the culture of its indigenous people, the Adivasis. Its old name was Bayalnad - land of the paddy fields…

Winner of the 2023 AutHer Award for Fiction & Longlisted for the 2023 JCB PrizeIn Everything the Light Touches we meet many travellers: Shai, a young Indian woman who journeys to India's northeast and rediscovers, through her encounters with indigenous…

LAHORE, 1938.Drawn by an intoxicating smell, Samir Vij first locks eyes with Firdaus Khan through the rows of perfume bottles in his family's ittar shop in Anarkali Bazaar. Over the years that follow, the perfumer and the illuminator of manuscripts…

Now in PaperbackRumours of Spring is the unforgettable account of Farah Bashir's adolescence spent in Srinagar in the 1990s. As Indian troops and militants battle across the cityscape and violence becomes the new normal, a young schoolgirl finds that ordinary…

There's nothing quite like the incredible relationship between a human and a dog. From the moment we lay eyes on an adorable puppy or a wonderful adult dog who becomes part of our life journey, we share innumerable moments of…

In this pathbreaking work, Shrayana Bhattacharya maps the economic and personal trajectories--the jobs, desires, prayers, love affairs and rivalries--of a diverse group of women. Divided by class but united in fandom, they remain steadfast in their search for intimacy, independence…

'Zindagi ek safar hai suhana...'He was the most outrageous performer of the Hindi film screen - loved for his voice, adored for his comedy, and famous for his eccentricity. His big-screen performances - such as Half Ticket, Pyar Kiye Jaa,…

No Indian spymaster has, until now, written a memoir. A.S. Dulat is the first to do so, and in A Life in the Shadows he does it with considerable elan.He is one of India's most successful spymasters, his name synonymous…

A new story from internationally renowned author Amitav Ghosh, The Living Mountain is a cautionary tale of how we have systematically exploited nature, leading to an environmental collapse.Recounted as a dream, this is a fable about Mahaparbat, the Living Mountain;…

When unspeakable tragedy befalls Bhubonmoni, a young widow, she must leave her village along with her brother, Krishnoshundor, and his family. Ensnared by the wily entrepreneur Nobokishore Dutta, they end up in an overcrowded depot near a port, soon to…

A magical storyteller -- SHASHI DESHPANDE'Doesn't this life strike you as shameful?''I am an artist. That's the only thing that matters to me.' Kasturi and Lakshmi are born into the devadasi clan. While Kasturi thinks of nothing other than the…

1947, Chakri. An idyllic village on the banks of the Soan near Rawalpindi, surrounded by stalks of golden wheat and festive songs. Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs eagerly await the end of winter and get together to prepare for Lohri. Amidst…

This is a story of Gurdev and his cohort, a group of refugees who travel east from Pakistan after Partition. It is a tale of falling apart and coming together as the world burns around them.Will Gurdev be successful in…

After is a collection of poems inspired by Valmiki's Ramayana, one of India's foundational epics and a story cycle of incalculable historical importance.But After does not just come after the Ramayana. On each successive page, Vivek Narayanan brings the resources…

'He was a natural; one of the most powerful actors.' --Narendra ModiThe 1970s were indeed the golden era of Bollywood. In the decade that revolutionized Hindi cinema, there was one actor who was every director's fail-safe artiste. When he entered…

Amazing! An astonishing find! - AMITAV GHOSHNariman Karkaria, a young Parsi from Gujarat, had always wanted to see the world. So he left home as a teenager with fifty rupees in his pocket to do just that. After working in…

For twenty years, Wasim Akram let his cricket do the talking - with his electrifying left-arm pace, his explosive striking as a batsman, and his inspirational leadership. For another twenty years, he kept his own counsel about his cricketing days…

A family is unable to decide whether a parrot who has landed in its garden is a Hindu or a Muslim. A courtesan loses her ancestral mirror to rioters. The family that now possesses it finds itself transformed. Mutta celebrates…

In June 1943, seventeen-year-old Bharati 'Asha' Sahay, a headstrong Indian teenager living in Japan during the Second World War, decides to join the Rani of Jhansi Regiment of the Indian National Army after meeting Subhas Chandra Bose. She starts to…

Oral historian Aanchal Malhotra's first book, Remnants of a Separation, was published in 2017 to mark the seventieth anniversary of India's Partition. It told a human history of the monumental event by exhuming the stories lying latent in ordinary objects…

Liberty After Freedom explores the origins of what is today considered the most important fundamental right in the Indian Constitution - the right to life and personal liberty guaranteed by Article 21. This is the article which in recent years…

In May 1999, the Kargil insurgency was still being viewed as a routine affair. No one quite understood the magnitude of the situation. However, it soon emerged that infiltrators had captured high-altitude posts vacated by Indian soldiers during the winter…

Mohsina Kidwai has been in public life as a member of the Indian National Congress for over six decades. A cabinet minister in several successive central governments and a senior office-holder in the Congress, she has had a ringside view…

We live in times when large numbers of people are participating in democracy in deeper and more meaningful ways. From India to the United States to Hong Kong, democratic societies have seen movements that have brought about change. They have…

The nazm, with its highly intricate varieties, voices, variations, and vicissitudes, is a profound poetic form with a fascinating history. Compiled comprehensively for the first time, this collection presents the best of Urdu nazms from the sixteenth century to present…

On a snowy day in January 1998 Xu Zengping, a Chinese businessman based out of Hong Kong, stood on the deck of the Varyag, a partially constructed aircraft carrier that was being built by the Soviet Union at a shipyard…

In this compelling new book, Meghnad Desai takes a critical, introspective look at the bodies of thought that have driven economics across the world. From Adam Smith to John Maynard Keynes, and from the Great Depression to the collapse of…

'I am Rani Jindan, Mother of the Khalsa. That is my identity. That is my fate.'While we have all heard tales of Rani Lakshmi Bai and Padmavati, not many of us are familiar with another Indian queen.Daughter of the royal…

A couple of years ago, the staff of Gandhi Research Foundation of Jalgaon found a deteriorating and damaged diary at Kasturba Ashram, Indore. It turned out to be a 135-page diary written by Kasturba Gandhi, from January to September 1933.…

At 10.20 p.m. on 21 May 1991, a young woman bowed before Rajiv Gandhi at an election rally in Sriperumbudur, 42 km north of Chennai. And then there was an explosion. This book is the definitive account of one of…

The withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan has left a lasting impact on both Afghanistan's future and on Asian geopolitics. It has also brought China into focus. This book traces the emergence of China as a key player in…

This is a time when the space for free speech is shrinking in India, along with a growing intolerance of contrarian views. The right to dissent, which should be the bedrock of any democracy, is seriously endangered. There is widespread…

'The customs officer told me that I needed to leave samples of what I was exporting with him. I was forced to leave the floppy disk of the software with him. The diligent officer immediately planted a stapler pin through…

What is your purpose, your Dharma, your innate tendency? Your only path to freedom is to be true to this. No financial upside, no promise of stability, can compensate for a life not lived under this natural law. Western science…

On 24 July 2021, India completed three decades of continuing economic reforms. From P.V. Narasimha Rao to Narendra Modi, this period has seen six successive governments under five Prime Ministers across nine terms, all of whom have added to and…

THREE SISTERS. THEIR UNBREAKABLE BOND. AND A NATION ABOUT TO BE BORN.Here is a river...Here is a village...Here is a grand old mansion...Here is the country that contains them all...India. August, 1946. Everything is about to change.Priya, Jamini and Deepa,…

YATHA AHU VAIRYO ATHA RATUSH ASHAT CHIT HACHA VANGHEUSH...AS THE MASTER, SO IS THE JUDGE TO BE CHOSEN IN ACCORD WITH TRUTH.A fleet of boats dock at the port of Sanjan in Gujarat in 720 CE. They carry eighteen thousand…

LANKA WILL BURN. DARKNESS WILL PERISH.BUT CAN LIGHT ENDURE?INDIA, 3400 BCE.Greed. Rage. Grief. Love. Smouldering tinder, waiting to trigger a war.But this war is different. This one is for Dharma. This war is for the greatest Goddess of them all.Sita…

Seventeenth-century India. Chhatrapati Shivaji's dominion has been firmly established over the Deccan peninsula. Troubled by the mounting European threat along the Konkan coast, the Maratha empire turns to Kanhoji Angrey, master mariner, excellent swordsman and astute strategist, to lead its…

'A Bend in the Ganges is one of the three best novels of 1964.' - E.M. ForsterIndia, 1939. Gian, a Gandhian pacifist, commits a murder; Debi-dayal, an ardent revolutionary, is caught while setting fire to a British plane. Both men…

When Dhondu Pant Nana Saheb, the adopted son of exiled Maratha Peshwa Bajirao II, is denied rights as the Peshwa's heir by the British after his father's death, he makes an appeal to reclaim his title, only to be rebuffed…

India, 1938. The life of Abhayraj, the heir of Maharaj Hiroji, the ruler of the princely state of Begwad, is not unlike that of many young princes caught between two worlds-indeed, two eras. On the one hand are the traditions…

Do you know the story where Brahma and Vishnu race against each other or where Shiva battles Krishna? Do you know about Maya Sita or Narada's monkey face? Or why Surya falls from the sky or why Chandra commits adultery?The…

In the windowless, cramped servant's room at Mrs Shetty's luxurious house, where her mother is a maid, Alka dreams of an escape. When Mrs Shetty decides to send her to the same school as her daughter, she works hard, moulding…

Did you know that there was an Indian National Army (INA) before the one led by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose? Read on to learn more.The Swaraj Spy, based on true events in the life of the author's granduncle, challenges accepted…

At five, she took the stage by storm as Indira Gandhi. At eight, she was bullied. At ten, she hit rock bottom. At thirteen, she discovered a personality development programme that changed her life forever...From being an awkward teen in…

What does it take to become an IPS officer? Hours of rigorous physical training, mental toughening and systemic conditioning at the national police academy, along with a never-give-up attitude, unwavering courage, grit and determination.Win All Your Battles, first published in…

Are my genitals normal?Does size matter?Is masturbation bad for me?How important is sex to a relationship?In The Sex Book, award-winning sex educator Leeza Mangaldas provides scientifically accurate, judgement-free answers to even your most seemingly awkward questions about sex and the…

Becoming a parent can be both terrifying and exciting. You will have a million questions, from how to prepare for the birth to how to feed your baby to what to expect in terms of growth and what vaccines the…

Urban living poses many challenges: from pollution and the weather to a fast-paced lifestyle and the accompanying stress. And the greatest effects of this is felt on the largest organ of our body - our skin.In Skin Sense, skin expert…

As young kids, SAVI and VID, as they are popularly known to their followers, dreamt of travelling the world together. In 2013, they turned this dream into reality with the launch of their travel blog, BRUISED PASSPORTS. And now, countless…

Have you ever had to give up a favourite dessert because it had eggs? No more!In his third book, Instagram sensation and ace baker Shivesh Bhatia tells you how to recreate classic desserts---without the eggs but with all the delicious…

Confused about what to eat, how to pair foods that boost your health, how to make vegetables taste yum?Archana Doshi has the perfect meal planner for you to help you structure nutritious, vegetarianIndian meals. From cooling south Indian summer thalis…

Are you trying to fix a leaky faucet? Wondering how to treat a bee sting? Looking to purify water without a fancy purifier? Making a chemical-free lotion bar? Wondering what to do with the pile of cardboard boxes left after…

Subah ke 4 baj gaye, lekin yeh dimaag hai ki sochna band hi nahi kar raha hai. Khud ke baare mein sochna, kisi aur ke baare mein sochna, kisi cheez, kisi jagah ke baare mein sochna, kuch hone wala hai…

Museum objects are time machines. They allow us a peek into a civilisation long past or bring us close to today's issues. Mumbai: A City through Objects tells the story of a city through unique objects in the collection of…

A Full Circle is an evocative ode to the power of poetry, in which art and verse bring each other alive.In this poem, author and artist Namrita Bachchan describes the magic of childhood and what the world looks like through…

THE GOPI DIARIES BOXSET contains the three books in the Gopi Diaries series.The Gopi Diaries is a series of three books for children.In Coming Home, Gopi is adopted by his loving, human family. Gopi quickly goes from being a small…

It's a letter with advice ... it's Ruskin Bond's definition of Life!Be whatever you want to be...Give it your heart and soul, and you will have made something of your life, my friend. You are all my sons and daughters…

Odd things were happening to me in my little cottage near the forest ...There was no terrifying dream that night, or the following night, but the cottage did have an almost tangible atmosphere about it -- a feeling for the…

They are blue ...They are just three apples high ...They live together in a village of mushroom houses ...They are the SMURFS!Almost identical and yet different ...Papa Smurf, the Smurf Chief with his big white beard and red clothesBrainy Smurf,…

The Amar Chitra Katha Timeless Classics collection brings together some of the greatest stories in the Amar Chitra Katha catalogue. These stories are a celebration of the great collective inheritance from our past generations and aim to bring the reader…

Parvati the elephant has an important role to play in the temple, and she's very excited about doing it. But sometimes, unexpected things can get in the way of a crucial task. Will Parvati be able to complete the job…

Reading, arithmetic and history are as important as they ever were, yet it's now equally important for children to wrap their minds and hearts around the newly emerging computing and communication technologies that form such a key part of our…

Say it with flowers, say it with gifts, say it with words or say it with 42 special dishes on 21 special days!Join the creator of masterful desserts and dishes, Shivesh Bhatia, to celebrate all the wonderfulrelationships in your life…

AS INDIA CELEBRATES 75 YEARS OF BEING A FREE COUNTRY, INCREDIBLE INDIANS EXAMINES THE LIVES AND CONTRIBUTIONS OF 75 NOTABLE PEOPLE FROM AMONGST THE MANY WHO HELPED SHAPE MODERN INDIA.From some of the best-known icons of the nationalist movement to…

Eleven gutsy women who loved science enough to fight for their place in the sun...This book explores the contribution of these remarkable Indian women -- from cytogeneticist Archana Sharma and botanist Janaki Ammal to mathematician Raman Parimala, physicist Bibha Chowdhuri,…

Take a peek at some of the most bizarre, weird and interesting facts! Did you know that Adolf Hitler was mortally afraid of dentists?Or that the famous master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, who made some of the scariest movies had…

A Poem a Day is a volume of Indian poetry like no other, selected and translated by Gulzar, one of Indias most renowned and respected poets. This prestigious volume showcases 365 memorable poems a poem for every day of the…

Everyone faces big questions when it comes to money: questions about saving, investing, and whether you're getting it right with your finances.Unfortunately, many of the answers provided by the financial industry have been based on belief and conjecture rather than…

Growing up in the sleepy towns of Bhilai and Bokaro, Arundhati Bhattacharya never imagined that one day she would go on to chair India's largest bank. It was sheer chance that she came to know of the bank probationary officers'…

The global order is always evolving, and in that sense, change could well be seen as a constant factor. But that ongoing evolution has now been given a sharper edge by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, developments in Afghanistan,…

Ananth Krishnan first moved to China in the summer of 2008. In the years that followed, he had a ringside view of the country's remarkable transformation. He reported from Beijing for a decade, for the India Today and The Hindu.…

Maharashtra, India's richest state by GDP, has its eyes set on becoming the country's first trillion-dollar economy by 2025. At the same time, Marathwada - a historically backward part of the state adjoining the distressed Vidarbha region - has seen…

WINNER OF THE TATA LITERATURE LIVE! BOOK OF THE YEAR (FICTION) 2022'You cannot force two nations to live together any more than you can force two people,' he says quietly.Fatima smiles, feeling a slight thrill of victory. 'Divorce.''Pakistan.'Two intense, inflexible…

Hints on the Art and Science of Government was the first treatise on statecraft produced in modern India. It consists of lectures that Raja Sir T. Madhava Rao delivered in 1881 to Sayaji Rao Gaekwad III, the young Maharaja of…

Girish Karnad was one of modern India's greatest cultural figures: an accomplished actor, a path-breaking director, an innovative administrator, a clear-headed and erudite thinker, a public intellectual with an unwavering moral compass, and above all, the most extraordinarily gifted playwright…