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About the Book

A NUANCED AND POWERFUL MICROHISTORY SET AGAINST THE SWEEP OF INDIAN HISTORY.

Dharmman Bibi rode into battle during the revolt of 1857 shoulder to shoulder with her patron lover Babu Kunwar Singh. Sadabahar entranced even snakes and spirits with her music, but eventually gave her voice to Baba Court Shaheed. Her foster mothers Bullan and Kallan fought their malevolent brother and an unjust colonial law all the way to the Privy Council-and lost everything. Their great-granddaughter Teema paid for the family's ruination with her childhood and her body. Bindo, Asghari, Phoolmani, Pyaari ... there are so many stories in this family. And you-one of the best-known tawaifs of your times-remember the stories of your foremothers and your own.

This is a history, a multi-generational chronicle of one family of well-known tawaifs with roots in Banaras and Bhabua. Through their stories and self-histories, Saba Dewan explores the nuances that conventional narratives have erased, papered over or wilfully rewritten.

In a not-so-distant past, tawaifs played a crucial role in the social and cultural life of northern India. They were skilled singers and dancers, and also companions and lovers to men from the local elite. It is from the art practice of tawaifs that kathak evolved and the purab ang thumri singing of Banaras was born. At a time when women were denied access to the letters, tawaifs had a grounding in literature and politics, and their kothas were centres of cultural refinement.

Yet, as affluent and powerful as they were, tawaifs were marked by the stigma of being women in the public gaze, accessible to all. In the colonial and nationalist discourse of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, this stigma deepened into criminalisation and the violent dismantling of a community. Tawaifnama is the story of that process of change, a nuanced and powerful microhistory set against the sweep of Indian history.

About the Author

Saba Dewan is a documentary film-maker. Her documentaries have focused on issues of gender, sexuality and culture. This is her first book and has emerged from her trilogy of films on stigmatised women performers: Delhi-Mumbai-Delhi (2006) about the lives of bar dancers; Naach (The Dance, 2008) on women dancers in rural fairs and The Other Song (2009) about the art and lifestyle of the tawaifs or courtesans. The research and writing of the book was supported by a fellowship from the New India Foundation. Saba lives in Gurgaon.

About the Book

AN INTRODUCTION TO HAND MUDRAS, THEIR UNDERLYING THEORY, AND MUDRA PRACTICES FOR PHYSICAL, MENTAL AND SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING.

Discover the transformative power of an ancient Vedic practice that can heal your body and calm your mind in minutes.

For thousands of years, hand mudras have been used to channel prana and restore balance to both body and mind. Now, as stress and illness plague our modern world, this forgotten art offers a simple yet profound solution-literally at our fingertips.

In this comprehensive guide, spiritual teacher and healer Premlata Haralalka shares her expertise of over twenty-five years, distilling complex ancient wisdom into practical, easy-to-follow techniques. Whether you are seeking relief from anxiety, better focus at work or natural healing for specific ailments, you will find targeted mudra solutions designed for your busy life.

No complicated equipment. No lengthy meditation sessions. Just your hands and a few minutes a day.

About the Author

Premlata Haralalka is a renowned spiritual teacher and mudra healing expert who has dedicated the last three decades of her life to spreading the transformative power of ancient wellness practices. After retiring from a successful career as a travel entrepreneur twenty-five years ago, she embarked on a full-time spiritual mission to make mindful living accessible to people worldwide.

Trained under the guidance of Reiki Grandmaster Baba Sri Sri Muralidharan, Premlata has become a leading voice on hand mudras, Reiki and meditation. Her deep understanding of the Vedas and Upanishads guides her approach to integrating ancient wisdom with modern wellness requirements.

She has personally trained more than 50,000 students globally on the benefits of mindful living practices. Her teaching methodology-which breaks down complex spiritual concepts into practical, everyday applications-has earned her recognition across multiple wellness platforms and communities. She continues her mission through workshops, online courses and partnerships with leading wellness organisations.

To learn more about her transformative work, visit www.mudraswithprem.com.

AN EXPANSIVE ANTHOLOGY OF TAMIL STORIES IN TRANSLATION, COVERING THE EVOLUTION OF THE TAMIL SHORT STORY

'... By unearthing rich, nuanced tales depicting varied aspects of the human condition, the anthology throws light upon the vibrant realm of modern Tamil literature. An eye-opening treasure-trove, it reveals, and revels in, the rich possibilities of good fiction, while elevating the art of translation to a new level in Indian writing. Most enthusiastically recommended.' -Shashi Tharoor

Spanning close to a century, this pioneering anthology deftly traces the evolution of the Tamil short story, a genre that the Tamils have subsumed effortlessly to create illuminating glimpses of life. Like all timeless masterpieces, these eighty-eight finely etched stories will both hold you spellbound and jolt you out of your complacency as they traverse through the changing landscapes of different times, highlighting at once the uniqueness and the universality of life. Culled from every available source-little-known magazines from the turn of the previous century and out-of-print editions from yesteryears to contemporary literary magazines and innumerable anthologies of both serious and popular short fiction-the writings include not only stalwarts such as Pudumaippittan, Mauni, Sundara Ramaswamy and Ashokamitran, to name just a few, but also unsung women writers and path-breaking modern voices.

Carefully and sensitively translated, these stories, from the world's most ancient language, reflect nearly all the aesthetic and political perspectives that make up the Tamil short story. Rooted in realism and fantasy, framed on folklore and myth, steeped in irony and angst, underscored by humour and pathos, there is a story for every reader, a story which will surely leave an indelible imprint on the mind.