Since the dawn of human civilization transgender community across the world find it difficult to accommodate amidst the mainstream societies, which is largely populated and dominated by male and female. The world has only two genders – that we all know. How about others? In India have you heard of Kinners, Hizras, Chakkha, Aravanis, Jogappas, etc.? Who are they? Where do they come from? You and we all often notice them at bus and railway stations collecting money. Well, they are part of our society. However, remain hidden, not much talked about because they are not given proper space and recog ..read more

Author Manoj Kumar Sharma is a master storyteller, he has fabulous knack for stories that emanate from our web of social activities and places. Two of his previous successful and bestseller novels “MIRRRO” and “Me No Pause, Me Play” were warmly received by the reading communities across the world. His new fiction book Juuhhhuuu was spotted at the World Book Fair, New Delhi. Again, to surprise readers with something unique and new, this book is a collection of three long stories, however, brimming with entertainment and optimum dose of love. If love is known for being blind, well the author a ..read more

Social media and writing platforms have revolutionized literature and poetry, giving wings to expression and musings to scores of poets and authors. Nowadays poetry in any language becomes an easy task, and it has evolved to a point of culmination. You could read from one-liners to a page full of free-flowing verses. I have been an avid reader of old to contemporary poetry of Hindi and Urdu on social media. Roots of Hindi poetry traces back to the dawn of civilization but then came that medieval period when Urdu intervened and it took a new form in the ways of Ghazals and Nazm. To be precise ..read more

‘Island Game of Modern Life’ is a rivetingly fantastic novel with a blend of more than a few themes that grip and define our lives in the world. The narrative of the story shuttles between life on earth and afterlife moments in Yamlok. This is not an outright novel about a particular character with all cynosures; rather it presents a range of sub-themes through its gamut of characters that meet in Yamlok. Inspired by the author’s grandpa, who is believed to return from Yamlok at the age of twenty-four, the novel teaches about contemporary life of a human being that is grappled by virtues and ..read more

It’s a historical fiction! And again I am wishing to live in its era, that part where the story is staged against. Do you also get similar cravings while enjoying historical fictions? What’s a book world that you would not want to live in? The Illustrated Boatman's Daughter by Tom Durwood is an immersive and powerful look into the lives of slave that dug the Suez Canal for outsiders at the cost of going hungry and remaining poor. It is a novel with colorful pictures inside and optimum content in dialogues and narrative. Overall, the presentation of the book is engrossing other than the readi ..read more

Anything based out of Africa becomes my instant favourite, be it a movie or a novel or a documentary. In that pursuit, for years I have read novels of Wilbur Smith. The more I get to know about this continent, the lesser it seems. Indeed Africa teems with stories – adventurous yet horrifying. Phil Clarke’s novel Falling Night is a brutal honest account of a humanitarian aid worker’s life in the horn of Africa. Though delivered in fictional tone, the novel is an extended version of a memoir of an international aid worker. The hero of the book is Alan Swales. He is from England – a young man wit ..read more

‘The Ayan Triangle’ by Avinash Ashu is a riveting romantic thriller wrapped in sci-fi genre. The way ‘love essence’ confronts readers in the novel would be a new journey altogether unlike any other. The story, right since the first page, is gripping and immersive. Not so many characters, yet whatever the cast is, that is enough to swirl you through its tempo and thrill. From the opening lines, I found myself drawn into the turbulent yet tender world of Ayan, the protagonist navigating the tempests of love and ambition in life. He is chasing the distant dream Siya, however, Elina seems to hav ..read more

Among all famous versions of Ramayana that are being narrated and circulated across the world for ages, Valmiki’s Ramayana tops the chart for its veracity and originality. Valmiki and Vyas are considered two top-notched poets from India that recorded and wrote the greatest books of the world ‘Ramayana’ and ‘Mahabharata’ respectively in their eras. Today our literature arenas are abundant with retellings and various versions of storytelling and commentaries pertaining to Ramayana. In light of spreading of the most original text and commentary, late Shri Lakkaraju Ananta Rama Rao did meticulou ..read more

Couldn’t believe that this could be so much fun! Oh, how this book charmed me with its pesky characters and the magical book that deliberately threw them in adventures beyond their age…yet they managed to set everything all right for needy people on those mountains and around them. It was a sheer delight the way these kids got to navigate through the world, on different countries, on mountains, met with many people from time unknown to their consciousness. Do any of the stories of the mountain entice you? I liked that Iran story, it was like direct head-on with that monster snake, saving those ..read more

Find Some Hope by Nida Fatima is short autobiographical book, kind of memoir of a young woman who traces back her life from school time to finding a caring husband and beyond. Every one’s life goes through ups and downs, well some give up, but a few determined souls fight and bounce back like a phoenix. Her story of grit and mettle inspire us and show as how one can rise up from the crutches of depression to fulfilling a meaningful existence. Right at the beginning, the author being honest about her medical condition, she draws up curtains from Bipolar disorder. The book guides readers what ..read more