Category: 5 out of 5 Indian settings

Sahana Singh’s — The educational heritage of ancient India *****

This book explores the many universities that flourished all over India from the 6th century onwards, and how students travelled from many parts of Asia to study in these prestigious institutions. At its height, universities specialized in subjects from mathematics, medicine and logic to the arts and military training. Much of this knowledge was translated into Arabic and then from Arabic into European languages where the knowledge was claimed as their own.

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Anita Rau Badami’s — The hero’s walk *****

What happens when you lose the most precious person in your life — a daughter? This is the agonizing dilemma Sripathi, living in India, finds himself in when he learns of his daughter and husband’s death in Canada. Soon their daughter, Nandana arrives and Sripathi has to come to terms with his loss.

Tell it to the trees is equally as good, but Hero’s Walk is Badami’s champion for pulling at the heart strings.

Amulya Malladi’s — A breath of fresh air *****

While Anjali waits hours for her new husband to collect her from the Bhopal railway station, a toxic gas explosion sends people fleeing. Anjali wakes in a hospital bed and is determined to divorce her unfaithful husband. Unlike many others who died from the explosion, she believes she only suffers from serious asthma, but doesn’t realize the full repercussions of the accident until years later. Continue reading “Amulya Malladi’s — A breath of fresh air *****” →

Rabindranath Tagore’s — The wreck *****

Ramesh is in love with Hemnalini, but is forced into an arranged marriage. On his return journey from his wedding, a storm sinks the wedding party boats. When Ramesh comes to, he’s washed up on shore and discovers the only other survivor is dressed in red wedding regalia. He assumes its his wife whom he never set eyes on during the wedding.

Only after taking her into his house does he discover she is not the woman he married. And this is where the dilemma starts. He cannot disregard Kamala because she’ll be shunned in Indian society, but he is determined to marry the love of his life, Hemnalini.

Tagore, a prolific story teller of the 1900s, wrote well ahead of his time about the deprived status of Hindu women and the low value placed on their intelligence.