Indian Classics

India is often reputed to be the home of the fairy tale. Here are some of the best from the sub-continent, from the Jatakas to the folktales of Kashmir. You'll hear stories about the evil magician Punchkin, the magic fiddle, and more.

On Mahashivratri, when the moon casts a crimson glow and bats scurry across the night sky, the Vetaals appear from the shadows to take revenge against an ancient custom led by a sadistic demigod. The only one who stands between them and the future of humankind is Vikramaditya, the king of Avantika. But to battle against these dark forces, he needs an ally. An ally who whispers with blood between his teeth, the one who speaks in riddles—the original Veetal. Will Vikramaditya be able to convince the Veetal to help him defeat this unbeatable enemy?

Unabridged narration with soundtrack consisting of ambient sounds and music. Hermann Hesse's great story brilliantly narrated by Sean Pratt and Susan Hanfield. With an accompanying ambient soundtrack by Kate Hopkins and the Emmy, Golden Reel, and BAFTA winning team at Wounded Buffalo, sound designers for the David Attenborough BBC series Planet Earth, Blue Planet, and Dynasties; with music by Jane Harbour.

Patrick O’Brian is acclaimed as one of the greatest historical novelists of the twentieth century, celebrated throughout the world for his masterful roman fleuve, the Aubrey‒Maturin series. But he was also a prolific writer of short stories, and it is in this form that he first made his mark. Encompassing stories written in his unvarnished youth to tales told by a seasoned traveller, this is the most comprehensive collection of O’Brian’s short fiction ever published. It is a treasure chest, containing more than sixty tales, including rarities, uncollected works, and forgotten jewels.

While it lived, the tamarind tree stood at the crossroads of a small village in Southern India. For more than fifty years it was a benevolent observer, offering shade without discrimination. It bore witness to laughter and tears, to tragedy and simple pleasures, and to the history of the village itself as it transformed from the old ways of bullock-led carts to a bustling community of social, political, economic, and ecological change.

‘पंचतन्त्र’ विश्व साहित्य को भारतीय साहित्य की सबसे महत्त्वपूर्ण देन है। पंचतन्त्र की लोकप्रियता इस बात से आंकी जा सकती है कि विश्व की अधिकांश भाषाओं में इसका अनुवाद हो चुका है।.

The Last of the Mohicans has all the elements of a classic frontier adventure: massacres and raids, innocent settlers, hardened soldiers, renegade Indians, and a doomed love affair. It is a memorable portrait of fierce individualism and moral courage. But what draws readers and listeners again and again to this panoramic novel is its deep insight into the symbols of American consciousness.

Is there a connection between Greek and Hindu mythology? Does it have something to do with a common Indo-European root? Or maybe an exchange of ideas in the centuries that followed the arrival of Alexander the Great, when Greek emissaries travelled to the kingdoms of Mathura and Magadha? In this book, mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik turns his attention to ancient Greek tales and explores a new world of stories. Long have Europeans and Americans retold Indic mythologies. It is time for Indians to reverse the gaze.

Siddhartha is a novel by Hermann Hesse that deals with a spiritual journey of self-discovery during the time of the Gautam Buddha. Throughtout the story, Hesse conveys a profound message for everyone who seeks meaning in their lives. The setting is India, but the concerns of Siddhartha are about the connection between mind, body, and spirit as universal. He goes through many changes during the course of the book, and each new life experience brings a new awakening, and brings him closer to the truth.

रवीन्द्रनाथ टैगोर का उपन्यास चोखेर बाली हिन्दी में ‘आँख की किरकिरी’ के नाम से प्रचलित है। प्रेम, वासना, दोस्ती और दाम्पत्य-जीवन की भावनाओं के भंवर में डूबते-उतरते चोखेर बाली के पात्रों-विनोदिनी.

Warrior-prince Rama is about to be crowned Young King, when he hears the devastating news that his father, king of Ayodhya, has been tricked into banishing him to the forest. His devoted wife, Sita, insists on accompanying him in exile, but the evil 10-headed Lord Ravana has fallen deeply in love with the beautiful princess and steals her away. Aided by Hanuman, mighty captain of the monkeys, Rama sets out across the world to find her and destroy Ravana in a deadly battle.

Discover the endless fascination of Indian culture with five tales, selected for you for their power of evocation, wisdom and humor. "The Alligator and the Jackal" is a tale of wit and cleverness, about which will defeat the other. "Singh Rajah and the Cunning Little Jackals" is another example of how cleverness can overcome even the most powerful. "The Farmer and the Money-Lender" shows the eternal struggle between class, and a way to trick the tricker; "Who Killed the Otter's Babies?" will bring you deep reflections about causality and responsibility; and Tit for Tat is a powerful lesson about the dangers of habits.

Nikhil is a passive landowner. His houseguest is Sandip, a headstrong anti-imperialist. Between them is Nikhil’s wife, Bimala, dutiful to her conventional husband yet drawn to the fiery independence and bold flirtations of the charismatic Sandip. As Bimala questions her role as a woman and the possibilities for her life outside marriage, the three undergo an emotional struggle that will change their lives forever—just as their country undergoes a radical upheaval of its own.

Charles Alexander Eastman (1858-1939) was a Santee Dakota physician, writer, national lecturer, and reformer. Indian Boyhood (1902) is a recollection of Eastman's earliest childhood memories up to the age of 15. He describes the traditional ways in which the tribe governed itself - a police force, hunting and warrior scouts, and the tribal council. The book includes family and tribal legends of adventure, bravery, and nature that he heard in the lodge of the tribe historian.

रवीन्द्रनाथ टैगोर का यह उपन्यास बीसवीं सदी के प्रारम्भिक वर्षों के बंगाल पर केन्द्रित है और उस समय के समाज, राजनीति और धर्म की वास्तविक तस्वीर प्रस्तुत करता है।.

1919 में प्रकाशित उपन्यास सेवासदन मूलतः उर्दू में लिखा गया था और इसका नाम था, बाज़ारे-हुस्न। इससे पहले मुंशी पे्रमचन्द ने लघु उपन्यास ही लिखे थे और यह उनका पहला महत्त्वपूर्ण उपन्यास था।.

प्रेमचंद निस्संदेह हिन्दी के सर्वश्रेष्ठ कहानीकार थे जिनकी गणना विश्वस्तरीय साहित्यकारों में होती है। अपने जीवनकाल में उन्होंने 250 से अधिक कहानियाँ लिखीं जो मुख्यतः उस समय के समाज के यथार्थ को दर्शाती हैं।.

An essential classic, now available in Hindi.

Famous novelist Rhys Carter loved to take long walks through his beech tree forest. It was relaxing, and the walks helped him think through the writer's block that oft times visited him while working on a novel. Today though, was different. This time he had been following the smell and sight of a stream of smoke coming from his woods. What had brought him here today was the need to find the source of the smoke. Where it led him was to something he had never seen before.

In 1768, John Long set out from Gravesend in England, bound for Canada and a position as a clerk. Quickly developing an affection for the First Nations people he encountered, he determined to learn native languages and thereby make him useful in the 'Indian Trade' living first among Mohawks at Cahnuaga (Kahnawake) and later, among Ojibwa and Cree people north of Lake Superior. Long's journal provides a thrilling depiction the life of a fur trader in the late 18th century. It is a dangerous world, where starvation, torture, murder, war, disease and misfortune are constant threats.