Come, explore the places we worship Join Amma and her children as they travel to the famous Golden Temple in Amritsar. Take a tour through the wonderful sights, sounds and history of Darbar Sahib. Hear stories about the Sikh gurus. Visit Darshani Deori and Akal Takht. Savour a drink from the sacred waters at Har Ki Pauri and the langar from the world's biggest kitchen! Learn Guru Nanak's eternal message of equality, love and service. Told through interesting stories with captivating illustrations, this new series introduces readers to the history of different faiths and their associated monuments.

Join Amma and her boys as they travel to Shirdi, home to one of India's most celebrated saints-Sai Baba. Hear the story of one of the most loved and revered mystics. Walk around the neem tree that gave him shelter. Relish a few moments in Dwarka Mai, the dilapidated mosque that became his home. Visit Dhuni Mai, the ever-burning fire Sai Baba had lit, and receive his blessings. Hear stories of the countless miracles he performed as you pay respects at the Shri Samadhi Temple, where he rests. Feel Sai Baba's all-pervasive presence, blessings and grace as you soak in the spirit of this sanctum. Listen to his teachings of Shraddha and Saburi and his beliefs of 'Allah Malik' and 'Sabka Malik Ek'. Let Amma take you on a journey to witness the life of this unique saint who taught by example, compassion and kindness and who, for a century, has been drawing millions of adoring devotees every year. Told through interesting stories with captivating illustrations, this book brings alive an important place of worship in an engaging and non-preachy way.

The book provides personal account and experiences of the author who visited devasthanam. They should worke interest and devision among the reades and reverance of the deity. The book deals with eternal questions like Is there God? If there is, how does He look? Have you seen Him? Or the seekers of truth who ask, How much of faith one should repose in God to earn His Support for Human endeavors? This book, perhaps has answers for such question.

And below her hair; she would put on a garland and spend a few minutes just gazing into a pond; seeing her reflection and satisfying her desire before turning away and returning the worn garland to her flower basket The emperor Krishnadevaraya’s epic poem Amuktamalyada (Giver of the Worn Garland) depicts the life of the medieval Vaisnava poet-saint Andal; or Goda Devi as she is also known; and her passionate devotion to Lord Visnu. Krishnadevaraya’s unique poetic imagination brings to life a celestial world filled with wonder; creativity; humour and vibrant natural beauty. The mundane is made divine and the ordinary becomes extraordinary; the routine activities of daily life become expressive metaphors for heavenly actions; while the exalted gods of heaven are re-imagined as living persons. The poet’s ability to see divinity in the most commonplace activities is an extension of his powerful belief that god is everywhere; in everything; at all times.

Meera is happily submerged in the role of corporate wife and cookbook writer. Then, one day, her husband fails to come home. Overnight, Meera, disoriented and emotionally fragile, becomes responsible not just for her two children, but also her mother, grandmother and the running of Lilac House, their rambling old family home in Bangalore. A few streets away, Professor J.A. Krishnamurthy or Jak, cyclone studies expert, has recently returned from Florida, to care for his nineteen-year-old daughter, the victim of a tragic accident. What happened on her holiday in a small beachside village? The police will not help, Smriti's friends have vanished, and a wall of silence and fear surrounds the incident. But Jak cannot rest until he gets to the truth. Meera and of Jak's paths intertwine as they uncover the truth about the secrets of their pasts and the promise of the future. The Lilac House is a sweeping story of redemption, forgiveness and second chances.

Come, explore the places where we worship! Travel with Amma and her boys to the fascinating fortress city of Fatehpur Sikri. Hear the story of why the great Mughal emperor Akbar visited the Sufi saint Shaikh Salim Chishti and then had a mausoleum built in his honour. Walk through the imposing Buland Darwaza. Admire the majestic architecture of the sprawling quadrangle. Hear the soulful notes of azan wafting from the Jama Masjid. Tie a thread in the delicate jali screens as you make a wish. Behold the dargah of Salim Chishti shining like a white pearl in an oasis of red sandstone. Listen to Amma with your eyes and ears wide open, for this whirlwind of a journey promises to leave you mesmerized! Told through interesting stories with captivating illustrations, this new series introduces readers to the history of different faiths and their associated monuments.

A Probing Look Beyond Hindutva To Get To The Heart Of Gujarat. Many Aspects Of Modern Gujarati Society And Polity Appear Puzzling. A Society Which For Centuries Absorbed Diverse People Today Appears Insular And Parochial, And While It Is One Of The Most Prosperous States In India, A Quarter Of Its Population Lives Below The Poverty Line. Drawing On Academic And Scholarly Sources, Autobiographies, Letters, Literature And Folksongs, Achyut Yagnik And Suchitra Sheth Attempt To Understand And Explain These Paradoxes. They Trace The History Of Gujarat From The Time Of The Indus Valley Civilization, When Gujarati Society Came To Be A Synthesis Of Diverse Peoples And Cultures, To The State S Encounters With The Turks, Marathas And The Portuguese, Which Sowed The Seeds Of Communal Disharmony. Taking A Closer Look At The Nineteenth And Twentieth Centuries, The Authors Explore The Political Tensions, Social Dynamics And Economic Forces That Contributed To Making The State What It Is Today: The Impact Of The British Policies; The Process Of Industrialization And Urbanization, And The Rise Of The Middle Class; The Emergence Of The Idea Of Swadeshi ; The Coming Of Gandhi And His Attempts To Transform Society And Politics By Bringing Together Diverse Gujarati Cultural Sources; And The Series Of Communal Riots That Rocked Gujarat Even As The State Was Consumed By Nationalist Fervour. With Independence And Statehood, The Government Encouraged A New Model Of Development, Which Marginalized Dalits, Adivasis And Minorities Even Further. This Was Accompanied By The Emergence Of Identity Politics Based On The Hindutva Ideology, And Violence In Multiple Forms Became Increasingly Visible, Overshadowing Gujarat S Image As One Of The Most Industrialized, Urbanized And Globalized Societies In India. The Authors Conclude That This Trajectory Of Gujarat S Modern History Has Been Propelled By Its Powerful Middle Class And Future Directions Would Depend On How This Section Of Society Resolves Global Local Tensions And How They Make Their Peace With The Past.

Sonia Gandhi's transformation from an unsure Congress party president to the unchallenged political chief of the ruling United Progressive Alliance government happened with some speed in the aftermath of the Congress-led coalition's surprise victory in the 2004 general election. Her renunciation of the prime minister's post enhanced her moral stature in the public eye, but it is her skilled handling of the equation with the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, that indicates the emergence of a self-confident politician, secure in her position at the helm of national affairs. In this fully revised and updated biography, Rasheed Kidwai tracks the evolution of the new Sonia Gandhi against the backdrop of the Congress party's return to power after years in the Opposition. The last five years have witnessed the Congress president's growing assurance in her dealings with party stalwarts, with coalition partners and Opposition leaders. Drawing on his long experience as a political journalist, Kidwai chronicles how Rahul Gandhi's smooth passage into the front rank of the party's leadership was achieved and gives a vivid account of how Sonia Gandhi navigated such critical moments as the 'office of profit' crisis, the presidential election, the Indo-US nuclear deal and the vote of confidence. In Sonia, A Biography, Rasheed Kidwai tells the extraordinary story of one of India's most enigmatic women, whose journey from the small Italian town of Orbassano to 10 Janpath, New Delhi, is one of the most fascinating in contemporary India.