Legendary musician Annapurna Devi's life has been shrouded in mystery. Daughter of the unparalleled Allauddin Khan of Maitra and the first wife of Pandit Ravi Shankar, she conquered the summit of Indian classical music, only to later renounce public life to spend her entire life as a recluse in the confinement of her house. Until the age of sixteen, Annapurna Devi was confined to her family home at Maihar, where her father was a court musician and guru to the maharaja. During this period, she devoted herself exclusively to the deepest study and practice of Indian classical music under the strict tutelage of her father. After her estrangement from her husband Pandit Ravi Shankar, Annapurna Devi went ever deeper into self-imposed seclusion. The only people whom she met and communicated with were her disciples who used to visit her for music lessons, which included some of the greatest musicians our era has seen, including Pandit Nikhil Banerjee, Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, Ustad Bahadur Khan, Aashish Khan, Dhyanesh Khan, Nityanand Haldipur and Basant Kabra, to name a few. Full of anecdotes and untold stories, this is her life story as told by her to her disciples over a period of time, giving valuable insights into their Guru Ma's personality, music and teachings.

Baba Allauddin Khan's daughter, Pandit Ravi Shankar's first wife, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan's sister, representative of Maihar-Senia gharana - Annapurna Devi has an illustrious lineage. And she is a star in her own right - she is the only female surbahar player in the country. Yet, Annapurna's life is shrouded in mystery. Though she is a true guru to her hishyas, to others she is an eccentric recluse or simply too strong-minded. This first authorised biography offers a glimpse into her life, not to reveal or to shock, but to set the record straight - her turbulent years with Ravi Shankar, the death of her only son, her single-minded pursuit of music and a life in seclusion. Drawing on interviews with Annapurna Devi and her family members, admirers, critics and students, Swapan Kumar Bondyopadhyay offers an absorbing portrait of a brilliant individual, who shuns public erformances devoting her time instead to her music, her students and to keeping her father's legacy alive.

This book is compiled with the goal of explaining the hidden history, significance, and meaning of the mantras used in common Hindu puja rituals performed by the Bengalis to the Bengali immigrants.

In a startling look at the classic Annapurna—the most famous book about mountaineering—David Roberts discloses what really happened on the legendary expedition to the Himalayan peak. In June 1950, a team of mountaineers was the first to conquer an 8,000-meter peak. Maurice Herzog, the leader of the expedition, became a national hero in France, and Annapurna, his account of the historic ascent, has long been regarded as the ultimate tale of courage and cooperation under the harshest of conditions. In True Summit, David Roberts presents a fascinating revision of this classic tale. Using newly available documents and information gleaned from a rare interview with Herzog (the only climber on the team still living), Roberts shows that the expedition was torn by dissent. As he re-creates the actual events, Roberts lays bare Herzog's self-serving determination and bestows long-delayed credit to the most accomplished and unsung heroes. These new revelations will inspire young adventurers and change forever the way we think about this victory in the mountains and the climbers who achieved it.

The Indian Listener (fortnightly programme journal of AIR in English) published by The Indian State Broadcasting Service,Bombay ,started on 22 December, 1935 and was the successor to the Indian Radio Times in english, which was published beginning in July 16 of 1927. From 22 August ,1937 onwards, it was published by All India Radio,New Delhi.In 1950,it was turned into a weekly journal. Later,The Indian listener became "Akashvani" in January 5, 1958. It was made a fortnightly again on July 1,1983. It used to serve the listener as a bradshaw of broadcasting ,and give listener the useful information in an interesting manner about programmes,who writes them,take part in them and produce them along with photographs of performing artists. It also contains the information of major changes in the policy and service of the organisation. NAME OF THE JOURNAL: The Indian Listener LANGUAGE OF THE JOURNAL: English DATE,MONTH & YEAR OF PUBLICATION: 07-02-1947 PERIODICITY OF THE JOURNAL: Fortnightly NUMBER OF PAGES: 100 VOLUME NUMBER: Vol. XII, No. 4 BROADCAST PROGRAMME SCHEDULE PUBLISHED(PAGE NOS): 40-91 ARTICLE: 1. The Work of the UNESCO 2. One World and The Philosopher 3. Book Reviews 4. Our Literature AUTHOR: 1. Rajkumari Amrit Kaur 2. Dr. Edwin A. Burtt 3. Prof. V. J. Isa Dass 4. Dr. K. Srinivasa Iyengar KEYWORDS: 1. Illiteracy, Education, Culture, General Conference, Sargent 2. Wisdom, Thinker, Student 3. The Excursion 4. Anglo-Indian, Warren Hastings, William Jones, Macaulay, Western missionaries, Ram Mohun Roy Document ID: INL-1947 (J-J) Vol-I (03)

Peter Lavezzoli, Buddhist and musician, has a rare ability to articulate the personal feeling of music, and simultaneously narrate a history. In his discussion on Indian music theory, he demystifies musical structures, foreign instruments, terminology, an

'When a man is conscious of the urge to explore, not all the arduous journeyings, the troubles that will beset him and the lack of material gains from his investigations will stop him.' Nanda Devi is one of the most inaccessible mountains in the Himalaya. It is surrounded by a huge ring of peaks, among them some of the highest mountains in the Indian Himalaya. For fifty years the finest mountaineers of the early twentieth century had repeatedly tried and failed to reach the foot of the mountain. Then, in 1934, Eric Shipton and H. W. Tilman found a way in. Their 1934 expedition is regarded as the epitome of adventurous mountain exploration. With their three tough and enthusiastic Sherpa companions Angtharkay, Kusang and Pasang, they solved the problem of access to the Nanda Devi Sanctuary. They crossed difficult cols, made first ascents and explored remote, uninhabited valleys, all of which is recounted in Shipton's wonderfully vivid Nanda Devi - a true evocation of Shipton's enduring spirit of adventure and one of the most inspirational travel books ever written.

We owe our existence to our mothers. A mother gives us birth, feeds us and protects us from harm. If it weren’t for her it is unlikely that we would have survived. Mothers play a key role in the existence of mankind. It is a mother who imparts knowledge and values to a child. She handles the affairs of the home ensuring the welfare and prosperity of the family. Mothers love, are patient and forgiving. Sometimes they also punish. Maa The Universal Mother highlights the concept of the Mother Goddess dear to all Hindus, manifested in many forms, and connects you to the modern times to appreciate the strength of a mother in bringing harmony to our lives through devotion and compassion.

The First Promise is a translation of Ashapurna Debi s novel, Pratham Pratisruti, originally published in Bengali in 1964. Celebrated as one of the most popular and path-breaking novels of its time, it has received continual critical acclaim: the Rabindra Puraskar (the Tagore Prize) in 1966 and the Bharitiya Jnanpith, India s highest literary award, in 1977. Spanning the late eighteenth and early twentieth centuries, Ashapurna tells the story of the struggles and efforts of women in nineteenth-century, colonial Bengal in a deceptively easy and conversational style. The charming eight-year old heroine, Satyabati is a child bride who leaves her husband s village for Calcutta, the capital of British India where she is caught in the social dynamics of women s education, social reform agendas, modern medicine and urban entertainment. As she makes her way through this complex maze, making sense of the rapidly changing world around her, Satyabati nurtures hopes and aspirations for her daughter. But the promises held out by modernity turn out to be empty, instigating Satyabati to break away from her inherited world and initiate a quest that takes her to the very heart of tradition.