When sub-inspector Waqas Akram is posted at a dusty, sizzling Punjab town where a Hindu art teacher has been recently lynched on the accusation of blasphemy against Islam, he has already decided to quit police service following a not-so-great career. So, when he is assigned the case of a suicide of a seventeen-year-old boy, Waqas is tempted to accept the obvious and close the case. The ominous presence of a religious outfit around the boy’s house is another reason to stay away. But Waqas realizes there’s more to the case, when the boy’s friend reaches out claiming it was no suicide and that the case is linked to the Hindu teacher’s lynching. Waqas is intrigued as childhood memories of another lynching return to him. From witnesses’ statements, he pieces together accounts of friendships that transcended religions before they were ruined by betrayal, conspiracy, and religious fanaticism. Will Waqas succumb to the terror of religious bigots, or will he uphold justice in a society which badly needs it?

One of the most unconventional yet immensely popular deities in the Hindu pantheon, goddess Kali essentially represents the dark and contrary aspects of the cosmos. Her naked form and association with violence, blood and gore challenge the very concept of divinity. Yet, over the centuries, she has come to represent a whole gamut of conflicting images-from bloodthirsty ogress to benign goddess. So today while she is venerated as Chamunda, a deity who verges on the macabre and grotesque, she is also adored in household shrines in one of her milder forms, Dakshina-Kali. It is this evolution of Kali-from her origin as a tantric goddess to her metamorphosis into a divinity in mainstream religion-that Seema Mohanty captures brilliantly in this book. Drawing upon a variety of sources-rituals associated with the worship of Kali, tales from the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, the Puranas, the Tantras and Agamas, folklore and films-she has succeeded in portraying in engrossing detail the myriad manifestations of the enigmatic deity that is Kali.

A Hindu poet, Kalyana Malla, renders in classical Sanskrit a biblical story for his Muslim patron, a Lodhi prince of the sixteenth century, in this unusual intermingling of cultural traditions. The sensual unfolding of David and Bathsheba’s love story-the bathing scene, David’s infatuation, his pursuit of Bathsheba, and their eventual union-is strikingly portrayed in the language of the gods through its shringara rasa, or the erotic mode, by a writer better known for the sex manual Ananga Ranga. This marvellous, first-ever English translation of Suleiman Charitra-a delightful Sanskrit rendering of Hebraic and Arabic tales-elegantly brings together the east and the west.

Taking a long view of the three-party relationship, and its future prospects In this Asian century, scholars, officials and journalists are increasingly focused on the fate of the rivalry between China and India. They see the U.S. relationships with the two Asian giants as now intertwined, after having followed separate paths during the Cold War. In Fateful Triangle, Tanvi Madan argues that China's influence on the U.S.-India relationship is neither a recent nor a momentary phenomenon. Drawing on documents from India and the United States, she shows that American and Indian perceptions of and policy toward China significantly shaped U.S.-India relations in three crucial decades, from 1949 to 1979. Fateful Triangle updates our understanding of the diplomatic history of U.S.-India relations, highlighting China's central role in it, reassesses the origins and practice of Indian foreign policy and nonalignment, and provides historical context for the interactions between the three countries. Madan's assessment of this formative period in the triangular relationship is of more than historic interest. A key question today is whether the United States and India can, or should develop ever-closer ties as a way of countering China's desire to be the dominant power in the broader Asian region. Fateful Triangle argues that history shows such a partnership is neither inevitable nor impossible. A desire to offset China brought the two countries closer together in the past, and could do so again. A look to history, however, also shows that shared perceptions of an external threat from China are necessary, but insufficient, to bring India and the United States into a close and sustained alignment: that requires agreement on the nature and urgency of the threat, as well as how to approach the threat strategically, economically, and ideologically. With its long view, Fateful Triangle offers insights for both present and future policymakers as they tackle a fateful, and evolving, triangle that has regional and global implications.

Biography of the American novelist and newspaper and magazine editor in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was perhaps best known for his magazine, E.W. Howe's Monthly.

'The ancient ritual becomes alive and more meaningful for the young people of today, for whom this book is meant' - Michael Witzel, Harvard University 'This beautiful book is sure to become the standard guide for understanding and organizing Vedic weddings' - Prof. Subhash Kak, Louisiana State University An immensely accessible guide, The Vedic Wedding will take you to the roots of the Hindu wedding ceremony, on a journey of its evolution from the Rig Vedic times to the present day. A.V. Srinivasan brings the best of his experiential wisdom as a Hindu priest and scholar in the US in uniquely accessible explanations of each ritual of the traditional ceremony, along with a wealth of knowledge about their origin, variations and significance. One of its kind, this book will help you understand and appreciate, as well as execute, the traditional Vedic wedding ceremony and get a flavour of India's wedding culture, its true meaning and significance.

"Smoldering and sexy, Laura Kaye's Blasphemy series is everything I look for in a romance. Haunted heroes and strong heroines populate this one of a kind club and I can't wait to see the big bad Doms fall one by one." ~ Lexi Blake, NYT Bestselling Author of the Masters & Mercenaries SeriesHe thinks he caused her pain, but she knows he's the only one who can heal her¿Kenna Sloane lost her career and her arm in the Marines, and now she feels like she's losing herself. Submission is the only thing that ever freed her from pain and made her feel secure, and Kenna needs to serve again. Bad. The only problem is the Dom she wants once refused her submission and broke her heart, but, scarred on the inside and out, she's not looking for love this time. She's not even sure she's capable.Griffin Hudson is haunted by the mistakes that cost him the only woman he ever loved. Now she's back at his club, Blasphemy, and more beautiful than ever, and she's asking for his help with the pain he knows he caused. Even though he's scared to hurt her again, he can't refuse her, because he'd give anything to earn a second chance. And this time, he'll hold on forever."This story is hot!! It has all the feels and I was sucked in from the very first page. I love how alpha Griffin is and his tenderness and compassion towards Kenna. I couldn't read this book fast enough and yet I didn't want it to be over. Such a great read and definitely one NOT to be missed! Do yourself a favor and one-click it RIGHT NOW!" ~Books According to Abby

She's the fantasy they've always wanted to share ... Best friends Jonathan Allen and Cruz Ramos share almost everything--a history in the Navy, their sailboat building and restoration business, and the desire to dominate a woman together, which they do at Baltimore's exclusive club, Blasphemy. Now if they could find someone who wants to play for keeps ... All Hartley Farren has in the world is the charter sailing business she inherited from her beloved father. So when a storm damages her boat, she throws herself on the mercy of business acquaintances to do the repairs--stat. She never expected to find herself desiring the sexy, hard-bodied builders, but being around Jonathan and Cruz reminds Hartley of how much she longs for connection. If only she could decide which man she wants to pursue more ... As their attraction flashes hot, Jonathan and Cruz determine to have Hartley for their own. But the men's erotic world is new and overwhelming, and Hartley's unsure if she could really submit to being both of theirs to take ... forever.

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Laura Kaye comes a new story in her Hard Ink series… To protect and serve is all Detective Kyler Vance ever wanted to do, so when Internal Affairs investigates him as part of the new police commissioner’s bid to oust corruption, everything is on the line. Which makes meeting a smart, gorgeous submissive at an exclusive play club the perfect distraction… The director of the city’s hottest art gallery, Mia Breslin’s career is golden. Now if only she could find a man to dominate her nights and set her body—and her heart—on fire. When a scorching scene with a hard-bodied, brooding Dom at Blasphemy promises just that, Mia is lured to serve Kyler again and again. Then, as their relationship burns hotter, Kyler learns that he’s been dominating the daughter of the hard-ass boss who has it in for him. Now Kyler must choose between life-long duty and forbidden desire before Mia finds another who’s not so hard to serve. **Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you'll enjoy each one as much as we do.**