This is the story of Madhavanala and Kamakandala. Madhav, a handsome and accomplished young man, is asked to leave his city of Pushpavati: his looks and singing so distract women that they neglect their work, and cityfolk create an uproar about it. Exiled, Madhav reaches the court of King Kama Sena, the ruler of Kamavati, where he meets the bewitching courtesan Kama. The two fall in love but royal ire ensures that the lovers part. A heartbroken Madhav takes shelter in a temple at Ujjain, the city of King Vikramaditya. What can the great ruler do to assuage Madhav’s pain? Can he reunite the lovers? This lively and colourful tale has startling metaphors, a candid narration of love and an ending that matches its evocative language. In circulation since the twelfth century AD, Madhav and Kama has been translated from the original Sanskrit text for readers in English for the first time.

A collection of fourteen stories, Nelycinda & other stories, presents a woman's perspective of society thriving on trade and business. Lyrical and poignant, these stories take us to a world infested with the aroma of spices. The world was always opaque and something about the nearness of the sea made it more so. Susa began her day with the smallness of things, sea sand, which appeared as dull as the day, and the colours in the translucent shells, each catching the first light of the morning. How curious that the sand and salt and the ambitions of the sea creatures could create these colours. She walked to the seaside, wishing that the fisher people were about, but they had dived for pearls earlier than was usual that morning because of the impending storm. A great silence filled the ocean that brought to her the occasional screech of birds wheeling, and the whorls of the sea shells which produced their own sounds. Prison was a place which enclosed one and brought the world much closer by what one could imagine. It was where silence was the only companion, where the routines of the day allowed one to build a small world based entirely on ones thoughts. It was the shelter of the moment to work with the grandeur of the unseen. Imprisoned by the minutes, and allowed to fly when the tasks were completed. She looked at the beach, for the inlets were full of birds and moss and climbing purple flowers, and that was where she would go. To the river that, in its sureness of the life of the people, would bring her conversations and the calm of everyday tasks.

Lavanya Shanbhogue-Arvind is the winner of the Commonwealth Short Story Special Prize (2011). Her short story, ‘The Crystal Snuff Box and the Pappudum’, was adapted for radio by the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association and was broadcast in all the Commonwealth countries. Other short pieces include ‘Those You Cannot See’ that appeared in the Griffith Review, Australia, ‘Blueprint’ that appeared in Blink, the year-end fiction edition of the Hindu Business Line and ‘The Idiot’s Guide to the Indian Arranged Marriage’ that appeared in an anthology of New Asian Short Stories being published by Silverfish Books, Malaysia. Apart from a master’s degree in Business, she holds a master’s degree in Creative Writing (Fiction) from the City University of Hong Kong. She is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Women’s Studies from the Tata Institute of Social Science, Mumbai and is working on her second novel. She lives in Mumbai with her banker husband Arvind Narayana.

Anjum Hasan is the author of two novels, The Cosmopolitans and Lunatic in my Head (shortlisted for the Crossword Book Award), a collection of short stories, Difficult Pleasures (shortlisted for the Hindu Literary Prize and the Crossword Book Award), and a book of poetry, Street on the Hill. She lives in Bangalore.

After leading a sheltered life for sixteen years, Pessi, Bertie, Randy and Maachh are thrust into the world of the National Defence Academy. Soon they realize that life here is not just about spit and polish, but six terms of adventure and achievement. It is about soaring ambition and tough challenges, a punishing regimen and endless Puttie Parades. However, rugged training and severe ragging cannot keep their spirits down for long. Weaving yarns about imaginary girlfriends, bragging about their escapades and sexual exploits, they turn from greenhorns to tough soldiers. United by their experience, these comrades-in-arms form a bond for life. Tanushree Podder, in this tongue-in-cheek saga of youth, camaraderie and 'growing-up', skillfully reconstructs life at NDA - where boys become men of honour.

After Umer's father leaves to join the jihadis, the family is pushed to the brink of poverty and desperation, but his mother will have nothing to do with her husband. The government and charities working in Kashmir, in their better wisdom, believe it is best not to offer sustenance to the children and windows of militants. Isolated by society and trapped in adversity, will the mother's determination to turn her back on violence crumble? Will Umer go his father's way? What choices will this family make? Weed, a follow-up of the award winning No Guns at My Son's Funeral, is a hard-hitting exploration of uneasy questions that keep raising their insistent heads in the 'war against terror'. Complex issues are examined through the innocence of a child caught in a web he never spun.

A self confessed word-a-holic and traveller, Tanushree is sure to be packing her bags and boots to zip around the world not brandishing her pen. With two successful novels, few best selling non fiction titles and a few hundred travel tales under her belt, she is all set to launch into yet another voyage with words. A bundle of optimism with wandering feet and a kaleidoscope of dreams, she loves nothing better than flirting with clauses and phrases. After leading a nomadic life for several decades, thanks to the Indian Army, she has finally grown roots at Pune.

Very few French writers have ventured to write on the social, religious, political and cultural issues of Pakistani society, but Claudine is an exception. She is one of those writers who not only made frequent visits to Pakistan but also watched some very sensitive prevailing issues from a close angle. Her fine sensibilities and eye for detail is a hallmark of her writing skills which also makes her an accomplished writer. In Hira Mandi her strong pen has beautifully succeeded in capturing the true identity of the society. Hira Mandi is a remarkable piece where Claudine has rolled out a tale that would make the readers spellbound. Hira Mandi sounds a forbidden subject for many who are familiar with the name as it is an area located in the walled city of Lahore which in its hey days was notoriously known as pleasure seekers' paradise but Claudine's expressions, portrayal of feelings and glaring social dichotomies are unparallel. Jaffer Bilgrami Television Journalist, Islamabad (Pakistan)

Hidden Women are women about whom we know nothing, or very little, so they are shades or shadows in the life of Jung Bahadur Rana who founded the Rana dynasty that ruled Nepal for 104 years. Nothing is written about the women in his life except that against his wishes they committed sati when he was cremated. Strong and independent women, they had influence on him, enjoyed a prominent place in his life, and ironically the one he admired most tried to kill him. It is a novel look at his story, worn out by many Nepali writers, as it is the first time being told through the eyes of the women in his life. Thoroughly researched, Greta Rana builds together a feasible picture of how women lived and thought, hoped and died in a restrictive feudal society.

Blue Dust is an emotional, philosophical and cultural journey that maps the relationships, dreams, hopes and fears of three generations of a family in Pakistan and the Middle East. The central character is a highly volatile and loving girl/woman who struggles largely with her own insecurities in her relationships with her father, husband and sister and the world she is born into (from a social and religious point of view ultimately blurring her sense of identity). A significant thread of the narrative is the impact her relationship with her sister has on her life and personality - and the strength of that bond is one of the most enduring forces. Her daughter also plays a pivotal role in encapsulating the emotional mood and tone of the book- particularly in exploring dichotomies of reality and perception - and the power of memory and dreams in articulating how these people respond to the events of their lives. Through the story of this family the author also explores issues in Pakistan relevant to class, religious and social distinctions and the barriers caused by these, and a society which perpetuates and at the same time ignores issues of paedophilia and sexual repression. Blue Dust is a misty, dream-like, touching but often bloody portrayal of intensely self reflexive dramas of these individual people but relevant to the wider issues and concerns of Pakistani society as well. 'A narrative of passionate characters and many strands, skillfully woven together in this engaging debut novel. Blue Dust is a surreal, poetic and complex work that handles difficult issues with courage.' Bapsi Sidhwa 'With her poetic debut novel, Blue Dust, unfolds love's many moods. Ayesha Salman joins the list of exciting new novelists from Pakistan.' Maniza Naqvi