Akylay Baimatova translated Epos Manas into English using Mar Baijiev's Russian translation as a guide. There are very few translations of this work available in English and the versions that are available do not do a work of this magnitude justice.Akylay is a native Kyrgyz who grew up studying verses of Epos Manas and celebrating its epic stories. This project started from Akylay's desire to teach her own American children (who only speak English) about their Kyrgyz family history and the rich culture of a country that is rarely studied.Akylay Baimatova lives in Florida (16 years and counting) and works as a high school science teacher. She strongly believes that bilingual translators present the best, most honest work. When she went to Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University, she used to love Mar Baijievs' books, and when his version of Tales of Manas was published in 2011, she was in awe with this book, which expresses the ideas and cultural nuances in full color. Learn more about this translation and Akylay's other work at www.talesofmanas.comFrom the historical perspective, this great epos of the world, this huge legacy of the historical past of the Kyrgyz people has seen both fortunate and unfortunate times. Unfortunate because in a large cultural and scientific world no one heard of it for a long time, because in times of great manaschis like Choyuke, Tynybek and Balyk there were no possibilities to record their performances. The fortunate past was in the second half of the 19th century, when two outstanding turkologist-ethnographers and travelers like V.Radlov and Ch.Valikhanov literally "stumbled" upon this epos, immediately realizing the unique cultural heritage gem they have found.Ch.Valikhanov compared the Kyrgyz epos with the Greek "Iliad" in its steppe version, saying that it is an encyclopedic collection of myths, legends, ancient history and diplomacy of the Kyrgyz. Of course, "Manas" is not an "Iliad", and "Iliad" is not "Manas", for each epic story has its own unique bright artistic features. Kyrgyz people are obliged to these outstanding scientists, who introduced the epos "Manas" into the world of research and its first publication.This epos was fortunate finally that it has made its way into the global community, and in 1994 the General Assembly of the United Nations made a decision on the worldwide celebration of the 1000th anniversary of the epos Manas, which was implemented in 1995.But on its path the Kyrgyz epos met a lot of difficulties, many hurdles. Moreover, defending this epos, preparing translations into Russian language, people suffered, and scientists and scholars were shot during Soviet times.But the most interesting is that the Kyrgyz people used epos "Manas", when they experienced difficult, fateful times. It was actively discussed during October Revolution, when it was necessary to raise the national culture, in the 1920-1930s. During the WWII "Manas" was useful more than ever, giving support to soldiers in the front, lifting the spirit of people at home.During post-Stalin period scientists started researching, translating the epos, during Khrushchev's Thawing period the theme of historical roots and imperishable cultural values of the Kyrgyz became necessary upon prevalence of ideological mankurtism.It is not surprising; therefore, that it is the "Manas" with its powerful unifying pathos-and the idea of ​​national revival became the main cultural-ideological platform for a very young independent Kyrgyz state. It is clear that every Kyrgyz will always honor this heroic-tragic epos, be proud of being a part of it, continue to research and value its great ideas and learn lessons that it teaches.

Who is Manas? Manas is no mere man but a hero of mythic proportions, the protagonist of the Manas Epos. The Manas Epos is hailed as the classic centerpiece of Kyrguz literature, the encyclopaedia of Kyrgyz culture, the touchstone of the Kyrgyz spirit. It is the longest epic poem in the world with close to half a million lines.

Over the last three decades, Tripura, the smallest of North East Indian states surrounded on three sides by Bangladesh, was caught in the vortex of highly patterned militant violence, deadly ethnic conflicts, and planned destruction of thousand year old harmonious and peaceful coexistence of tribal and non-tribal people of the state. Since the day the TNV took to arms, the surfeit of tribal insurgencies in Tripura is marked by brutal civilian massacres, abduction of innocent citizens, ambushes on security forces, large scale extortions and a ruthless ethnic cleansing perpetrated on unarmed non-tribals by the National Liberation Front of Tripura and the All Tripura Tiger Force-two banned underground organizations.The armed insurrections in Tripura at varied levels and colors - often abetted by narrow political interest - were marked not only by serious threat to human life and civilian security, but also by destruction of properties on a colossal scale. The blood spilling xenophobic tribal militancy sough homogenization of the land, and the subsequent fall out also caused wide ethnic fissures between the majority Bengalis and minority indigenous tribal people. One of the important features of the orgy of violent campaigns was that it had taken ominous proportions, with the forces inimical to India coming to play the key role to help and support the underground elements. The book 'The Eyewitness-Tales from Tripura's Ethnic Conflict', creates a matrix of hard facts and figures with personal experiences and stories of witnesses from a cross section of people-common men, police and security officials, administrators, militants, journalists, businessmen, victims of militancy, et al. The book records in cold letters, and with appropriate interpretations, the painful litany of grisly crimes in the name of insurgency and how and why these happened. ILLUSTRATIONS 16 b/w photographs

A radio presenter interprets one of his dreams as an initiation by the world of spirits into the role of a Manaschi, a Kyrgyz bard and shaman who recites and performs the epic poem, Manas, and is revered as someone connected with supernatural forces. Travelling to his native mountainous village, populated by Tajiks and Kyrgyz, and unravelling his personal and national history, our hero Bekesh instead witnesses a full re-enactment of the epic's wrath. Following on from the award winning The Devils' Dance and Of Strangers and Bees, this is the third and final book in Ismailov's informal Central Asia trilogy. --

The Ramayana, Written In Sanskrit By Valmiki Is Considered To Be The 'Adikavya', The First Ever Poem. Tulsidas Rendered It Into Hindi In The Sixteenth Century. But His 'Ramcharit-Manas' Differs From The Original In Many Ways. It Was Written At A Time When A Very Vast Area Of India Was Under Mughal Rule. Amongst The Hindus, There Were Frequent Controversies Between The Worshippers Of Shiva, Vishnu And The Mother Goddess, And Again Between The Worshippers Of Rama And Krishna. There Were Also Cults Which Were Almost Cut Off From The Mainstream Of Indian Life. It Is To The Credit Of Tulsidas That He Tried To Weave All These Cults Into An Integrated Whole. He Made His Rama Say That He Would Not Tolerate Anyone Who Showed Disrespect To Shiva. He Worshipped Not Only At The Temples Dedicated To Rama But Also At Those Dedicated To Krishna. His Works And Teachings Stressed The Importance Of The Life Of A Householder And Weaned People Away From The Tantric Cults. Tulsidas Hailed From A Poor Family Of Rajapur In Uttar Pradesh. He Was Orphaned Soon After His Birth And Even His Foster-Mother Died When He Was Barely Seven Years Old. When He Was Married, He Became Deeply Attached To His Wife, Ratna. She Was The First Person In His Life Whom He Could Call His Own. One Day Not Finding Her At Home On His Return, He Became Extremely Restless And Rushed To His Father-In-Law'S House In The Dead Of The Night, Braving Heavy Rains And A Storm. But Ratna Rebuked Him And Said, "Had You Loved Rama As Intensely As You Do This Bundle Of Flesh And Bones, You Would Have Overcome All Mortal Fears." This Was The Turning Point In His Life. The Story As Narrated In This Book Is Mostly Based On Legends. A Contemporary Of Shakespeare, Tulsidas (1532-1623) Was Known For Singing The Glory Of Rama, The Prince Of Ayodhya. The Ramcharitmanas, Tulsidas Version Of The Ramayana In Awadhi, A Dialect Of Hindi, Consists Of Over 1,0000 Stanzas Of About 12 To 18 Lines Each. Tulsi'S Words Are Musical And Hypnotic. Every Village And Town In The Hindi Heartland Has A Troupe That Enacts The Story Of Rama Based On Tulsida'S Work.

In the heart of Asia, straddling the western Tien Shan mountain range, lies the former Soviet republic Kyrgyzstan. The country prides itself in an age old oral epic tradition that recounts the mighty deeds of the hero Manas. When explorers first encountered Manas performers in the late nineteenth century, they hailed their art as a true representation of the heroic age, and compared it to masterpieces such as the Kalevala and the Iliad. Today there are still many excellent performers who can keep their audiences spellbound. They are believed to draw their inspiration from the spirit of Manas himself. This book portrays the meaning of this huge work of art in Kyrgyz society. Based on extended periods of anthropological fieldwork between 1996 and 2000, it explores the calling of its performers, describes the transformations of the oral tradition in printed media and other forms of art, and examines its use as a key symbol for identity politics. It deals extensively with the impact of the Soviet period, during which Kyrgyzstan became an autonomous republic for the first time in history. The tremendous changes initiated during these years had far-reaching consequences for the transmission and reception of the Manas epic. The specific Soviet approach to ethnicity was also elementary in the decisions to assign the Manas epic the role of national symbol after 1991, when Kyrzygstan was thrown into the turnoil of a post-socialist existence.

“Josh, so you see, battles are not won with weapons, but with faith and courage. Someday you would grow up and become a hero, like David.” Joshua decided never to be a hero again after the tragedy from his teenage days. The demons of his past profoundly affect his present and he stops taking charge of his life. Be it his toxic boss Mayur who exploits him and his friends, or the challenges his wife encounters, he is unable to take a stand for his loved ones. His fears even wreak havoc on his beautiful marriage with Susan. Will he find his redemption? How will he save his marriage and win back her love? Let Love Take Over is a riveting story of true love which overcomes all adversities, and challenges the notion of a ‘hero’.

The Epics of China introduces selected epic traditions of China, providing information about them, insights into their literary traditions, and theories concerning their origins, historical development, cultural context, structure, bards, and audiences. The book deals with both historical epics and contemporary “living” epic traditions. Examples are drawn from several of China’s fifty-five official ethnic minority peoples, focusing on epics from various historical or present-day Mongol subgroups of North China, most notably Tibetan and Kirgiz, as well as epics from peoples of Southwest China, such as the Zhuang, Yi, Miao, Dong, and Dai. Several chapters deal, too, with the early Turkic epics that once circulated in parts of northern China and Central Asia. On the whole, the book’s chapters are grouped into three sections: early epics, small and medium-length epics, and the great heroic epics Jangar and Manas. Epics from the North are mainly heroic narratives focusing on the exploits of martial heroes. They feature story lines centered on bride-kidnapping, trials undergone by the suitor, and encounters with multi-headed demons (Mongol mangus), one-eyed giants, and female demons of the underworld. Southern epics focus on tales of how early deities created the sky, earth, water and land forms, and living beings, often listing specific plants, animals, and local tribes. Some of these epics involve female creator figures, and many play out in a dynamic process that moves through phases of initial creation, destruction by fire, a second creation, a destructive flood, and the ultimate re-creation of the world as we now know it. There are also heroic epics from southern China, most notably from the Yi, Dai, and Miao.