Memoir of one of Indira Gandhi's closest confidants One day, soon after M.L. Fotedar had joined Indira Gandhi as political secretary in July 1980, she told him to sit at 1 Akbar Road. This would enable him to meet the people who came to her with various requests. She suggested a small room to serve as his workspace. But it was one she was emotionally attached to -- it was used by her son Sanjay, who had recently died in an air crash.For the rest of Indira Gandhi's final term in office, this room would be the nerve centre of Fotedar's work. Ordinary people and senior party leaders would come there for him to filter their requests and complaints. From assessing future leaders -- be it V.P. Singh, Pranab Mukherjee or Ahmed Patel -- with remarkable foresight, to straightening up those who were being difficult, he did it all. The Chinar Leaves paints a portrait of a six-decade-long political career that began in Kashmir and gives insights into the murky world of national politics. Here are the stories of many careers that were made and unmade in the Congress. Among these are the saga of Narasimha Rao's no-holds-barred effort to stay in power, Amitabh Bachchan's falling out of favour with the Gandhi family, the machinations of succession after Indira Gandhi's death, Giani Zail Singh's tiff with Rajiv, and many more. Fotedar, for long the voice of political wisdom in the party, also passes his verdict on the current crop of Congress leadership and searches Indira Gandhi's will, to which he was a signatory, for the true successor to her legacy.As a record of Indian politics at a time of momentous events, this is a frank and sometimes shocking look at recent history from the man who exercised immense influence from behind the scenes and whose impact continues to this day.

As yet another violent summer comes to a close and the burnt amber leaves of the Chinar are shed, she gathers the scattered leaves of her journal, packs up her bag and leaves her nestLeaves from Kashmir traces the trajectory of a young womans journey from her native land- Kashmir to Delhi, in a story where prose and poetry intermingle in a lyrical, sensual dance. A moving allegorical account of the struggles she faces as she grapples with the diverse shades of life, death, home, exile, love and longing.

*Shortlisted for the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature 2016* Mirza Waheed's extraordinary new novel The Book of Gold Leaves is a heartbreaking love story set in war-torn Kashmir. In an ancient house in the city of Srinagar, Faiz paints exquisite Papier Mache pencil boxes for tourists. Evening is beginning to slip into night when he sets off for the shrine. There he finds the woman with the long black hair. Roohi is prostrate before her God. She begs for the boy of her dreams to come and take her away. Roohi wants a love story. An age-old tale of love, war, temptation, duty and choice, The Book of Gold Leaves is a heartbreaking tale of a what might have been, what could have been, if only. 'I loved it. The voice is lyrical, to match the beauty of Kashmir, and yet it is tinged with melancholy and grief, as is the story it tells' Nadeem Aslam (on The Collaborator) 'Waheed's prose burns with the fever of anger and despair; the scenes in the valley are exceptional, conveying, a hallucinatory living nightmare that has become an everyday reality for Kashmiris' Metro (on The Collaborator) Mirza Waheed was born and brought up in Kashmir. His debut novel The Collaborator was shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award and the Shakti Bhat Prize, and longlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize. It was also book of the year for The Telegraph, New Statesman, Financial Times, Business Standard and Telegraph India, among others. Waheed has written for the BBC, The Guardian, Granta, Al Jazeera English and the New York Times. He lives in London.

In the opulent courts of 16th-century Kashmir, "Whispers of the Chinar" unfolds a mesmerizing tale of love and intrigue. Princess Zareen of Kashmir and Prince Salim of the Mughal Empire find their destinies intertwined amid the splendor and turmoil of Emperor Akbar’s reign. As their forbidden love blossoms, they face political conspiracies and cultural clashes that threaten their worlds. With the looming shadow of rebellion casting darkness over the kingdom, Zareen and Salim must navigate treacherous waters to safeguard their love and their people. Immerse yourself in a saga of passion, power, and peril that transcends borders and time. Kashmiri princess, Mughal prince, historical romance, Emperor Akbar, cultural conflict, political intrigue, forbidden love, 16th-century Kashmir, royal romance, historical fiction

‘Amidst The Chinar Trees’ is Brij Kaul’s third book which is a collection of his poems portraying love, romance and appreciation of beauty in all forms. The poems highlight the poet’s passion towards one and all, keeping nature uppermost in his mind. The collection also includes the 1st Prize-winning poem ‘I LOVE TO LIOTER’ at the Siwo International Poetry Contest held on 19th February 2019. The poems express thoughts with metaphors of mind-boggling words, resonating musical splendour. The ideas are strong, and the expressions sonorous. The flow of style is concise and ravishing.

This is a richly illustrated volume that focuses on the remarkably ornamented silverware produced by Indian craftsmen during the period of the British Raj. Silversmiths created elegant silver tea services, bowls, wine and water ewers, beer mugs, and goblets to adorn the sideboard or mantelpiece in a British Raj home, creating European forms fulfilling European requirements. These same silversmiths then adopted a unique manner of embellishing these objects with a variety of different motifs that reflect local taste and carry a recognizably local pattern. This book carries a set of five essays that explore different facets of the production and consumption of Indian silver for the Raj. It considers the silverware in terms of its clearly distinguishable regional styles, which is prefaced by two thematic sections, one on calling card cases and the other on tea services, which demonstrate its wide prevalence. The visual presentation of the silverware does justice to it dazzling quality. The book is published in conjunction with an exhibition that opens at the Miriam & Ira D Wallach Art Gallery, Columbia University, New York, in September 2008.

The book brings alive day to day living experiences of author prior to 1990 in the picturesque valley of Kashmir. Within each such experience is a straightforward account of the valley’s charms and challenges alike. Each such experience is drawn up as a commoner across a diverse range of some interesting domains.

Description Srinagar, summer of 2008: the chinar trees are shedding leaves, outdated matadors are still polluting the streets and checkpoints with men in army fatigue dot the city. Samar, a college student, is head over heels in love with Rabiya, his batchmate. Secret rendezvous in matadors, campus corridors and at the city's historical sites help them to get to know each other better. But will their love survive the unending curfews and their families' opposing political allegiances? Sheikh Mubarak, Samar's neighbour, is a famed metal craftsman stuck in a loveless marriage. He is further distanced from his unsympathetic wife, Naziya, when he loses his cherished pregnant cow on a curfewed night. Will their marriage survive the arrival of Rosaline, a tourist from New York? Sana, Mubarak and Naziya's five-year-old daughter, is best friends with Pintoji, the neighbourhood simpleton. Both chase their little dreams together with a wide-eyed curiosity, ignoring the adults who frequently indulge in the stonethrowing game. But what happens when Pintoji ventures out without a care during a curfew? Delicate and sensitive, Life in the Clock Tower Valley is an unusual debut novel that travels between Kashmir's pristine past, its grievous present and alwaysuncertain future, giving us an insider's view to everyday life and emotions in the conflict-ridden valley

The book introduces you to every tree you are likely to see in the city or in semi-wilderness areas like the Ridge. You do not have to be a botanist to enjoy this book: everything is explained in simple language. This field guide will help you recognize many of the trees you will see around you. Extensive colour pictures and clear illustrations on how to use the annotated Leaf Keys make identification of individual trees easy.

The Frozen Sun is a personal and an intimate story of two families that lived in Srinagar as neighbours for decades. The legendary Jamshed Khan attempts to steer them through the ravages of terror and violence in the valley. The words and actions of many in the book reflect the historical anguish and pain, which Khan struggles to knit together while responding to lives and devastating times. Against the backdrop of the grand Himalayas, the Chinar forests and the gurgling Jhelum, the story unfolds to a reality that must matter to all.