Anita Jari Kharbanda, author of Lioness of Punjab (Fall 2022) talks to Taryn Jackson about her inspiration for the book, her writing process, and the challenge of naming historical characters. Find out who she thinks should play Mai Bhago in a Bollywood movie! Taryn:Â Why don’t we get started with you telling us a little bit …
Get to know Anita Jari Kharbanda, Author of LIONESS OF PUNJAB (Fall 2022) Read More »
We are celebrating the launch of the utterly gorgeous Wanderlust: A Coloring Journal with travel stories! Here is one from Kala’s trip to Kolkata – Call it Calcutta or Kolkata. It is a city you would surely fall in love with. A city that loves to cling to every bit of its history and preserve …
A post by our guest blogger, Vandhana K., a sixteen-year-old who talks in puns and writes in poems, enjoys tasty food and tasteful books (both at once if she can get them). Thrissur Pooram is one of the biggest festivals in Kerala and the story behind it is as interesting as the festival itself. Before Thrissur Pooram started, …
he A post by our guest blogger, Vandhana K., a sixteen-year-old who talks in puns and writes in poems, enjoys tasty food and tasteful books (both at once if she can get them). This is the story of how the Taj Mahal, the epitome of historic architectural finesse came into being in Agra, in the heart of …
It was the year 1727. Twenty years have passed since the death of the Emperor Aurangazeb, the last of the Great Mughals and the Empire’s glory days are fading rapidly. After Bahadur Shah, Aurangazeb’s heir, monarchs come and go with the changing seasons. By 1719, the real power behind the throne are a scheming duo …
Young Jai Singh was quite pleased with himself. At the age of twenty, he had recaptured his kingdom from the Mughal Empire and symbolically declared his independence by performing the Vajpay Yagna, an ancient ritual reserved for absolute monarchs. Â In the eyes of the Rajputs, the House of Amber had regained much of its lost …
The first decade of the 18th century is drawing to a close. For the first time, in nearly 150 years, the House of Amber, in what is today North-Eastern Rajasthan, was free of the Mughal Empire. Its young ruler, ‘Sawai’ Jai Singh, the one-and-a-quarter king, was in a quandary. He knew that his position as …
Dear friends, the fanatical Emperor Aurangazeb is no more. His son, Shah Alam defeats his brother, Azam Shah, to take control of the Mughal Empire and crowns himself Emperor Bahadur Shah, the brave king. The hero of our story, the young royal from Rajasthan, ‘Sawai’ Jai Singh of the House of Amber, scion of the …
The Story of Jaipur, Part 2 : A Dangerous Game of Cat and Mouse Read More »
Dear friends, over the course of a fortnight, I am going to narrate a fascinating story – a tale of ambition and trickery, of battles fought for pride and of alliances forged in secret – a historical saga that very few remember today. You will meet a wily king, one who was worth one and …
The Story of Jaipur, Part 1 : A One and a Quarter King Read More »
Over a thousand years ago, King Asha Bhil ruled from Ashavalli, a town on the banks of the Sabarmati River in Gujarat. Lying at the crossroads of many trade routes, the town grew prosperous as time went by. Merchants brought silks from China and perfume from Arabia; taking back fine cotton textiles and spices from …
