Calling Sehmat
by Harinder S. Sikka (Penguin Random House)

The recent Bollywood film Raazi starring Alia Bhatt was a big hit at the box office, but few people know that the film is based on Calling Sehmat, published in 2008. Inspired by a true story, the espionage thriller tells the tale of Indian woman-spy Sehmat. Just before the film was released in mid-2018, the book, originally published by Konark, was republished by Penguin.

The story is set in 1971, a year marked by heightened tension between India and Pakistan. A young college-going Kashmiri girl, Sehmat, is asked by her father (his dying wish) to follow his path as a spy for India. Sehmat is trained by the Indian intelligence agencies and married off to the son of a well-connected Pakistani Army general with the brief to pass on military information to Indian intelligence. The book unravels several plots and twists resulting in a page-turner.

 

The Upside-Down King: Unusual Tales about Rama and Krishna
by Sudha Murty (Puffin Books)

This is a collection of tales of the two most popular avatars of Lord Mahavishnu — Rama and Krishna. Even though there are dozens of stories about the two, the author has turned the spotlight on their human side to inspire the younger generation.

The book is divided into two sections — Raghunandhanam Rama and KrishnamVande Jagatguru. The narrative begins with the story of King Dilip, the great-grandfather of Rama, who had vowed to protect Nandhini the cow and offered himself to a lion who had come to attack Nandhini. Pleased with his devotion, the gods, who were testing him, blessed him with a child.

The tales are about the days when gods and demons walked alongside humans, animals could talk and gods granted glorious boons to common people.

As in her other books, Murthy’s language is simple and easy to understand.

DANCE OF THE WILD
by Richa Jha, Illustrated by Ruchi Mhasane, (Pickle Yolk Books)

Shortlisted by FICCI for the Publishing Awards 2017, Dance of the Wild (2017) is targeted at young children. Embellished with excellent illustrations and a powerful storyline it’s quite likely to captivate adults as well. The book’s protagonist, Shilu, is an exuberant child who loves to question her mother and grandmother about their childhood and all the wild things they did in their youth. She also wants to be like animals, Pirate, her cat, in particular. When her grandmother says she can’t because she is now a growing girl, Shilu gets down to understanding why she can’t. Peppered with intimate grandma-granddaughter bonding over conversations, and heart-to-hearts between mother and daughter, this book is a reflection of the wild and free spirit of childhood.

Jha, who describes herself as “an author, picture book enthusiast, publisher, free thinker and dreamer”, addresses complex subjects such as gender stereotypes with delicate humour making these issues comprehensible to young minds.