HarperCollins Publishers India

Never before has our world been so wealthy, well-informed and technologically advanced. Yet we are facing an unprecedented crisis: humanity is plagued by conflict, inequality and indifference. It is imperative, therefore, that we rethink our approach to life and society, and that we do so now. The answer lies in karuna, compassion. Compassion is not a soft emotion but a powerful force for transformation.

On a rainy night in 2012, Rakesh Jhaveri fell to his death from a slippery hillside in Matheran. Despite the many loose ends, the police closed the case as a tragic accident. Eleven years later, Tara Jhaveri is furious-at her father for dying so unnecessarily, at her mother for suffering from partial amnesia, and at her childhood friends for shutting her out.

Christmas Stories, a collection of some of Charles Dickens's most beloved tales, brings together timeless classics such as 'The Chimes', 'The Cricket on the Hearth' and 'A Christmas Dinner.'

A masterclass in thought-provoking storytelling from one of the greatest literary voices of all time, Selected Short Stories brings together some of Rabindranath Tagore's most beloved tales, including 'The Postmaster', 'Cabuliwallah' and 'Master Mashai'. These deeply emotional stories, interwoven with the banalities of daily life.

Amidst the brewing chaos of the French Revolution, the cities of London and Paris witness a stirring tale of love and sacrifice. Two men who share the same face but belong to different worlds-former aristocrat Charles Darnay and disillusioned barrister Sydney Carton-fall in love with the same woman: Lucie Manette, a gentle force who brings light into their dark lives. As the revolution reaches a peak, tragedy strikes. Travelling into France to rescue an old family servant, Charles Darnay is caught and imprisoned for being an aristocrat.

While some occurrences can be explained by the workings of the human mind, there are many that remain unsolved-involving forces beyond our understanding. Famed paranormal investigator Jay Alani draws from his experiences with both, the otherworldly and psychological, to shape thrilling tales along with master story-teller Neil D'Silva. A doll that threatens a man's sanity. A single mother tortured by a dangerous entity. A woman stalked by a stranger with unknown intentions.

Kiara Sharma's life is uneventful- a widower father, devoted friends and an affinity for art. But as the clock strikes midnight and a full moon rises, she transforms into a red-eyed Katrol- a werewolf so rare that only two are known to be alive. Kiara's fate takes her to Ordenia, a land hidden in the forests of Mumbai, where she is acquainted with the world of werewolves and memory orbs. Kiara fells a war raging inside her, but it's just the beginning--her arrival brings howling enemies to her new home, ones that could destroy everything she loves.

Since the East India Company merged seven islands into Bombay (now Mumbai), change has been constant-but now it is used as a weapon for displacement, disguised as development. Slums are erased overnight to make way for luxury towers priced in tens of crores. The working class is pushed to the margins-literally-and into distant housing projects with no infrastructure, transport or sanitation. Entire communities are uprooted while a new Mumbai is built for the privileged few, behind closed gates, inside glass walls.

The first spirit Sanjoy Roy encountered was one that haunted his ancestral house in Calcutta; he was five then. A few years later, the otherworldly made its presence felt again in his parents' sprawling bungalow in Lutyens' Delhi. Over the decades that followed, he and his family and friends have come across a variety of apparitions, spectres and phantoms in diverse locations both in India and abroad. Some of these beings are benign or at most mischievous, but others--lost, disturbed souls--are angrier and have to be placated. For Sanjoy, his ability to sense and interact with the supernatural is not something remarkable, but part of his everyday reality. As he sees it, there is perhaps a dimension parallel to ours, one that is teeming with spirits and souls. There's a Ghost in My Room is a fascinating travelogue through that mysterious world. Rich in period detail, humour and adventure, this unusual memoir makes for a compelling read and is sure to enthrall both the haunted-world sceptic and those who believe.

Featuring some of the best names in Indian fiction—both emerging and established—this extraordinary anthology frames the city through a range of vantage points. From the urchin lurking by Grant Road's railway overbridge to the screenwriter prowling the dance bars in Andheri; from the gay man cruising in a Dadar local to the artist hovering by a studio across the Danda shore; from immigrant nurses and couples in love to runaway teenagers—every character carries a critical Bombay fragment. Bombay is the only city that can grant them dimension.

For decades, All India Radio or Akashvani, India''s national broadcaster, has been ''the sound of India''. Be it Jawaharlal Nehru''s iconic ''Tryst with Destiny'' speech, shows such as Binaca Geetmala, cricket matches, movies or, more recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi''s Mann ki Baat, AIR has been and continues to be the primary source for programmes on news, entertainment and knowledge for many Indians. But there are innumerable fascinating stories associated with the radio channel itself.

Zeyad Masroor Khan was four years old when he realized that an innocent act of playing with a switch near a window overlooking the street could trigger a riot. As the distant thud of a crowd grew closer and calls for murder rent the air, he got his first taste of growing up in Upar Kot, a Muslim ghetto in Aligarh. Khan''s world was far removed from the Aligarh of popular imagination--of poets, tehzeeb and the intellectual corridors of the Aligarh Muslim University. His was a city where serpentine lanes simmered with violence, homes fervently prayed to dispel the omnipresent fear of a family member turning up dead, and the soft breeze that blew over crowded terraces carried rumours of a bloodthirsty mob on the prowl.

Elinor and Marianne Dashwood are sisters, yet their temperaments are in stark contrast to one another. Elinor, governed by reason and restraint, embodies the quiet strength of sense, while her younger sister, Marianne, embraces life with passion and abandon, guided by sensibility. Following their father''s death, the Dashwoods must contend with the uncertain ground of love, loss and societal expectation. As Marianne suffers the anguish of a broken heart, Elinor quietly hides her feelings beneath a veil of propriety.

Arindam Chatterjee floats from the middle-class security of his home in East Delhi to the fiercely competitive world of the Indian Institute of Technology and onward to the East Coast of the US. He encounters rock musicians and coaching class nerds, mathematical geniuses and mountaineers, ill-fated underachievers pursuing big dreams and overachievers who are never satisfied. On his journey he begins to realize that his life is a confused tangle of ambitions and aspirations, some attainable, some not, and some hanging tantalizingly in between.

For centuries, temples have functioned not just as places of worship but also social and cultural centres, offering both a connection to the divine and entertainment in the form of music and dance as respite from everyday life. In Dynasties of Devotion, Deepa Mandlik explores seven ancient temples across India and Cambodia, meticulously examines historical contexts and mythological stories associated with each temple.At the Kailasa Temple in Ellora, Maharashtra, she is struck by the visual representation of fertility and abundance - Goddess Lakshmi, elegantly sitting on a lotus, surrounded by four elephants showering her with rain. Through the dancing sculptures of Shiva and Parvati at the magnificent Brihadeeswara Temple in Tamil Nadu, Deepa reveals that this Chola dynasty temple was once a prestigious platform for Bharatanatyam with nearly 400 dancers and 250 musicians in residence.

Tamil: The Best Stories of Our Times, edited by Perundevi, brings together twenty-two outstanding short stories published over the past three decades by some of the finest contemporary writers of Tamil fiction. Traversing Tamil Nadu and the Tamil diaspora, these stories capture a society''s encounter with the modern world, as its people grapple with what is irreducibly human in themselves and others. Along the way, they unravel the subtle intricacies of life, illuminating various transitions, identities and interiorities.