India Books

This book contains life changing material if you read it with an open mind. It guides you into easing into mediative state and it is really interesting. I gave my first copy to a friend and had to order it again so I can re-read it again someday.

Susan Shumsky's book goes one step further than claiming to be great for beginners -- it truly delivers. Offering meditation for the meditatively challenged, yoga exercises for couch potatoes, karma for skeptics, prayer for the faithless and enlightenment for the ignorant -- EXPLORING MEDITATION blazes new trails into eastern philosophy that almost anyone can easily master. Written in a clear, descriptive, straightforward style, this book opens the doors to understanding non-duality, chakras, ESP (extra-sensory perception), karma, yoga, meditation, intuition, healing, vedas, gunas, and spirit.

I personally most enjoy reading the sections on how to trouble-shoot one's meditation problems. Have you ever intended to meditate, but kept finding the same tedious thoughts racing through your mind? How about the problem of listening carefully, but not getting any clear messages? Susan Shumsky answers all these questions and more with grace and aplomb.

Have you longed for a "Do-Nothing" method of meditation? Would you like to learn the art of yogic breathing, and discover how grace overcomes karma? Are you ready to become spiritually street-smart? Are you interested in learning what we are made of and how we fit into the cosmos? Do you want to discover the personal aspects of your divine, higher self? If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you'll definitely get a lot out of this book.

Great book on meditation. It's great for beginners as well as for those who are more advanced. It provides in-depth information on various meditation techniques. Even if you have never entered a state of meditation before, you can do so using the book as a reference. The instructions in the book are step-by-step and very easy to comprehend. Besides meditation techniques it teaches you almost everything you need to know about the subject and related issues

This book has so much information in an easy to read & follow manner. I read it in the library and felt I had to have this book. I decided to buy it. Now come on most people just read a book and then that's it. This book has information that every one should know.

Buy this book. It touches on a little of everything with easy to read directions. Anyone can follow this.

Exploring Mediation by Susan G Shumsky - I almost finished with this book - and I began reading it 2 days ago and I simply couldn't abandoned it. I bought this book only because I wanted to order some more books on Amazon which wasn't planned at all. I though it was full of different meditation techniques - but how wrong my predicaments where. It's truly an amazing spiritual book full of inspiring material, one brilliant meditation technique, learning how to talk to your higher self, spirits and more. She also writes about Karma in a way which is different from what I have seen before- making it easy to understand this very complex matter in a new way. She has been working with spirituality for 36 years, and shows you how to avoid pitfalls and much much more. I highly recommend it!

I originally bought this book as another of my spontaneous crazy cook book purchase. But then I made this first dish....and it was so good. So I made another, an so on..... All the dishes that come out of this cook are wonderful. The pictures are inspiring. This is a fantastic first Indian cookbook to get.

This book is so wonderful. It is beautifully photographed, designed and well thought out. This might make you think that the recipies were an afterthought; however, they were given just as much if not more attention. This book is a GEM!

With so many Indian cookbooks already on the market, why should the interested home cook look at yet another? It's simple: The Food Of India: A Journey For Food Lovers by Priya Wickramasinghe and Carol Selva Rajah is quite a cut above most of its similar-sounding competitors. In the first place, a team of traveler/food fans join forces to offer exquisite color photos of both Indian foods and culinary scenes across the country, pairing these photos with clear discussions of the seven Indian states and the local foods they're noted for. Secondly, The Food Of India includes a healthy dose of local history and ingredients research, as well as interviews with chefs and food producers. And if this isn't enough, it needs to be noted that the recipes selected for The Food Of India are anything but ordinary: from a Fried Beef Kerala to the Northern Indian traditional Chole Chaat, many regional specialty dishes aren't to be found in competing guides. All these features combined assure a visual treat packed with dishes all levels of Indian cook will relish.

Even though i was from India I amnow in the US where sometimes finding Indian ingredients could be a long lengthy process. This book not only retains the origian taste but also incorporates ingredients easily found in a non Indian environment. I absolutely love the andhra style chicken pulao and the chicken tikka masala. This book has made my mom proud (since she loves to take credit for training me with regards to cooking), little does she know i owe it all to this book.

This is the ultimate Indian cookbook to own.

This book explains in detail the delicacies of various parts of India. As many people know, India has culture, language and practices that differ vastly from one state to another. This book encompasses dishes from almost all the states of India. This book also explains when a meal is eaten (e.g. breakfast, special occassion etc). The photos of people, places, and dishes add good value to the book. I have tried many recipes and are quite authentic. (Since India is a large country, the meaning of authenticity of a particular dish varies from place to place). The ingredients are easily available in any specialty grocery store. If not, you can safely substitute/omit some of the ingredients.

A must have for all Indian food cooks out there.

The first advice I would give to anyone interested in Bamber Gascoigne's THE GREAT MOGHULS would be, "Buy it in the hardcover edition, even if you have to buy it used." I once owned a brand-new hardcover edition and was foolish enough to sell it. Later I found that it was no longer in print. Reading a paperback library edition, I could really see the difference. There was the same excellent text by Bamber Gascoigne, but the gorgeous photographs by his wife, Christina-- many in full color-- were missing. This is a great defect for any book on the Great Moghuls, because this dynasty was particularly rich in art and architecture. Moghul miniatures combine the vivid hues, attention to detail and exotic flavor of both Hindu Indian and Persian miniatures with the realism of sixteenth-century Western art. As for Moghul architecture-- well of course everyone knows about the Taj Mahal, one of the world's great wonders, and the culmination of a long tradition of excellence.

Equally interesting is the personalities of the Moghuls. One is led through the founder of the dynasty, Babur, who transformed his family from mere descendants of the merciless Jhengiz Khan and Tamerlane (the word "Moghul" is a corruption of "Mongol") to a leading agent of civilization in central Asia and later India. One thing Babur kept from his background was a love for the outdoors: thus he preferred to sleep in tents rather than palaces, and this led to the design of gardens which set a beautiful precedent for later Moghul achievements. More surprising for a man of such background was his love of the written word, for he wrote (or to be more precise, dictated) his own biography and thus set another precendent to be followed by his heirs. It is fortunate that he came under the influence of Persian culture, for it above all others had thrown off the ban on the depiction of human and animal forms which limited Islamic art elsewhere. The result was to be stunning. He was succeeded in power by his son, Humayun, to whom he left his greatest conquest, Hindustan. Humayun was a dissolute fellow who is best remembered as the father of the greatest Moghul, Akbar, of whom more later. As it strengthened its hold upon India, the Moghul Dynasty grew more cultivated until it reached its aesthetic height in the reigns of Jahangir and Shah Jahan, whose love for his wife Mumtaz Mahal inspired the Taj. Sadly, the dynasty was to end with a dour bigot, Aurangzeb, but his reign only represented a reaction to the tolerance and flowering of culture that his predecessors had presided over.

If the Gascoignes' book has a defect, it is its tendency to slight the greatest Moghul, Akbar. Unfortunately, they provide little information about or pictures of him, although such exist, and even give the wrong birthdate for him, October 15, which is the date officially assigned by courtiers fearful of hostile astrologers, not the real one which was a month later. This neglect of the dynasty's most memorable character is no doubt due to Bamber Gascoigne's own preference for Akbar's son, Salim, who assumed the name Jahangir or "Seizer of the World" on his ascension to the Peacock Throne. Jahangir is indeed a fascinating character, possessing an almost Western scientific curiosity and keenly interested in every detail of the natural world, which he recorded, often with illustrations by court painters, in his diary. Unfortunately he was also a sadist. Cruel punishments were standard practice in those times, and not only in the East-- as Queen Elizabeth herself had people drawn and quartered, one can hardly expect a 16th Century execution to end in mere beheading or a quick hanging. But the pleasure Janhangir took in devising and watching punishments in which people were tortured to death makes him repugnant to this reader.

How different was his father, who, as the biographer Vincent Smith says, never took pleasure in cruelty. Akbar was a contradictory ruler, athletic and warlike, with a fierce temper, yet also an unusual degree of compassion for his time, sensitivity to beauty, and a deeply mystical nature. He is above all remarkable for his religious toleration. Gascoigne notes Akbar's increasing hostility to the tyranny of the mullahs, who alone had the right to determine the correct way of doing everything in a medieval Islamic state. In place of their authority Akbar asserted his own. This may seem to us to violate the principle of "division of church and state", but we must remember that Akbar knew no such principle-- he only knew that under the mullahs his non-Muslim subjects-- Hindus, Parsis, Jains, and Christians-- were being oppressed. The author touches briefly upon Akbar's adoption of his own religion, the din-il-Ilahi, which he did not however attempt to force upon his subjects. He notes that Akbar was too much of a Hindu for the Muslims, and too much of a Muslim for the Hindus, without recognizing, as Smith does, that he was neither. In fact he had embraced Parsiism, perhaps the oldest scriptural religion in the world, which had first been annunciated by Zoroaster (Zarathustra) in the 12th century BCE, whose influence in the era of Mani (from whose name "Manicheanism" is taken) stretched from China to Rome, even influencing Christianity through Gnosticism, until it was suppressed as a heresy in the cruelty of the Albigensian Crusade (1209-1229 CE). Akbar worshipped the sun and fire, keeping an eternal flame as Parsis do in their fire temples. But ironically, he would have been rejected by the Parsi community of today, which, influenced by the particularism which flourishes so fatally on the Indian subcontinent and which Akbar tried to rise above, no longer accepts into their religion anyone whose father was not a Parsi.

In sum, one can say that THE GREAT MOGHULS serves up a lavish feast of fascinating history and elegant art, but for an understanding of its greatest subject, one must go elsewhere.

Provides a very readable yet comprehensive view of the great Indian rulers. Provides many rich facts but does not burden the reader with too much detail. Must read.

Mr. Gascoigne's work is simply the best one can have. He gives an insight into the lives of the Moghul rulers. Being someone who's not from the subcontinent, he is not overawed by the Moghul dynasty. The potrial of the figures is intimate and one can almost feel the human beings inside those great rulers. The collection and presentation of facts is so beautifully done that one has to remind himself from time to time that this is a chronicle of history, not a racy fiction novel. The facts are so well connected and documented that the real persons can almost be seen by us. Their vices and virtues are laid out and the author just places it before the readers in sequence so that they are not overwhelmed by the wealth of details this work contain. He also manages to give a very impartial and practical account of the daily lives of the rulers, their court, courtesans, wives and the administration too. It is difficult to imagine that he himself was not overawed by the grandeur and magnificence of the Moghuls. But in true professional style, he kept himself aloof and presented to the world the life of he Great Moghuls. He laid bare their wealth, gradndeur, decadence, virtues and vices. Such a great work can hardly be duplicated or surpassed. It is simply the greatest work on arguably the greatest dynasty of Indian rulers.

Mr. Gascoigne's work is simply the best one can have. He gives an insight into the lives of the Moghul rulers. Being someone who's not from the subcontinent, he is not overawed by the Moghul dynasty. The potrial of the figures is intimate and one can almost feel the human beings inside those great rulers. The collection and presentation of facts is so beautifully done that one has to remind himself from time to time that this is a chronicle of history, not a racy fiction novel. The facts are so well connected and documented that the real persons can almost be seen by us. Their vices and virtues are laid out and the author just places it before the readers in sequence so that they are not overwhelmed by the wealth of details this work contain. He also manages to give a very impartial and practical account of the daily lives of the rulers, their court, courtesans, wives and the administration too. It is difficult to imagine that he himself was not overawed by the grandeur and magnificence of the Moghuls. But in true professional style, he kept himself aloof and presented to the world the life of he Great Moghuls. He laid bare their wealth, gradndeur, decadence, virtues and vices. Such a great work can hardly be duplicated or surpassed. It is simply the greatest work on arguably the greatest dynasty of Indian rulers.

This is a unique book of its kind, with the history of the Indian subcontinent stretching from Timur's attack of Delhi in 1398 to the banishment and subsequent death of Bahadur Shah in 1862. But the focus is on the glorious history of 181 years of the six great Moghuls like Babur, Humayun, Akbar, Jahangir, Shah Jahan and Aurangazeb. The book is very detailed with their expansionist adventures and exploits, their ruthless family struggles and sporty pass-times, their patronization of arts and architecture, their devotional practices along with their virtues and vices. Over and above all that, their strategies of governance and approach to religion are in focus. Their acts of tolerance and benevolence are given due credit and their cruelties are graphically portrayed. In short the great Moghul era comes alive with the descriptive and substantially accurate account, accompanied by illustrations of 56 pages of color and 94 monochromes. Anyone interested in the history of the Indian subcontinent cannot bypass this book.

This novel has emerged, from the ruins of the purges, like a pure, unspoiled and immaculate gem. As an autobiographical novel, one cannot deny the importance of this work to provide for insights into Bukharin's private life, given that most biographies of Bukharin are about his political and intellectual life.

Not only is this work important in this regard, Bukharin's stunning literary ability comes to the forefront in this work, which details, with a humanistic empathy, the plight of the peasants, family relations and the psychology of a middle class family from the late 19th century Russian society. The novel begins with the birth of "Kolya" and is seen through the boy's eyes as he grows up. It ends, poignantly, (Bukharin did not live to finish the work) with the death of his brother.

Of particular note is the rich texture of his narrative; it powerfully invokes a child-like sense of wonder that is intrinsic to children of that age. There are indeed very few works out there that parallel the vivid evocation of imagery which Bukharin is capable of. Bukharin's description of the Russian landscape was beautifully detailed, as was the heartfelt revelations about life which slipped through.

It is through this work that we come to realize that the interior life of this man was not only brilliant, but that his political stance was chosen fundamentally because of his humanistic understanding of Russian peasants and the impoverished.

This edition comes with very lovely pictures, too.

Set in the pre-revolutionary Russia, Bukharin's novel attempts to demonstrate, through the eyes of a youth named Nikolai Petrov, how the revolutionary spirit fermented and grew among the youth and intelligentsia. While this novel could be read with an eye toward the abuses of the Soviet Union and dismissed as political propaganda, in doing so the reader would miss the wealth of historical detail with which Bukharin writes. Every page is bursting with succulent fruit for anyone interested in the social, economic, and cultural world of the peasants and the working class at the turn of the century in pre-revolutionary Russia. Part of that fruit is socialism, communism, atheism, and the raging underground debates taking place during that period; seen as history, however, Bukharin gives us an invaluable insider's view, recalling his youth in all its variety and discussing the situations that led him down the path his life had taken.

The story revolves around Nikolai, who is obviously a cipher for Bukharin himself. Young Kolya (Nikolai) is full of energy, wit, and curiosity. As he grows and excels in school, his thinking begins to grow as well, from that of an innocent child to that of a young man on the verge of becoming a revolutionary himself. Unfortunately, the saddest part about this novel is that it ends in the middle of a chapter; Stalin finally had Bukharin executed, making it very difficult to continue writing. The writing is so well done it is hard to believe Bukharin never had a chance to re-write it; we are reading essentially his first draft, written in prison. His astounding intellect is obvious, quoting from German, French, English, and Russian poets and authors, occasionally making references to Latin or Greek jokes the children learned in high school, and discussing the variety of birds and other animals Kolya collects with amazing clarity.

Before reading this book, I knew Bukharin was a political genius that few have matched. However, I did not realize his brilliance as a writer: he appeals wonderfully to all the visual and emotional senses as a great novelist. He occasionally discusses his growing political awareness, but that is not the focus of this work. His love of life, nature, and family show the incredible depth of his mind. Much credit must also be given to the translator for making the language so effusive in English.

It's a wonderful miracle that this book was not destroyed by Stalin; it's just a shame that it's incomplete, cutting off in mid-thought. Nevertheless, what Bukharin was able to complete provides an enthralling look into life in late Tsarist Russia, as well as putting us a bit closer with one of the most prominent and tragic victims of the purges.

Bukharin's autobiographical work is a lyrical, moving, story of the life of a young boy in pre-Soviet russia. Unlike Leon Trotsky's autobiography, which is a similar work in content, this is a novel. And a grand one. When you read the touching descriptions of Kolya's then idyllic, then tragic domestic life, you feel helpless, sad, for you know that this boy will eventually be dead, the New World he helped to create corrupted and turned against him. The very existence of this novel is a message of hope, that even under the most tragic and ironic circumstances there can something joyous (Bukharin wrote the novel while in Lubyanka prison). The poignancy of all this is further increased by the included letter by Bukharin, written to his wife Anna Larina and not given to her for 50+ years. This book also stands as a monument (in a medium I belief he would have perhaps preferred) to Nikolai Bukharin, a brilliant scholar, writer, and Revolutionary

This is a remarkable book. It combines three forms in a single work: 1) a detailed and evocative story of a boy growing up in late 19th century Russia, 2) an informative and moving autobiography of one of the most important Bolshevik leaders, and 3) commentary on the social and economic developments leading up to the 1905 and 1917 revolutions, including (in the tradition of Russian novels) imagined descriptions of important meetings of leaders of state. Most remarkable, though, is that the entire book was written in the nights of Bukharin's confinement in Moscow's Lubyanka Prison while he awaited almost certain execution following his notorious "show trial". The idea of a man who knows he could be shot at any moment writing such detailed, even leisurely descriptions of his childhood in Moscow and Bessarabia is almost beyond comprehension. Indeed, the novel breaks off in mid-sentence. This book should not be missed by anyone interested in 19th and 20th century Russian history, and will be enjoyed by anyone interested in a good coming-of-age novel as well.

Dewey's "How We Think" is the first book of his I have read. What a joy! I am in the "thick" of my doctoral dissertation, and am struggling to present and unfold my research work in a way that is clear to my audience (in this case, the members of my dissertation committee). Dewey's analysis of thought has helped me to consider important elements of thinking (and writing) such as: (1) the iterative "ebb and flow" between inductive and deductive thinking; (2) what is necessary to train my own mind to think "better"; etc.

Following my reading of "How We Think," I am now reading Dewey's "The Quest for Certainty" and "Knowing and the Known."

Reading "How We Think" is not difficult; however, it does require one to pay attention to what Dewey is saying to his reader audience. Now that I've read through it once, I will likely read through it again (fairly soon), as I work to tighten up my Ph.D. dissertation.

In conclusion, whether you are a student, teacher, or just plain interested in analyzing the world around you, then reading this book is very worthwhile.

As a professional educator, it's always great to review and reread works by the great theorists such as Dewey. Great information for business and educators alike!

It is very good to see this book appearing in new editions. This is a classic book about thinking. Dewey studies thought from the psychological and philosophical points of view and derives practical ideas for education.

Reading this book, I was surprised to see the applicability of its contents to my main activity field, which is business management. Today's main effort in business research is toward innovation and learning. Thus, thinking skill is probably the most important resource of any organization.

Dewey's view of thinking is surprisingly consistent and as fresh as any of the new management theories. Just to mention one aspect, he warns about the confusion of mental analysis (looking for the general aspects of an object) with physical analysis (dissection into parts), which leads to study living objects as if they were dead. This is the essence of systems thinking, which is so fashionable today!

The ideas Dewey presents about education are very useful for today's business environment. Business leaders, consultants and scholars should look carefully at his advices! His study of work and play is a great lesson of wisdom.

I would strongly recommend this book to anyone seriosly aiming at world class business performance.

I had never heard of John Dewey until I took a philosophy class. When I first received the book, I read through it relatively fast. Much of the material went over my head. However, on the second reading it was as if the pages were illuminated. In this book, Mr. Dewey gives his opinion on how we humans learn. It takes every day simple actions, breakes them up into their smallest unit and discusses why we did it that way.

What have I gained from this book? Everytime I do something, I attempt to break it down into its simples being, and determining how this breakdown fosters greater intelligence within myself.

As a text book or a book one wants to learn something from, I give it five stars. For just general reading it will garner 1/2 of a star.

John Dewey book "How We Think" concludes that we can be taught to "think well". Ways to do just that are discussed. He starts with beliefs and then considers the consequences they bring about. He suggests that knowledge is relative to its interaction with the world. He seems to conclude that real freedom is intellectual and then defines that as the ability to just turn things over in ones mind which he calls the power of thought. Thinking is according to much of what he says more important than what is being thought about.

Thinking is about cause and the effects that follow. A process is implied and likewise a connection is made to influences that have a negative influence on the process. Thoughtful conclusions are less likely when influences from unbalanced appetites, caprice or the circumstances of the moment.

The book concentrates on the influences to thought. In addition to beliefs it looks at logic, language, and simple observation.

This book is a good foundation for digging deeper into literary cannon and its interpretation.

An easy book to read. Well worth it.

Veena Damle's I Am Om is a novel that mixes East Indian culture with that of the west, and fables with heavy realism. The never-ending struggle of the Hindu epic known as the Mahabharata is a direct analogy to a household in conflict, with a mother wishes to achieve fame while a father struggles with dharma and a grandfather strives to be worthy of final release into samadhi. The household daughter and main heroine measures herself against her personal hero, the Archer Prince. I Am Om is a particularly fascinating work of fiction for its innovative bridge between ways of life and frames of reference, and that makes for intensely enjoyable and thought-provoking cross-cultural reading.

Readers cannot fail to notice that women from the Indian sub-continent have recently made great strides in the fields of literature(Arundhati Roy,Jhumpa Lahiri etc.),movie-making(Leela Nayar),and even in the struggle against "Corporate-Globalism"(Vandana Shiva)! "I am 0m" is the latest additon.
Two tales have been ingeniously woven together in this beautifully written novel.
A child hears from her grandfather the struggle between good and evil depicted in the great Hindu epic,"The Mahabarat".Simultaneously she is also a witness to the tragic events unfolding in her own family. Her mother,a beautiful and accomplished doctor, is infatuated with a high-caste "Brahman" who is equally known for his surgical skills as for his reputation with women! This inevitably leads to her ruin and that of her family.
In the childs' mind the Epic and the reality become blended into one. The reader is also guided into a higher plane of "Karma","Samadhi",re-birth; all those lofty ideas that makes Indian philosophy so facinating!
It is an unusual work and I throughly enjoyed it.
Ted Wright.

'I AM OM' is a terrific story. I loved the parallel of myth and reality. The book is definitely worth reading.

I rarely read fiction but this gem of a first novel was delightful from beginning to end. It is a gripping story of a Westernized Indian family meltdown and transcending redemption. One reason I avoid novels is the poorly constructed characters that don't hold up. Not this book. The people in this story are so real, plausible, and absorbing that you could almost touch them. And they in turn touched my heart and made me feel right there amidst their confusion and pain. The book starts with a bang and the action and suspense build to such a frenzy it was hard to put the book down. Beautifully crafted description and dialogue make each page a delight to digest. I appreciated the directness of the writing especially in simplifying the essence of complex Hindu literature so any reader can understand the inspiring message. It is hard to believe that this is Veena Damle's first writing effort. I eagerly await her next work.

I rarely read fiction but this gem of a first novel was delightful from beginning to end. It is a gripping story of a Westernized Indian family meltdown and transcending redemption. One reason I avoid novels is the poorly constructed characters that don't hold up. Not this book. The people in this story are so real, plausible, and absorbing that you could almost touch them. And they in turn touched my heart and made me feel right there amidst their confusion and pain. The book starts with a bang and the action and suspense build to such a frenzy it was hard to put the book down. Beautifully crafted description and dialogue make each page a delight to digest. I appreciated the directness of the writing especially in simplifying the essence of complex Hindu literature so any reader can understand the message. It is hard to believe that this is Veena Damle's first writing effort. I eagerly await her next work.

I have never been able to travel much but have always liked learning about other cultures. This book provides a look into another life style in an area that is basic to the understanding of all cultures.

Monisha did a great job in writing this book. It reflects her good taste in decorating homes in Indian style. Eventhough it is nice to see some of the maharaja styles decor she definitely includes examples of decor of regular households and contemporary looks that could definitely be applied.

Most of the decorating items included in this book could be found in Indian arts and craft stores. The colors are so vibrant and enticing in each and every photograph. I read this book so many times, actually it is a very nice relaxing reading companion. I usually leave it on our coffee table when we have get togethers with our friends. It is a good conversational piece and everyone wants to borrow this book. Nicely done!

When asked to describe Indian style in one word, most people would say "colorful". That is indeed true. Indian style is rich in color, which is liberally used by everywhere- from palaces of erstwhile maharajas to homes in rural and urban parts of contemporary India. What fascinates most westerners is the ability of Indian interior decorations to assimilate mind-boggling number of styles from different cultures and even different eras. The whole design flows with ease- different elements blending together to enhance the look rather than impart incongruity.

This book presents exactly these aspects and is meant to inspire the reader. As each part of the home is visited, different styles are explored, explained and in some cases, re-interpreted for contemporary living. Some of these are high-end and would not be practically possible to duplicate. But most can easily be adapted in the Western settings to infuse them with an ethnic flair or just make them outright Indian. The beautiful color pictures are sure to fire your imagination. The types of accessories shown are commonplace in India and at most Indian art stores in other countries. You may not find the exact duplicates but you are bound to find something close. Recipedelights.com recommends this book and feels that it will start off the reader in the right direction. Everything else is limited only by the reader's imagination.

Monisha did a great job in writing this book. It reflects her good taste in decorating homes in Indian style. Eventhough it is nice to see some of the maharaja styles decor she definitely includes examples of decor of regular households and contemporary looks that could definitely be applied.
Most of the decorating items included in this book could be found in Indian arts and craft stores. The colors are so vibrant and enticing in each and every photograph. I read this book so many times, actually it is a very nice relaxing reading companion. I usually leave it on our coffee table when we have get togethers with our friends. It is a good conversational piece and everyone wants to borrow this book. Nicely done!

India Style is a timely and refreshing look at one of the oldest civilizations in the world. India 'style' relfects the complexity and depth found in Indian cooking. Similar to how spices are blended and prepared, the country's style is a vibrant blending of color, texture, culture, religion and history. India style has been developing for thousands of years. There is something within our soul that responds and reaches out to this richness.

this book is very easy to follow and the ingredients are easy to find......my only dissapointment was no recipee for the chickpea and spinach that I love.....but every other recipe is fabulous!

I bought this book because I was looking for something out of the ordinary in Indian cooking. I think Omana has done a fabulous job of presenting Indian home cooking to the novice cook. Some of the recipes are unlike anything I have had before. Maybe Omana should write another book for the US market. A lot of people are confused by the use of Chinese characters. Anyway Omana just wanted to say that I love you and if you ever visit Key West, we could perhaps could cook together.

Cheers!

I consider myself an intermediate skill cook, but working out of this cookbook, I get superb results every time. It's amazing. The recipes in this book are all written to take up no more than a page each, written in both english and chinese, and with a picture for each recipe. In other words, the author manages to keep things simple. If you're looking to get into Indian cuisine without previous experience, start here!

This book makes Indian cooking a breeze. Recipes are easy to follow and ingredients are explained. The only Indian cookbook you will ever need. If you haven't bought this book yet you are missing out on a crown jewel in culinary endeavor.

I have tried several of the recipes in this book and all of them are lip-smacking good. The method is systematic and the presentation style is concise yet thorough. Some not-so-typical Indian dishes which are absolutely delicious. Highly recommended.

Excellent value for the money. Beautiful photos covering a broad range of interiors.

We review a number of books and the first time we saw this one, we were very sure it was going to make to our top selections list. And we were not wrong.

A beautifully laid out book with 500 vivid color photographs is a visual treat. Recipedelights.com gives it a "must-buy" rating for interior designers and style lovers. One of the few books that correct the injustice done by western journalists and gives a positive spin to thousands of years of culture and history. It truly reflects the grandeur of Indian style by weaving a colorful mélange that will come as no surprise to anyone who has ever visited India. This book explores a spectrum of interiors ranging from Palaces to Havelis to Huts. It does not bore with endless text or try to influence the judgment of the reader. Short text (In English, German and French) accompanies each photograph though the pictures speak for themselves.

This LUSH book captivates the eye and provides such a visual feast of color, I feel saturated, then satiated, each time I dip into it. Good for hours of fun.

I have to say, I was lucky enough to meet Deidi on her travels in Ladakh and can tell you that she is one intrepid traveler. There was a war going on in Kashmir when she went to take these photos - although you'd never know it from these pictures which paint such a beautiful image of these sumptuous settings.

She is a great photographer, with three Taschen books to her credit (Gardens of France, and Fantasy Worlds). She also makes enormous photos of sacred trees in India which are exhibited in galleries - very dramatic and her best work yet!

This book focuses a great deal on Rajasthan, but also includes regional coverage of key areas.

A first of its kind and a good antidote to the predictable picture books of India. Everyone expects India photo books to show weird babas in Benares and starving people in Calcutta, so it's good for the West to see there's more to India than that.

Glad to see that scenes from the folk and peasant traditions are included alongside the fantastic royal palaces, proving that art has no boundaries.

This is a gorgeous book, beautifully laid out, with good photography and a vast range of type of interiors from palaces to village huts. Having spent significant time traveling throughout India, I frankly opened this book fully expecting to be disappointed and expecting it to be one more example of journalism not being able to do justice to the breadth and scope of India. We see that failure in all manner of books about India, from cook books, design books, culture books, and travel books; any subject that trys to cover the subcontinent in one fell swoop. Remarkably, this book achieves what no others I've seen has. In addition to photography of Deco interiors, British Revival, and Native Cultural Design, INDIAN INTERIORS wisely leaves the commentary to short blocks of text detailing the background of the property and the homeowners but not forming broad judgements or attempting to endlessly characterize and embellish. I have photo books on Village India, India Rail, Indian Design, etc., and they all try to do too much and not let the material speak for itself. This book is different, very different, and from what I've seen from this publisher in other venues, Taschen is one to watch for if you like your material presented succinctly and beautifully without gushing or extraneous filler.

This totally sumptuous book has been beautifully produced and is proof yet again that Taschen are publishing some of the most beautiful books around. Apart from being a visual delight, each picture has accompanying text on the place featured. The book covers a wide range of interiors from palaces and havelis to Rajasthani huts and everything in between. Whether you are interested in Indian style or interiors generally, you will find much to like in this book.

I cooked some of the recipes at my friends home and they were all very delicious!!! I hope to find another book, which is that good!

I know this woman personally, and she defines excellence in all aspects. I personally do not cook, but I'm sure it was a great book. All I know is that Roshi Razzaq is an extra-ordinary woman, and I am very lucky to know such a great person. I hope this review motivates her to write another cook book.

This cookbook is perfect for people who either don't have a lot of time to cook or are amateur cooks. The recipes are simple to follow and most take under an hour. These dishes are consistently delicious with every preparation and are guaranteed crowd pleasers.

Once you start cooking from this book, you will begin eating Indian regularly and you won't miss the fat.

It is pretty rare that a cookbook inspires me like this one did. Vibrant photographs of every dish, as well as author notes on the region and history of the dish, inspired me to try a number of recipes. I can honestly say that every recipe I have tried has turned out perfectly. I have many cookbooks, most of which I have not cooked from; this one stands alone, in that I have tried almost half the recipes. If only I could find more copies for all the friends I've gotten hooked on Roshi's recipes

We love Indian food but I had never cooked it before. We needed to change our way of eating after some family health scares. Low fat is no fun if it's also low flavor. Roshi Razzaq's beautiful book and clear recipes introduced me to a whole new way of cooking and eating - low fat but incredibly delicious. She has even given me the confidence to try my own combinations. Indian food has gone from a special treat to the mainstay of our diet. Thank you, Roshi!