India Books

"Touched by Fire" is a book about the ongoing journey of Pandit Rajmani Tigunait. It is filled with deep wisdom about spiritual truths and the common pitfalls a devotee makes on the road towards the divine. In this wonderful book, the author tells the reader his own shortcomings and imperfections about his character. It takes a great man to admit his faults in public and this shows us that the author has reached an advanced stage of spiritual development. This gives the 'ordinary' reader hope in the spiritual path.

This book is also filled with tales of miracles performed by certain yogis. For example, the author writes about a yogi walking on water. However, these miracles are spiritually useless and it only feeds the ego. There are numerous examples of this and each of them has a lesson to tell to the reader. Highly recommended for spiritual seekers worldwide!

TOUCHED BY FIRE: "The Ongoing Journey of a Spiritual Seeker" By Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, Ph.D, is a book that will touch readers deeply. The author is the Spiritual Director of the Himalayan Institute in Pennsylvania and the author of other books. The autobiography of Pandit's spiritual journey from his humble childhood in India as the son of a Brahmin spiritual leader to the royalty that were displaced when the British left India. Pandit's father went from living as one of the most revered members of the palace to living in a hovel and barely able to feed his family. From a young age Pandit had deep yearning of his sould which drove him to do everything necessary to gain the highest level of spiritual and University education possible, even though no one from his humble village had ever gone higher than fifth grade. Through many trials Pandit experienced the Divine providing what he needed when he needed it, and his teachers always appeared when the student was ready.His walk is a journey of faith and deep soul searching while he learns to find God not out in the world but within and he experiences the One Divine within himself and learns to see the Divine in every living being. This is a beautiful and inspiring book, and no matter what your religious faith, you'll find yourself learning that God is One, no matter by what name or in what place you worship Him/Her. This humble Hindu teacher has marvelous lessons to teach muslims, Christians, Jews and other faiths: The way to access our individual relationship with the Supreme Being is to learn the disciplines of meditation and faithful daily practice and discipline in personal actions: always humble, and never taking money or boosting ego from the spiritual experiences. One of the most deeply moving books I have read.

Touched by Fire: The Ongoing Journey of a Spiritual Seeker chronicles the biographical journey of a man from his birthplace in an ancient village in India to his present-day service as the spiritual head of the Himalayan Institute located in northeastern Pennsylvania. Touched by Fire is neither a "how-to" guide to achieving spiritual enlightenment nor a summon to any specific religious faith, but rather one man's journey across years of study, the struggle to master emotions, and the guidance of providence in finding his destiny. A message of hope and universal brotherhood rests within this inspirational life story.

An excellent and well researched study with extraordinary photographs by a well known scholar of Indian art. 430 interesting pages that are very well presented to the reader. You'll find possibly more detail than you may need, but you can return later for the items you missed.

Oppi's thoroughness and attention to the detail in this book is amazing. Pictures and illustrations are just magnificent. Oppi covers the jewelry of maharajas to jewelry of tribal people. The jewelry descriptions in this book include every region and every style there is in India. I bought this book when I was asked to talk about India's jewelry at an art museum. This book definitely improved my knowledge about the subject.

Oppi's book is magnificent. It is a culmination of over thirty years of Oppi's research. His book covers more than just Indian jewelry, but forehead marks and henna mendhi.

Inspired by trips to New York's museums when he was young, Oppi crafts a anthropological journey through a fascinating history of human ornamentation, beginning with wood ash and mud. Oppi traveled extensively to personally research his subject in association with scholarships he won, including a Fulbright scholarship and funding from John D Rockefeller III.

He shows the use of natural items in jewelry, such as leaves, flowers, seeds, vines and wood. Unusual jewelry materials like anteater claws are pictured. Of course, gemstones and precious metals are included. There are photos of elegant gold filigree and fist-sized gemstones.

My favorite part of the book is called "Typology from Head to Toe" in which Oppi takes you on a journey in pictures of people wearing ornaments in their hair to those worn on the toes. The book includes an extensive index and bibliography. It is a very human book, showing how ornaments are worn by people, not just showing photos of the ornaments alone as many other ethnic jewelry books do.

Although you might think the subject of Indian jewelry is narrow before you see the book, a glance through the book will make you want to own it even though the sticker price is high.

I agree with the above reviews. There is such a variety of subject matter and types of writing collected in this book and I found myself saving so many pages with great information about places in India that I had not yet heard about but wanted to make sure I visited now when I plan my own trip!

I'm giving this book five stars not because the individual travel stories comprising this are five star stories (though many of them are), but because the breadth of subject matter and perspectives this book offers are remarkable. From the frosty passes of the Himalayas to the bustling streets of Calcutta, from the Ganges to shores of Goa, from the rarely-visited tribal interior to the even more desolate Rann of Kutch, this book portrays a country with a topography perhaps as diverse as Europe's. From the barriers of caste to the oppression of women, this book portrays a social evolution still in progress but with roots in ancient times.

Highlights for me included Rory Nugent's eccentric search for the supposedly extinct pink-headed duck, and David Yeadon's brilliant portrayal of character interactions (including an Indian interrupting his narrative digression in real time "Sir, are you hearing me, sir?"). For every traveler that timidly scratched the surface of India without real discovery (such as a particularly uptight and sheltered Oxford Fellow's first trip) there was one so recklessly bold that you're glad you could relive the experience from the safety of your own home (including one author's visit to a tribal island where past visitors had been killed). Somewhere in the middle there's bound to be powerful inspiration for a trip of one's own.

Reading this book was not only satisfying, but served as a launching point for future reading of the complete works from which these tales were excerpted (David Yeadon's Back of the Beyond and Jonah Blank's Arrow of the Blue Skinned God seemed particularly interesting to me).

I read this book after reading the DK guide to India and Leila Hadley?s A Journey with Elsa Cloud (the latter is about a tour of parts of India in the 70s). This excellent collection of true stories really made all the places come alive and gave me a much richer and fuller sense of India than I could get from just Hadley?s book. The poverty, sexism, and daily encounters with excrement that are a part of life in India are compellingly conveyed at the same time as we come to feel the vast heavy weight of so many centuries of history, so much spiritual questing, so much diminished glory. Since I finished the book, I have found myself repeating stories to friends from the excerpts from Rory Nugent?s The Search for the Pink-Headed Duck and from Mark Shand?s Travels on My Elephant, which were particularly vivid and fascinating to me. There are a suprising number of tales featuring cyclists--evidently India is a popular place to tour by bike.

This is a record of a bright and energetic reporter with a real "nose for news." For anyone who wishes to understand the new and dynamic India, this brilliant insight into the formative cauldron of the area sorts out the players and problems, with the personal touch only Mr. Hlavacek could portray.

Hlucky Hlavacek, as he calls himself, presents a detailed and illuminating chronicle of his time as a correspondent for United Press International. Starting as a rookie reporter and then working his way up to Bureau Chief for this independent news service, "Hlucky" or "Check" was in a unique position to report the news from India - later Pakistan - Afghanistan, Nepal and Ceylon - India's independence, the partition forming the new country of Pakistan; interviews with Mohandas Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, and others. Getting the story by any means necessary on foot, horseback, donkey, train, plane, boats, and in a series of automobiles always running on empty, to this reader that's not just luck that's dogged determination and hard work. For those who love to travel, and those who want to go "after the story" this is a must read. Victoria Maxwell

I started reading this book expecting to learn about the historical events that Mr. Hlavacek had covered in his years as a United Press Foreign Correspondent. What I didn't expect was the romance, the intrique, the adventure of getting to be there when the most important events are taking place in history. I didn't expect to be enthralled with the swashbuckling nature a newsman must have to get the story and then deliver it! It was exciting, fun, entertaining and, yes, even educational at times. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can't wait to read his other books.

The author did a magnificent job of telling the story of a bunch of kids who were handed a tough job and went about getting that job done, even at the ultimate cost...the book will always occupy a place of honor on my bookshelf.

Jim Vesely presents an interesting treatment of the life of American aircrews and support personnel by combining operational reports, veteran naratives and some letters from his uncle Sgt Adolph 'Otsie' Malovich, who was killed-in-action while serving his country, his family and his comrades. Mr. Vesely shares his heart with the reader, explaining his search to know more about the uncle he barely knew, and what Otsie's time might have been like while he was part of the 'Burma Bridge Busters', 490th Bomb Squadron. The author beautifully highlights how this group of men, serving in one of the remotest actions of the war, performed with gallantry, dignity and dedication. A must read for anyone interested in American participation in the China-Burma-India theater!

Well written, educational, well-researched, and intensely interesting. I learned more about the war in and around India, Burma, and China from this book than from my experience in the two plus years I was in the squadron. I really appreciate that aspect. The author must have spent untold hours researching the facts and then did a splendid job of putting it all together in an interesting way. The book helps a lot in putting a time frame on some of my memories. Thanks again.

This is an attractively published Bible and I am told that the translation is good.

This is an attractively published Bible and I am told that the translation is good.

I picked up this bible because I want to give to a friend of my.

This is a great book to use to teach children about Indian culture. The illustations are bright and unique. (Sangita- I alwasy knew you'd go far! :))This book is a must have for all school and public libraries.

I think this book was surprisingly cute and original. My son and I enjoy it very much.

This is an excellent book for children on the history of the bindi. I found it to be informative and accurate, but humorous and simple enough for children to understand. I plan on using it in my classroom- wonderful illustrations!

I am using this for a class on ethnography and I really only skimmed it before ordering it for the course. I am very impressed by the depth and breadth of the author's knowledge and the resonance it has with our own issues concerning aging in North America and beyond. As an anthropologist who has worked in India I also found it to be a vivid trip back to a much-loved land.

This book not only provides a fascinating, rich account of the ways people in West Bengal, India experience aging, but it really makes one think in new ways about the kinds of assumptions permeating aging and dying, family and gender, in our own society (North America). The author, an anthropologist, has spent several years in India. The stories she tells of her own experiences there are some of the most engaging in the book. Particular individuals come alive as well, such as Khudi Thakrun, the oldest woman in the village (at 97 years), who doesn't yet want to relinquish life and the wonderful attachments and pleasures derived from eating sweet mangoes, wandering the village to spread news, and loaning out money to increase her wealth. The book centers on village life but includes as well interesting accounts of old age homes in Calcutta and Indian popular cultural representations of old age. It complements well Lawrence Cohen's NO AGING IN INDIA. This book focuses more on experience, everyday life, and gender.

Ms. Lamb has produced a sensitive look into aging in a particular society, but in the process has touched on people of all ages. In observing the people of India I am able to compare to our value system and to touch values of real significance in living. Ms Lamb writes as an anthropologist and pictures real people dealing with adversity and demonstrating positive outlooks. I found the book uplifting and I look forward to more from Ms. Lamb.

Again, Dr. Peale outdoes himself in this incredibly motivating and inspiring book. Everything you need to manifest success in your life is contained within this book along with real life examples of the miracles of positive thinking and belief in ones self and creator.

On the last page there's a quote from Thomas A. Edison that sums up the whole message of this book, "If we were to do all we are capable of doing we would literally astonish ourselves." It is with that spirit that Dr. Peale presents more evidence that one's thoughts determine one's destiny. A master at teaching people to apply Christian faith in everyday life, Dr. Peale has made another strong case for faith-based living.
In the preface he writes, "think positively, act positively, image positively, pray positively, and believe positively, and powerful results will be yours."
The first chapter describes the excitement of the process of adventurous, positive achievement. The fact that it is an ongoing process means the excitement need never end. Success feeds success.
He lists four factors which make up the process of success: 1)goal setting 2) positive thinking 3) visualizing and 4)believing.
He continues to emphasize that God is the essence of one's success, that one cannot achieve without Him.
Dr. Peale has a gift for putting powerful truths in memorable phrases, such as, "Belief power gets powerful results."
In the third chapter he talks about problem solving and reminds us that "every problem contains the seeds of its own solution."
Guidance from God, like other gifts from Him, is received by faith. He says believe that and act accordingly.
Like attracts like. He advocates applying that principle to one's thoughts. Positive thoughts attract similar thoughts.
Read this powerful book to enhance the quality of your life. You can't go wrong by doing so.

Norman Vincent Peale is well known for his famous book, The Power of Positive Thinking which has sold in the millions. This is one of his lesser known but extremely useful, helpful books because it gives hundreds of examples of how people changed their thinking and attitudes to get positive results in their lives. Some of the suggestions seem simple or corny but guess what? THEY WORK! I can vouch for that because I have tried many of them, including writing out goals on a card and carrying the the cards in my purse to reinforce my goals. More importantly, these reminders keep me on track daily. He calls this suggestion by the corny title of "the shirt pocket technique" meaning he carried his goals around on cards in his shirt pocket.
The other very helpful part of this book is that it contains checklists in most chapters, which are like "to do" lists. They are really summaries of the points he has made in that chapter and a reminder of what you can actually do to further your goals.
I keep a copy of this book around and read a page or 2 or 3 now and again to remind me how to stay positive and get to where I want to go. I highly recommend this book. For cynics, please consider his general theme, which might be summed up as "you get what you think".

A very good overview to a topic as immensely vast and intricate as Indic traditions. It needs some more work on references (probably in a later version), but Dr Kak is very reachable & quick in responding to queries.
Overall, a great book.

Excellent book. Very convincing and well written. Dr Kak again had proven that he is a master of scientific and archeologic researcher.Highly recommended.

The British era has misrepresented India to the extent that many indians too do not understand their own history or philosophy. This book by Kak is an excellent starting point to understand the "True India".

this book is a must read for anyone who is interested in India. Kak, one of the foremost experts on all things India, presents are wonderfully packaged book which sheds light on India's current place in the world.