India Books

Prior to Consciousness is set up as a number of interviews between Nisargadatta Maharaj and spiritual seekers from all over the world. These talks were given from the August of 1980 till just before Maharaj's death in September 1981. Through clear and simple words Maharaj tears away the false and leaves the reader with the pure state of one's own beingness. Nisargadatta's main advice is for one to stablize in the state of the "I am," which is really one's only reference. Nisargadatta is similar in his approach as Ramana Maharshi, getting one to question the questioner. Freedom is yours to be had, you are free already; just get rid of all your notions of freedom. This is the most powerful book I have ever read and still continue to enjoy reading sections of it whenever I pick it up. If one is interested in Advaita this is a must.

This powerful book is a very direct work on understanding your true nature as the Absolute Reality. The tone of it is very direct. As a matter of fact, Nisargadatta Maharaj was always very direct and this book is a great book for those seekers that want to go beyond a whole web of yet more spiritual concepts and practices etc, etc, etc.
A summary of Nisargadatta Maharaj teachings would be:
Maharaj wants us to understand what your true nature is by the discarding of the false self--the body/mind. By discarding identification with the body/mind, one comes to see oneself as the I-AM/Consciousness. Maharaj wants us to continue in our deep self-investigation until even the I-AM is seen as arising only due to one being in a body because with a body of course comes Consciousness, so what Maharaj wants us to ultimately understand intuitively is :What is the state you were in prior to consciousness? That is the realization as yourself as the Parabrahman or what is commonly referred to as the Absolute.
Very profound Q & A that is a powerful catalyst for penetrating self reflection.

Maharaj is answering questions by devotees. Clearing he is hammering the 'Ego' and showing a path to Infinity. Rarely before has someone answered so precisely on all the questions. He is also following practicle wisdom. Great book.

I have read quite a few materials on education related issues in India. Most of the literature is either quite dry or full of anecdotes and no data, or focused on specific area/issues. The PROBE report is different.

It is an easy to read, lively presentation of the current knowledge and understanding of issues relating to children's education in India. The authors examine the problem as a whole: ie. what does it take to educate a whole population? What has been done so far? What is education? What are the key challenges? How well are the teachers trained? Do rural parents actually value education?

The primary source is a survey of the BIMARU states (Bihar, MP, Rajasthan & UP) and Himachal Pradesh. But it also includes insights from a range of sources such as dissertations (Nidhi Mehrotra) to leading social workers (Mrs. Shantha Sinha) to NGOs (Eklavya in MP) to governement officials. To understand why some states (eg. Himachal) are succeeding, while others are not, they compare the story of Himachal Pradesh with those of BIMARU states. Key factors that lead to positive results are identified.

A must read for anyone intersted in basic education.

This is a highly unusual and readable report. It comes from India,researched and written by Indians who evidently care deeply about how their country fares and how their children do. But what it says it applies to the universal issues of basic education that are asked just about anywhere in the world. So anyone who wants to move beyond the "oh isn't it terrible?" mode to the "how to fix it?" mode will find this book worth reading. The report is really well researched for the five states of India which are its focus: Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Himachal Pradesh. But its power is not in its numbers, nor in the rehash of what "we know". Many other documents, such as World Bank documents, might do a more complete job of that. Its power is in the freshness and the passion coming out of the field investigations. Indias poor "shine through". We hear them speak in their own voice. And it is not just a keening about problems. It is a focussed and powerful statement of where the solutions are and how to get at them. It looks intensely at pockets of success and really asks, "why is that so?". This approach works in this report.

The Public Report on Basic Education in India (PROBE Report) must be the best and most genuine overall account of the state of basic education in the BIMARU states (Bihar, MP, Rajasthan, & UP) of India. The Report is based on a field-survey carried out by a team of investigators in the last few months of 1996. Simply put, I believe it is an absolute must for anybody interested in India's educational backwardness, and indeed anybody interested in the problem of development generally. The Report gives substance to a lot of what most people vaguely 'know' about the problems with rural elementary education. It ends up making a strong and very valid plea for, among other things: forming an effective lobby for rural and basic education; raising state investment in basic education; raising the awareness & improving the attitude of urban elites and middle classes and (ironically enough) the media to basic education issues; increasing the accountability of teachers; drastically improving school infrastructure; changing pedagogical styles; recognizing and overturning the elite bias of school curricula; making students less alienated from the educational environment; making basic education a participatory process between the students, their families, the teachers, and the community; and giving more value to the work of teachers and helping them overcome the manifold frustrations they face in their work. One thing the Report stresses is the benefits of making basic education a Fundamental Right rather than merely a constitutional directive.

A mere summary will not do justice to the Report - reading it is important because it not only provides detailed information, but it also hits one hard. However, here I will just point out some facts and myths about elementary education, as mentioned in chapter 2.

Fact 1: Low Achievements: Half the country's population (61% males, 36% females) cannot read or write. Less than 30% of adults have completed 8 years of schooling. Female literacy rates in India are much lower than in sub-Saharan Africa.

Fact 2: High disparities: By region, class, caste, gender (an extreme eg: literacy rates for an urban male from Kerala is 96%, and literacy rates for rural SC females in Rajasthan is 5%). Only 5 countries have higher male-female literacy gap than India - and Rajasthan alone has a larger population than these countries combined.

Fact 3: Slow progress: The increase of literacy rates is so slow that the absolute number of illiterate persons is still rising with each year.

Fact 4: State inertia

Myth 1: Parents are not interested; Myth 2: Child labor is the main obstacle; Myth 3: Elementary education is free; Myth 4: Schools are available.

One final word about the Report: it combines reasonable academic rigor with personal narratives, so that it is pitched at both the academic and the layman.

I am very pleased with this book. I have been to Rajasthan and this book does a wonderful job of incorporating the vast and colorful culture of that region of India. This book does a great job of detailing the miniture details that can be easily missed in an landscape that is overwhelming to the 5 senses. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in Rajasthani culture and encourage them to visit there as well.

Tons of fantastic pics, details of fabrics, places etc. If you like Rajastan sty;e, you will fall head over heels for ths heavy "coffee table" book!

When I was the in-house stylist for Style Guide I had this incredibly beautiful Indian girl with dark eyes for an intern. She wore the brightest colors to work everyday and spoke in this rich lilting voice. One day I finally asked her where she got it - "the clothes or the accent?" she asked, "Both", said I. Well, she said, the colors are from my mother's land and the accent is from my father's land. Turns out that my pretty intern's mom came from the desert state of Rajasthan, in the North Western part of India. I have since then browsed innumerable coffee table books on Rajasthan, but Pauline Van Lynden's Rajasthan is certainly a notch above the rest. The photographs are lavish, the details touching, the effect spellbinding. Royals, artisans, dressmakers, housewives - Van Lynden gives us a breathtaking glimpse into these myriad lives.

Another plus is Van Lynden's tone - always inquisitive but never condescending. There might be other books which will give you a lot of information about Rajasthan but Van Lynden's Rajasthan shall remain a front runner due to its evocative prose and dazzling photographs which seem to leap off the page. I recommend Van Lynden's Rajasthan as an antidote for any colorless day.

Beautiful storytelling, picturesque language, colorful and exciting - this is the Ramayana one has been waiting for.
From childhood I have been told the story,read different books and seen various plays and thought I knew the Ramayana inside out.Once you read this version you'll actually understand the story in its entirity.And it is fascinating.
Everything has fallen into place.

Beautifully written. This version took me back to another age. Could be the English Ramayana we've all been waiting for.

This is the best modern English version of the Indian epic. The legend comes alive in fine contemporary style, never compromising the spiritual essence of the original. A must for lovers of classics, fantasy, the Indian literary tradition and plain great writing. The Ramayana retold, in full, for the international reader by a gifted Indian author. Reads like the magnificent story it is: a book for everyone.

A great book about how Reiki can be used to help heal the planet. William is a very perceptive author and the informaition in this book would be helpful to all Reiki people. It is clear that he truly loves Reiki and has expressed his best ideas and Reiki techniques in this book. I loved every chapter. I highly recommend it to everyone.

Mr. Rand's book is an excellent coverage of Reiki, both for beginners and those with Reiki experience. It is very clearly written and gives one a new perspective on healing energies. Highly recommended.

William Lee Rand opens the way to exploring an exceptional world where balance and wellness unfold and we undertake the mission of healing our hearts and spirits. Rand shares a unique view of Reiki in this context and offers food for thought along the way.

I echo the other reviewers thus far who have given the book five stars. Haberman's concise summary of the environmental movement, its underlying philosophies, and their relation to Hinduism is enlightening. His treatment of the Yamuna River, its beauty, sacredness, unfortunate pollution, and Haberman's own love for Her is thoroughly enchanting, except for the part about pollution. However, that part has become an essential or urgent aspect of our world. Without understanding pollution, how would we selfish beings tear ourselves away from our trivial pursuits to serve something higher. Our sacrifice to something higher might be a river, the earth, or a deity. However, as Haberman's book implies, we had better sacrifice ourselves unselfishly, rather than selfishly sacrificing the rivers and the earth to our selfish greed.

This is a lovely, lyrical book. The author's encounters with the local people were fascinating as was his description of the religious motivation for the surge in environmental awareness and concern in India. Such a different perspective than we have in the West. This is a wonderful, very readable book for anyone interested in rivers, preserving our planet, travel, India, or the religious traditions and stories of Northern India.

This wonderful new book on Hinduism and ecology comes as a fresh new perspective. Highly recommended!!!

AThis is a fabulous book, of special interest to women and sensitive thinkers of all cultures. Padma Hejmadi writes with a clarity and compactness unrivaled in today's literature. She explores the world from her special vantage point, bringing it alive with her gift of visual as well as written language. The scenes imprint themselves on one's memory forever. The gift of this courageous woman is not to be ignored. Read and enjoy!

This is a soaring, remarkable exploration of human consciousness, seen through the filters of time, place, and language. Hejmadi captures the intricacies of human awareness with precision, clarity, wit, and grace. Whether the setting is East or West, Delhi or Taos, Hejmadi's truths about love, life, work & family are reverberant and universal. She has the gift of making you walk her extraordinary path along with her. A wonderful gift for any booklover in your life.

this small book contains a huge amount of living, thinking and writing. Please read it and buy it. Your view of the world will expand and your faith in humanity andthe ablilty to think will be greatly enlarged.

It seems that even before the destruction of the second temple, Jews were trading and settling in southwest India. If you look on a world map, you'll see it was because India and Israel are not really that far away from each other by sea. It turns out that India was good for the Jews. Because of the region's tolerance for ethnic diversity--the Indians saw Jews as just another cast--a Jewish community flourished in Cochin for thousands of years, without prejudice or pogroms. Women had much more equality within the Cochin Jewish community than they have had elsewhere. Anthropologist Barbara Johnson first met Ruby Daniel, one of the outspoken members of that community, when she visited Cochin in the 60s and formed a deep friendship that continues today, although Ruby, now in her 80s, has immigrated to Israel with most of the community (even the synagogue was transported, thanks to wealthy American benefactors, and is now on display in the Jewish Museum). The book is told in Ruby's marvelous voice and is a fascinating tale. I gave it to my mom as a gift and she loved it.

Deftly written with the assistance of Barbara C. Johnson (Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Ithaca College), Ruby Of Cochin: An Indian Jewish Woman Remembers is the personal memoir of Ruby Daniel, a Jewish woman born in the East Indian community of Cochin in 1912 and educated at a convent school, and then attending St. Theresa's College. In World War II she served as a member of the Women's Royal Indian Navy, and subsequently immigrated to Israel in 1951, and currently resides on an Israeli kibbutz. Ruby Of Cochin is a rich and engaging autobiographical story enhanced with historical legends, folk tales, and women's songs in the local language of Malayalam. Highly recommended reading, Ruby Of Cochin is a simply fascinating window into one woman's life in East India.

its one of the fantastic reveiw of the jewish life in india and particulary cochin, unknown to the jewish people around the world even in israel

. . . but this is an excellent read on the evolution of eastern Wrathful, great for serious students of eastern religions or for a larger esoteric library or as an artist!

Rob Linrothe's book is a must-have for any interested student of Esoteric Buddhism. It combines the author's knowledge of the religious texts with art historical analysis and provides a wonderful survey on the development of wrathful Buddhist deities from secondary attendant figures to objects of worship in their own right.

Rob Linrothe has written a superb book on the evolution of Wrathful Deities in India and Tibet. Photos taken by the author and excellent explanations show us in exquisite detail how this form of art developed over the centuries. A wonderful book for those looking to understand Esoteric Buddhism!

This book, like the one on Saris of Madhia Pradesh, gives excellent insight into Indian textile cottage industry and its interdependence between dealers and producers.Rta Kapur is definitely one of the most knowledgable persons in the field. She knows the rich Indian tradition in textiles and has travelled to the most remote places to gather information. Each chapter starts with "a weaver's journey". Here we get a feeling of what life in rural India can be.An excellent book with beautiful pictures.

This book, like the one on Saris of Madhia Pradesh, gives excellent insight into Indian textile cottage industry and its interdependence between dealers and producers.Rta Kapur is definitely one of the most knowledgable persons in the field. She knows the rich Indian tradition in textiles and has travelled to the most remote places to gather information. Each chapter starts with "a weaver's journey". Here we get a feeling of what life in rural India can be.An excellent book with beautiful pictures.

This book, like the one on Saris of Madhia Pradesh, gives excellent insight into Indian textile cottage industry and its interdependence between dealers and producers.Rta Kapur is definitely one of the most knowledgable persons in the field. She knows the rich Indian tradition in textiles and has travelled to the most remote places to gather information. Each chapter starts with "a weaver's journey". Here we get a feeling of what life in rural India can be.An excellent book with beautiful pictures.