Devi, Mother and Protector of the world, isone of the most loved figures of Hindu iconography. In her various incarnations, Devi is warrior, mother, faithful wife, and the fount of knowledge, delivering all that her devotees ask of her. Bulbul Sharma tells the fascinating story of Devi in this book, drawing upon the many strands of myth and legend contained in ancient scriptures and also in folklore. She looks at how these stories were created, how they changed down the ages, and the vision of the world they uphold. Rich in drama and symbolism, these stories live today with the same intensity as they did when they were first told.

Janak, a mild-mannered tailor in the remote village of Giripul, is besotted with his beautiful but sullen wife. All he wants is her love. Instead, he must deal all day with the village women who come to him with bits of cloth to stitch - and their dreams. Including the headman's third wife, who has a recurrent and rather ominous dream of beheading her husband. Then, one day, as the villagers watch in fascination the antics of a travelling magician, a dead body turns up outside Janak's shop. And overnight the placid little village tucked in the Himalayan foothills becomes a simmering cauldron of suspicious activity and strangers walking in and out. From the headman's third wife and his Chinese hairdresser-mistress to Shankar the fisherman-turned-sleuth, Lala the teashop owner and his ex-contract killer cook, every one becomes a suspect. Will the tailor of Giripul be able to solve the mystery? Will their lives return to normal, or will the aftershock of the killing change...

A culinary collection from an undisputed master of the short story.Funny, poignant, macabre — a delicious spread, showcasing bestselling author Bulbul Sharma's mastery of the stories of small actors and the drama and richness of the everyday lives of extraordinary women.'[Bulbul Sharma's] stories make for entertaining reading, but, be warned, they will whet the appetite and inflame the senses.' — Grass Roots'Lovers of food and fine literature... will relish the journey through the tempestuous nature of cookery, the struggle for the perfect pakora, and the aftermath of a divine meal.' — The Melbourne Times

The tranquillity at the Happy Home for the Aged is shattered when a body is found hanging in the garden. The inhabitants of the home are first perplexed, then decide to come together to solve the murder that has suddenly brought the violence of the world into their Goan arcadia. Each of them-reflective Rosie, sharp-tongued Prema, analytical Devan, action-man Cyrilo and artistic Yuri-bring different skills to the task of unravelling the crime. Their detective work is watched over by gentle, pretty Maria, the owner of the home.Set in the lush landscape of Goa, where tourists flock from all over the world, where the rich set come to play, bringing in their wake fortune-hunters and other predators, the cast of possible murderers is infinite. But patiently, and with flashes of inspiration, the unlikely detectives follow the clues and in doing so emerge from the isolated and separate worlds they had inhabited for so long.