LAUNCHED IN FEBRUARY 2025

Rising Beyond The Ceiling Literary Initiative

Our literary initiative spotlights published books by Muslim women authors, writers, poets, academics, journalists and others from across India. In this initiative the focus is on books in the English language. Learn about the authors and their profiles as well as buy the books at the links giving against the publications. We will also be gifting publications periodically through our RBTC Library Program . Muslim Women authors have made their mark in all genres of English writing, from memoirs and biographies to short stories and novels, academic books, non-fiction, cookery books, poetry and many others . Their books have won awards and recognitions at the highest levels including the Booker Prize, Tata Literary awards and many others

We hope you find books of your interest in this repertoire as we continue to add books from across the country ! We welcome your feedback .

Check out the books in English by over 150 Muslim women authors of India below. Some of the authors have several published books but we have spotlighted only one by each author on this platform:

LIST OF AUTHORS [ In alphabetical order]

Annie Zaidi, Attia Hosain, Anees Jung, Anjum Hasan, Asiya Islam, Asma Khan, Anam Shahab, Andaleeb Wajid,Ambreen Zaidi, Asifa M. Yasin, Ashee Nemat, Badar Jahan, Badrunnisa Irfan, Batul Mukhtiar, Begum Qudsia Rasool, Bilkees Latif, Deeba Salim Arif, Farah Naqvi, Farah Sarosh, Farah K. Usmani, Fauqia Wajid, Faiza Abbasi, Farzana Mahdi, Ghazala Wahab, Ghazala Jamil, Huma Javed Subzposh, Huma Tanweer, Humra Quraishi, Ismat Mehdi, Iram Majid, Lubaina Bandukwala, Pernia Qureshi, Parveen Talha, Mehru Jaffer, Princess Mehrunisa of Rampur, Mohsina Kidwai, Mehr Afshan Farooqi, Mehak Jamal, Maumita Alam, Mehnaaz Nadiadwala, Nusrat Jafri, Nafeesa Ahmed, Nafis Fazal, Nida Kirmani, Nuzar Mannan, Nazima Perveen, Nilofar Suhrawardy, Noorjehan Safia Niaz, Nadira Khatun, Nausheen Jaffery, Nuzhat Parveen Khan, Rakhshanda Jalil, Rana Safvi, Rukhaya MK, Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain, Reema Ahmed, Rubina Hasan Sami, Seemen Ali, Saba Naqvi, Sabiha Hussain, Saira Halim Shah, Shahnaz Zaidi, Sahar Quazi, Sadiqa Peerbhoy, Sahar Zaman, Samina Ali, Saiyada S. Hameed, Saeeda Bano, Shahana Raza, Sara Khan, Salma Yusif Hussain, Suraiya Hasan Bose, Sahana Ahmed, Shaista Salimkhan Inamdar, Shahida Lateef, Saba Mahmood Bashir, Shehla Rashid, Shama Fatehally, Sami Rafiq, Shama Zaidi ,Swabera Islam, Sufia Khatoon, Samina Sheikh, Shireen Moosvi, Samiya Tabassum, Tabasssum Ruhi Khan, Tabeenah Anjum, Tabinda Jalil-Burney, Talat Fatima, Teresa Rehman, Taran N. Khan, Tarana Husain Khan, Ummi Abdullah, Warisha Farasat, Yasmin Premji, Zarreen Khan, Zehra Naqvi, Zarina Bhatty, Zeenat Ara, Zeenuth Futehally, Zeenath Khan, Zoya Hasan, Zakia Soman, Zahida Zaidi, Zakia Saiyidain Zaheer, Zeinia Samar, Zara Chowdhary and many others.

Translations in English from various languages: Ayshath Shamah Rahmath, Banu Mushtaq, Baran Farooq, Fathima EV, Gulbadan Begum, Ismat Chughtai, Qurratulain Hyder, Naseem Iqtidar Ali, Noor Zaheer, Rashid Jahan, Razia Sajjad Zaheer, Saita Mujtaba, Salma, Sara Abubacker, Zubaida Sultan.

We continue to invite nominations of books in English by Muslim women authors from India at risingbeyondtheceiling@gmail.com

At our 2027 RBTC Literary Festival our Jury members will select the award winning publications in various categories as below.

The books by over 100 authors are in the following genres:

-Memoirs & Biographies

-Fiction, - Non-Fiction

- Academic, - History

- Poetry

- Arts & Culture, - Cuisine

- Children's Books

-Self-Help, -Technical

-Translations into English from regional languages

Memoirs & Biographies

My Life in Indian Politics- MOHSINA KIDWAI

Mohsina Kidwai has been in public life as a member of the Indian National Congress for over six decades. A cabinet minister in several successive central governments and a senior office-holder in the Congress, she has had a ringside view of Indian politics for almost the entire span of independent India's existence. She has witnessed, and been a participant in, the tenures of prime ministers from Jawaharlal Nehru to Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, and was a member of parliament until 2016, one of only twenty Muslim women to have been elected to the Lok Sabha since 1951. In this candid account of her life, Kidwai assesses not just her own contribution to public life, but also provides an honest appraisal of the turn in fortunes of the political party she has remained a loyal member of. The reader is treated to rare glimpses into the homes, lives and the hurly-burly of election campaigns over the decades. One such memorable one was the Azamgarh bypoll in 1978, which Kidwai won as Uttar Pradesh Congress chief, and which signalled a revival of the Congress's fortune after its spectacular defeat in the post-Emergency general elections of 1977. Written with the honesty and simplicity that have been her trademark in public life, this then is not just the memoir of a politician; it is an assessment of an entire era in Indian politics.
Available at: https://www.amazon.in/Life-Indian-Politics-Mohsina-Kidwai/dp/9356292000Published 2022
#RBTC Uttar Pradesh

Pieces you will Never get Back SAMINA ALI

A life-altering neurological disorder. A traumatic birth. An unlikely survival.
Pieces You'll Never Get Back is a harrowing and redemptive memoir, in which a new mother must reconstruct her shattered mind, her relationship to her religious upbringing, and her life's purpose
At 29, as a young writer working on her first novel, Samina Ali nearly died giving birth to her son. Miraculously, she survived the unchecked eclampsia that had endangered her pregnancy, instead sustaining major brain injury and falling into a coma as she gave birth. When she woke up, only her deepest memories were intact. Her husband was a stranger to her, she didn’t remember having a baby, and any language other than her native Urdu was foreign. Medical consensus was she would never recover—much less write—again.
Advised to think of her brain as a shattered puzzle, Ali began the long and difficult journey of piecing herself back together: learning to walk, speak, and accomplish basic human tasks alongside her newborn. She attempted to reckon with her past identity as a writer and a wife, and her new identity as a mother. Despite her miraculous survival, the disconnect between the old and the new self was devastating. It would be three years before she felt remotely normal, and seven before she was mended and could fully connect with her son.
Ali pairs the story of her “death” and recovery with the parallel narrative of her relationship to her Islamic upbringing and her fluctuating connection to her faith, incorporating meditations on religious narratives of death, the afterlife, resurrection, and reincarnation. Both deeply personal and steeped in religious thought, Pieces You'll Never Get Back is a uniquely propulsive, searching, and ultimately, inspiring work of memoir. Samina is also the author of several other books including Madras on Rainy Days
Available at https://www.amazon.com/Pieces-Youll-Never-Get-Back/dp/164622261XPublished 2025

A Drop in The Ocean : The Story of My Life SYEDA SAIYIDAIN HAMEED

Syeda Hameed was nine years old when her first story was published in Shankar’s Weekly in 1951. It was the start of a prolific writing career that would include the translation and editing of four volumes of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad’s works, and translations of Hali, Ghalib, Faiz and Sarmad Shaheed. But the story, ‘You Have to Learn to Make Friends’, also held within it the seeds of much that was to define her life in years to come. Born of an incident when she was boycotted by the neighbourhood children because her name was ‘Syeda’, it made her aware of her Muslim identity for the first time and, in time, of the need for peace between Hindus and Muslims, Indians and Pakistanis. To this end, she went year after year with iconic journalist Kuldip Nayar and others to the Wagah border to light a candle on the stroke of midnight on August 14/15, and in 2000, took a ‘bus of peace’ to Lahore, and met women who, like their sisters from ‘the other side’, yearned to forge bonds of friendship.
Before this, returning to India after 17 years in Canada with her husband, Syed Mohammad Abdul Hameed—a marriage of both happiness and heartache— she had built her life around the fight for human rights. As a Member of the National Commission for Women and, later, the Planning Commission, she travelled across the country listening to the dispossessed, and taking up their causes—among them, Sajoni Kisku, a Santhal woman who was beaten and tortured for the ‘sin’ of picking up the plough when her drunken husband could not; 19-year-old Maimun from Nuh who was gang-raped for marrying outside her gotra; and Tang Kumar of the Andamans, who lost his entire family at sea and built a new life for himself as ‘captain’ of his village.
Syeda writes of many such encounters that gave meaning to her life, and of some extraordinary people who shaped her mother, Aziz Jahan Begum of the royal Rampur family, and her father, the educationist Khwaja Ghulamus Saiyidain; her uncle, the writer and cinema legend Khwaja Ahmed Abbas; Indira Gandhi, with whom she worked briefly; and Khushwant Singh, the grand old Sardar who was her literary mentor.
Available at https://www.amazon.com/Drop-Ocean-Story-My-Life/dp/9354479898Published 2024
#RBTC Delhi

This land we call home- NUSRAT F JAFRI

In 1871, the British enacted the Criminal Tribes Act in India, branding numerous tribes and caste groups as criminals. In This Land We Call Home, Nusrat F. Jafri traces the roots of her nomadic forebears, who belonged to one such ‘criminal’ tribe, the Bhantus from Rajasthan. This affecting memoir explores religious and multicultural identities and delves into the profound concepts of nation-building and belonging. Nusrat’s family found acceptance in the church, alongside a sense of community, theology, songs and carnivals, and quality education for the children in missionary schools. The family’s conversion to Christianity in response to caste society highlights their struggle for dignity. Parallelly, we see the family’s experiences during Gandhi’s return to India in 1915, the Partition, the World Wars, the Emergency and the prime ministers’ assassinations. In a way, this is a story like and unlike the stories all of us carry within us―the inherited weight of who we are and where we come from, our tiny little freedoms and our everyday struggles and, mostly, the intricate jumble of our collective ancestry. Nusrat pays homage to her foremothers, the first feminists, and her forefathers, the ones who tried hard to fit into a caste society only to be disappointed, eventually choosing alternative faiths in pursuit of acceptance.
Available at https://www.amazon.in/This-Land-Call-Home-Conversions/dp/0143465546Published 2024
#RBTC Uttar Pradesh

From Purdah to Parliament: The Memoirs of a Muslim Woman in Indian Politics BEGUM QUDSIA RASOOL

‘[Begum Qudsia Rasul’s] life and times, and her autobiographical self-fashioning... provide valuable insights into the challenges and possibilities of public life for women who had to negotiate the dual burden of gendered marginalisation and minoritisation in post-colonial India.’ South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies
First published in 2001 as From Purdah to Parliament: The Memoirs of a Muslim Woman in Indian Politics, this revised edition chronicles Begum Qudsia Rasul’s (1909–2001) journey from a progressive upbringing to becoming a vocal advocate for Muslim women’s rights. She played a significant role in challenging purdah, encouraging education, and promoting political participation among women. As the first and only Muslim woman in the Constituent Assembly of India, she contributed to drafting the Indian Constitution to ensure that it reflected secular and egalitarian principles. Her life can be defined as a blend of privilege turned into purpose, marked by a commitment to breaking societal barriers and contributing to a modern, inclusive India.
Available at https://rolibooks.com/product/begum-qudsia-rasul-a-memoir/Published 2001

Off the Beaten Track- SAEEDA BANO, Translated by SHAHANA RAZA

Saeeda Bano was the first woman in India to work as a radio newsreader, known then and still as the doyenne of Urdu broadcasting. Over her unconventional and courageous life, she walked out of a suffocating marriage, witnessed the violence of Partition, lost her son for a night in a refugee camp, ate toast with Nehru and fell in love with a married man who would, in the course of their twenty-five-year relationship, become the Mayor of Delhi. Though she was born into privilege in Bhopal-the only Indian state to be ruled by women for four successive generations-her determination, independence and frankness make this a remarkable memoir and a crucial disruption in India's understanding of her own past.
Available at https://www.amazon.in/Off-Beaten-Track-Story-Unconventional/dp/9385932993Published 2020
#RBTC Middle East

I almost wasn't - Autobiography of ISMAT MEHDI

In her memoir, I Almost Wasn’t, Ismat Mehdi shares the story of her life, her illustrious family, and a journey that saw her juggle multiple professional responsibilities. It’s as much a story of her life as it is of her beloved city, Hyderabad, a genteel city full of rocks and refined manners, a far cry from the high-rises, traffic snarls, and tech parks that define modern Hyderabad. The book, and, indeed, Mehdi’s story, starts with an interesting anecdote. In 1936, when her parents moved from Patna to Hyderabad, Mehdi’s mother began to complain of an inexplicable pain in her abdomen. Her father’s boss at Osmania Hospital diagnosed this as a tumour and urgently rushed her to the hospital for surgery. As luck would have it, an elderly aunt dropped in and with one look said that it was no tumour but a pregnancy, perplexing the doctors. Soon, the prediction came true, and from this incident also stems the book’s title, which is both literal and symbolic. “I almost wasn’t,” Mehdi said, “because I was nearly mistaken for a tumour before I had even entered the world.”
More information at: https://scroll.in/article/1086344/scholar-activist-ismat-mehdi-writes-of-life-in-and-beyond-hyderabad-in-her-memoir-i-almost-wasnt
Published 2025

An Extraordinary Life - PRINCESS MEHRUNNISA of Rampur

Shehzadi Mehrunnisa of Rampur was born on 24 January 1933 to the third wife of Nawab Raza Ali Khan. She writes of her birth in her autobiography ‘An Extraordinary Life’: ‘Naturally, my birth was an event to be celebrated and it was announced in the Rampur State Gazette. But if I had been a boy, a prince, the state would have given me a gun salute.’ The beauty and glamour of her life as a princess are evocatively described in her autobiography. Growing up with her three half brothers and five half sisters in the palace nursery, she was acutely aware of her status as the daughter from a junior Begum of the Nawab. Her autobiography is a rich source of life at the Rampur palace. The princesses were the first girls to be sent to a boarding school and then college. Mehrunnisa was strikingly beautiful and intelligent. A disastrous first marriage and divorce left her with two young children. Mehrunnisa remarried and tried to bring back the promise life held for her. Her life of 92 years was beset with tragedies. The loss of her husband and child shook her to the core. But she carried on living with grace and dignity.
ISBN:9788183850957, 8183850952Page count:174Published:2006Publisher:Blue LeafOriginal from:the University of MichiganDigitized:September 3, 2008Language:EnglishAuthor:Mehrunissa Khan (Princess of Rampur)
Available at https://www.amazon.com/An-Extraordinary-Life-Princess/dp/8183850952Published 2006

SURAIYA HASAN BOSE: Weaving a Legacy- Narrated to Radhika Singh

Suraiya Hasan Bose is a name inscribed into the craft map of Andhra Pradesh. It speaks of a lifetime of passion and commitment to the cause of handloom from pre-Independence India to the present day. Suraiya Apa, as she is lovingly called, talks about her journey easily, her memory sharp on details that were obviously significant in shaping her destiny. She talks softly and smiles easily as the years slip away. There are discrepancies in dates and facts that will not be corroborated. But history is interpretation and this is hers as she narrated it.
Available at https://www.amazon.com/SURAIYA-HASAN-BOSE-RADHIKA-SINGH/dp/8183861571Published 2019

The Reluctant Mother A Story No One Wants To Tell ZEHRA NAQVI

The Reluctant Mother is a book of rage.Rage at being alone in your pain, having your conflict belittled, and your struggles trivialised. It is the story of a young woman who seeks to find herself in a world that constantly tries to define her and who she should be. It is the memoir of an anti-mother. A woman who doesn’t fall in love with her baby at first sight but discovers love along the way.This book is for anyone who feels overwhelmed by the idea of ‘ideal’ motherhood. Be it a woman or a man, one way of confronting trauma is to know that you are not alone in it. To know that someone shares your story and understands your emotions and guilt that accompanies feeling anything other than ‘perfectly blissful’ about motherhood.It is at once heart-breaking and poignant as it is hopeful and comforting. It is the story of one woman and yet the life of many. It reveals how tradition and modernity, faith and reason, pleasure and pain are all so intimately interwoven for women that their true sense of self is inevitably one of contradictions.The book’s biggest strength lies in its rawness and honesty. Nothing but the truth stands here.
Available at: https://www.amazon.in/Reluctant-Mother-Story-Wants-Tell/dp/9391067204Published 2021
#RBTC Uttar Pradesh

Breaking Barriers: The Story of a Liberal Muslim Woman’s Passage in Indian Politics - NAFIS FAZAL

The autobiography of Nafees Fazal, the first Muslim woman to become a minister in South India, is a fascinating account of her political and personal struggles, her triumphs and achievements. Though coming from a very well-to-do family, she chose politics as her chosen profession – which was her aim in life from the time she was 13 as she idolised the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. But the path ahead for her as a devoted Congress party member was not easy, and strewn with numerous hurdles, including disapproval from her community. Nafees’ account of the many political twists and turns in her path, and the Machiavellian tactics used by her opponents make for absorbing reading. She is frank about what she terms as the ‘downfall’ of the Congress party, under Rahul Gandhi. Nafees is also forthright in talking about her religion, and what she thinks need improving. Though a devout Muslim who reads the namaz daily and has been on Hajj, Nafees is against the hijab. While she has fully backed the Modi government on the triple talaq issue and is for a Uniform Civil Code, she is not in favour of the Citizenship Amendment Act. She is also unsparing in her criticism of mullahs and maulvis who she feels have let down the community.
Available at: https://www.amazon.in/BREAKING-BARRIERS-Liberal-Passage-Politics/dp/8195678688Published 2022
#RBTC Karnataka

Purdah to Piccadilly- A Muslim Woman's Struggle for Identity ZARINA BHATTY

Tracing the life of Zarina Bhatty, a Muslim woman born and brought up in pre-Partition India, this memoir narrates the experiences of a woman who strove to break out of the stereotypical roles imposed by the society of her times. It chronicles her life over 80 years, portraying the political and social conditions of undivided and post-Independence India. Zarina’s story is a story of grit, perseverance and determination to battle against all odds ―a story that was waiting to be told.
Available at: https://www.amazon.com/Purdah-Piccadilly-Muslim-Struggle-Identity/dp/9351508242Published 2018

SHAMA ZAIDI Biography

The book "Shama Zaidi" offers a comprehensive insight into the life and career of a versatile personality in the Indian art scene. Shama Zaidi, born on September 25, 1938, in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, has made a name for herself as a screenwriter, costume designer, set designer, theater personality, art critic, and documentary filmmaker. Her education at renowned institutions such as Woodstock School and Miranda House in New Delhi, as well as the Slade School of Art in London, has prepared her for an impressive career. This specialized book highlights the various facets of her work, focusing on her contributions to Indian art and culture. The content is primarily drawn from articles available online from Wikipedia and other free sources, providing a valuable resource for anyone interested in art, music, and design.
Available at: https://www.amazon.com.au/Shama-Zaidi-Lambert-M-Surhone/dp/613099480XPublished 2010

The Lucky Ones - ZARA CHOWDHARY

A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR • FINALIST FOR THE PEN/GALBRAITH AWARD FOR NONFICTION
In 2002, Zara Chowdhary is sixteen years old and living with her family in Ahmedabad, one of India’s fastest-growing cities, when a gruesome train fire claims the lives of sixty Hindu right-wing volunteers and upends the life of five million Muslims. Instead of taking her school exams that week, Zara is put under a three-month siege, with her family and thousands of others fearing for their lives as Hindu neighbors, friends, and members of civil society transform overnight into bloodthirsty mobs, hunting and massacring their fellow citizens. The chief minister of the state at the time, Narendra Modi, will later be accused of fomenting the massacre, and yet a decade later, will rise to become India’s prime minister, sending the “world’s largest democracy” hurtling toward cacophonous Hindu nationalism.
The Lucky Ones traces the past of a multigenerational Muslim family to India’s brave but bloody origins, a segregated city’s ancient past, and the lingering hurt causing bloodshed on the streets. Symphonic interludes offer glimpses into the precious, ordinary lives of Muslims, all locked together in a crumbling apartment building in the city’s old quarters, with their ability to forgive and find laughter, to offer grace even as the world outside, and their place in it, falls apart.
The Lucky Ones entwines lost histories across a subcontinent, examines forgotten myths, prods a family’s secrets, and gazes unflinchingly back at a country rushing to move past the biggest pogrom in its modern history. It is a warning thrown to the world by a young survivor, to democracies that fail to protect their vulnerable, and to homes that won’t listen to their daughters. It is an ode to the rebellion of a young woman who insists she will belong to her land, family, and faith on her own terms.
Available at: https://www.amazon.com/Lucky-Ones-Memoir-Zara-Chowdhary/dp/0593727436Published 2024

Extraordinary desire to Win - ZEENAT ARA

This book is an autobiography of a young bubbling girl who was diagnosed with a rare disease of SMA (Spinal Muscular Atrophy) at very early age. The book travels through the toughness of her mind and body which helped her to carry her journey despite all odds. She was going through a life which was totally different from others—very challenging and full of obstacles. In spite of all these hurdles, she had to continue living. She never took her life so hard, instead she would say, “If Allah (God) had not chosen me to take birth with this problem, life would not have been so interesting.” An inspiring & motivating story for the readers, especially youngsters.
Available at: https://www.prabhatbooks.com/extraordinary-desire-to-win.htmPublished 2024
#RBTC Uttar Pradesh

Bread, Cement, Cactus: A memoir of belonging and dislocation. ANNIE ZAIDI

In this exploration of the meaning of home, Annie Zaidi reflects on the places in India from which she derives her sense of identity. She looks back on the now renamed city of her birth and the impossibility of belonging in the industrial township where she grew up. From her ancestral village, in a region notorious for its gangsters, to the mega-city where she now lives, Zaidi provides a nuanced perspective on forging a sense of belonging as a minority and a migrant in places where other communities consider you an outsider, and of the fragility of home left behind and changed beyond recognition. Zaidi is the 2019/ 2020 winner of the Nine Dots Prize for creative thinking that tackles contemporary social issues. This title is also available as Open Access.
Available at: https://www.amazon.com/Bread-Cement-Cactus-Belonging-Dislocation-ebook/dp/B087D7NJZZPublished 2020
#RBTC Maharashtra

Talat Mahmood: The Definitive Biography SAHAR ZAMAN

Talat Mahmood was a voice like the rustling of winds on a full-moon night. At a time in the Hindi film industry when three men dominated the screen, Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar and Dev Anand, Talat Mahmood’s was a voice which layered both their romantic and tragic personas. Sunil Dutt singing ‘Jalte hain jiske liye’ to Nutan over the phone, Dilip Kumar singing ‘Sham-e-gham ki kasam’ at the candle lit dinner, Dev Anand sitting at Juhu beach murmuring ‘Jayen to jayen kahan’ and Raj Kapoor flirting with Nargis over the piano and singing ‘Dil matwala lakh sambhala’. These are only some of the 800 songs sung by Talat. His good looks also made him Independent India’s first singing star. This was a term which meant that the playback singer also acted on screen as the main lead. The Definitive Biography tracks the very start of his career from his first few Ghazal recordings in AIR Lucknow as a teenager that made his voice a rage. The 1940s bustling town of showbiz in Calcutta where Talat broke into the Modern Bengali music and made a name for himself as Tapan Kumar. And finally, the Golden Era film star for Hindi films in Bombay. A legend of the Golden Era, Undoubtedly, Talat built a huge fan following which wanted to see his handsome face on screen as the films’ hero as well. He acted opposite top heroines such as Nutan, Suraiya and Mala Sinha in his films.
Available at https://www.amazon.in/Talat-Mahmood-Definitive-Sahar-Zaman-ebook/dp/B0CNY51KTXPublished 2023
#RBTC Uttar Pradesh

K.G. Saiyidain : A Life in Education ZAKIA SAIYIDAIN ZAHEER

‘I have sometimes the feeling that what we need most urgently today is not so much new and original ideas – though the magnificent adventure of creative thought should never cease – or educational wisdom of an untasted vintage. We need courage, persistence and faith in the application of ideas and techniques which are generally honoured in theory but ignored in practice.’ KG Saiyidain
Khwaja Ghulamus Saiyidain was born in 1904 in Panipat, Haryana in an educated and erudite family. He was among the foremost thinkers who shaped the Educational policy of independent India. Educated at Aligarh Muslim University and Leeds University in England, Saiyidain secured a first-class first throughout. Saiyidain began his career as Professor of Education and devoted his life to promoting educational, cultural and humanistic values in India and abroad. He worked with Mahatma Gandhi on Wardha Scheme and with Dr Zakir Husain in promoting Basic Education across India. His emphasis was on training teachers in order to cultivate in students an enquiring mind, an open heart and quest for truth. As Secretary of Education, Government of India, Saiyidain was integral to India’s relationship with UNESCO and with many other national and international Institutes and Universities. Recognized as an educationist and a humanist, Saiyidain was the recipient of many Indian and international awards. Saiyidain promoted humanist and cultural values through his words and pen. He wrote both in Urdu and English. His books Faith of an Educationist, University and the Life of the Mind and The Humanist Traditions in Indian Educational Thought continue to be relevant even today.
Available at https://www.amazon.in/Saiyidain-Education-Zakia-Zaheer-Hameed/dp/9382616268/ref=Published 2015

Fiction- Short Stories/Novels

A Word Thrice Uttered: PARVEEN TALHA

A Word Thrice Uttered: Stories on Life’s Realities is a collection of short stories portraying the diverse realities of life through the protagonists – children, women, men, animals, even super naturals. While Ratan’s story is one of irreparable damage to a child’s psyche, through callous handling, spilling onto his adult life, Ram Khilawan’s is a contrast where familial love inspires a child to put aside his trauma and attain the impossible despite poverty. Who would believe that, even in independent India, children are bought and sold, to slog as cheap labour, in a city like Allahabad, which gave to India one Prime Minister after another? Where children are not spared, what would the plight of animals be! But here the author infuses hope through stories where animals return in equal measure the love and trust they receive from humans who treat them as family. Readers meet fascinating women confronted with irresponsible men and downright evil ones too. But nothing stops these women from taking the first step to a leap into liberation and self-empowerment. There are gentle touches into sensitive areas, through the thought processes of little Aslam and the experiences of Hafizji and his family. Panditayin, wrapped in the Ganga-Jumuni tehzeeb, makes readers long to turn the clock, back into that golden era. The supernatural characters here are not the run-of-the-mill horror models. Their stories have a plot, run on a theme and have turns and twists, which make these Supernaturals.
Available at: https://www.amazon.in/Word-Thrice-Uttered-Stories-Realities/dp/9385285874Published 2017
#RBTC Uttar Pradesh

Koi Good News: ZARREEN KHAN

The hilarious private journal of a highly public pregnancy. When Mona Mathur of Dehradun had married her college sweetheart Ramit Deol of Amritsar, there were two things she wasn't prepared for: 1. The size of the Deol family - it put any Sooraj Barjatiya movie to shame. The fertility of the Deol family - they reproduce faster than any other species known to mankind For four years now, Mona and Ramit have done the unthinkable and remained childless. Of course, that also means that they've battled that one question day in and day out: 'Koi Good News?'It doesn't matter that they have been happy to be child-free - they are married; they are expected to make babies. After all, there are grandparents, great-grandparents, uncles, aunts and even colony aunties in waiting. Brutally honest, thoroughly irreverent, Koi Good News? is the funniest book you'll read this year.
Available at: https://www.amazon.com/Koi-Good-News-Zarreen-Khan/dp/9352779053/ref=sr_Published May 2018

Zohra: ZEENUTH FUTEHALLY

Zohra, written by Zeenuth Futehally, is perhaps the first novel in English by an Indian woman. Set in early-twentieth century Hyderabad, this is the story of an upper-class Muslim woman, Zohra, whose emotional growth and development mirrors the development of the Indian national consciousness. Zohra is forced to marry against her wishes at the age of eighteen at the cost of her creative inclinations. What follows is her increasing distance from her husband who does not share her creative interests and her friendship and love for her brother-in-law Hamid, who is very much the face of modern India. Zohra subjugates her desire for Hamid in the face of her sense of inviolable duty, and finally escapes the social conventions that bind her, but only through the ultimate tragedy - death.
What makes this novel valuable is the rich depiction of the way of life of Zeenuth Futehally's native Hyderabad, as well as her compassionate understanding of how women were restricted by the wishes of their parents and husbands. First published in 1951, the current volume has been edited by Rummana Futehally Denby and also includes an Introduction by her. Zohra will be of interest to general readers of fiction and those interested in Indian writing in English, gender issues, and the social history of modern India.
Available at: https://www.amazon.com/Zohra-Oxford-Collection-Zeenuth-Futehally/dp/B007K5GXFOPublished Edition 2008 [ first published 1951)

The Sirens of September ZEENATH KHAN

Historical Fiction of Hyderabad 1948, Partition, and Espionage | Hyderabad’s Fall, Partition, and a Story of Love, Secrets, and
A sweeping historical coming-of-age novel set against India’s 1948 takeover of Hyderabad, The Sirens of September shifts between the palaces of princely Hyderabad, the refugee camps of post-Partition Bombay, army command rooms and the seedy lanes of London’s Piccadilly. Farishteh Ali Khan, an aristocratic teenager who enjoys a gilded existence, tumbles into a web of international espionage, political intrigue and dark family secrets. A few chance meetings between her and an air force pilot, Saleem El Edroos, lead to them striking up a long-distance courtship. When Hyderabad falls, the new regime makes the Ali Khans and the Edrooses answer for their old loyalties. The one person who can come to their aid can also tear Farishteh’s family apart.
Available at: https://www.penguin.co.in/book/the-sirens-of-september/Published 2025

Sunlight on a Broken Column ATTIA HOSAIN

Laila, orphaned daughter of a distinguished Muslim family, is brought up by her orthodox aunts who keep purdah. At 15, she moves to the home of a "liberal" uncle in Lucknow. Here, during the 1930s, as the struggle for independence sharpens, Laila is surrounded by relatives and university friends caught up in politics. But Laila is unable to commit herself to any her own fight for independence is a struggle with traditional life as she falls in love with a man not chosen by her family. With its beautiful evocation of India, its political insight and unsentimental understanding of the human heart, this is a classic of Muslim life.
Available at: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/231534.Sunlight_on_a_Broken_ColumnPublished Edition1992 [ first published 1961)

History's Angel: ANJUM HASAN

The story of a middle-aged man in contemporary India discovering that neither his life nor his country are as stable as he thought. Anjum Hasan is an Indian poet and novelist. She was born in Shillong, Meghalaya and currently lives in Bangalore, India. She has also contributed poems, articles and short stories to various national and international publications.

Available at: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60784780-history-s-angelPublished 2023
#RBTC Northeast

The Murder at Lemon Tree Grove- ANDALEEB WAJID

Everybody except... Okay, let me go back to the beginning. I'm living my dream life with Saad, away from the family, in a new neighbourhood and everything is perfect. Except that my next-door neighbour, a crusty old lady, who yells at everyone and whom everyone on the street hates, seems to hate me? My quirky charm doesn’t work on her and I'm quite peeved but there isn't much I can do. But the old lady turns up dead one morning. And what seems like a perfunctory natural death becomes murky when the truth emerges that she was murdered. When her grieving and grown-up kids turn up in India for the funeral, I need to delve deeper and uncover the mystery behind her death. The only problem is that when Iqra Investigates, mayhem and chaos can't be far behind.
Andaleeb Wajid has 71 books on Goodreads with 8395 ratings. Andaleeb Wajid’s most popular book is My Brother's Wedding. After two life-changing tragedies in 2021, the author chooses to self publish because she has no time to lose. Her book the Henna Start-up is winner of the Crossword Book Award and the Neev Book Award,
Available at: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61759490-the-murder-at-lemon-tree-grovePublished 2022
#RBTC Karnataka

He loved me enough to let me go - HUMA TANWEER

How long does it take to truly know someone? What would you do if destiny twisted the road you took? What if it threw you to a place you did not want to go? Would you fight, would you run or would you accept? Set across two states in India, He loved me enough to let me go is a gripping story of few significant years of Aarushi’s and Ayaan’s life. What is the mystery behind the separation of Aarushi and Ayaan? What is Ayaan's version of their separation story? Do they get over their feelings for each other and move on? Or, do they decide to get back together? Does their complicated love story lead to a happy ending or does it end in a disaster? It is a beautiful love story about the pain and sacrifice, and how love, hope and determination can together win over even the destiny.
Available at: https://www.amazon.com/loved-enough-let-Huma-Tanweer/dp/164951316XPublished 2020

Womanistan - MEHNAAZ NADIADWALA

A gripping and inspiring Script with a well-penned screenplay written by Dr. Mehnaaz Nadiadwala that speaks about the importance of One Empowered women with the joining of many others who makes a huge difference to societies old dogmas, practices, and traditions and brings about a radical change in the way women are treated and looked upon. The story captures the struggles of an international girl who is moved to see the pitiful state of women issues that Indian women are facing, and steps up to make a radical shift by adopting proactive and institutional measures with difficult and life-threatening challenges she faces. Every page is a mystery and will keep you anguishing to read more. Dr. Nadiadwala has also written two other books available on amazon under her author's page.
Available at: https://www.amazon.in/Womanistaan-Mehnaaz-Nadiadwala/dp/1638504784Published 2021

The Monkey at Tableland - ASHEE NEMAT

Lunacy of Love and War is a symposium of love memoirs that’s- as robust as war, spilled words by a poet. A poet, who loses in love, is synonym to a wounded warrior and its lunacy in poetry can be canvassed out. We relive the amnesiis through memoirs in poetic alliteration and anecdotes that sums up the complex human reflection of agony, ache, apprehension, when you nurse these wounds- words spills poem. Universal brotherhood is another arena after this pandemic strike that needs to be articulated. We stand in unity against our diversity of black and white, religion caste region biases. World needs empathy to cure itself. Short stories go by the narrative of a monkey Bob, that’s a hard-hitting satire and irony on mankind framed at Tableland, Panchgani. This story enchants you with its narration of animals living at a volcanic plateau- tableland. The story verses itself around a Donkey-Rom, a bull and cow- Kii & Kaa, Laalia- his love interest, the cascading river, hemlock tree and murder mystery, its melancholy will sure rivet the readers. A story on lost love that reunites in pandemic, is definitely a feast for readers titled ‘Catacomb of Memoirs’ Another quaint tale of swindler NAWAB-messed up with quirk of his fate and finds himself entangled in social jargon of Indian social order; he allures his lady love and raises voice against customary but finds himself more complexed and webbed up and tops up in a satirical way amusing reader. The fifth story squawk of horror element’ with a paranormal twist with an unnerving ending… Here the Djinn named Jamaal rescues and befriends Sameer, and twist the story by ending up in a grove. All in all, these bunch of story will captivate and will persuade you to, a world of paranormal experience, Your love emotions, the catastrophe of pandemic as well as the fragmented social thread that needs voicing.
Available at: https://www.amazon.com/Monkey-at-Tableland-Ashee-Nemat-ebook/dp/B08PKFMC98Published 2020
#RBTC Maharashtra

Sultana's Dream: ROKEYA SAKHWAT HOSSAIN

Sultana's Dream is a 1905 feminist utopian story written by Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain, a Muslim feminist, writer and social reformer from Bengal. It depicts a feminist utopia (called Ladyland) in which women run everything and men are secluded, in a mirror-image of the traditional practice of purdah. The women are aided by science fiction-esque "electrical" technology which enables laborless farming and flying cars; the women scientists have discovered how to trap solar power and control the weather. This results in "a sort of gender-based Planet of the Apes where the roles are reversed and the men are locked away in a technologically advanced future. Sultana’s Dream, first published in 1905 in a Madras English newspaper, is a witty feminist utopiaa tale of reverse purdah that posits a world in which men are confined indoors and women have taken over the public sphere, ending a war nonviolently and restoring health and beauty to the world. "The Secluded Ones" is a selection of short sketches, first published in Bengali newspapers, illuminating the cruel and comic realities of life in purdah.
Available at: https://www.amazon.com/Sultanas-Selections-Secluded-Feminist-Sourcebook/dp/0935312838Published 1988
#RBTC Past Inspirations

Loal Kashmir: Love and Longing in a Torn Land MEHAK JAMAL

A rare collection of stories of love, longing and loss from a region that has witnessed decades of conflict, Loal Kashmir seeks to answer the question: what happens when you cannot communicate your longing to your beloved? Loal, the Kashmiri word for love and affection, is the common thread running through all sixteen of these true-life narratives: Javed, on his way to show off his love letter to a friend, gets caught in a crackdown; newlywed Zara waits to be reunited with her husband in America, her visa application flagged indefinitely; Sagar and Aalmeen plan moments of stolen time during the uncertainty of militancy; Nadiya looks for Shahid from her window, coughing as caustic fumes of tear gas seep in; Khawar and Iqra struggle to reach each other when the abrogation of Article 370 leads to a shutdown across Kashmir. While the waves of discord in the Valley have been cemented in history, what has been rendered invisible are the lived experiences of its inhabitants. Loal Kashmir, by gathering the tenderest of Kashmir's tales--its accounts of love--attempts correcting this lapse.Available at:https://www.amazon.in/Loal-Kashmir-Love-Longing-Torn-ebook/dp/B0DQR3QB53Published 2025
#RBTC Kashmir

Baby's Breath : SHAHNAZ ZAIDI

Amidst art and fiction was born the reality of Pari’s life .The story takes you on the incredible journey of compassion, empathy and humanity through the eyes of a new born who is atypical in many ways. Pari carves a space in everyone’s heart. She is here to take you into her world of reality through the whispers of Khan’s Haveli ,the chatter and giggles of her college life and the romance, despair and passion of her young adulthood. Set in the mid-fifties, Baby’s Breath is a contemporary fiction that paves its way swiftly through the innocence and adventures of Pari’s fostered childhood, transforming her into a brave young adult, through unconditional love, utmost patience, appreciation and encouragement showered by her caregivers. It portrays how these emotions and conviction in her ability to succeed in life, allows Pari to be the best version of herself. It’s a story where trials and tribulations are embraced and small but significant victories rejoiced. Pari is like you yet so different. Come witness her journey, just hold her hand and navigate your way into her world full of colors.
Shahnaz Zaidi is also the author of Birds of Paradise
Available at: https://www.amazon.in/Babys-Breath-Shahnaz-Zaidi/dp/1638066558Published 2021
#RBTC Uttar Pradesh

The Sun, The Moon And The Love In Between SAHAR QUAZI (co-author)

Azhar Siddiqui is your average not-so-good-looking but pure-at-heart kind of a guy who always believes that his true love is somewhere out there, waiting for him. But call it circumstances or plain old luck, Azhar’s experiences with women always lead to his inevitable heartbreak. After his best friend, Ishaan, breaks his trust, Azhar feels that he has lost it all. Depression and loneliness lead him to social media where he connects with the beautiful Zahra. Without physically meeting up, the two hit it off like they are made for each other but Zahra has a secret, one which Azhar is not aware of, one that has consumed her all her life and has impacted the lives of those around her. What will happen when Azhar comes to know about it? A story of love, friendship and hope, 'The Sun, The Moon and The Love In Between' is an intensely emotional roller-coaster that promises to make you smile, laugh and cry.
Available at: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/72423800-the-sun-the-moon-and-the-love-in-betweenPublished 2020
#RBTC Maharashtra

House of Discord- SADIQA PEERBHOY

A discordant family in a hate-driven city…will they find the ties that bind?A tough matriarch; an effete father who escapes reality; a rebellious son who marries a Muslim girl; a depressed spinster daughter; a resident ghost and the discovery of some strange family secrets… The Deshmukhs of Barrot House are barely surviving in a rambling house in the middle of Bombay when violence knocks on the door.The post-Babri Masjid Bombay of 1992 is a city wallowing in hate. The Deshmukhs find themselves in the vortex of the raging storm.Will the famed Spirit of Bombay eventually rediscover the healing magic of communal tolerance? Will the family rediscover the love that will help them survive.
Sadiqa Peerbhoy spins a multilayered family saga—a metaphor for the city she grew up in. Sadiqa is the author of several fiction books.
Available at: https://www.amazon.in/House-Discord-Breaking-Family-Burning/dp/9385854461Published 2017
#RBTC Karnataka

Days of Gold and Sepia- YASMEEN PREMJI

'... a novel in the classic tradition. A powerful narrative developed against the backdrop of a turbulent century, an epic cast of characters that involves the reader in their destinies by their authenticity and vitality, a rare sensitivity to the nuances of human passion and suffering ... Such control of the craft of storytelling is astonishing in a fiction debut'-Girish Karnad 'A hauntingly elegiac evocation of old Bombay, written with sensitivity and compassion, Days of Gold and Sepia marks the assured debut of a compelling storyteller' -Shashi Tharoor This is the saga of Lalljee Lakha as he rises from his humble beginnings as a penniless orphan in his desert homeland of Kutch to amass a large fortune as Bombay's 'Cotton King'. Set against the eventful period between India's War for Independence in 1857 and the fledgling freedom struggle of the early twentieth century, this sweeping tale is peopled by a vibrant array of characters - merchant princes and maharajas, courtesans and soothsayers, pirates, freedom fighters and soldiers of the British Raj. Days of Gold and Sepia paints the portrait of a man of courage and character, and is the story of the discovery of life, the pain of a passionate and doomed love and family feuds, and of great personal integrity and human frailty.
Available at: https://www.amazon.in/Days-Gold-Sepia-Yasmeen-Premji/dp/93502933072012
#RBTC Karnataka

Urma - DEEBA SALIM IRFAN

A simple but riveting narrative, Urma is about an orphaned Iranian girl who was forced to migrate to Paris to escape the heat of the 1979 revolution. Departure from Tehran had its own stakes for her – not only was she displaced from her homeland but she also had to leave behind her childhood friends and her lover, without any hopes of seeing them in the near future.
Deeba Salim Irfan has been writing since childhood, ever since she had to leave her parents who were in Iran, to live with her grand parents back in India. This partition from her parents was a gift of Iranian revolution. Angst, agony & anger vented through words took shape of poems and prose that she kept well hidden in her drawers until much later. Deeba’s 3 books have already been published internationally in the last 8 years. Her first novel, URMA, was published in 2012. The translation in Urdu followed and so did the nomination for an award by Urdu Press Club. Next, a collection of poetry was published in 2016, CHARCOAL BLUSH and was a finalist at the Book Excellence Awards in Canada. A few of her poems have been translated into other languages. Charcoal Blush has received admiration and appreciation from internationally acclaimed literary celebrities including Academy & Emmy Award winning directors. Her latest novel is 355 DAYS, a crime thriller, inspired by true events.
Available at: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13615278-urmaPublished 2012

Appi, Etcetra and So-On: Of love, law, life and the lawyer, with due decorum BATUL MUKHTIAR

A light, frothy romance, APPI, ETCETRA AND SO-ON is the story of a young feminist lawyer, who becomes more comfortable in her skin as she loosens her grip over her past and accepts that people are more vulnerable than they seem. Appi, a young lawyer, finds adult life complicated. Her childhood love, So-On treats her like a buddy. Her younger sister, Etcetra is brash and maybe, involved with a married man. Her aunt, Ogre, pampers Etcetra. Her father, Dodo, neglects them, busy with rural medical camps. Her friend, Comma is contemplating an arranged marriage. And her strongly feminist boss, Neempatta whom she idolizes, asks her to take on the divorce case of High BP, a man she hates since junior college. She is not convinced that High BP, a super-rich, arrogant and flamboyant playboy, deserves their help. But as the case proceeds, Appi finds High BP sensitive, intelligent and loyal, and is attracted to him. She discovers So-On is whining and indecisive, Etcetra is responsible, Ogre needs love and Dodo loves them. She also discovers that she is more fun and fearless than she imagined herself to be.
Available at: https://www.amazon.com/Appi-Etcetra-So-lawyer-decorum/dp/1703975979Published 2019
#RBTC Maharashtra

An accidental bloodline - NUZAR MANNAN

The story of a family spanning three generations , the discovery of relationships and the obligations that bloodlines, however accidental or unacceptable, demand.
Available at: https://www.amazon.in/ACCIDENTAL-BLOODLINE-NUZAR-MANNAN-ebook/dp/B08GJ38J9RPublished 2020
#RBTC West Bengal

Combat Skirts - SAHANA AHMED

Novel story- Enrolled in an Army hostel to study Law, Saba is torn between her duty towards her parents and her newfound freedom. To complicate matters, she has more suitors than she can handle. Who will she choose? The old crush? The college hotshot? Or the mysterious Lieutenant?
Sahana Ahmed is also editor of Amity: peace poems
Available at: https://www.amazon.com/Combat-Skirts-Sahana-Ahmed/dp/B07LCGJ16VPublished 2018
#RBTC West Bengal

Non Fiction Writings on Muslims/Women

Born a Muslim: Some Truths About Islam in India GHAZALA WAHAB

Winner of Tata Literature Live ! Book of the Year Award- Non-fiction 2021 Winner of Atta Galatta- Bangalore Literature Festival – Book of the Year 2021 (Non-fiction) Who are the Indian Muslims? Are they a monolithic community practising a faith alien to India? Or are they a diverse people, geographically rooted in the cultural ethos of the land? Is there an ?Indian Islam?, a religion that grew out of Arabia but was nurtured in India and influenced by local traditions and customs? Has the power of Islam declined over the centuries because the faithful have forgotten the spirit of the religion, and are sticking to dogma and rigid rules instead? Born a Muslim: Some Truths about Islam in India attempts to answer these questions by taking a hard look at how the world?s second largest religion is practised in the country. The author takes a clear-eyed look at every aspect of Islam in India today. She examines the factors that have stalled the socio-economic and intellectual growth of Indian Muslims and attributes both internal factors?such as a disproportionate reliance on the ulema?as well as external ones that have contributed to the backwardness of the community. She shows at length, and with great empathy and understanding, what it is like to live as a Muslim in India and offers suggestions on how their lot might be improved. Weaving together personal memoir, history, reportage, scholarship, and interviews with a wide variety of people, the author highlights how an apathetic and sometimes hostile government attitude and prejudice at all levels of society have contributed to Muslim vulnerability and insecurity. Born a Muslim goes beyond stereotypes and news headlines to present an extraordinarily compelling and illuminating portrait of one of the largest and most diverse communities in India.
Ghazala Wahab is also the author of Dragon on the Doorstep: Managing China Through Military Power
Available at https://www.amazon.in/BORN-MUSLIM-Truths-About-Islam/dp/9390652162Published 2021
#RBTC Uttar Pradesh

Contested Homelands: Politics of Space and Identity NAZIMA PERVEEN

This book argues that the changing character of Muslim community and their living space in Delhi is a product of historical processes. The discourse of homeland and the realities of Partition established the notion of 'Muslim-dominated areas' as 'exclusionary' and 'contested' zones. These localities turned out to be those pockets where the dominant ideas of nation had to be engineered, materialized and practiced. The book makes an attempt to revisit these complexities by investigating community-space relationship in colonial and postcolonial Delhi. It raises two fundamental questions: How did community and space relation come to be defined on religious lines? In what ways were 'Muslim-dominated' areas perceived as contested zones? Invoking the ideas of homeland as a useful vantage point to enter into the wider discourse around the conceptualization of space, the book suggests that the relation between Muslim communities and their living spaces has evolved out of a long process of politicization and communalization of space in Delhi.
Available at : https://www.amazon.com/Contested-Homelands-Politics-Space-Identity/dp/9389000904Published 2021

Questioning the Muslim Woman: Identity and insecurity in an Urban India Locality- NIDA KIRMANI

The marginalisation of Muslims in India has recently been the subject of heated public debate. In these discussions, however, Muslim women are often either overlooked or treated as a homogenous group with a common set of interests. Focusing on the narratives of women living in a predominantly Muslim colony in South Delhi, this book attempts to demonstrate the complexity of their lives and the multiple levels of insecurity they face. Unlike other studies on Indian Muslims that focus on Islam as a defining factor, this book highlights the ways in which religious identity intersects with other identities including class/status, regional affiliation and gender.
The author also sheds light on the impact of such events as the Babri Masjid demolition in 1992 and the subsequent riots, the Gujarat communal carnage in 2002, and the anti-Sikh violence in New Delhi in 1984, along with the rise of Hindutva, and growing Islamophobia experienced worldwide in the post-9/11 period - on the articulation of identities at the local level and increasing religion-based spatial segregation in Indian cities. The study highlights how these incidents combine in different ways to increase the sense of marginalisation experienced by Muslims at the level of the locality.
Understanding the need to look beyond preconceived religious categories, this book will serve as essential reading for those interested in sociology, anthropology, gender, religious and urban studies, as well as policymakers and organisations concerned with issues related to religious minorities in India.
Available at : https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9781315540924/questioning-muslim-woman-nida-kirmaniPublished 2013

Negotiating Political Spaces- Representation of Muslim Women in the local self governance, SABIHA HUSSAIN

Muslim women are subject to a combination of principles varying from patriarchal norms to a relatively modern egalitarian social role, the existing social environment of Indian politics, prevailing gender inequality and oppression resulting in their educational, economic, and political marginalization. Political participation and representation of Muslim women is generally explained and understood largely from the religio-cultural perspective and hence, ignoring the social structure, economic development and politico-historical factors. It is argued that it is essential and crucial as well to look at and view the broader social and political influences along with economic resources which to a large extent, play a pivotal role in shaping women’s autonomy and agency to participate in politics.
The major argument of this book is to unravel the common perception about Muslim women as politically inactive, unassertive or not able to negotiate their place in active politics, and they do not want or are not allowed to participate in politics owing to their religion. This created perception is mainly because of scanty empirical studies or narratives that have been conducted/documented on the aspiration, assertion, and constraints of Muslim women who are willing to participate in politics and on the success stories of Muslim women who despite all odds were able to negotiate political spaces and have made an impact in the community and society. Most important is that very few micro studies have been conducted on Muslim women’s political participation and representation from gender, community, and political space perspectives.
This book attempts to highlight all these perspectives and also how the selected women representatives were able to negotiate the political spaces and tried to break the boundaries of patriarchal norms, identity politics and lack of political will. Based on empirical data, the book provides a space for the policymakers or the parliamentarians to think about some affirmative action policy particularly a quota within quota which would increase the representation of Muslim women in the wider national politics.
Sabiha Hussain, was former Professor and Director of Sarojini Naidu Centre for Women’s Studies and Centre for Inclusive Policies, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. She worked for a decade at the Centre for Women’s Development Studies, New Delhi. Her areas of interest include gender and development, feminist methodology, gendered ageing health and well-being, education and livelihood, issues of Muslim women rights and entitlements. She has authored seven books and many research articles in national and international academic journals. She has been nominated by National Human Rights Commission as a member of ‘Women’s Rights Group’ and is a recipient of Teacher Fellowship, General Fellowship, and National Merit Scholarship.
Available at : https://aakarbooks.com/product/negotiating-political-spaces-representation-of-muslim-women-in-the-local-self-governance/
Published 2024

Contemporary Muslim Girlhoods in India : SABA HUSSAIN

Based on empirical research in India, this book presents a post-colonial feminist analysis of subjectivities available to Muslim girls and the ways in which they are inhabited and negotiated. Examining government education policies together with the narratives of teachers and parents, the author explores the manner in which gender, class, ethnicity and religion intersect both to confer certain subjectivities and to challenge or reinforce the conferred subjectivities. A study of the imposition of subjectivities that label Muslim girls as economically subordinate and culturally different, Contemporary Muslim Girlhoods in India analyses Muslim girls’ reconstructions of self through a combination of reflexivity, resilience and agency, and conformity. Drawing on the thought of Pierre Bourdieu and Nancy Fraser, this volume offers an original contribution to the study of gendered minorities, institutions and relationships in post-colonial contexts, and an alternative to identitarian politics or cultural explanations of Muslim women’s educational deprivation in India. As such, it will appeal to scholars of sociology and gender studies with interests in education, class, religion and identity.
Available at : https://www.amazon.com/dp/0367728354?lv=shuf&channelId=510&plpRedirect=mhFallbackPublished December 2020

Ayodhya Without Communal Stamp NILOFAR SUHRAWARDY

Communal riots raged across India when a mosque (Babri Masjid) in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh was demolished on December 6, 1992. The writer saw live telecast of the demolition while studying in Madison (Wisconsin, USA). She was disturbed by the demolition and also by media reports blaming Hindu "terrorists" for the incident and accompanying riots. She countered these accusations through her articles written for several newspapers and also expressed her views in an interview to a local television channel in Wisconsin. She stated that the entire Hindu community should not be described as terrorist for violence being indulged in by less than a percentage of their population. Twenty-eight years have passed since the incident but she has not ceased to defend Indian secularism through her writings for national and international papers as well as journals and the stating the same through other outlets of media, including television and radio. She has also repeatedly raised questions about religions, Islam, Hinduism and Sikhism being easily linked with terrorism. The trend to blame blacks and browns as terrorists has also been strongly criticized by her. When these questions were first posed by her, during early 90s, while she was in USA, according to some observers, she was the first person to do so. She was personally asked as to wasn't she scared while posing these questions? On her return to India, she decided to pen a book on the subject. That was also the period when people were scared to write and publish books on the sensitive issue. She fearlessly moved on with her writings. The paperback version of this book was published in 2006. Sixteen years have passed since its publication and 28 since the demolition of the mosque. Though attempts are still made to incite communal frenzy over the issue, in general, people have ceased to be provoked by the same. The issue, however, still remains politically fairly active for certain extremist parties and leaders. Religion, in her opinion, is a sensitive nerve, which certain elements try to provoke for creating disturbance. In the book, she has traced the role played by various means of communication to arouse communal fervor over Ayodhya. And how it gradually faded away. This analysis holds significance even today. This has prompted her to present the book in a kindle format. Hard bound copy of this book was published by Manak Publications (P) Ltd. in 2006.
Available at: https://www.amazon.in/Ayodhya-Without-Communal-Stamp-Secularism-ebook/dp/B08R29Z6B2Published 2006

Beyond Hybridity and Fundamentalism: Emerging Muslim Identity in Globalized India TABASSUM RUHI KHAN

The question of identity, and especially its formation among youth, has received significant academic attention as our worlds become intricately and unpredictably connected through satellite televisions, mobile telephones, Internet, and social networking platforms. Marking a distinct addition to such scholarship, this volume is an ethnographic study of the under-investigated issue of Indian Muslim youth's emergent subjectivity in a media-saturated globalized Indian society.
The author develops the idea of 'convoluted modernity' to explain Muslim youth's reactions to multifarious and divergent influences both from the East as well as the West shaping their everyday life. The concept illustrates how Muslim youths' ideas about self and community draw equally on MTV as on Peace TV to create a complex truck between consumerist hedonism and globalized Islam.
Introducing a new perspective to studies on globalization, media, and cultural politics, this book shows how interpolation of local and global in the accelerated virtual spheres, and their contextual interpretation within an expanding economy, notwithstanding Muslim youth's disadvantaged position, shape alternate modernities rife with ambiguities and beyond binaries of progress and regression.
Available at :https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0199453616/ref=oxPublished 2015

Unequal Citizens - A study of Muslim Women in India ZOYA HASAN

This path-breaking study dispels popular misperceptions and stereotypes regarding the status of Muslim women in India and seriously engages with academic debates on gender and Islam. The data and interpretative analysis, based on the first-ever national survey of Muslim and Hindu women of India, cover a range of issues from education, work, socio-economic status, and marriage, to autonomy, mobility, domestic violence, access to welfare, and political participation.
Available at https://www.amazon.in/UNEQUAL-CITIZENS-OIP-Zoya-Hasan/dp/0195684591Published 2006
#RBTC Delhi

Muslim Leadership and Women's Education: Uttar Pradesh 1886-1947 by NASREEN AHMED

This is a broad study of the efforts at modern education for Muslim women, especially with reference to the Aligarh Movement and the initiatives inspired by it in other parts of UP, namely Lucknow, Allahabad, Rampur and Agra. The role of Muslim leaders, both male and female, the nature of the problems they encountered and the manner in which they countered them is the major thrust of this study. In the process we are introduced to the major debates on women and education during the course of late nineteenth and the first half of the twentieth century. The author breaks many stereotypes as we learn that it was the more traditional among the Muslim leadership, rather than the ‘modernisers’, who pioneered women’s education and that Muslim women themselves played a major role in nurturing the first institutions under their personal care. Based on an extensive range of primary sources and contemporary writings in English, Urdu, Hindi and Persian, this is a definitive work in many ways, gives food for thought on developments other than its main theme and will be useful to those concerned with women’s studies, social reform, education and modernity in colonial India, particularly with reference to Muslims. Cover photo: Papa Mian (Sheikh Abdullah, 1864-1965) and Waheed Jahan Begum (1884-1939), founders of the first school for Muslim girls in Aligarh. Back cover: Carriage used to bring girls to school, accompanied by a female escort. (1923). The contents include:
1. Muslim Women’s Education in the Nineteenth Century: A Study of the Traditionalist Attitudes
2. Efforts for the Education of Muslim Women, 1857-1885
3. Aligarh Movement and Muslim Women’s Education, 1875-1902
4. Female Education Section: Early Discussions, 1896-1904
5. A School for Muslim Girls at Aligarh
6. From Female Normal School to Muhammadan Girls’ School, 1906-1910
7. A Degree College Managed by the University
8. Establishment of Schools by Other Indigenous Efforts: Lucknow, Allahabad, Rampur and Agra.
Available at https://www.commonfolks.in/books/d/muslim-leadership-and-women-s-educationPublished 2012

Unveiling India: A Woman's Journey ANEES JUNG

The Women In This Book Are Not Extraordinary Or Famous, And Yet Their Stories And Testimonies, Narrated Here By One Of India S Best-Known Women Journalists, Provide A Passionate, Often Deeply Touching, Revelation Of What It Means To Be A Woman In India Today. The Women Tell Of Marriage And Widowhood, Unfair Work Practices, Sexual Servitude, The Problems Of Bearing And Rearing Children In Poverty, Religion, Discrimination, Other Forms Of Exploitation. Yet They Also Talk Of Fulfilling Relationships, The Joys Of Marriage And Children, The Exhilaration Of Breaking Free From The Bonds Of Tradition, Ritual, Caste, Religion. Interwoven With All This Is The Story Of One Woman's Journey-Of How Anees Jung, The Author, Brought Up In Purdah, Succeeded In Shaking Off The Restricting Influences Of Her Traditional Upbringing To Become A Highly Successful, Independent Career Woman, Still A Comparatively Rare Phenomenon In India.
As Such, The Book Is Essential Reading For Anyone Wishing To Understand The Women Of India-The Silent Majority That Is Now Beginning To Make Itself Heard.
Available at https://www.amazon.com/Unveiling-India-Womans-Journey-Paperback/dp/B010WI6J9UPublished 1987

Changing India- A Muslim Woman Speaks IQBALUNNISA HUSSAIN

Iqbalunnisa Hussain was born in Bangalore in 1897. She was married at the age of 15 to Syed Ahmed Hussain, an official in the Mysore government who encouraged her to acquire an education. She joined a school in Mysore and later the Maharanias College from where she obtained her BA degree and a gold medal by correspondence in 1930. In 1933, she travelled to the UK for her Masteras in Education at Leeds University, thus becoming one of the few middle class Muslim Women from India to obtain a degree from the UK.
She represented India at the Twelfth International Women as Congress at Istanbul in September 1935 and was a keen member of the All-India Womenas Conferences. In Bangalore she founded a school where she encouraged Muslim girls to acquire an education while also providing training in rug making, carpet weaving, embroidery, cutting and sewing. Her students participated in the Girl Guides, were good debaters, and keen performers in dramas and plays. She is the author of several books including Changing India: A Muslim Woman Speaks, Purdah and Polygamy: Life in an Indian Muslim Household.
Available at https://www.amazon.com/Changing-India-Muslim-Woman-Speaks/dp/0199068364Published 2015

But You Don't Look Like a Muslim - RAKHSHANDA JALIL

What does it mean to be Muslim in India?What does it mean to look like one's religion?Does one's faith determine how one is perceived?Is there a secular ideal one is supposed to live up to?Can people of different faiths have a shared culture, a shared identity?India has, since time immemorial, been plural, multi-cultural, multi-ethnic and multi-lingual, where various streams have fed into and strengthened each other, and where dissimilarities have always been a cause for rejoicing rather than strife. These writings, on and about being Muslim in India, by Rakhshanda Jalil - one of the country's foremost literary historians and cultural commentators - excavate memories, interrogate dilemmas, and rediscover and celebrate a nation and its syncretic culture. But You Don't Look Like a Muslim is a book that every thinking Indian must read.
Rakhshanda Jalil is the author of several books including her latest book Love in the Time of Hate, Preeto and Other Stories: The Male Gaze in Urdu, Neither Night Nor Day, A Rebel and Her Cause: The Life and Work of Rashid Jahan, Pigeons of the Domes: Stories on Communalism, The Loharu Legacy: A Saga of Generations, many others
Available at https://www.amazon.in/But-Dont-Look-Like-Muslim/dp/9353026814Published 2019
#RBTC Delhi

The Indian Muslims: Ground Realities to the Largest Minority Community in India HUMRA QURAISHI

This book is based on the author’s writings of the last many years. In fact, after the Babri Masjid destruction the author has been focusing on the largest minority community in the country – the Indian Muslims or to use the traditional term, the Musalmaans of Hindoostan. Writing extensively on their living conditions together with the challenges they face in everyday life. Putting together facts and factors to their struggles on any given sphere. Humra Quraishi is a Delhi based writed-columnist-journalist. Her books include Kashmir–The Unending Tragedy: Reports from the Frontlines; The Untold Story; a volume of her collective writings, Views: Yours and Mine; two short story collections, Bad Time Tales and More Bad Time Tales; a volume, Divine Legacy: Dagars & Dhrupad; debut novel - Meer... Her short stories have been published in several magazines and journals. She has co-authored The Good, the Bad and the Ridiculous: Profiles; Absolute Khushwant and a series of writings with the late Khushwant Singh. Humra Quraishi is a Delhi based writed-columnist-journalist. Her books include Kashmir–The Unending Tragedy: Reports from the Frontlines; The Untold Story; a volume of her collective writings, Views: Yours and Mine; two short story collections, Bad Time Tales and More Bad Time Tales; a volume, Divine Legacy: Dagars & Dhrupad; debut novel - Meer... Her short stories have been published in several magazines and journals. She has co-authored The Good, the Bad and the Ridiculous: Profiles; Absolute Khushwant and a series of writings with the late Khushwant Singh.
Available at https://www.amazon.in/INDIAN-MUSLIMS-Realities-Minority-Community/dp/9350027283Published 2021

Status of Muslim Women in India- SAMIYA TABASSUM

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Available at https://www.amazon.in/Status-Muslim-Women-Samiya-Tabasum/dp/8184842783Published 2013

Working with Muslims- Beyond Burqa and Triple Talaq FARAH NAQVI

Working with Muslims goes down to the ground in eight major states of India and investigates the reality of non-government organizations and their development work, with the largest marginalized minority in the world’s largest democracy. It asks the simple questions (Who is working with Muslims? On which issues?), and the complex ones (What lens is deployed? How does this work navigate the mine eld of identity?). With intellectual precision, it dissects the voluntary sector, interrogates identity, engages with many faces of ‘development’; and tells stories of ordinary women and men, of clarity amid obfuscation, of fear mixed with immense hope.
Available at https://www.amazon.com/Working-Muslims-Development-Everyday-Citizenship/dp/9383968249Published 2018

Muslim Women Speak of Dreams & Shackles GHAZALA JAMIL

Muslim women have mostly been discussed and studied as passive victims who have no agency. Muslim Women Speak seeks to correct this by traversing an expansive canvas of dreams, aspirations, memory and everyday lives of both the ‘researcher’ and the ‘researched’ in an extensive study conducted in several states of India. Through a presentation and analysis of Indian Muslim women’s narratives about their own situation, the book challenges the image of Muslim women as historic victims of Islam and Muslim men. The book includes insights on the agency of young Muslim women and the impact of violence on their everyday lives after a violent ‘event’ or ‘episode’ passes into history and memory. It brings forth not only the ‘voices’ that have long been considered ‘silent’ but also dwells upon the epistemological and socio-political concerns of this ‘silencing’. In doing so, this book confronts the fault lines within the Indian feminist sisterhood and offers a considered critique of the women’s movement in India from within. The book will be mandatory reading for activists, government departments, policy planners, and students and scholars of gender studies and sociology.
Available at https://www.amazon.in/Muslim-Women-Speak-Dreams-Shackles/dp/9352805003Published 2017

Indian Muslim Women's Movement for Gender Justice and Equal Citizenship ZAKIA SOMAN & NOORJEHAN SAFIA NIAZ

This collection of essays and articles captures the beginning of the Muslim women’s movement in India in the last two decades. Written at different points during the journey, these pieces provide a glimpse into the collective tumultuous journey of women demanding reform in Muslim family law in India and for equal citizenship without discrimination. This journey was undertaken by ordinary women under their own leadership. This collection highlights the challenges faced by women. It also celebrates successes such as the organization of women into groups, abolition of triple talaq and women’s entry into the mazar of Haji Ali Dargah. This book is a collection of articles written by authors, individually and jointly in various newspapers, magazines, journals and other publications. It challenges the misogynist regressive norms for women in family set by patriarchal religious groups. It calls for state accountability in providing safety, security and equality to Muslim citizens. Based on experiences and insights from grounded struggle of ordinary women, these essays give hope and provide strength in addressing discrimination through shared vision and collective democratic action. It calls out the failure of conservative religious leadership as well as elected representatives in providing an enabling environment to the community and particularly, women. It calls out certain feminists for their dual standards and for unsuccessful attempts to weaken the movement for reform in family law led by ordinary Muslim women.
Available at https://www.amazon.com/Indian-Muslim-Womens-Movement-Citizenship-ebook/dp/B08DVXVLSJPublished 2020
#RBTC Maharashtra

Constitutional and Judicial Paradigms of Indian Muslim Women: A Move Towards Equality SHAISTA SALIMKHAN INAMDAR

Inamdar Shahista Salimkhan Constitutional and judicial paradigms of Indian muslim women : A move towards equality - Delhi A K Publications 2017
Available at https://www.amazon.com/Constitutional-Judicial-Paradigms-Indian-Muslim/dp/9383334975Published 2017

Muslim Women in India: Political and Private Realities 1890s-1980s SHAHIDA LATEEF

This book investigates the status and role in society of Muslim women in India. Based on a survey of nine major Indian cities in different states, it creates context in which issues such as education, literacy, social legislation and purdah can be understood
Available at https://www.amazon.com/Muslim-Women-India-Political-1890s-1980s/dp/086232954XPublished 1990 University of Virginia USA

Role Models- SHEHLA RASHID

Role models are people who inspire us to dream bigger by broadening the horizons of our imagination. They challenge us to go beyond limited possibilities by expanding our aspirational matrix. In this refreshing and unique account of the contributions of Indian Muslims to national life, Shehla Rashid brings together a formidable list of achievers, such as A.R. Rahman, Sania Mirza, Nigar Shaji, Dr Ausaf Sayeed and Huma Qureshi, among others, who have excelled in their respective fields. She postulates the idea of a ‘Muslim civil society’—a space where new ideas can germinate, allowing talent to achieve its full potential and reforms to take root. As Shehla brings their stories to life, she also offers insights into her own life, the choices she made, and the way forward for Muslims in a democratic political system.
Available at https://www.amazon.com/Role-Models-Inspiring-Stories-Achievers/dp/0143470922Published October 2024

Her Hajj Story - TERESA REHMAN

In Her Hajj Story, award-winning journalist Teresa Rehman uncovers a remarkable yet forgotten tradition of Hajj memoirs written by women from Assam. A widow completes the pilgrimage after her husband dies and is buried in Medina. A single woman struggles to find a mahram, a suitable male family member as companion, before setting out. A poet stands on the deck of a ship, mesmerised by the moonlit Red Sea. A botanist searches for the deeper fragrance of faith beyond ritual. A social worker carries the prayers of an old-age home to the holy cities. Through eleven compelling narratives— translated from Assamese and Bengali, and interwoven with historical insight—these voices reveal journeys of faith, endurance, grief, wonder, and transformation.
Rich in cultural detail and deeply human, these forgotten memoirs emerge as far more than accounts of pilgrimage. They reveal an extraordinary literary tradition in which ordinary women became chroniclers of history, preserving family memories, practical wisdom and deeply personal encounters with the sacred. Blending travel writing, oral history, ethnography and literary recovery, Her Hajj Story is both a celebration of an overlooked tradition of Muslim women’s writing from Northeast India and a moving testament to faith, resilience and the enduring power of women’s voices.
Available at https://www.amazon.in/Her-Hajj-Story-Teresa-Rehman/dp/9363360083Published August 2026

Non Fiction Publications

Of Dry Tongues & Brave Hearts- Editors REEMA AHMAD & SEMEEN ALI

The women’s writings and paintings collected here pose fundamental questions about the relation between art and marginality. When tongues run dry but hearts remain fearless — can there be a plight direr than this tearing apart of body and mind? The drought on the tongue is the silence of fear, hiding a heart that rails against terror, pledging to shatter the quiet. Reema Ahmad and Semeen Ali have come up with a dream title for their edited collection of poetry, prose and painting by women, many of them newer voices, some unheard before, published by a daring and often-experimental publisher of poetry, Red River. This jagged collection poses fundamental questions about the relation between art, passion, marginality, and the vagaries of everyday life. With close to 150 contributions combining verse, narrative, reflections and images, the heart of this book is filled with courage, and tongues remain dry no more — they spill rivulets of passion, anger, love, protest, and triumphant celebrations of the quotidian.
For More Information: https://www.thehindu.com/books/saikat-majumdar-reviewsof-dry-tongues-and-brave-hearts/article65258768.ecePublished 2022
#RBTC Uttar Pradesh

The Saffron Storm- From Vajpayee to Modi SABA NAQVI

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) enjoys the predominant position in Indian politics today. In its journey from coalition politics to single-party hegemony, the party has changed as much as it seeks to transform India. Veteran journalist Saba Naqvi tells the story of the party’ s journey under two very different prime ministers drawn from the same ideological family. In 1998, tasked with covering the BJP, the author would attend the very modest swearing-in ceremony of Atal Bihari Vajpayee in the courtyard of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. In 2014, she would be at the much larger mega-event at the same venue when Narendra Modi would be sworn in.
The Saffron Storm is both a first-person account of racy events as they unfolded in the nation’ s history, and a work that raises larger analytical points about the BJP’ s growth. It examines the role of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh cadre and its equations with elected leaders, the calibration of ideology, the issue of political finance and the social expansion of the party, as also the cults of personality that would emerge around, first, Vajpayee and then, more forcefully, around Modi. The book provides a riveting account of the party’ s journey from ‘ untouchability’ (when allies were unwilling to join) to its presumed ‘ invincibility’ today.
The updated edition of the book also describes the enforcement agencies’ action against the party’ s opponents, the increasingly centralized command structure of the BJP in a diverse country, and the implications of the delimitation exercise that involves remapping and increasing parliamentary constituencies, due in 2026. This book is a fascinating and readable dive into the contemporary history of the BJP.
Available at https://www.amazon.com/Saffron-Storm-Vajpayee-Modi/dp/014345854XPublished 2024
#RBTC Delhi

From Dynasties to Democracy: Politics, Caste and Power Struggles in Rajasthan TABEENAH ANJUM

A compelling unveiling of the transformation of Rajasthan from a feudal society into a vibrant democracy. Rajasthan, India’s largest state, is often imagined as a land of sweeping deserts, majestic forts and colourful traditions. Yet, beneath this picturesque surface lies a complex reality shaped by centuries-old feudal systems, deep-seated social divisions, the lingering influence of royal families and a volatile political landscape.
In this insightful narrative, journalists Tabeenah Anjum and Deep Mukherjee offer a comprehensive look at Rajasthan’s political evolution from a feudal state ruled by kings and jagirdars to a dynamic electoral democracy. They delve beyond common perceptions to chart Rajasthan’s political journey from its formation in 1949 to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and beyond. They meticulously examine crucial historical moments – the rise of kisan sabhas and praja mandals, caste violence and Dalit agitations, Adivasi self-assertion and episodes of unrest, riots and lynchings. Extensive firsthand reporting and rigorous archival research illuminate the power struggles between the BJP and the Congress, the pervasive influence of the RSS, persistent infighting within political parties and the formidable challenges faced by prominent leaders like Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, Baldev Ram Mirdha, Ashok Gehlot, Sachin Pilot, Vasundhara Raje and others.

Available at https://www.amazon.com/Dynasties-Democracy-Politics-Struggles-Rajasthan-ebook/dp/B0G2LQ9G62Published 2025

Splintered Justice: Living the Horror of Mass Communal Violence in Bhagalpur and Gujarat WARISHA FARASAT et al.

India, both during its struggle for independence and in the decades of freedom has been rocked by periodic episodes of communal violence, mostly taking the form of state-enabled violence, even massacres, of religious minorities. These episodes have been characterised by impunity, or the assurance that those who plan and execute these targeted communal attacks are protected from legal punishment. Scholars in the Centre for Equity Studies mapped through official records the ways in which impunity is accomplished in their book On Their Watch: Mass Violence and State Apathy in India. In this second work, Warisha Farasat and Prita Jha drill deeper into two major communal massacres, of Bhagalpur in 1989 and Gujarat in 2002. Relying not just on official papers but also on in-depth testimonies of many survivors, they systematically chart the troubling failures of India’s criminal justice system to secure justice for survivors of hate violence. Written with both rigorous scholarly insight and engaged compassion, this book is essential reading for all who care about upholding that most sacred pledge of India’s Constitution, of ensuring the equal treatment of all people, regardless of their faith, caste, gender or wealth, before the law of the land.
Available at https://www.amazon.com/Splintered-Justice-Communal-Violence-Bhagalpur/dp/9383968206Published 2018

Comrades and Comebacks - SAIRA SHAH HALIM

The history of Left politics in India is deeply intertwined with the nation’s freedom struggle and the shaping of its political landscape. For decades, shades of red dominated India’s ideological spectrum, with Leftism evolving alongside the country’s cultural and social fabric. Encompassing a diverse range of forces—from moderate socialists to revolutionary communists—the Indian Left has played a complex and dynamic role in shaping national and regional politics, particularly in states like West Bengal and Kerala.
However, in recent years, its influence has waned, struggling to adapt to changing electoral dynamics and regain lost ground. This book explores an ideology now under threat—and, some argue, on the brink of extinction in India. It weaves a rich historical narrative, situating Left politics within global movements, tracing its journey in India, and examining possibilities for its revival in the future.
Available at https://www.amazon.com/Comrades-Comebacks-Battle-Left-Indian/dp/0143464817Published 2026

Shadow City- A Woman Walks Kabul TARAN N. KHAN

For most Indians, Kabul is a city that is near, yet far-familiar, yet unknown. When Taran N. Khan arrived in Kabul in the spring of 2006, five years after the overthrow of the Taliban regime, she was earnestly cautioned never to walk. Her instincts compelled her to do the opposite: to take that precarious first step and enter the life of the city with the unique, tactile intimacy that comes from being a walker. She didn t stop until 2013, when she returned to India. In Shadow City, Taran N. Khan paints a lyrical, personal, and meditative portrait of a city we know primarily in terms of conflict and peace. As a Muslim woman raised in a small town in India, Taran discovered that she had access to parts of Kabul uncharted by travellers before her. The result reads like an elegiac prose map of the city, rich with surprises-from the glitter of wedding halls that shine like a bizarre version of Las Vegas; to the mental health hospital where women are abandoned and isolated but exist in a rare space of freedom and solitude; to the bookseller behind The Bookseller of Kabul, who sued Åsne Seierstad for her portrayal of him and then published the rebuttal which he displays proudly in his shop window.
Available at https://www.amazon.com/Shadow-City-Woman-Walks-Kabul/dp/0670090603Published 2019
#RBTC Uttar Pradesh

Abid Hasan Safrani: Netaji’s Comrade-in-Arms ISMAT MEHDI

In the words of historian Sugata Bose: ‘Netaji’s comrade-in-arms Abid Hasan Safrani was a quiet revolutionary who kept himself out of the limelight even while being present at every vital scene and moment of the final phase of our freedom struggle across Europe and Asia.’ A member of Netaji’s Azad Hind Fauj, Safrani is famous as the man who coined the slogan ‘Jai Hind’, which became the national salutation for Indian soldiers, statesmen and civilians alike. Safrani grew up in old aristocratic Hyderabad of the 1920s in a richly syncretic, secular culture and a vibrant social and intellectual environment that influenced him deeply, leading him later to plunge into politics under Subhas Bose’s leadership. He went on to become one of Netaji’s closest associates, and was the only one to accompany him on his historic submarine voyage from Kiel in Germany to Japanese territory in Sumatra, Malaysia, during World War II. A polyglot and connoisseur of art and history, Safrani also served independent India as a diplomat of distinction in China, West Asia, Africa and Europe. Compiled by his niece Ismat Mehdi, who accompanied him on his foreign postings to Bern and Baghdad, and his nephew Shehbaz Safrani, who was with him in Baghdad and Damascus, Abid Hasan’s accounts of his time and journeys with Netaji―collected from his notebooks―bring alive key historical events and fill in crucial gaps in the narration of India’s freedom struggle. Anecdotal memories of Safrani recounted by family and friends also reveal a self-effacing, fiercely loyal, brave and generous man with an endearing persona. The story of an unsung national hero, this book preserves and disseminates some of the finest and forgotten lessons of our freedom struggle, to better understand the evolution of independent India.
Available at https://www.amazon.com/Abid-Hasan-Safrani-Comrade-Arms/dp/9354426050Published 2023

The Book of Nizamuddin Aulia - MEHRU JAFFER

The story of Nizamuddin Aulia from man to saint, vividly bringing alive the history of the period. The Book of Nizamuddin Aulia reveals the life and teachings of the most beloved and revered of medieval Sufi saints. Nizamuddin Aulia was born in 1236, in great poverty. He grew up in a tumultuous world and saw three dynasties and seven sultans wreak havoc over an entire nation in the name of religion. Staying away from the corridors of power, the mystic chose instead to dedicate his life to the Sufi vision of love and spiritual enlightenment and to serving the needs of the poor. If Muinuddin Chishti introduced Sufism to India, Nizamuddin helped spread his message across the country as the head of the Chishti Sufi order. Even today, his shrine in New Delhi, the Nizamuddin Dargah, draws countless devotees and visitors.
Ms. Jaffer is the author of several books - The Book of Muhammad, The Book of Muinuddin Chishti and The Book of Nizamuddin Aulia, all published by Penguin India. She is also published "Love and Life in Lucknow: An imaginary biography of a city".
Available at https://www.amazon.com/Book-Nizamuddin-Aulia-Mehru-Jaffer/dp/014341917XPublished 2012
#RBTC Uttar Pradesh

Glimpses of Urdu Literature - ZAHIDA ZAIDI

Here is a collection of informative and perceptive essays on some landmark figures of Urdu literature. Divided into three sections -- poetry, fiction and drama, in that order -- the galaxy is headed by Ghalib and Iqbal, the two fabled poets of Urdu. Flanking them are five outstanding modern poets, viz., Faiz, Sardar Jafri, Makhdoom Muhiuddin, Akhtarul Iman and Munibur Rehman. A general essay on the secular and humanist traditions of Urdu literature precedes the studies. Among the novelists are some of the perennials -- Prem Chand, Khwaja Ahmad Abbas and Quratul-Ain Haider -- flanked by two significant modern writers -- Anwar Azeem and Pegham Afaqi. A comprehensive essay on Urdu drama and dramatists makes up the third and final section. Trends in theatre movements are also discussed in the essay. What kind of readership does one envisage for this uncommon work? Writers in other languages and students researching on Urdu literature are of course the obvious targeted readers. It may also be of interest to the younger generations of Urdu-knowing families who are interested in Urdu literature but are not well-versed in the script. And above all, we hope this book will be read by lovers of Urdu poetry and literature all over the world.
Available at https://www.amazon.com/Glimpses-Urdu-Literature-Select-Writings/dp/9380188048Published 2010

In the dark of the Heart - SHAMA FATEHALLY

Mystical, celebratory, and frankly feminine, the songs of Meera embrace and evoke all of life-the ordinary, lowly, and humble; the natural world and all creatures; love and longing. They express a passionate faith that liberates and breaks down barriers, merging the human and the divine and challenging all notions of rank and hierarchy. A new translation of the songs.
Shama Futehally studied English at the universities of Bombay and Leeds. Her novels include Tara Lane (1993); Reaching Bombay Central (forthcoming) and a translation of Meera’s bhajans In the Dark of the Heart (1994). She has co-edited a book of short stories for children Sorry, Best Friend! (1997) which also includes a story by her.
Available at https: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/235617.In_the_Dark_of_the_HeartPublished 1994

In Search of the Divine - RANA SAFVI

Sufism, called the mystical dimension of Islam, is known for its inclusive nature, as well as its ethics of love and compassion, its devotional music, art and architecture. In India's syncretic culture, Sufism developed a distinct character, and harmoniously embraced the Bhakti traditions of North India. Rana Safvi's In Search of the Divine delves into the fascinating roots of Sufism, with its emphasis on ihsan, iman and akhlaq, and the impact it continues to have on people from all communities. Safvi relies not only on textual sources but also on her own visits to dargahs across the country, and the conversations she has with devotees and pirs alike. The book evokes in vivid detail the sacred atmosphere she encounters - the reverent crowds, the strains of qawwali and the fragrance of incense, as well as highlights the undeniable yet often forgotten contributions of women in Sufism. The resulting text is at once modern and a tribute to the rich and textured past. Weaving together fact and popular legend, ancient histories and living tradition, this unique treatise examines core Sufi beliefs and uncovers why they might offer hope for the future.
Available at https://www.amazon.com/Search-Divine-Living-Histories-Sufism/dp/9393701113Published 2022
#RBTC Delhi

The Warrior Widows AMBREEN ZAIDI

The book “The Warrior Widows” is a tribute to the Wives of the soldiers of the Armed Forces who are engaged in defending the country from internal and external threats. Everyone knows the sacrifices a soldier has to make in terms of family life, personal comfort, and perpetual exposure to the ultimate sacrifice. However, the role and contribution of a wife in a soldier’s life are seldom highlighted and mostly forgotten. When a soldier dies, the wife transients into a state called ‘Widowhood’.
As an army wife, I was always drawn towards the issues of war widows and their wards. During our regiments monthly welfare centers or the Corps day functions, I would look out for them, sit with them, hear them out and then help them in whichever way I could. One emotion that united them all, was that they were indeed broken by the tragedy but not beaten. These valiant women are the force behind our soldiers and carry on with their duties long after he has laid down his life for the nation. The idea of writing a book on the valiant war widows came to my mind long back and I had started penning down my thoughts. It was only 2.5 years ago that I met a widow of my husband’s senior and brilliantly she took on the life post his being killed in action. The world of these widows is totally different, given the stigma attached to being a widow especially in our country with its old customs and traditions. Many widows are left to fend for themselves and many succumb to the bleak situation which stares at them. However, many of the widows show great resolve and determination to overcome the personal loss and move on to create a future for themselves regardless of the support they received from the environment and society. This book brings out the sacrifices, struggles, and personal journeys of the strong-willed women who succeeded in creating their own success stories.
The book features 30 such women from all across India. Some from remote villages, others from big cities, some uneducated but made sure their own children are well educated and highly respected in the society. Some, disowned by their families, yet rose above and became a strong voice of the voiceless. The ladies are indeed warriors, left to fend for themselves, while actually, they are the unsung heroines, the silent ranks of the Indian Armed Forces. We need to celebrate the, make society aware of their sacrifices and be their strength.
Available at https://www.amazon.com/Warrior-Widows-stories-valiant-soldiers-ebook/dp/B09QMK8998Published 2022

Unparenting : Sharing awkward truths with curious kids REEMA AHMAD

Through her own awkward journey as a confused single parent, Reema Ahmad explores what it means to explore newer ways of bringing up children-ways that nurture their sense of innocence and curiosity while giving them the freedom to choose their own truths. Reema invites you to hop along as she and her son, Imaad, learn to laugh and make up stories about why penises shape-shift, the mysteries of pubic hair, the magic of adolescent crushes and the confounding maze of dating and sex. Join them as they explore these mysteries and other serious topics like abuse, adult relationships, divorce and dying-issues that adults often forget to wonder at and seldom question. More than anything else, Unparenting is a vibrant, whacky testimony to a parent-child relationship where the child leads and the parent follows. Written in the form of deeply personal, engaging and often humorous essays, the book is a powerful reminder of what it feels like to be lost and misunderstood as a child, and how important it is to challenge what we think we know as parents.
Available at https://www.amazon.com/Unparenting-Sharing-Awkward-Truths-Curious/dp/0143447769Published 2023
#RBTC Uttar Pradesh

Human's of Nurture Life - FARAH SAROSH & SAHAR QUAZE

Life is not a bed of roses, it often throws challenges at us. These challenges and hardships of life might humble us or even break us at times. Some people tend to give up when faced with complications in life. On the contrary, there are some people who are so determined and goal-stricken that absolutely nothing can sway them from their path toward success. Their enthusiasm, efforts and persistence aid them, and they set great examples for everyone around them. “Humans of NurtureLife” is an enthralling compilation of 25 stories of people from all walks of life created in an attempt to proffer you a lease of hope and enlightenment in life. It deals with the success stories of some very erudite personalities and how they overcame their challenges in life.
Available at https://www.amazon.in/Humans-NurtureLife-Farah-Sarosh/dp/8194882257#:Published 2022
#RBTC Uttar Pradesh

Natural Harmony- Sights, Sounds, Smells & Sensibilities of Wildlife in Aligarh FAIZA ABBASI

Book summary to be added
Prof Abbasi is also the author of several other books including Essays on Language and Literature, and Islamic Studies: A Commemorative Volume on the 60th Birthday of Professor Abdur Raheem Kidwai.
Available at https://www.amazon.in/-/hi/FAIZA-ABBASI/dp/B08MCXVZM9Published 2020
RBTC Uttar Pradesh

Self- Help

Embrace Your Fear - SARA KHAN

The book "Embrace Your Fear" talks about how you can overcome the feeling which you think makes you weak. The book talks about the burden of emotional fear that becomes an obstacle in moving ahead in life. It helps readers to work on their thinking patterns and developing an optimistic belief system. Majority of people relate to Fear as a negative emotion. Embrace Your Fear talks about how people can decode their mind on this particular emotion and Face Everything And Rise in life. Embrace Your Fear is the creation of self-published author Sara Khan. This is her fourth non-fiction self-help book.
Dr Sara is an author of four books, a book coach, speaker, life skills trainer and The Happiness Trader. She is on a mission to see Har Ghar mein Author.
Available at: https://www.amazon.com/Embrace-Your-Fear-How-Possibilities-ebook/dp/B082BBDNXK?Published 2019
#RBTC Uttar Pradesh

Arts, Culture, Cuisine

The Mughal Feast: Recipes From The Kitchen Of Emperor Shah Jahan SALMA YUSIF HUSAIN

The Mughal feast is a delightful transformation of the original Handwritten Persian recipe book nuskha-e-shahjahani from the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan’s time. A culinary journey into the Mughal imperial kitchen, where food was cooked with just the right amount of spices to enhance the base flavours of the dishes, this book is divided into seven sections: Naan, aash, Aliya and do-piyazah, bharta, zeer biryani and Pulao, kabab and shiriniha. It contains a plethora of recipes, ranging from the familiar shami kabab and baqlawa to the more exotic Amba Pulao (tangy mango Lamb rice) and in de Rs a (sweet, deep-fried rice-flour balls). The book also provides helpful tips for cooking, including methods to clean fish and soften bones, throwing light on the creativity of the Mughal cooks. Complementing the mouth-watering dishes, Salma Husain’s informative introduction offers an intriguing glimpse into the royal lifestyle of one of India’s greatest empires. This book effortlessly recaptures the nostalgia of Mughal times while remaining a practical guide for the modern reader.
Available at: https://www.amazon.in/Mughal-Feast-Recipes-Kitchen-Emperor/dp/8193704975/Published 2019
#RBTC Uttar Pradesh

Degh To Dastarkhwan: Qissas And Recipes: Qissas and Recipes from Rampur Cuisine TARANA HUSAIN KHAN

Tarana was an indifferent eater and an unenthusiastic cook until a chance encounter with a nineteenth-century Persian cookbook in Rampur's fabled Raza Library started her off on a journey into the history of Rampur cuisine and the stories around it. Part food memoir and part celebration of a cuisine, Degh to Dastarkhwan answers the question-'what constitutes and distinguishes Rampur cuisine?' Each chapter represents an emotion, an observance or a celebration. The spread of Rampuri food from the grand royal cuisine to the simple daily fare becomes the arena to express love, loss, forgiveness and spirituality. Peopled with compelling characters from all walks of life, the book is a tour de force that includes recollections of a princess to the spiritual ambience of a Sufi shrine, with stories of khansamas, weddings and funerals.
Available at: https://www.amazon.in/Degh-Dastarkhwan-Qissas-Recipes-Cuisine/dp/0143451464/Published 2022
RBTC Uttar Pradesh

Ammi’s Kitchen: Heirloom Recipes from Rampur PERNIA QURESHI

Ammi’s Kitchen: Heirloom Recipes from Rampur is a tribute to all grandmothers who have been the torchbearers of saving and passing on the legacy of classic traditional family recipes. Pernia Qureshi’s grandmother, Mussharaf-ul-Nissa Begum, originally from Chandausi in the United Provinces, was married at a young age into the princely state of Rampur. With the influence of her hometown, now combined with the newfound exposure to Rampur’s more modern and eclectic cuisine, she created a food language that was uniquely her own. This book is a collection of recipes she mastered over the years, which still carry the aromas of the treasures of history.
Available at:https://www.amazon.in/Ammis-Kitchen-Heirloom-Recipes-Rampur/dp/9392130473Published 2025

Ammu: Indian Home Cooking to Nourish Your Soul ASMA KHAN

Ammu is a collection of recipes from Asma Khan’s childhood, her Indian family kitchen. It is a celebration of where she comes from, of home cooking, and the inextricable link between food and love. It is also a chance for Asma to honor her ammu—mother—and to share with us the recipes that made her and rooted her to home. This book is a joyful celebration of memories of food, and its power to heal, restore, and comfort. It includes her ammu's comfort food from childhood, the recipes with which she was taught to cook, celebratory food for special occasions, and slow-cooked recipes passed through the generations of her family. The recipes and the memories she shares all possess something that is universal: food is a way for us to have this conversation about how similar we all are—how it connects us and unites us beyond differing appearances, accents, races and backgrounds. With stunning food and family photos, this cookbook is a must-have for cooks and lovers of Indian food.
Available at: https://www.amazon.com/Ammu-Indian-Home-Cooking-Nourish/dp/1623718414/Published 2022
#RBTC Global United Kingdom

Malabar Muslim Cookery UMMI ABDULLA

This book explodes the myth that food from Kerala is just mountains of rice, coconut and fish curry. It introduces the gourmet to the subtle flavours of over a hundred traditional recipes, presented for the first time with easy-to-follow instructions.
Available at: https://www.amazon.com/Malabar-Muslim-Cookery-Ummi-Abdulla/dp/8125013490Published 2004
#RBTC Kerala

Duniya-e-Zifayat: BADRINNISA IRFAN

In the 184-page book, Irfan spills the secrets to some mouth watering dishes like Nalli Ka Salan, Herby Chicken among a host of others. According to Irfan, minimum spices and processes are secrets behind the taste. “The recipes that are shared in the book are simple which even beginners can follow. I always try to keep my recipes minimal so that the flavours are enhanced. With extra garam masala and red chilli powder, you tend to miss out on the delicateness of the dishes,” says Irfan, adding that the other best kept secret is a clean kitchen. “I see many people who make a mayhem in the kitchen even if they just chop a cucumber. A clean kitchen provides clarity of mind,” she adds.
The book is a compilation of recipes that Irfan had written for her daughter, Uzma, when she was in London. “In uni, there’s not enough time to prepare an elaborate meal, so you need quick ones, which also give you a taste of home,” says 62-year-old Irfan, adding that she hopes the book helps people churn out some delicious recipes even during a busy schedule.
Although there is no doubt that her meat dishes steal the show, her vegetarian dishes also have an equal number of takers. With options like Stir Fried Tofu, Herb Roasted Potato and more, the book has something for everyone. “It’s mandatory to have a veggie dish in every meal that is cooked. My husband, Irfan Razack, is man of simple taste, he enjoys any vegetarian dish,” she says, adding that there are enough dessert options too.
Family ties remain strong in this book since it also contains some recipes Irfan had learnt from her mother. “I started cooking at the age of six. Coming from a joint family, it used to be such nice way to bond,” recalls Irfan, who went on to also learn how to make pickles from her grandmother. Besides some heirloom recipes, Irfan’s cookbook also contains newer recipes which she discovered over time. The book can be pre-ordered on sublime.in
Available at: https://www.sublime.in/duniya-e-ziyafat.phpFirst Published 2021

The Essential Andhra Cookbook - BILKEES I. LATIF

Savour the tantalizing flavors of Andhra cuisine While Hyderabadi cuisine with its distinctive Mughlai flavor is famous around the world, food from the other parts of Andhra, one of India’s largest and culturally most diverse states, remains relatively unknown. In this addition to the Penguin series on Indian food and customs, the author brings together for the first time the different tastes of Andhra cooking from the humble idli-sambar to spicy seafood delicacies. Along with the recipes she recounts the traditions and rituals associated with food, such as the right order in which to serve the dishes, a typical menu for an occasion such as Ugadi, and the sweets indigent on certain auspicious days. From the dishes traditionally prescribed for pregnant women, to the festivities surrounding birth and marriage, Bilkees I. Latif describes with knowledge and flair the cuisine and customs of her state. The more than 200 recipes, lucidly written and easy to follow, include: Amrit Phal, Badam ki Jaali, Gil-e-Behisht, Luqmi MeeD Godavari, Avakkai, Bagharey Baingan, Gosht ka Achar, Kachi Biryani, Zarda-e-Aamba.
Available at: https://www.amazon.in/Essential-Andhra-Cookbook-Latif-Bilkees/dp/0140271848
First Published 2000

Fabulous Feasts, Fables and Family: A Culinary Memoir- TABINDA JALIL-BURNEY

Deeply personal and intimate, this absolutely magical culinary memoir by Tabinda Jalil-Burney combines recipes and memories from the idyllic summers of her childhood which she spent with her grandparents in Aligarh. There, presided over by Amma-- her formidable grandmother-- the extended clan gathered and as the women concocted delicious dishes, they exchanged family stories and lore, embroidered, knitted and crocheted, while the children played games free of distractions.
Family entertainment included bait bazi, involving people reciting couplets in a chain. Some family dishes were prepared by talented home cooks and some by the women from extended family. Over the years, recipes began to be associated with a particular aunt or grand aunt. No one used a recipe book or measured quantities when cooking. They cooked with the seasonal produce available at home and measurements were by andaaza. Everyone would eat sitting cross-legged by a courtyard with tamarind and guava trees and the large thorny bushes of the sour kakronda berries. In here are family secrets for the best shami kebabs, qormas, chuquandar gosht and desserts. This richly textured, densely peopled memoir conjures the vanished world of an Aligarh family in the sixties and seventies through food and cooking, and of India long gone.
Available at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0143462318?lv=shuf&channelId=510&plpRedirect=mhFallbackFirst Published April 2024

Abstraction in Indian Painting- Badar Jahan

The presence of Abstraction in Indian Contemporary Art has been Indian Contemporary Art has been intensely debated throughout the post independence era. It was in late 1940's that Bombay Progressive Group, Calcutta Group, Group 1890, Cholamandal Artists Group, Baroda Group and later some individuals exuded new ethos towards abstraction. There have also been artists like V.S. Gaitonde, Jeram Patel, Nasreen Mohammedi and S.H. Raza, who have been totally devoted to the non-representational art. This book provides an analytical view of Abstract Art Movement and its assimilation in Indian Contemporary Painting. It also highlights the interactions and influences of both over each other. The author identifies the significance of Abstraction in Indian Paining, applied constantly throughout the post independence era. She also stresses importance of folk and other traditional art, pointing towards its continuity echoing in the contemporary art of the whole world. Major differences between artists and their influences are discussed with due seriousness and are seen as an honest and intellectual attempt to make Indian contemporary art a significant portal. The choice of illustrations is wide and truly testifies the richness and diversity of the subject and a bibliography provides useful reference material.

Available at: https://www.amazon.com/Abstraction-Indian-Painting-Post-Independence/dp/8174790810Published 2008
#RBTC Uttar Pradesh

Phool Patti Ka Kaam: Reviving a Traditional Indian Applique Embroidery - FARAH KHAN USMANI

Phool Patti Ka Kaam is a traditional applique embroidery from Aligarh district of North India. The only other place where this embroidery is practiced in the world is Rampur, also in the North Indian State of Uttar Pradesh. Phool Patti embroidery dates back to the Mughal period. Its uniqueness lies in the textile decoration style in which small bits of fine fabric are cut by hand, then dextrerously folded and shaped into tiny petals and then embroidered on to the fabric to create a variety of patterns. This special applique finds limited mention in the repertoire of Indian and global embroidery forms. This is the first publication on the subject. A photographic journey, Phool-Patti Ka Kaam, is the first publication on this unique embroidery form. It explores its background and scope. A finely illustrated book, it takes us through the different phool-patti shapes, arrays of designs and materials. It collates experiments with embellishments and innovations, including its use on different garments and household furnishing. And also importantly, it provides a glimpse into artisans from Aligarh. Phool-Patti Ka Kaam is the story of the embroidery told through the glimpses of Saleha Khan's work with the artisan women and girls during the 1970's andd 1980's. The publication is for those who want to appreciate, learn, promote, explore and experiment with this unique applique style. Besides being a useful resource for crafts lovers, this book is also envisaged to trigger interest among designers, entrepreneurs and policy planners to advance Phool-Patti's scope, popularity and possibilities while ensuring due share of economic returns and recognition for its artisans. All proceeds from the sale of this book will go to SAFAR: Supporting Action For Advancement & Rights, for empowerment and development projects for phool-patti artisan women and girls in Aligarh. All the designs and creative ideas by Saleha Khan in this publication can be freely copied, used and adapted to encourage promotion of phool-patti embroidery towards advancement of the artisans.
Available at: https://www.amazon.com/Phool-Patti-Kaam-Traditional-Embroidery-ebook/dp/B08NRMG193First Published 2010
For your free ebook copy write to safarsecretariat@gmail.com

Poetry

The Musings of the Dark - MOUMITA ALAM

About the Author Moumita Alam is a poet, teacher and contributory writer of people's review. Her poems have been published in The Bibliophilia Cafe, the freedom review. And her articles are regularly being published in People's Review and are being appreciated by many. She belongs to the grassroots, the real India. She is non-conformist and vocal about the common people, the oppressed class. Her poems talk about the reality of the real. She doesn't believe in escaping from reality to find joy in sugar coated words rather she believes in dipping her pen in blood to write about darkness, to show the reflection of reality in her poems so that people can come out from the labyrinth of pseudo happy world created by demonic capitalists, occupiers and advocates of fascism. Her poems have tried to catch the apocalyptic events that have covered the light since 2019 to the ongoing pandemic. Her poems are echoes of the pains of people who are suffering, dying and being dehumanised.
Available at: https://www.amazon.com/Musings-Dark-Moumita-Alam/dp/B08GZXZBK7Published 2020
#RBTC West Bengal

Soulless Phantoms - ANAM SHAHAB

This collection of twenty-five poems gives voice to one’s existentialist pondering, the innate desire of human beings to achieve, and the immense and bittersweet comfort of sepia-tinged memories. Lose yourself in the quaint meanderings of Anam Shahab’s words―traverse and look at the vast landscape of the world through the eyes of a sensitive soul and an empathetic, ever-questioning mind.
Available at:https://www.amazon.in/Soulless-Phantoms-ANAM-SHAHAB/dp/0143420682Published 2013
#RBTC United Kingdom

Songs of Aligarh: Poems on Nature & Culture SAMI RAFIQ

Sami Rafiq is a professor of English at Aligarh Muslim University in Aligarh, India. She is also an author and translator. Her stories, poems, and translations have been published in leading literary journals and magazines in India and overseas. Her concern for the environment is reflected in her academic work, including her modules on the Swayam portal. Rafiq’s first collection of poems, Woman in the Trees: Poems on Climate and Nature (2022, Hawakal), received rave reviews. Songs of Aligarh: Poems on Nature and Culture is her second collection of poems, intensifying her quest to voice the syllables of the non-human in her city, Aligarh. In this collection, she eloquently versifies the environment, culture, and pristine worlds in AMU — how one describes the ethos of AMU, its sher-shairi, its heady cups of Dhaba tea, its romantic mehfils, its iconic achkan and sherwani, and its unique ambience of harmony and camaraderie.
Prof. Sami Rafiq is also the author of another book of poems on climate and nature alled Woman in the Trees
Available at: https://www.amazon.com/Songs-Aligarh-Poems-Nature-Culture/dp/B0DNM4VMV9Published 2024
#RBTC Uttar Pradesh

A Coffee Cup has many stories: RUBINA HASAN SAMI

My book title ‘A Coffee cup has many Stories’ is a collection of poems and ideas which have touched my heart and given different hues to life and its journey. Each cup of coffee offers a new brew or blend to the traveller. Likewise, all pages of this little book of precious poems offer a unique blend of simple emotions like the first love and the tragedy of children dying in Gorakhpur because of medical negligence. The poems “Meeting JahaanAra” and “Jahaan Ara and Mirza” are written as a special tribute to the Mughal Princess JahaanAra. In other poems, the poet also talks about Princess JahaanAra's immortal love and a promise to meet in many births. This partly historical work will reveal to the reader the world of aristocratic but genteel Indian Muslims, evolved and full of tehzeeb . The modern nuances are quirky, fun and romantic, so I hope it is the perfect cup for you!
Available at: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39902991-a-coffee-cup-has-many-storiesPublished 2017

Aatish: An Anthology of Poems and Illustrations - coeditor FOUQIA WAJID

Aatish 2 features Gulzar, A.M. Turaz, Sandeep Nath, Aprilia Zank, Yuan Changming, Erik Lindner, Tasleema Nasreen and many others. Poets who write in various regional languages including Kannada, Malayalam, Punjabi, Bengali and Urdu among others, and will feature their translations. Iconic modern age poets have also contributed to the book. For this anthology to be unique, we concluded the ‘The Great Indian Poetry Contest’, which was an international poetry contest. The judges for the same were Kalki Koechlin and Kausar Munir. The top 3 poets won a cumulative cash prize of Rs. 57,000 and top 50 poets are published in Aatish 2, along with the great poets.
Available at: https://www.amazon.com/-/es/Fouqia-Wajid-ebook/dp/B087K2YDTNPublished 2020
#RBTC Karnataka

Lost Canvas - RUKHAYA MK

‘I am always/ going home/ and still waiting for the day / when I will be/ coming home.’ These lines in a way sum up Rukhaya’s dilemma as a poet and a human being. These poems return again and again to some basic concerns: displacement, exile, homelessness, the tyranny of the majority and the othering of the minority, authoritarian oppression, the anxieties of the post-truth age, the torment of being a woman in a violent patriarchal society. They bear the scars of an unhappy existence on a planet of pain and make no compromises with that agonising, if transient, existence. — K Satchidanandan
I am sure a new generation of readers will respond to Rukhaya’s intimate voice with great enthusiasm. There is much here that announces the arrival of a very talented writer who is committed to poetry. Over to the readers, for the pleasures of poetry. — EV Ramakrishnan
To witness the spectacle of how she survives ‘the spaces between words,’ you must read Rukhaya’s poems with a burning patience. But let me caution you about the catheretic effects of her poems; it’s not poetry; it’s her hijab, ‘window to the world’! — Ashwani Kumar
Available at: https://www.amazon.in/Lost-Canvas-Rukhaya-MK/dp/B0DT6269WWPublished 2025
#RBTC Kerala

Germination - SUFIA KHATOON

These sensuous, passionate poems reflect a life that is magical in its manifestations. Sufia Khatoon finds strange worlds in the pomegranates. The poet and her tree are always together. The interiors of the pomegranates are like the blood in her heart. Receiver of the Kavi Salam Award 2018, Sufia Khatoon is a multi-lingual performance poet, artist, literary translator and facilitator. She is the co-founder of Rhythm Divine Poets Community, Kolkata and the editor of EKL Review. Her debut collection of poems, Death in the Holy Month, was shortlisted for the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar 2020. She has presented her poems in the Festival of Letters and Avishkar Young Writer’s Festival by the Sahitya Akademi in 2019, Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival in 2019-20 and Ethos Literary Festival in 2018-19. She has also received Amio Santa Award 2017 for her social efforts. Her works have appeared in Indian Literature, Aainanagar, Bengaluru Review, The Alipore Post, Mad Swirl, Indian Periodical, TMYS Review, Narrow Road, Poetry Dialogue, The New Indian Express, The Yearbook of Indian Poetry in English 20-21, Kolkata Cadence, The Shape of a Poem: The Red River Book of Contemporary Erotic Poetry, Witness: The Red River Book of Poetry of Dissent, The Best of Mad Swirl, 100 Poems Are Not Enough, and the forthcoming North Indian Languages anthology by the Sahitya Akademi. Her short story Papayas of Gobra was longlisted for Bengaluru Review short story contest in 2020. Her stories have been featured in Tell Me Your Story, Asateer, 17 Women and Their Stories, TMYS Review, etc. Her poetry installation, titled 300 Peace Poetry Prayer Flag, as part of Rooh-E-Sukun solo show in Alliances Francaise Du Bengale 2019 was widely appreciated.
Available at: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/69691702-ger-mi-na-tionPublished 2022
#RBTC West Bengal

Euphonious Jingles - ZEINIA SAMAR

Euphonious Jingles' is a beautiful culmination of ideas, emotions, reality and wonder. This book includes different spheres of life and the World in particular, and will take you along a journey through your own lives and experiences. A collection of 21 Poems crafted by profound thoughts, that will leave the readers ruminating on the nature of existence.
Available at: https://www.amazon.in/EUPHONIOUS-JINGLES-COLLECTION-ZEINIA-SAMAR/dp/936739120XPublished 2025
#RBTC Madhya Pradesh

Children's Books

The Challenge: The Adventures of Donna The Dolphin co-author SAMEENA SHEIKH

An Adventure Story on Dolphins where dolphins can jump on your fingertips.
Available at https://www.amazon.in/Challenge-Adventures-Donna-Dolphin-Vol/dp/8192609111Published 2015
#RBTC Uttar Pradesh

Cheep Cheep Drip Drip ZAINAB TAMBAWALLA & LUBAINA BANDUKWALA

The baby hears so many interesting sounds around her. Can you hear them too? Your purchase of this book supports Library For All in its mission to make knowledge available to all, equally.
Zainab Tambawala is an illustrator for many children's books including The Red Raincoat, No pigs allowed, why do bees buzz and others.
Available at https://www.amazon.in/Challenge-Adventures-Donna-Dolphin-Vol/dp/8192609111Published 2022
#RBTC Maharashtra

Academic , History & Technical Publications

Ghalib- A Wilderness at my Doorstep - MEHR AFSHAN FAROOQI

Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib was born in Agra in the closing years of the eighteenth century. A precocious child, he began composing verses at an early age and gained recognition while he was still very young. He wrote in both Urdu and Persian and was also a great prose stylist. He was a careful, even strict, editor of his work who took to publishing long before his peers. His predilection for writing difficult, obscure poetry peppered with complex metaphors produced a unique commentarial tradition that did not extend beyond his work. Commentaries on his current Urdu divan have produced a field of critical writing that eventually lead to the crafting of a critical lens with which to view the classical ghazal.
The nineteenth century was the height of European colonialism. British colonialism in India produced definitive changes in the ways literature was produced, circulated and consumed. Ghalib responded to the cultural challenge with a far-sightedness that was commendable. His imagination sought engagement with a wider community of readers. His deliberate switch to composing in Persian shows that he wanted his works to reach beyond political boundaries and linguistic barriers.
Ghalib’s poetic trajectory begins from Urdu, then moves to composing almost entirely in Persian and finally swings back to Urdu. It is nearly as complex as his poetry. However, his poetic output in Persian is far more than what he wrote in Urdu. More important is that he gave precedence to Persian over Urdu. Ghalib’s voice presents us with a double bind, a linguistic paradox. Exploring his life, works and philosophy, this authoritative critical biography of Ghalib opens a window to many shades of India and the subcontinent’s cultural and literary tradition.
Available at: https://www.penguin.co.in/book/ghalib-a-wilderness-at-my-doorstep/Published 2021
#RBTC USA

People, Taxation and Trade in Mughal India- SHIREEN MOOSVI

This comprehensive collection by one of the most well-known historians of Mughal history is based on strong empirical grounding and primary sources. Integrating statistical analysis with socio-economic history, Shireen Moosvi contributes to our understanding of a range of subjects relating to the medieval Indian economy. The book discusses five themes that deal with the economic experience of people as well as the states. The collection has a wide range which includes analysis of varied regions such as Deccan, Surat, Kashmir apart from the Mughal north India. It discusses economy and administration in the lifetimes of three Mughal Emperors-Akbar, Shahjahan, and Aurangzeb. The volume discusses crucial aspects of Mughal domains which hardly many historians have analysed systematically. These essays deal with population and settlement patterns, political problems and their economic linkages, work patterns and their relation with gender, provincial and imperial administration and finance.
With four books titled, “Capitalism, Colonialism and Globalization: Studies in Economic Change”(2017), “Taxation, Trade and People in Mughal India (2008)”, “Episodes in the Life of Akbar Contemporary Records and Reminiscences(1994)”, “The Mughal Empire, c. 1595: A Statistical Study (1987)” , one edited book “Facets of the Great Rebellion, 1857 (2009)” , two monograms and more than a hundred research papers to her credit, Shireen stands tall in the world of historians and archaeologists.
Available at: https://www.amazon.com/People-Taxation-Mughal-Oxford-Paperbacks/dp/0198066317Published 2010
#RBTC Uttar Pradesh

Cyber Law in India: TALAT FATIMA

Derived from the renowned multi-volume International Encyclopaedia of Laws, this practical guide to cyber law – the law affecting information and communication technology (ICT) – in India covers every aspect of the subject, including intellectual property rights in the ICT sector, relevant competition rules, drafting and negotiating ICT-related contracts, electronic transactions, privacy issues, and computer crime. Lawyers who handle transnational matters will appreciate the detailed explanation of specific characteristics of practice and procedure.
Following a general introduction, the book assembles its information and guidance in seven main areas of practice: the regulatory framework of the electronic communications market; software protection, legal protection of databases or chips, and other intellectual property matters; contracts with regard to software licensing and network services, with special attention to case law in this area; rules with regard to electronic evidence, regulation of electronic signatures, electronic banking, and electronic commerce; specific laws and regulations with respect to the liability of network operators and service providers and related product liability; protection of individual persons in the context of the processing of personal data and confidentiality; and the application of substantive criminal law in the area of ICT.
Its succinct yet scholarly nature, as well as the practical quality of the information it provides, make this book a valuable time-saving tool for business and legal professionals alike. Lawyers representing parties with interests in India will welcome this very useful guide, and academics and researchers will appreciate its value in the study of comparative law in this relatively new and challenging field.
Available at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/904118743X?lv=shuf&channelId=510&plpRedirect=mhFallbackPublished March 2017

Postcolonial Bollywood and Muslim Identity NADIRA KHATUN

The book joins a growing scholarship in the field of Bollywood film studies, encompassing methodological sub-groups such as discursive or narrative studies, textual analysis, audience research, and the political economy of Bollywood. It particularly focuses on the representation of Muslims in postcolonial Bollywood cinema that draws upon earlier questions and concerns about narrative style and the politics of representing Muslims. It also includes issues concerning Muslim film genres and the chronological shift in the portrayal of Muslims that is contingent upon national politics. In Bollywood cinema, Muslims have traditionally been portrayed through the lens of religion. Narratives associated with that specific religious identity have been adapted, based on the socio-political setting of the country at the time of the film's making. The study, thus, adds to scholarship on 'representation' in popular Hindi cinema.
Available at: https://www.amazon.com/Postcolonial-Bollywood-Muslim-Identity-Representation/dp/0198891016Published 2024

A Woman's Job: Making Middle Lives in New India: ASIYA ISLAM

Against the backdrop of rapid socio-economic change in post-1990 India, scholars and policy makers have expressed surprise at the low rate of women's participation in the workforce, particularly in urban areas. A Woman's Job presents a unique urban ethnography of young lower middle class women's lives in Delhi as they weave in and out of service employment, education, and domestic contracts. Urban, educated, and skilled, these young women seek employment in cafes, malls, call centres, and offices in the globalising landscape of Delhi. Their participation in work enables access to 'things', such as, jeans, smartphones, English language, and the metro, that symbolise global modernity. However, caught in a web of gender, class, and caste inequalities, their identification as 'working' women also generates social anxieties. The book shows how women adopt 'middle-ness' as a strategy of life-making at the multiple sites of work, home, and leisure.
Available at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1009536656?lv=shuf&channelId=510&plpRedirect=mhFallbackPublished January 2025

Mediation- Theory to Practice- IRAM MAJID

Our legal landscape is increasingly recognizing the hidden potential of consensual dispute resolution, where party autonomy is sacred. However, there is a limited body of literature that can effectively serve as a guide for students and practitioners alike to develop their basic understanding of the workings of mediation, and to employ critical thinking strategies that can assist them in solving the unique challenges that come with each mediation. Mediation aims to fill that vacuum. It is structured keeping in mind the curriculum drafted by the Bar Council of India so that students can have consolidated reading material that not only focuses on orthodox theories and the conventional practice of mediation, but also deals with the best practices of cross-cultural and cross-border mediation. Additionally, emphasis is also laid upon the structure of conflict, a multidimensional vision of justice and the art of communication using advanced Neuro-Linguistic Programming. is book hopes to deliver some crucial insights into the law and practice of mediation, which can help young lawyers and trainers to handle mediation cases deftly and explore potential viable careers in dispute resolution that are different from litigation.
Available at: https://www.amazon.in/Mediation-Theory-Practice-Iram-Majid/dp/9392630158Published 2022

Jahan Ara Begum: 1614-1681 NAUSHEEN JAFFERY

An Indian princess left behind contributions to a varied legacy which is still a vibrant part of our lives. It can be seen in the Chandni Chowk bazaar-street of Delhi, the commercial port-city of Surat in Gujarat, the gardens of Kashmir, the Jama Masjid of Agra, and in her poetry and scholarly works on Sufi saints. Nausheen Jaffery brings to us the story of the remarkable Jahan Ara Begum (1614–1681). Entrusted with responsibilities at a very young age, her artistic and literary accomplishments, power and piety have ensured her a place in history. In the absence of comprehensive archives, research on early modern India tended to hover around the old staples of administration, commerce and political intrigue. The individuals holding the strings were seldom three-dimensional. Only in the last two decades has this changed and women actors have been identified, mostly by women authors. We now get to know of highly educated and confident Mughal women, equally at home in administration and in negotiating commercial deals, in visualizing noble architecture and gardens.
Nausheen Jaffery’s is one of the earliest biographical studies of Jahan Ara, and an all-encompassing one with Jahan Ara in all her avatars. In her, we see Babur’s love for gardens, Shahjahan’s love for architecture, Akbar’s eclectic spiritualism, Akbar’s and Jehangir’s interest in the world beyond India, and Humayun’s fascination with mysticism. In her we see Gulbadan’s literary flair, Nur Jahan’s political astuteness, Mumtaz Mahal’s masterful domestic management.
Nausheen Jaffrey (1972–2004) came from a family of Farsi scholars. Her mentor was Dr Yunus Jaffery and she continued his tradition of helping scholars with translations. After a BA in history from Lady Shri Ram College, University of Delhi and an MA in medieval history from Jamia Millia Islamia, Nausheen went on to complete an MPhil degree, writing her dissertation on Jahan Ara Begum. During her college years, she translated Sangin Beg’s Sair-ul-Manazil from Persian, and Urdu texts for scholars like Margrit Pernau and William Dalrymple. She completed a diploma in Farsi with distinction. Tragically, Nausheen’s career was cut short and her life claimed by cancer in 2004, but her work lives on after her. Sangin Beg: Sair-ul-Manazil, edited by Swapna Liddle, was published by Tulika Books in 2017, twenty years after Nausheen had translated it. The present book, edited by Shailaja Kathuria, is an updated version of her MPhil dissertation, a biographical sketch of the Mughal princess Jahan Ara, which was first published in 2011.
Available at : https://www.amazon.com/Jahan-Ara-Begum-1614-1681-Biographical/dp/8195839428Published 2025

I Swallowed the Moon- The Poetry of Gulzar - SABA MAHMOOD BASHIR

In 'I Swallowed the Moon'; The Poetry of Gulzar, Saba Bashir looks at what makes Gulzar the poet he is. What is his signature style? What are the issues he addresses through his poetry and what are the recurrent images in it? Bashir also draws a parallel between the poet's film and non-film poetry. She points out how they are used interchangeably, unlike with most other poets and lyricists, and how Gulzar thus brings literature and cinema closer. The book also includes an interview where Gulzar talks of his art and craft, his influences, his 'copyright on the moon', his experiments with various forms like the ghazal, the blank verse, the film song, and the form he has created, triveni. Along with a comprehensive list of his poems, film and non-film songs, this makes it an invaluable addition to the corpus of work on a great poet, one who is a bridge between the popularand the artistic.
Saba Mahmood Bashir is also the author of several other books, Memory- Past, a collection of poems, and has also translated several publications in English from Urdu.
Available at: https://www.amazon.com/I-Swallowed-Moon-Poetry-Gulzar/dp/9351160742Published 2013
#RBTC Uttar Pradesh

Precision Medicine & Human Health - FARZANA MAHDI

Precision Medicine and Human Health covers several aspects of precision medicine in 20 edited reviews by researchers and healthcare professionals. The breadth of information provided by the contributors aims to familiarize readers with basic and applied research in personalized therapy. Starting with an overview of the subject and its relationship with epigenetics, the book progresses into advanced topics that explain its wider applications. The use of precision medicine in treating different diseases such as protein misfolding disorders, gut ulcers and their effect on the gut microbiome, cancer treatment (for hepatocellular carcinoma, breast cancer, and oral cancer), fibromyalgia, high altitude sickness, and multiple sclerosis is explained. The book also covers modern therapeutic techniques to administer personalized therapy, including epithelial-mesenchymal therapy (EMT), circadian clock modulation, and artificial intelligence and phytoconstituents. The next chapters cover advanced technologies that are crucial to precision medicine, such as nanomaterials and advanced drug delivery systems. A concluding chapter on the therapeutic use of tannins in precision medicine rounds up the contents.
Dr. Farzana Mahdi is also the co-author of Clinical and Procedural Skills.
Available at: https://www.amazon.com/Precision-Medicine-Human-Health-Farzana/dp/9815223607Published 2024
#RBTC Uttar Pradesh

Comparative Constitutional Law - NUZHAT PARVEEN KHAN

Dr. Nuzhat Parveen Khan has authored several books including Women and Child related Laws, Comparative Constitutional Law, Child Rights and the Law, Law and Justice in Globalized World, Legal Control of Air Pollution: Problems And Perspectives, Law relating to socio-economic offences and Disability Laws in India
Available at: https://www.amazon.in/COMPARATIVE-CONSTITUTIONAL-LAW-2-ED/dp/9382823948/Published 2018
#RBTC Uttar Pradesh

Technical Education & Vocational Training in Developing Nations - coeditor ASFA M. YASIN

Severe economic depression and the difficulty to acquire employment with adequate income have significant impact on a nation's social welfare. The need to provide ample educational opportunities is more imperative than ever, particularly in emerging economies. Technical Education and Vocational Training in Developing Nations is a comprehensive reference source for the latest literature on optimizing the implementation of curriculum development and instructional design strategies for technical and vocational education. Featuring innovative coverage across a range of relevant topics, such as curriculum deficiency, teacher competencies, and accessible learning, this book is ideally designed for policy makers, academicians, researchers, advanced-level students, technology developers, and educators interested in the improvement of professional learning programs.
Available at: https://www.amazon.com/Technical-Vocational-Developing-Professional-Development/dp/1522518118Published 2017
#RBTC Madhya Pradesh

Small things make Big impact- YASMEEN HAIDER

The book titled "Small Things Make Big Impact: The World of Higher Education" caters to the need of the academic community, be it students, faculty members, parents, university management or anyone who is concerned with education. Every chapter in the book emphasizes the fact that education system should never miss on small things because "small things make big impact”. This otherwise means that anything related to education, which has a value, big or small, attached to it, contributes to the quality of education, which in turn contributes to the quality of life and nation at large. The writer who is the main author of the book is also the chief editor The idea of book writing has facilitated the author to lay a research track for her students, scholars and colleagues to involve in pilot research and derive the pride of contributing to a book. The book consists of three sections. The first section, which is the academic section comprises of five research articles and one case study. Here the author has associated with student scholars. The second section is the "professional section" comprising of five articles and two case studies where the author has collaborated with working professionals. The third part of the book, which is the situation analysis section" consists of five situation analysis activities developed exclusively by the author for the benefit of academic stakeholders.

Available at: https://www.amazon.in/Small-Things-Make-Big-Impact-ebook/dp/B0BVNRBPCZPublished 2023
#RBTC Tamil Nadu

The Disintegrating Psyche- An analysis of Jean Phys Marginalized Heroines HUMA JAVED SUBZPOSH

Book summary missing
Available at: https://www.amazon.com/Disintegrating-Psyche-Analysis-Marginalized-Heroines/dp/8170543711Published 2004
#RBTC Uttar Pradesh

Nagaland's economy in transition since 1964 - SWABERA ISLAM

Available at: https://www.abebooks.com/9788171170685/Nagalands-economy-transition-1964-Saleh-8171170684/plpPublished 1989
#RBTC Northeast

Translations to English from other Languages

Heart Lamp by BANU MUSHTAQ

Translated into English from Kannada by Deepa Bhasti

Winner of the International Booker Prize 2025
In Heart Lamp In Heart Lamp, Banu Mushtaq exquisitely captures the everyday lives of women and girls in Muslim communities in southern India. Published originally in the Kannada, these portraits of family and community tensions testify to Mushtaq’s years as a journalist and lawyer, in which she tirelessly championed women’s rights and protested all forms of caste and religious oppression. Written in a style at once witty, vivid, colloquial, moving and excoriating, it’s in her characters – the sparky children, the audacious grandmothers, the buffoonish maulvis and thug brothers, the oft-hapless husbands, and the mothers above all, surviving their feelings at great cost – that Mushtaq emerges as an astonishing writer and observer of human nature, building disconcerting emotional heights out of a rich spoken style. Her opus has garnered both censure from conservative quarters as well India’s most prestigious literary awards; this is a collection sure to be read for years to come.
Available at: https://www.amazon.in/Heart-Lamp-Selected-Shortlisted-International/dp/0143464477/Published April 2025
#RBTC Karnataka

Women Dreaming by SALMA

Translated into English from Tamil by Meena Kandasamy

Longlisted, 2022 Dublin Literary Award Winner, English PEN Translates Award 'What a life! She didn’t like being here, and she didn’t like going there.' Mehar dreams of freedom and a life with her children. Asiya dreams of her daughter’s happiness. Sajida dreams of becoming a doctor. Subaida dreams of the day when her family will become free of woes. Parveen dreams of a little independence, a little space for herself in the world. Mothers, daughters, aunts, sisters, neighbours… In this tiny Muslim village in Tamil Nadu, the lives of these women are sustained by the faith they have in themselves, in each other, and the everyday compromises they make. Salma’s storytelling – crystalline in its simplicity, patient in its unravelling – enters this interior world of women, held together by love, demarcated by religion, comforted by the courage in dreaming of better futures. A beautiful novel by writer and activist Salma, translated from Tamil by Meena Kandasamy.
Available at: https://www.amazon.com/Women-Dreaming/dp/1911284460Published April 2020
#RBTC Tamil Nadu

Gold Dust of Begum Sultans- ZUBAIDA SULTAN

Translated into English from Urdu by Zakia Zaheer & Syeda Saiyidain Hameed.

A powerful story set in post-1857 Rohilkhand, Western Uttar Pradesh, Gold Dust of Begum Sultans journeys from the plains to the mountains Mohammadpur, Aligarh, Nainital. In this intensely patriarchal setting, the book explores Akbar Ali Khan’s household, paradoxically dominated by strong Begums across three generations Qamar Zamani, Jahanara and Shehzadi. The Nawabs and Sahibzadas watch helplessly as their fortunes dwindle and the strong, tempestuous matriarchs come to the fore. Even while studying a crumbling feudal binary of the traditional and the modern, this novel captures the cultural ethos of one of the richest riyasats a culture in full display in the strong passions and extravagant indulgences of the patriarchs. As their antics come under the scrutiny of the British, the novel considers the manoeuvrings of the women protagonists. All the while, a new India struggles to be born. Gold Dust of Begum Sultans is a fascinating and unforgettable exploration of the history of the powerful Rohillas and their times.
Available at : https://www.amazon.in/Gold-Begum-Sultans-Zubaida-Sultan/dp/8129140241/refPublished July 2016

The History of Humayun GULBADAN BEGUM

Translated into English from Persian by Annette S. Beveridge

Princess Gulbadan Begum witnessed the reign of three Mughal emperors : her father Babar's, her brother Humayun's and her nephew Akbar's. Perhaps this explains Akbar's choice of Gulbadan, the only woman, along with Jauhar and Bayazid ewer-bearer and steward of Humayun when he ordered these three to 'write down whatever you know of the doings of Firdaus-Makani and Jannat-ashyani', i.e. Babur and Huma?yun. Akbar wanted to help his friend Abu'l Fazal gather materials for his Akbarnama. hence this order. Gulbadan's efforts culminated in Humayun-narna. Her mother-of-fact style did not impress Akbar, though Abul Fazal did not hesitate to copy verbatim parts of her work with?out acknowledgement. For this reason, only three copies were made of her book, out of which only one survived and reached the British Museum. Here Annette S. Beveridge. chanced upon this almost unknown work and published its translation in 1900. When she wrote this Humayun-nama. Gulbadan was more than sixty years old. Also she had to depend mainly on her memory. As such her facts occasionally do not tally and dates are jumbled. Her interest was people and not events. So her chronicle is highly successful in conjuring up visions, for the reader, of feelings, emotions, quarrels and recon?ciliation of a group of men and women. As a source book this book is of great use to historians. The notes and biogra?phical sketches of the ladies in the royal harem of Babar and Humayun furnished by the translator adds a touch of fascination to this book and makes it a remarkable memoir of a Mughal princess for the other readers.
Available at : https://www.amazon.com/History-Humayun-Humayun-Nama-Gulbadan-Begam/dp/8171560334Published 1989

Kaghazi Hai Pairahan- The Paper Attire ISMAT CHUGHTAI

Translated into English from Urdu by Noor Zaheer

The book is an honest and compelling memoir of Ismat Chughtai, one of the most significant Urdu writers and thinkers of the subcontinent. Written in a fictional, non-formal style, it provides an authentic and delightful account of several crucial years of her life. Vivid descriptions of her childhood and her experiences of growing up in a large Muslim family during the early decades of the twentieth century are presented. An intimate view is provided, of the writeras fierce struggle to find her own voice and write with passion and precision the visible and subtle tyrannies of contemporary society. Besides the book, essays by Ismat on some well known Urdu writers have been included, along with sketches on Ismat Chughtai by Saadat Hasan Manto and Patrus Bukhari. The book is a valuable addition to the body of autobiographical writings.
Available at : https://www.amazon.com/Kaghazi-Hai-Pairahan-Paper-Attire/dp/0199403554/ref=sr_1
Published 2016

Ship of Sorrows QURRATULAIN HYDER

Translated into English from Urdu by Saleem Kidwai

An English translation of the award winning Urdu novel first published in 1952. At the heart of the Ship of Sorrows is a group of young friends, men and women, Hindu and Muslim, living in Lucknow at the cusp of Indian Independence. Like the rest of the country, their lives are in turmoil. As the certainties of the old order begin fraying and the prospect of division becomes inevitable, they are confronted with having to make the kind of decisions that their hitherto carefree, privileged lives had not required.
Qurratulain Hyder places the six friends in situations that reflect this changing context and reveal their complex relationship with each other and with their altered reality. As the partition of the country looms, and their separation from each other and from their known worlds becomes imminent, their cargo of sorrows gets heavier. Yet, the ship of sorrows is not a doomed ship—through a tangle of sounds, images and emotions, Hyder navigates it to a harbour that promises hope and renewal.
Available at : https://www.amazon.com/Ship-Sorows-Novel-Qurratulain-Hyder/dp/9385606239/ref=mp_Published 2019

A Chughtai Collection- ISMAT CHUGHTAI

Translated into English from Urdu by Saleem Kidwai

Collection of three collections by leading Urdu and feminist writer, translated by Tahira Naqvi. Includes "The Quilt and Other Stories", "The Heart Breaks Free", and "The Wild One."
Ismat Chughtai (August 1915 – 24 October 1991) was an eminent Urdu writer, known for her indomitable spirit and a fierce feminist ideology. She was considered the grand dame of Urdu fiction, Along with Rashid Jahan, Wajeda Tabassum and Qurratulain Hyder, Ismat’s work stands for the birth of a revolutionary feminist politics and aesthetics in twentieth century Urdu literature. She explored feminine sexuality, middle-class gentility, and other evolving conflicts in the modern Muslim world. Her outspoken and controversial style of writing made her the passionate voice for the unheard, and she has become an inspiration for the younger generation of writers, readers and intellectuals.
Available at : https://www.amazon.com/Chughtai-Collection-Quilt-Stories-Breaks/dp/8186706771Published: 2010

Baby Doll- Translated into English from Malayalam by FATHIMA E.V.

Brilliantly rendered by award-winning translator Fathima E.V., Baby Doll brings a comprehensive selection of Gracy's work to English readers for the very first time. When they were first published, Gracy's stories shocked readers with their sexual candour and frank celebration of female desire. She is now widely recognized as one of the most important contemporary writers in Malayalam. Her short stories, which vary from half a page to novella-length, draw the reader into the world of modern men and women caught in quagmires of desire, lust, jealousy and vengeance - emotions that they often carry even into the afterlife. In these pages we will find: the bitter defiance of a daughter going to her mother's funeral in her most alluring sari; a contemporary retelling of the story of Draupadi; the sinister coming-of-age tale of a young girl...
Available at: https://www.amazon.in/Baby-Doll-Stories-Gracy/dp/9390327873Published 2021
#RBTC Kerala

The Paradise of Food- Translated from Urdu to English by BARAN FAROOQUI

Superbly translated, The Paradise of Food is a novel like no other. A landmark Urdu classic translated for the first time by Baran Farooqui. Khalid Jawed is one of the most original and extraordinary writers in Urdu today. The Paradise of Food is an Urdu classic known for its radical, experimental form and savage and dark honesty. It tells the story of a middle-class Muslim joint family over a span of fifty years. As India – and Islamic culture – hardens, the narrator, whose life we follow from boyhood to old age, struggles to find a place for himself, at odds in his home and in the world outside. But to describe the novel in its plot is to do its originality no justice. In this profoundly daring work – tense, mysterious, even unfathomable on occasion – Jawed builds an atmosphere of gloom and grotesqueness to draw out his themes. And in doing so he penetrates deep into the dark heart of middle-class Muslims today.
Baran Farooqui has translated many other books including Waiting for the Morning Breeze by Syed Mohamed Ashraf and Poems of Faiz Ahmed Faiz.
Available at: https://www.amazon.in/Degh-Dastarkhwan-Qissas-Recipes-Cuisine/dp/0143451464/Published 2022
#RBTC Uttar Pradesh

RASHID JAHAN- 3 Stories Translated from Urdu

Rashid Jahan (1905-1952), one of the most fiery writers of Urdu literature, is perhaps most famous for having contributed to Angaarey, a controversial anthology known for its iconoclastic views and its attack on colonialism. A medical practitioner and a highly educated woman, she wrote from experience, thus producing a collection of work that was original, hard-hitting, and still remains some of the best depiction of women’s issues in the Urdu canon. Often challenged for being rough or unedited, her work is raw, genuine, and presents a fearless challenge to the status quo at every step.
This translation is a unique translation by Himadri Agarwal of Rashid Jahan's (1905-1952) works from Urdu to English which are in the public domain. What binds these 3-Stories stories together, other than their common author, is an unapologetic challenge to the status quo. Rashid Jahan brings life to literature – she writes about maternity wards, about sex workers with deformities, about all those things which exist in reality but are kept away from fiction. She does not shy away from chaos, from conversations, from bustling roads and crowded rooms. Jahan’s focus is the truth of the human condition, and drawing from her experiences as a woman, she sheds light on the oft-ignored experiences of marginalized groups, something which is always praiseworthy and was particularly challenging in the time she lived in.
Available at: https://www.amazon.com/Stories-Rashid-Jahan-Translated-Book-ebook/dp/B08GJRFXWV/ref=sr_1_6?Published 2020

Breaking Ties - SARA ABOOBACKER English translation from Kannada

Breaking Ties by SaraAboobacker is the English translation of her very first novel Chandragiri Teeradalli which was originally published in the year 1981. 'Chandragiri Theeradalli’ is a prominent novel and also a feminist text by the Kannada writer Sarah Aboobacker, which was later translated into English with the title ‘Breaking Ties’. The novel introduces the readers to the miserable lives of Muslim women in Coastal Karnataka and Kerala. The author was also from a Muslim community. She was the first girl in her community to pass the matriculation exam. Her writing style is very simple and direct and mainly centered on the terrible lives of Muslim women and how they are excluded from all the major and minor decisions in their life and not allowed to claim their freedom and equality in the social, political and religious system. This novel has made a huge impact on the Muslim patriarchal society questioning its social evils constructed against women depriving them of their freedom and opinions. It is the story of a voiceless girl and her damaged life caused by her patriarchal father and by the religious rules that restricts her to make decisions in her own life. This novel reveals to the world the sacrifice that a woman has to make to live in a Muslim society and her life as a puppet in the hands of a male-dominated society losing the real joy of life and living a life directed by the men in their lives.
Available at: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0BXQ44FJ2?ref_Published 1981
#RBTC Karnataka

Darkness and other stories- RAZIA SAJJAD ZAHEER Translated by Saba Mahmood Bashir

Razia Sajjad Zaheer’s stories are gentle and unassuming tales that describe the lives of ordinary women—a homemaker, a teacher, a writer, a sex worker—whose struggles simply to be themselves, or to make sense of the realities they see around them, mark them as extraordinary. A low caste woman shows up society’s hypocrisy in dealing with caste and, in doing so, turns the mirror on her own tendency to do the same. A working woman, a mother and writer, grapples with how to deal with her over-helpful house help, a man, who thinks he knows that when she asks for tea, he must instead serve her milk. A writer travels alone on a train at night, fearful that she may be attacked by the sinister-seeming men around her, only to find that they are fans of her writing. Every story offers a situation that readers may easily recognise and relate to, and each then suggests a complex twist or an ambivalence that is sometimes elusive and sometimes illuminating. Saba Mahmood Bashir’s competent and accessible translation brings the work of this important writer—which has thus far received little attention—to life for readers of today.
Available at: https://zubaanbooks.com/shop/darkness-and-other-stories/
Published 2025

Women of Prey- Translated from Urdu to English by SABA MAHMOOD BASHIR

Originally published in 1955 as Shikari auratein, women of prey is a hugely entertaining and forgotten classic containing raunchy, hilarious short stories and profiles that show a completely different side of Manto. As he’s enjoying a Kulfi in his Victoria coach after a long day at filmistan, a beautiful burqa-clad woman suddenly hops in next to Manto, ready to go home. What will he do next? When Ashok stumbles across a porn film for the first time in his life, he is appalled. What will happen when his wife gets a hold of the contraband? Will two bitter lovers—about to give it all up—resolve their differences, before they take each other lives? Can Ashok Kumar, heartthrob to millions of women, handle Paro Devi’s affections? In addition to these stories, this volume also includes ‘sitara’, Manto’s scandalous profile of the legendary Kathak dancer, famous for her troop of lovers. Appearing in English translation for the first time ever, this gem of a collection is a gloriously pulpy, sexual, hilarious and tragic romp through Manto’s Bombay, Lahore and Amritsar.
Available at: https://www.amazon.in/Women-Prey-Shikari-Auratein-Stories/dp/9389231329Published 2019
#RBTC Uttar Pradesh

Fragments of Being- Translated in English from Urdu- NASEEM IQTIDAR ALI

Since childhood, stories have been fascinating us and taking us on a tour of our world of dreams where everything is perfect. But as we grow, we encounter the world and humans with their own flaws and challenges. Life itself teaches us the way of living in such a strange world and when our patience succumbs to the harsh realities, the stories come to our rescue and we find solace in their embrace.
Available at: https://www.amazon.in/Fragments-Being-stories-Naseem-Iqtidar/dp/9391080170Published 2022
#Uttar Pradesh

Kallo and other stories - Translated in English from Urdu- SAIRA MUJTABA

A tooth powder seller’s muse, A moustache-wielding matriarch, A beautician who keeps close company with rats. And more… The women in this unconventional collection of short stories break out of their societal bonds, challenge norms and write their own fates.
First published in Urdu in 2021 to critical acclaim, Kallo opens readers to a new world. Men, though instrumental, are incidental; piety and grime jostle for space; queerness of all kinds is welcome; and women’s passions, desires and fears are at the forefront.
This sharp takedown of the hypocrisies of society, particularly the man-made divisions of national borders, religion, caste and class, is a masterclass in irreverent satire – great if you love a bite in your humour – with female protagonists you can’t help but root for.
Available at: https://www.amazon.in/Kallo-Other-Stories-Sameena-Nazir-ebook/dp/B0H5PSKFNBPublished July 2026

Penguin Life- EK SHEEBA translated from Malayalam by Ayshath Shamah Rahmath.

The Silence that Speaks is a ground-breaking anthology brings together thirty-eight short stories culled from over a century of writing by Muslim women from colonial and postcolonial India. Selected from different Indian languages such as Assamese, Bengali, Hindi, English, Urdu, Kannada, Telegu, Punjabi, Marathi, Tamil, and Malayalam, the collection includes gripping and fascinating stories by celebrated as well as emerging authors. It also excavates stories from now forgotten, once widely circulated, early women’s journals such as Tehzeeb-e-Niswan, Saogat, and Indian Ladies’ Magazine.
But what happened to Doctor Junaina Hyder? Ibrahim Sulaiman’s thoughts were stuck on her. He had always seen her in a naqab, covering her whole face except the eyes. Sheeba EK’s Malayalam story “Penguin Life” deals with Junaina’s dilemma regarding purdah. It narrates story of a Muslim lady doctor and her decisions to observe and reject purdah. The story also makes veiled references to intersections of local cultures and Islam. It reflects upon how the emigration of Muslims to the gulf countries has immensely influenced the cultures of Muslim communities in Kerala. In this compelling story, the author deviates from the usual debate on the socio-religious perspectives on purdah, and presents it as a personal choice. Translated from Malayalam by Ayshath Shamah Rahmath.
Available at: https://academic.oup.com/book/44161/chapter-abstract/372356226?Published 2022
#RBTC Kerala

Writings on Indian Muslim Women by Women Authors

Muslim Women's Writing from across South & Southeast Asia

Editors: FEROZA JUSSWALA & DOAA OMRAN

This essential collection examines South and Southeastern Asian Muslim women's writing and the ways they navigate cultural, political, and controversial boundaries. These two editors have also edited another book called : Muslim Women Speaking Persistently"
Available at: https://books.google.com/books/about/Muslim_Women_s_Writing_from_Across_South.html?id=vWTAzgEACAAJPublished 2023

Veil Obsessed

Editors: AFRIN ZEENAT & UMME AL WAZEDI

Discussions surrounding the veil often run along essentialist and ahistorical lines, associating Islam with oppression, shame, and honor. Contributing to these stereotypes, the media in both the East and the West obsessively condemn or valorize practices of veiling. In Veil Obsessed, Umme Al-wazedi and Afrin Zeenat present a range of essays to complicate and challenge the dialogue around the veil, exploring its symbolic, religious, and cultural significance. Scholars from a variety of fields analyze and critique the use of the veil in literature, film, television, and the fine arts.
Considering the multiple perceptions of the veil, this volume shows that the meaning of hijab can be natural or constructed, real or metaphorical, and religious or political, when it is presented through the media, in the teachings of Islam, and in upholding it as a national symbol of a nation-state. There are inherent tensions among the ideas concerning the power of hijab. Does wearing it give agency to women or does it represent oppression, thereby creating and perpetuating stereotypes? How an individual sees their relationship with the self, family and community, and the nation-state dictates their choice of whether to wear the veil. In exploring the wide range of portrayals, the editors pose critical questions about perceptions of the veil and the dangers of ignoring its multiplicity.
Available at: Published April 2024

Rising Beyond The Ceiling Publications

Rising Beyond The Ceiling- Uttar Pradesh

Editors: Farah K. Usmani, Faiza Abbasi, Sabiha Ahmad

A first ever collective of its kind, Rising Beyond The Ceiling shares stereotype shattering stories of courage, grit, and service of contemporary Muslim women from the state of Uttar Pradesh. Over 100 million Indian women, who identify themselves as Muslim, reach across a spectrum of ethnicities and languages, states and union territories, do not look the same or sound the same, and contribute to India’s growth and development in a variety of ways. Of these nearly a quarter, over 22 million, are from Uttar Pradesh, a population larger than many countries of the world. Rising Beyond The Ceiling aims to change the stereotype narrative surrounding Muslim women in India, doing so in an integrated way, with collaboration of all faiths. The 'RBTC 100 Women' celebrated in this book capture the diversity and exemplary accomplishments of Uttar Pradesh’s Muslim women. They serve in the police and army, they are skeet shooters and bike riders, they write books and poetry, create art, play hockey and tennis championships, fly drones and planes, administer, and govern, advocate for social issues, serve as lawyers, scientists, and doctors, are entrepreneurs, politicians, media and corporate professionals, all substantive contributors in the progress of the country.
Role models have an amplified benefit for women due to the gender biases, institutional barriers and negative stereotypes women have long had to content with across professions. The positive role models in the book will inspire all women and girls in India, and around the world, at every stage of their lives, in all areas of endeavor and open a door to new ambitions. For young women, seeing so many other women of dramatically different backgrounds, achieving in a range of professions, is a strong signal that success and service come in many forms, and everyone gets to pick their own icons.
Available at: https://www.amazon.com/Rising-Beyond-Ceiling-stereotype-shattering-stories-ebook/dp/B0B8PKZVT1Published September 2021
For your free E-Book write to risingbeyondtheceiling@gmail.com

Women Depicting Women: Creative artworks by over hundred women artists

Farah K. Usmani, Farzana Shahab, Sabiha Hasan Sumbul, Sahar Zaman

This publication shares artworks from over 100 women artists on the theme of "Women Depicting Women: Her Voice & Her Vision". The artworks were part of the Rising Beyond The Ceiling art ( RBTC) exhibition, a first of its kind, held in June 2022 at Lucknow. They capture the diversity and different perceptions, share aspects of women’s lives and their stories, and advocate for a new narrative. “Women Depicting Women” was conceptualized by Dr. Farah K. Usmani, Founder & Chairperson, of Rising Beyond The Ceiling and curated by Lucknow-based artist Farzana Shahab and co-organized with visual artist Sabiha Hasan Sumbul.
Rising Beyond The Ceiling recognizes the intersection of art and social change and the potential of engaging critical questions of social change within contemporary art. 'Women Depicting Women’ introduces women artists whose work focuses on a range of stories and deals with personal and collective issues. The spotlight is on the experiences of women artists presenting a contemporary viewpoint and commentary on gender, women's work, pain, hope, motherhood, roles, responsibilities, and many other dimensions.
Available at: https://www.amazon.com/Women-Depicting-Creative-artworks-hundred-ebook/dp/B0BRLFSR1C Published June 2022

Rising Beyond The Ceiling- Kerala

Editors: Farah K. Usmani, Ameer Ahamad, Shaheen Usmani, Afzal

A first ever collective of its kind, Rising Beyond The Ceiling shares stereotype shattering stories of courage, grit, and service of contemporary Muslim women from Kerala, an Indian state on the southwestern coast of India. Kerala has a total with estimated population of 33 million people. More than one quarter, 26.5%, of Kerala residents are Muslims. Over 100 million Indian women who identify themselves as Muslim, reach across a spectrum of ethnicities and languages, states and union territories, do not look the same or sound the same, and contribute to India’s growth and development in a variety of ways. The population of Muslim women in Kerala is over 4.5 million, larger than several small countries of the world. Rising Beyond The Ceiling aims to change the stereotype narrative surrounding Muslim women in India, doing so in an integrated way, with collaboration of all faiths.
The 'RBTC 100 Women' celebrated in this book capture the diversity and exemplary accomplishments of Kerala’s Muslim women. They are shattering stereotypes in uniform, providing leadership in governance and administration, achieving academic excellence at universities and colleges, are inspirations in politics, professionals in science and medicine, creative contributors to the arts, taking entrepreneurship forward, making an impact through media, impassioned authors and poets, change makers in social development, shining in sports, taking strides in the corporate world, all substantive contributors in the progress of the country.
Available at: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BG6J355M?ref_=dbs_p_pwh_rwt_anx_cl_0&storeType=ebooks Published 2022
For your free E-Book write to risingbeyondtheceiling@gmail.com

Rising Beyond The Ceiling- Karnataka

Editors: Farah K. Usmani, Zoya Fatehally, Aiman Ansari

A first ever collective of its kind, Rising Beyond The Ceiling shares stereotype shattering stories of one hundred courageous, competent and committed contemporary Muslim Women of Karnataka state of southern India. Over 100 million Indian women who identify themselves as Muslim, reach across a spectrum of ethnicities and languages, states and union territories, do not look the same or sound the same, and contribute to India’s growth and development in a variety of ways. Karnataka is home to approximately 40 lakh women who identify themselves as Muslim. Total Muslim population is 79 lakhs, on an average 12.76% of the population in Karnataka. Rising Beyond The Ceiling aims to change the stereotype narrative surrounding Muslim women in India, doing so in an integrated way, with collaboration of all faiths.
The 'RBTC 100 Women' celebrated in this book capture the diversity and exemplary accomplishments of Karnataka's Muslim women. They are shattering stereotypes in uniform, providing leadership in governance and administration, achieving academic excellence at universities and colleges, are inspirations in politics, professionals in science and medicine, creative contributors to the arts, taking entrepreneurship forward, making an impact through media, impassioned authors and poets, change makers in social development, shining in sports, taking strides in the corporate world, all substantive contributors in the progress of the country.
Available at: https://www.amazon.in/Rising-Beyond-Ceiling-Karnataka-Contemporary-ebook/dp/B0BHV9JCDB Published February 2023
For your free E-Book write to risingbeyondtheceiling@gmail.com

Rising Beyond The Ceiling- Global Inspirations USA

Editors: Farah K. Usmani, Nishat Hasan, Rana Y. Hasan, Shaheen Usmani

Rising Beyond The Ceiling (RBTC) is a global initiative to shine a spotlight on achievements and contributions of Muslim women of India, both in the country and in countries around the world. The vision of RBTC is 3 Cs- Celebrating Achievements, Changing Stereotypes and Creating Leadership Opportunities.
The United States RBTC 100 Global Inspirations publication seeks to spotlight Muslim women from India who have made their mark in different professions in the USA. The 100 stories capture the resilience, challenges and their immigrant experience in building a career in a new environment and country. All RBTC 100 USA honorees have done their initial studies in educational institutions in India and later moved to the USA. They have contributed and received accolades and successes in the many fields from academics and medicine to arts and entrepreneurship. The 100 honorees, are a source of pride their country of origin , to their Alma Mater institutions in India and to communities in the USA. RBTC 100 Global Honorees profiles serve as an inspiration and role model for the next generation of Indian, as well as all immigrant women, who are working and dreaming to make an impact in the world. They also contribute to changing the stereotype narrative surrounding the 100 million women today in India who identify themselves as Muslim.
Available at: https://www.inspiringindianmuslimwomen.org/global-inspirations-north-americaPublished 2023
For your free E-Book write to risingbeyondtheceiling@gmail.com

Rising Beyond The Ceiling- Madhya Pradesh

Editors: Farah K. Usmani, Faiqa Saulat Khan, Asma Rizwan

A first ever collective of its kind, Rising Beyond The Ceiling Madhya Pradesh captures the diversity and accomplishments of 100 contemporary Muslim women from the state of Madhya Pradesh, India The 100 inspiring honorees belong to several districts of Madhya Pradesh, namely, Bhopal, Datia, Dewas, Guna, Gwalior, Indore, Jabalpur, Kurwai, Raipur, Ratlam, Singrauli, Sheopur, Sultanpur and two from Durg/Chhattisgarh. A large proportion however are from Bhopal in this first compendium. They are contributing to nation building and shattering stereotypes in the Police and Army, they are taking up leadership in administration in the Indian Administrative Service, M.P. State Administrative Service, Labor, Excise and Fisheries Departments, they are Professors and Academicians at government and private educational institutions, they are award winning authors, writers and poets, they are making an impact through media as journalists, T,V, anchors and producers, they are business leaders and owners, working with private companies and banks, they are creative contributors to the arts as documentary film makers, artists, stylists and designers, they are entrepreneurs founding and leading their endeavors in hospitality, film making, fashion, events, education, health and others, they are inspirations in politics from Governor to Corporators, they are professionals in medicine from obstetrics and gynecology to ophthalmology to dentistry and Psychotherapy, they are Scientists in information technology and biochemistry, they are national, international sports champions from trap shooting to hockey, cricket, skating and wrestling, they are change makers in social development in education, public health and also Qazis and mutawallis, they are administering quality school education at all levels, and the women from Madhya Pradesh have also made their mark globally in the USA, Canada, New Zealand, Malaysia and Middle East earning accolades such as Order of Merit from the countries of their immigration.
Available at: https://www.amazon.com/Rising-Beyond-Ceiling-Madhya-Pradesh-ebook/dp/B0CJB6QZH6/Published 2024
For your free E-Book write to risingbeyondtheceiling@gmail.com

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