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What’s on the shelves this week?
After years of trying to belong to Lucknow, Hassan meets a kindred spirit — Ahmed Sahib, an elderly man of quiet warmth, who gives him the gift of unspoken friendship. He also leads him to love — to Samina. Spare, nostalgic and moving, Omair Ahmad’s new novella is a meditation on love, lost and gained, and on ideas of family, home and belonging.
Da by Arathi Menon. Picador India. Pages 185. Rs 399
Inquisitive 13-year-old Ved’s entire universe is his adoptive father, Da. Their relationship harbours a secret that could destroy them both. Da is gay at a time when Section 377 labels homosexuality a crime. Set in 2013, it’s a tender story of a boy caught between devotion and fear, chronicling the courage it takes to love someone the world refuses to accept.
My First IK Onkar by Sarita Saraf. Illustrated by Parmeet Arora Bori. AdiDev Press. Pages 28. Rs 599
The Mool Mantra is the opening section of Guru Granth Sahib. These words by the first Sikh Guru have brought comfort and strength to the Sikhs for centuries. This book presents a simple translation of the Mool Mantra along with illustrations by Parmeet Arora Bori. It aims at making children understand Guru Nanak’s cherished words.
