Binya S Blue Umbrella

Binya, a young girl living in rural India, trades her leopard-claw necklace for a dainty blue umbrella, but the local tea shop proprietor wants the umbrella for his own.

The Umbrella was like a flower, a great blue flower that had sprung up on the dry brown hillside.'In exchange for her lucky leopard's claw pendant, Binya acquires a beautiful blue umbrella that makes her the envy of everyone in her village, especially Ram Bharosa, the shop-keeper. Ruskin Bond's short and humorous novella, set in the picturesque hills of Garhwal, perfectly captures life in a village, where both heroism and redemption can be found. It is One of the bestsellers and one of the great works of Ruskin Bond.

In exchange for her lucky leopard's claw pendant, Binya acquires a beautiful blue umbrella that makes her the envy of everyone in her village, especially Ram Bharosa, the shop-keeper. Ruskin Bond's short and humorous novella, set in the picturesque hills of Garhwal, perfectly captures life in a village, where both heroism and redemption can be found.

Ruskin Bond has been writing stories for children for over six decades now, delighting and enchanting each new generation of readers with his heart-warming tales of friendship, love and coming-of-age. Curated in this essential collection are some of his best-loved stories, designed to introduce the young reader to Ruskin's cast of beloved characters - from the irrepressible Rusty, with his constant thirst for adventure, to his Grandfather, with his overflowing kindness towards all creatures great and small, from the resolute Bina, who braves a leopard to walk to school, to Suraj and Sunder Singh, who become unlikely friends. Including classic tales such as 'The Girl on the Train', 'Coming Home to Dehra', 'The Room of Many Colours' and 'The Blue Umbrella', in turns funny, touching, whimsical and nostalgic, this collection is a must-read for children and adults alike.

When ten-year-old Binya becomes the proud owner of the most beautiful blue umbrella in the world, her happiness knows no bounds. The umbrella becomes her constant companion and protector. But there are others, in the village, who would also like the umbrella for their own and will go to great lengths to get it. Sita lives with her grandparents on a tiny island in the middle of a river. One day, when her grandparents are away the river begins to rise. The friendly stretch of water becomes an angry, rushing flood and Sita watches as her beloved home is washed away. Will she be able to save herself? The Blue Umbrella and The Angry River, two wonderful stories from one of India's most loved storywriters, Ruskin Bond.

The Price of a Promise Paid in Blood The deadly Halahala, the alldevouring poison churned from the depths of the White Lake by the devas and asuras, was swallowed by Shiva to save the universe from extinction. But was the Halahala truly destroyed? A small portion still remains – a weapon powerful enough to guarantee victory to whoever possesses it. And both asuras and devas, locked in battle for supremacy, will stop at nothing to claim it. As the forces of Devaloka and Patala, led by Indra and Shukracharya, plot to possess the Halahala, Shiva turns to mankind to guard it from their murderous clutches. It is now up to Samrat Vikramaditya and his Council of Nine to quell the supernatural hordes – and prevent the universe from tumbling into chaos! A sweeping tale of honour and courage in the face of infinite danger, greed and deceit, The Guardians of the Halahala is a fantastical journey into a time of myth and legend. Doortodoor salesman, copywriter, business journalist and assistant editor at The Economic Times, SHATRUJEET NATH was all this before he took to writing fiction fulltime. He debuted with The Karachi Deception in 2013, followed by The Guardians of the Halahala and The Conspiracy at Meru, the first two books in the Vikramaditya series. At present, he is writing volume three of the series. Shatrujeet lives in Mumbai, but spends much of his time in the fantasy worlds of his stories. He can also be found at facebook.com/ShatrujeetNath and @shatrujeet.

Since his childhood; Arun has secretly been in love with Susanna; his dangerously alluring neighbour; who becomes his friend despite the wide difference in their ages. But Susanna has a weakness for falling in love with the wrong men. Over the years; Arun watches as Susanna becomes notorious as the merry widow who flits from one marriage to another; leaving behind a trail of dead husbands. It is only a matter of time before he too begins to wonder if there is any truth to the slanderous gossip surrounding the woman he is in love with. In this gripping new novella of love and death; Bond revisits his previously published short story of the same name; included here in an appendix. This edition also features the screenplay Saat Khoon Maaf; based on this novella and written by award-winning film-maker Vishal Bhardwaj and Matthew Robbins.