Orissa’s largest non-fiction work and first lexicon got a new lease of life with reprints appearing in the market for the first time in 70 years. Purnnachandra Ordia Bhashakosha, the monumental lexicon made up of seven volumes in 9,000-odd pages, has been republished by Orissa-based Lark Books and is priced at Rs 700.

Gopal Chandra Praharaj, a Cuttack lawyer and journalist, had spent more than 17 years from 1913 to compile the seven volumes with inputs from Pitambari Devi, Chandra Sekhar Mishra, Pandit Kulamani Dash, Kavya Tirtha and Pandit Rama Chandra Rath. The lexicon covered 1.85 lakh words with multi-lingual synonyms (Bengali, Hindi and English), explanatory notes and word history. Utkal Sahitya Press in Cuttack printed and published all seven volumes in September 1931, while the last volume appeared in 1940.

Considered an Oriya treasure trove, the original set of Purnnachandra Ordia Bhashakosha went into obscurity in subsequent years. While much of the printed copies were destroyed unbound and unsold the copies that survived were rare and not accessible for the public.

The Kannada Book Authority (KBA) is shortly bringing out works of great writers like Kuvempu, Dattatreya Ramachandra Bendre, D V Gundappa, Kota Shivarama Karantha, Girish Karnad and G P Rajaratnam in Braille format.

The books will be printed at the Government Printing Press for Braille in Mysore. The titles that will be printed are Kuvempu’s ‘Pakshikaashi’, ‘Chomanadudi’ by Shivarama Karantha, ‘Sakhigeetha’ by Dattatreya Ramachandra Bendre, DVG’s ‘Mankutimmana Kagga’, ‘Tughlaq’ by Girish Karnad, ‘Rathnana Padagalu’ by G P Rajaratnam, ‘Mysore Mallige’ by K S Narasimhaswamy and 16 other books.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, KBA president Siddalingaiah said that they were planning to bring out 50 such books in the next six months. “In the first phase, we are bringing out 16 books at a cost of Rs 10 lakh. As many as 200 copies of each book will be printed,” he said.

KBA will be distributing the books free of cost to district central libraries and Braille libraries. The books will also be available at affordable prices at leading book stores. KBA is also planning to bring out medical science books in Kannada.

by Gopika Kapoor

ISBN: 978-8189988531

Price: Rs.200/-

Format: Paperback

From conception to early childhood, Spiritual Parenting, the first in a series by Hay House India will steer you through this life-altering journey. Marrying spirituality with tried-and-true advice, it offers simple but enormously effective strategies on bringing up children in this crazy world that we live in – and staying positive and sane through it. 

In this indispensable guide, Gopika Kapoor, a writer and mother of twins, shares with you all that she has learned both as a parent herself and as a close observer of other parents. From managing your toddler’s tantrums to advice on kiddie birthday parties, and from suggestions on positive discipline to ideas on how to connect with your child, she provides not just solutions, but also useful tips on pre-empting the common problems that every parent encounters in bringing up Baby. However, this book is much more than a primer on how to raise happy kids; it is also about how to be happy parents. In her typically reassuring, compassionate tone, she shows us how to tackle the physical and emotional difficulties we face as parenting adults – post-partum depression, sleeplessness, strains on spousal relationships, and much more – with suggestions for body and soul based on practical experience and spiritual lessons.

Focused on both parent and child, Spiritual Parenting is an invaluable compendium of common sense and spiritual wisdom. Read this one book and you’ll see how one of life’s greatest challenges can also be one of its greatest joys .

About the Author

Gopika Kapoor is a writer and communications consultant. She has written for a number of leading publications, including The Times of India, The Indian Express, Elle, Seventeen India, and Andpersand Magazine, and has been consulted on various communications initiatives with Child Relief and You (CRY), Point of View, CREA, and Save the Children, Sweden. Gopika lives in Mumbai with her husband Mohit, a corporate lawyer and life coach, and her twins, Vir and Gayatri.

Sherna Khambatta Literary Agency       

Sherna Khambatta Literary Agency, the Indian representative of the Wade & Doherty Literary Agency UK is proud to launch Gopika Kapoor’s first in a series of books on parenting. Literary Agents are a new concept to Indian publishing but a vital link between authors and publishers.

www.shernakhambatta.com