Almost two decades after the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, Scharada Dubey, an Ayodhya resident, studies the barricaded Ram Janmabhoomi site, travels through temple alleyways, visits the residents, ordinary and prominent, of a town that has known no peace. What follows is Portraits of Ayodhya - a startling compilation of oral history, a mighty jigsaw puzzle of voices from across the town. In this book of narrative non-fiction, we meet Ayodhya denizens with varying pasts, residents from all walks of life - from the allegedly omnipotent Mahant Gyandas, head of the Hanuman Garhi...

Hanuman occupies a special place in the Ramayana, as the foremost devotee of Sri Rama, who comes forward to offer protection and hope at the most crucial moments. While millions have absorbed the character of Hanuman from the stories within the epic, much less is known of Hanuman's life after Sri Rama's ascension to the throne at Ayodhya, or in his meditative older years. The Hanuman Heart offers readers the delightful stories of Hanuman's childhood, his invaluable service to Rama during the struggle to rescue Sita, and his later stories at Ayodhya and elsewhere. As a modern rendition of the...