Basic science

Introduction

The human brain is a very powerful organ. It controls all parts of the body and allows us to think, feel, move our arms and legs and it helps us stay healthy.

The brain looks like a pink sponge and consists of a mass of nerve cells. It is protected by the skull. An adult's brain weighs about 1.5 kilograms. Large animals such as whales and elephants have larger brains in absolute terms, but when measured using the encephalization quotient which compensates for body size, the human brain is almost twice as large as the brain of the bottlenose dolphin, and three times as large as the brain of a chimpanzee. Much of the expansion comes from the part of the brain called the cerebral cortex, especially the frontal lobes, which are associated with executive functions such as self-control, planning, reasoning, and abstract thought. The portion of the cerebral cortex devoted to vision is also greatly enlarged in humans.

 The adult human brain weighs on average about 3 lb (1.5 kg) with a size of around 1130 cubic centimeters (cm3) in women and 1260 cm3 in men, although there is substantial individual variation. Men's brains are on average 100g heavier than a woman's, even when corrected for body size differences The brain is very soft, having a consistency similar to soft gelatin or firm tofu. Despite being referred to as "grey matter", the live cortex is pinkish-beige in color and slightly off-white in the interior.

My main focus of presenting this paper is based on the human brain. Human brain is a very complicated organ. My effort in presenting this paper is try to understand the functions and features of the brain. Thus, in way I somehow learnt so many things about the brain. Brain which is one of the main organs in our body is very complicated to understand. It does many complicated work which we are not aware of. In my presentation I tried to understand some of these complicated things.

                                                                                                         

                                                          

Brain Structures and their Functions

The nervous system is our body's decision and communication center. The central nervous system (CNS) is made of the brain and the spinal cord and the peripheral nervous system (PNS) is made of nerves. Together they control every part of your daily life, from breathing and blinking to helping you memorize facts for a test. Nerves reach from our brain to our face, ears, eyes, nose, and spinal cord... and from the spinal cord to the rest of our body. Sensory nerves gather information from the environment; send that information to the spinal cord, which then speed the message to the brain. The brain then makes sense of that message and fires off a response. Motor neurons deliver the instructions from the brain to the rest of your body. The spinal cord, made of a bundle of nerves running up and down the spine, is similar to a superhighway, speeding messages to and from the brain at every second.

The brain is made of three main parts: the forebrain, midbrain, and hindbrain. The forebrain consists of the cerebrum, thalamus, and hypothalamus (part of the limbic system). The midbrain consists of the tectum and tegmentum. The hindbrain is made of the cerebellum, Pons and medulla. Often the midbrain, Pons, and medulla are referred to together as the brainstem.

The Cerebrum: The cerebrum or cortex is the largest part of the human brain, associated with higher brain function such as thought and action. The cerebral cortex is divided into four sections, called "lobes": the frontal lobe, parietal lobe, occipital lobe, and temporal lobe. Here is a visual representation of the cortex:

What does each of these lobes do?

Frontal Lobe- associated with reasoning, planning, parts of speech, movement, emotions, and problem solving

Parietal Lobe- associated with movement, orientation, recognition, perception of stimuli

Occipital Lobe- associated with visual processing

Temporal Lobe- associated with perception and recognition of auditory stimuli, memory, and speech

Note that the cerebral cortex is highly wrinkled. Essentially this makes the brain more efficient, because it can increase the surface area of the brain and the amount of neurons within it. We will discuss the relevance of the degree of cortical folding later. A deep furrow divides the cerebrum into two halves, known as the left and right hemispheres. The two hemispheres look mostly symmetrical yet it has been shown that each side functions slightly different than the other. Sometimes the right hemisphere is associated with creativity and the left hemisphere is associated with logic abilities. The corpus callosum is a bundle of axons which connects these two hemispheres.

Nerve cells make up the gray surface of the cerebrum which is a little thicker than our thumb.  White nerve fibers underneath carry signals between the nerve cells and the other parts of the brain and body.

The neocortex occupies the bulk of the cerebrum. This is a six-layered structure of the cerebral cortex which is only found in mammals. It is thought that the neocortex is a recently evolved structure, and is associated with "higher" information processing by more fully evolved animals (such as humans, dolphins, etc).

The Cerebellum: The cerebellum, or "little brain", is similar to the cerebrum in that it has two hemispheres and has a highly folded surface or cortex. This structure is associated with regulation and coordination of movement, posture, and balance.

The cerebellum is assumed to be much older than the cerebrum, evolutionarily. In other words, animals which scientists assume to have evolved prior to humans, for example reptiles, do have developed cerebellums. However, reptiles do not have neocortex. 

 Limbic System: The limbic system, often referred to as the "emotional brain", is found buried within the cerebrum. Like the cerebellum, evolutionarily the structure is rather old.

This system contains the thalamus, hypothalamus, amygdala, and hippocampus.

Brain Stem: Underneath the limbic system is the brain stem. This structure is responsible for basic vital life functions such as breathing, heartbeat, and blood pressure. Scientists say that this is the "simplest" part of human brains because animals' entire brains, such as reptiles resemble our brain stem.

The living brain is very soft, having a consistency similar to soft gelatin or soft tofu. Despite being referred to as grey matter, the live cortex is pinkish-beige in color and slightly off-white in the interior.

General features of brain

The human brain has many properties that are common to all vertebrate brains, including a basic division into three parts called the forebrain, midbrain, and hindbrain, each with fluid-filled ventricles at their core, and a set of generic vertebrate brain structures including the medulla oblongata, Pons, cerebellum, optic tectum, thalamus, hypothalamus, basal ganglia, olfactory bulb, and many others.

As a mammalian brain, the human brain has special features that are common to all mammalian brains, most notably a six-layered cerebral cortex and a set of structures associated with it, including the hippocampus and amygdala. All vertebrates have a forebrain whose upper surface is covered with a layer of neural tissue called the pallium, but in all except mammals the pallium has a relatively simple three-layered cell structure. In mammals it has a much more complex six-layered cell structure, and is given a different name, the cerebral cortex. The hippocampus and amygdala also originate from the pallium, but are much more complex in mammals than in other vertebrates.

As a primates (monkey) brain, the human brain has a much larger cerebral cortex, in proportion to body size, than most mammals, and a very highly developed visual system. The shape of the brain within the skull is also altered somewhat as a consequence of the upright position in which primates hold their heads. As a hominid brain, the human brain is substantially enlarged even in comparison to the brain of a generic monkey. The sequence of evolution from Australopithecus (four million years ago) to Homo sapiens (modern man) was marked by a steady increase in brain size, particularly in the frontal lobes, which are associated with a variety of high-level cognitive functions.  

Humans and other primates have some differences in gene sequence, and genes are differentially expressed in many brain regions. The functional differences between the human brain and the brains of other animals also arise from many gene–environment interactions.

Cerebral cortex: The cerebral hemispheres form the largest part of the human brain and are situated above most other brain structures. They are covered with a cortical layer with a convoluted topography. Underneath the cerebrum lies the brainstem, resembling a stalk on which the cerebrum is attached. At the rear of the brain, beneath the cerebrum and behind the brainstem, is the cerebellum, a structure with a horizontally furrowed surface that makes it look different from any other brain area. The same structures are present in other mammals, although the cerebellum is not so large relative to the rest of the brain. As a rule, the smaller the cerebrum, the less convoluted the cortex. The cortex of a rat or mouse is almost completely smooth. The cortex of a dolphin or whale, on the other hand, is more convoluted than the cortex of a human.

The cerebral cortex is essentially a sheet of neural tissue, folded in a way that allows a large surface area to fit within the confines of the skull. Each cerebral hemisphere, in fact, has a total surface area of about 1.3 square feet (0.12 m2). Anatomists call each cortical fold asulcus, and the smooth area between folds a gyrus.

The four lobes of the cerebral cortex

The cerebral cortex is nearly symmetrical, with left and right hemispheres that are approximate mirror images of each other. Anatomists conventionally divide each hemisphere into four "lobes", the frontal lobe, parietal lobe, occipital lobe, and temporal lobe. This division into lobes does not actually arise from the structure of the cortex itself, though: the lobes are named after the bones of the skull that overlie them, the frontal bone, parietal bone, temporal bone, and occipital bone. The borders between lobes are placed beneath the sutures that link the skull bones together. There is one exception: the border between the frontal and parietal lobes is shifted backward from the corresponding suture, to the central sulcus, a deep fold that marks the line where the primary somatosensory cortex and primary motor cortex come together.

Because of the arbitrary way most of the borders between lobes are demarcated, they have little functional significance. With the exception of the occipital lobe, a small area that is entirely dedicated to vision, each of the lobes contains a variety of brain areas that have minimal functional relationship. The parietal lobe, for example, contains areas involved in somatosensation, hearing, language, attention, and spatial cognition. In spite of this heterogeneity, the division into lobes is convenient for reference.

Topography

Many of the brain areas have their own complex internal structures. In a number of cases, brain areas are organized into "topographic maps", where adjoining bits of the cortex correspond to adjoining parts of the body, or of some more abstract entity. A simple example of this type of correspondence is the primary motor cortex, a strip of tissue running along the anterior edge of the central sulcus. Motor areas innervating each part of the body arise from a distinct zone, with neighboring body parts represented by neighboring zones. Electrical stimulation of the cortex at any point causes a muscle-contraction in the represented body part. This "somatotopic" representation is not evenly distributed, however. The head, for example, is represented by a region about three times as large as the zone for the entire back and trunk. The size of any zone correlates to the precision of motor control and sensory discrimination possible. The areas for the lips, fingers, and tongue are particularly large, considering the proportional size of their represented body parts.

In visual areas, the maps are retinotopic—that is, they reflect the topography of the retina, the layer of light-activated neurons lining the back of the eye. The visual circuitry in the human cerebral cortex contains several dozen distinct retinotopic maps, each devoted to analyzing the visual input stream in a particular way. The primary visual cortex, which is the main recipient of direct input from the visual part of the thalamus, contains many neurons that are most easily activated by edges with a particular orientation moving across a particular point in the visual field. Visual areas farther downstream extract features such as color, motion, and shape.

In auditory areas, the primary map is tonotopic. Sounds are parsed according to frequency (i.e., high pitch vs. low pitch) by subcortical auditory areas, and this parsing is reflected by the primary auditory zone of the cortex. As with the visual system, there are a number of tonotopic cortical maps, each devoted to analyzing sound in a particular way.

Within a topographic map there can sometimes be finer levels of spatial structure. In the primary visual cortex, for example, where the main organization is retinotopic and the main responses are to moving edges, cells that respond to different edge-orientations are spatially segregated from one another.

Lateralization

Each hemisphere of the brain interacts primarily with one half of the body, but for reasons that are unclear, the connections are crossed: the left side of the brain interacts with the right side of the body, and vice versa. Motor connections from the brain to the spinal cord, and sensory connections from the spinal cord to the brain, both cross the midline at the level of the brainstem. Visual input follows a more complex rule: the optic nerves from the two eyes come together at a point called the optic chiasm, and half of the fibers from each nerve split off to join the other. The result is that connections from the left half of the retina, in both eyes, go to the left side of the brain, whereas connections from the right half of the retina go to the right side of the brain. Because each half of the retina receives light coming from the opposite half of the visual field, the functional consequence is that visual input from the left side of the world goes to the right side of the brain, and vice versa. Thus, the right side of the brain receives somatosensory input from the left side of the body, and visual input from the left side of the visual field—an arrangement that presumably is helpful for visuomotor coordination.

My personal experience

Through this course I learnt so many things for my life. When I was studying basic science I realized that there was something which I had studied already in my high school days but I had forgotten it. This way the study of basic science refreshed my mind. I came to know so many things about physics, chemistry and biology which I use in my daily life. There are some important things around me which I just ignore but they are very important for my life. I felt that there are so many miracles taking place in my life and around my life which I just bypass. In our body there are so many organs which work day and night to keep us healthy. We do not think much about all these things but when some organs stop functioning then we realize that there is something wrong with us.

Similarly when we talk about nature we see that they also work quietly in order to maintain the stability in the environment. Thus, the study of basic science was really very amazing and wonderful for me. Subject was very interesting which kept me focused on some amazing things. Some of the things which were taught in the class were really new for me therefore these things were a kind of new findings for my life. As a religious some of the things which I should know, basic science provided some of those things. In a way basic science gave a taste of scientific world. In other words I can say that it has developed a kind of curiosity in me to know about the scientific world.

When we talk about the human brain this is another very complicated organ. By studying about the human brain I could learn so many things. In human brain many activities take place all the times but we are not aware of that. These organs quietly complete their work without our knowledge. All these function takes place in our body system but still we are not aware about all these things.

Thus, I can say that this course was very important for me. This course gave me an opportunity to learn many things about the science world. I am sure it will help me a lot in my life. The study of science has brought a kind of awareness in my life. And the feelings of awareness certainly bring changes in my life.   

Ramnami samaj

                                                                                                                                  

 Introduction

My presentation of this paper is based on Ramdas Lamb’s book, “Rapt in the Name.” Unlike the tradition to devotion to Krishna Ram tradition is also an important component of Hinduism. As we know that Ram is the most-worshipped form of the divine being in India today, and has been particularly important to those of the lower castes throughout of India. There are groups like Satnam samaj, Kabirpanth, Ramnami Samaj etc., whose devotion is rooted and grounded in the name of Ram. My primary focus in presentating this paper is the rise of lower caste religious movements devoted to Ram, specifically the Ramnami Samaj, an Untouchable religious movement in Central India. Ramnami Samaj movement is the movment of untouchable, specially a lower cast called chamr. When we speak about the author of the book Ramdas Lamb, he has experienced about this movement as a Hindu monk and later as their friend and researcher. What we find the surprising innovative aspects of the sect is its adaptation of the story of Lord Ram that is uniquely woven into its devotional repetition of his name. They tattoo their bodies with the name ‘Ram’, write it on their clothing and adorn their walls with it. Their primary focus has been on chanting verses from the Ramchartimas. The Ramnamis have no elaborate rituals, no temples and use only small bells during their prayers.

Ramdas lamb first visited India in 1968. He was much inspired by Vaishave monk and joined Ramnanadi order in January 1970. Being a sadhu, he spent alone his time in a valley of Himalaya. He was told that Harijans were dirty, ignorant, untrustworthy and unevolved beings. As a Ramananadi sadhu his daily life was chanting of the name of ram and study of the ram story. In Haridwar at religious festivals he met some Ramnamis. Then after, he made more than 15 visits to Chhattisgarh and discovered around 80% villages were Ramnamis.

Chhattisgarh is the home of two- third scheduled casts and a large majority of them are tribal, formerly of Madhya Pradesh. Shudras dominate the ranks of caste; Hindus in the state and in many villages harijans are actually dominating the caste. In rural Chhattisgarh, the voice of the untouchables is much louder than the other parts of the India. In villages harijans have more opportunity for self expression and this gives an excellent opportunity to see them more “on their own terms.” When asked to identify themselves most of the residents, young and old refer to themselves first as rather than Indian or Hindu.

Ramnami samaj is fairly new by Indian standard, having existed for barely a hundred years. In that short time, however the samaj had a significant influence on the religious and social life of the region.

Life sketch of Parsuram and founding of Ramnami Samaj

Since the time of Ghasidas, many Chhatisgarhi became aware of their social and religious position assigned them by the Hindu Orthodox. During this time the founder of ramnami samaj Parsuram was born. He was a poor villager chamar. People have different opinion about this man. Same say that he was a great saint some say he was a simple man but his life was devoted to Ram. As one Ramnami put it,”Parsuram was a poor Chhatisgarhi villager, similar in many ways to us; therefore we have the capabilities and opportunities to become as great as Ramnam devotee as he was.”

Seeing his unusual behavior his parent married him in his early age. He was twelve and his wife ten when they were married. He was good at study and business. In his mid thirties, he contracted a disease called leprosy. Thinking about the safety of his family he thought of leaving his family. Before leaving his home he sat outside of his home by the side of the river. A sadhu came to him without considering his disease. Seeing this Parsuram was deeply moved by the holy man. The sadhu told his name as Ramdev. In the afternoom Ramdev visited Prasuram’s family and told the family that Ram is Happy with Parsuram. He told Parsuram that tomorrow as he will get up from the sleep he will see that a Ramnam will appear on his chest or in his heart. Next morning Parsuram found the things as the sadhu had told him about, he also found out that the disease he had was no more now. The sadhu asked Parsuram, Manas was his istdev and that will fulfill all his need. In the beginning he felt shy to share his experience but after few days when he came to his normal life started sharing his experience with the people. He spoke about his experience and transformation. He chanted the name of ram, people who came to listen to him tattooed on their head to follow his teacher.

For many villagers Parsuram was a guru. Under his guidance they began to memorize verses from the Manas. He proclaimed the power of nam to all those he met and told them that it was the beast means of liberation. All kinds of people were welcomed in his home. The news spread throughout much of eastern Chhattisgarh. When high caste Hindus heard about it, they got angry thinking that a low caste man, a chamar is preaching the name of Ram. They tried to stop him from doing so but Parsuram did not listen to them. Many Ramnamis were attacked. Ramnamis went to British court to get protection. Case went to court in 1910. Finally, on October 12, 1912, they won the case. They got freedom to practice their religion and they got police protection for their movement. This was a big victory for them in order to mark this day they gathered together in one place and chanted the name of ram. Similarly every year they organize bhajan mela, where they come together and celebrate.

Bhakti Philosophy

                                                     

The two central practices of Ramnami devotion are chanting Ramnam ("the name of Ram") and reciting Ramkatha ("the story of Ram"). These practices are shared by the larger Ram traditions in India. Parsuram, the founder of the ramnami Samaj simply started the path of devotion for Ram. The primary goal of early Ramnami samaj was bonding together of low caste and uneducated people. Anybody who wanted to join in this samaj was welcomed without considering their caste. According to Parsuram the salvation can be attained only by chanting Ramnam. Keeping this in their mind the members of the sect use to chant Ramnam as much as possible. Especially they used to use their free time in chanting the Name of Ram, e.g., if they waited for the bus they use to chant the name of Ram.

Some lows were prescribed like other religions, they are as follows:

1.      Sect members are to eat only in the home of an initiated Ramnami, though they may invite anyone to their own home.

2.      All children born to a Ramnami family should be tattooed at least once by the age of two.

3.      Anyone seeking to be married by the sect must also have at least one Ramnam tattoo and must agree to chant Ramnam daily.

Besides above mentioned three lows, they have some other rules also which the sect members have to follow, they are as follows:

1.      Practicing Ramnam daily

2.      Treating all sect members with equality and respect.

3.      Abstaining from alcohol

4.      Practicing vegetarian

5.      Tattooing of Ramnam at least once on the body

6.      Wearing the Ramnam ordhni during chanting if one is owned.

Among all these rules first three rules are considered of supreme importance, next two are of great importance and last one is encouraged but not compulsory.

Significance of Tattoo,Ordhni,Mukut and Ghungru

Tattoo or Ankit

Parsuram the founder of Ramnami samaj, was the first one to be tattooed, But in India the concept and practice of wearing the name of God or other important religious and cultural symbols on the body date back to ancient times.

The Sanskrit term for the sacred marks used by many Hindus sect to identify themselves is “Tilaks”. Some religious sects in south India also refer to their marks as “nama”. For the ramnamis, Ramnam tattoos have had varied significance throughout the sect’s brief history, but they have always remained a vital part of the sect’s tradition. For Parsuram, his tattoo was the result of his devotion and also Prasad, a gift and an acknowledgement from Ram. For the First Ramnamis, their tattoos expressed their religious connection with Parsuram, signified their commitment to ramnam, and furnished them with a common bond, which set them apart from others and linked them together in a permanent and visible way.

Ordhni

A ramnami ordhni is the sect’s ritual shawl, its major part of ramnami wardrobe. The shawls are generally made from piece of white cloths and are covered with ramnam, written in devnagri script. All ramnamis are encouraged to possess an ordhni and wear it whenever they chant. The shawl is meant to symbolize the ramnamis’ devotion to Ram and their membership in the samaj. More importantly it is used to wrap them in the name, as well as in a sheath of purity and protection provided through the power of name.

Mukut

The ramnamis wear a peacock feather hat known as mukut. It gives the members of the samaj a unique physical appearance. In Hindu devotional literature peacock feather is often associated with Vishnu or one of his avatars, usually Krishna but also Ram. To symbolize their devotion to Ram Parsuram used to wear a peacock feather in his turban when he worked in the fields, and the members of his village soon began to call him pankhawala.

Ghunghuru

The ramnamis used no musical instruments as such to accompany their chanting of Ram. Throughout much of the history of the sect, however, members used a set of handmade bells, called “ghunguru”, for maintaining a beat during the bhajan. They did not use other cymbals saying that they wish to hear is only the sound of ramnam.

Bhajan Mela

The bhajan mela is an important event not just for ramnamis but also for the people of eastern Chhatisgarh. Its increasing popularity has caused it to become a focus of energy and activity, and it is anticipated by many from all over the regions. As none of the other religious sects in the rural Chhattisgarh, has as large gathering. The mela enhances the Ramnamis’ popularity and credibility in the eyes of many villagers. Mela shows as a sign of stability and continuity, and thus it enhances the status of the sect. The mela also gives ramnamis an opportunity to reaffirm their commitment to the movement and its goals, to come into contact with people from all over the region and to celebrate. For many it is also a time to forget a few days the problems and worries that so often plague daily existence. At the mela it is easy to become involved in the ritual, emotional, and religious activities and fervor, thus allowing the daily difficulties to fade from thought and concern.

Relevance: Then and Now

When we study carefully about the ramnami movement we find that Parsuram, who was the founder of Ramnami movement wanted to make a way of devotion to Ram for the untouchables. The life of untouchables or a low caste person of central India was very pitiful at that time. They were not allowed to enter in the temple of upper cast orthodox Hindu. They were considered dirty, untrustworthy and unevolved human beings. These people even could not express their devotion as they wanted. Thus we see that at this time Parsuram the founder of Ramnami movement comes into scene.

Ramnami movement gave a base for those untouchable low caste people who because of fear remained speechless. They became aware about their rights and opportunities. In a way this movement gave an open platform to practice their religion. Parsuram who was their own man and who had received a special grace from God encouraged his followers to be the part of this movement. This movement was not so difficult also; Parsuram the founder of this movement used to tell his followers that one can attain salvation by chanting the name of the Lord Ram. This was something new for them thus they started to show great devotion to Ram. Ramnam could be chanted anywhere but sometimes they came together and chanted the name of Ram. This kind of arrangement brought them under one umbrella. We can observe that there was uniformity in their movement. Tattoo, mukut, ankle bells and ramnam shawl they shared in common gathering, created the feeling of oneness and united in one community. In the time of difficulties they used to help one another. Bhajan mela they organized every year again this occasion strengthened their unity and strength.

Today when we see Ramnami samaj then we find that it is slowly fading away. Today low caste people are also getting good education. Thus, they don’t want to spoil their beautiful bodies by getting Ramnam tattoo. Even their parents don’t encourage their children to get tattoos. They rarely use the ramnam shawl and chanting ramnam is limited to only some special occasions, feasts and special rituals. This shows that a lot of changes have taken place in ramnami samaj with the change of time. Their thinking pattern has changed with the proper education. But when we talk about caste system, we observe only a little change. As we know that Gandhiji also tried his best to eliminate the caste system by saying that the harijans are the sons of God but sad thing is that it still exists in India even today. There are some changes in thinking about the low caste people, high caste Hindus at least many of them don’t consider harijans as dirty, untrustworthy and unevolved human beings. Dr. Ambedkar who was also an untouchable once said that, “he don’t want to die as Hindu.” Keeping this in his mind he converted into Buddhism, along with him so many harijans also converted into Buddhism.

Thus we see that the practice of caste system has been decreased with the time but still in some places we hear that harijans are not allowed to enter in the Hindu temples. Today it is difficult to find ramnamis in their original custom. Reason may be whether they are forgetting or they don’t want to follow the old custom. Thus we conclude that with the change of time ramnami samaj is also changing its existence.

                         

Conclusion

Ramnami samaj which was founded by a low caste chamar named Parsuram was much effective in the central India, specially in Chhattisgarh. Ramnami samaj’s bhakti was based on the Lord Ram. Members were fully devoted to their Lord Ram. This religion was much popular in the central India only. People of other part of India were not aware about this movement. Thus we can give some credit to the author of the book “Rapt in the name,” Ramdas Lamb whose research and study threw light about this movement. Ramnamis were simple, humble and mostly illiterate people who belonged to the low caste community. These people were not aware about their social and religious status. Parsuram who was believed to be enlightened one, brought awareness among these people.

One good thing we can observe about this movement is that it brought unity among the low cast people, specially among the harrjans. In this religion people of all caste and creed were welcomed without discrimination. People came together under the same roof and chanted the name of Ram. Followers of this movement shared the same belief with their teacher about the liberation; the chanting of Ramnam can lead to liberation. Thus ramnamis wanted to hear and utter only the name of Ram. Tattoo, ramnami shawl, mukut and Ghungru they shared in common were to show their devotion to their Lord Ram and to their unity. Some high caste Hindus misunderstood this movement and the result they attacked the ramnamis. But at last ramnamis won the case and this victory strengthened their movement.

Today when we talk about the ramnami samaj we find that there are lot of changes has taken place. With the change of time they have also changed their life style and their custom. Today we cannot identify with their physical appearance like earlier used to. This kind of changes can be observed in other religions to. Thus I conclude by saying that things changes with the time, and the changes are the sign of progress but the problem arises when we lose our identity.

                                                                                                       

Time changes life change..........

Time Changes,Life Changes.........

It true as time  changes life changes..in a way we can say that nothing is permanent..we see in our day today life that some people get success in their life and some fail to to so...but what we all of us has in common is that we all are humans..same kind of souls and flesh...another strange thing we find is that..though we all are humans we still behave with other poor humans that as if they are not from this planet...a rich person who has more than enough things for his sustenance  for present and future times..don't even bother about the poor who is starving....an is uncertain about his present and future life....its really strange to see these kind of situation in our day today life ..some of us has all kind of luxurious things..and on the other side some have hardly their basic necessities of life.........today we need to think very seriously about all these things..................now just imagine a life where we work together and enjoy the things together whatever we have.....life based on caring and sharing with one another..........

It is good.............

International Fiction by Muslim Authors
Abdullah, Shaila (Pakistan, USA) PS3601.B43 S24
Saffron Dreams
Ann Arbor, MI: Modern History Press, 2009
This moving short novel describes the difficulties faced by a Pakistani immigrant whose husband is killed in the World Trade Center bombing. She must adjust to a new hostile America, widowhood, and life with a severely handicapped child who was born after her husband's death.

Abu-Jaber, Diana (USA, Iraq) PS 3551 B895 C74
Crescent
New York: Norton, 2003
The vibrant Arab community of Los Angeles is the subject of this novel about an American -born Muslim woman, the chef in a popular Arab restaurant, and an exiled Iraqi scholar who may find politics overshadows their romance.

Alameddine, Rabih (Lebanon) PS3551.L215 H35
The Hakawati
New York: Knopf, 2008
A young man returns to Beirut from California because his father is dying. In a dazzling mixture of family history, tales from the Arabian Nights, the Qu'ran, the Bible, mythic histories of fabled warriors, and the political situation in the Middle East, the author becomes a Hakawati (a storyteller) who can hold the reader spellbound.

Alameddine, Rabih (USA, Lebanon) PS3551.L215 K6
Koolaids: the Art of War
New York: Picador, 1998
This dazzling metafiction set in 1980's San Francisco, follows a group of gay men, some of them Lebanese immigrants, all dying of AIDS. At the same time it cuts back and forth to Lebanon and through news articles, diaries and memories records the horrors of the Civil War which devastated the country between 1975 and 1990.

Al-Mohaimeed, Yousef (Bedouin Saudi Arabia) PJ7850.U4538 F5513 2007
Wolves of the Crescent Moon
New York: Penguin Original, 2007
This poetic short novel explores the lives of three misfits in Riyadh. First, there is Turad, a Bedouin who lost an ear; next is Tawfik, a former Sudanese slave who was castrated; and finally, Nasir, an orphan who is missing one eye.

Ali, Ahmed (India) PR 9499.3 A465 T95
Twilight in Delhi
New York: New Directions, 1994
A Muslim family in living in Delhi at the beginning of the twentieth century sees its fortunes fading as the British work to eradicate Islamic culture.

Ali, Monica (Bangladesh) PR 6101 L45 B75
Brick Lane
New York: Scribner, 2003
This novel is about a young Bangladeshi woman who lives a dutiful life in an arranged marriage in London until she discovers the possibilities of life in a less restrictive country.

Alsanea, Rajaa (Saudi Arabia) PJ7962.A34 G5 2007
The Girls of Riyadh
New York: Penguin, 2007
Unfolding in a series of emails, the novel explores the lives of four intelligent young women living in the Saudi capital Riyadh. Each one of them tries to complete her education as well as having a fulfilling life as a wife. This novel is the Saudi version of chick lit. In a sense it lifts the veil on the life of women in an unknown society.

Andric, Ivo (Yugoslavia) PG 1418 A6 D74
The Bridge on the Drina
Chicago: University of Chicago, 1977
This is a historical novel about a bridge built by the Turks over the Drina River in Bosnia. It chronicles the ethnic and religious differences of the region's peoples and how throughout history they have worked and lived together as well as fought and hated.

Ashour, Radwa (Spain, Egypt) PJ 7814 S514 G4813
Granada
Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 2003
This novel follows the family of a Muslim bookmaker in Granada as Christian Spain drives out the last Muslim leaders and forces the population into exile or conversion and new laws make the owning of Arabic books a crime.


Aslan, Nadeem (Pakistan, Great Britain) PR9540.9.A83 M37
Maps for Lost Lovers
New York: Knopf, 2005
The disappearance and probable murder of a Pakistani immigrant couple who lived together in London without being married sparks a conflict between an idealistic Pakistani social worker and his utterly devout wife as they look at the impact of blind religious zeal on their family.

Aswany, Alaa Al (Egypt) PJ7814 .S93
Chicago
New York: HarperCollins, 2007
This beautifully written novel looks at the lives of a group of Egyptian doctors doing advanced study at the University of Illinois Medical Center in Chicago. Some have left Egypt for better opportunities in the US; a few have left for political reasons; one is in the employ of the Egyptian government and is keeping track of the behavior of the others. In all, the novel looks at the difficulties of adjusting to a vastly different culture; the prejudices Muslims face and the ethical choices they are forced to make.

Aswany, Alaa Al (Egypt) PJ7814.S93 N5712
Friendly Fire
Cairo: American University in Cairo Press, 2009
This collection of short stories, many of them originally banned in Egypt, tell the stories of ordinary men and women struggling with their places in society, their religious beliefs and the government and social hierarchy.

Aswany, Alaa Al (Egypt) PJ 7814.S93 I4313
The Yacoubian Building
New York: HarperCollins, 2006
A deteriorating, formerly grand building in downtown Cairo is the scene for the many stories of its disparate residents, from the impoverished servants' families living in shacks on the roof to the aging playboy, the crooked politician, and the secretly gay liberal journalist living in the luxurious quarters below. The novel presents a kaleidoscopic portrait of Cairo in the 80's.

Ba, Mariama (Senegal) PQ 3989.2 B23 S513
So Long A Letter
London: Heinemann, 1981
A woman describes her humiliating experience when her husband decides to take a second wife.

Baugh, Carolyn (Egypt) PS3602.A9488 V54 2008
The View from Garden City
New York: Forge, 2008
While studying Arabic in Cairo, a young American student learns the stories of the women in her building which becomes more of an education than her university classes.

Ben Jalloun, Tahar (Morocco) PQ 3989.2 J4 N813
The Sacred Night
San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1989
One of two novels that relate the adventures of a young woman raised as a boy by her father who is hungry for a son. She becomes a beautiful woman after her father dies and discovers the trials of being a Muslim woman.

Ben Jalloun, Tahar (Morocco) PQ 3989 J4 E613
The Sand Child
Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2000
One of two novels that relate the adventures of a young woman raised as a boy by her father who is hungry for a son. She becomes a beautiful woman after her father dies and discovers the trials of being a Muslim woman.

Benaïssa, Slimane (Algeria France USA) PQ 3989.2 B388 D4713
The Last Night of a Damned Soul
New York: Grove Press, 2004
An American Muslim from a Lebanese family is drawn to fundamentalism and eventually terrorist activity. His family and friends are dismayed at his religious fanaticism and posit questions about the nature and relevance of martyrdom.

Chraibi, Driss (Morocco) PQ3989.C5 I5613
Inspector Ali
Colorado Springs: Three Continents Press, 1994
Returning to his native village in Morocco from a long period of time in the West, the popular author of a series of detective novels must juggle slavish adulation from his countrymen, writer's block, his wife's pregnancy, his children's adjustment to Morocco, his growing debts, and most of all - his Scottish in-laws visit.





Coovadia, Imraan (South Africa) PR9369.3.C65 W4
The Wedding
New York: Picador USA, 2008
The story of a mismatched couple who marry in India and eventually emigrate to South Africa where they continue to battle, is related in clever prose.

Daneshvar, Simin (Iran) PK 6561 D263 S213
Savushun: A Novel about Modern Iran
Washington DC: Mage Publishers, 1990
During World War II, an honest idealistic Iranian landowner is murdered for opposing the British occupation; thus, tearing his family apart.

Dangor, Achmat (South Africa) PR 9369.3 D26 K33
Kafka's Curse
New York: Pantheon Books, 1999
A fair-skinned Indian in South Africa changes his name and passes for Jewish which leads to disastrous consequences for those around him.

Daswani, Kavita (India) PS 3604 .A85 S25 2006
Salaam Paris
New York: Plume, 2006
A sheltered Muslim girl leaves Mumbai to meet her prospective husband, the arranged-marriage choice of her autocratic grandfather; and when she ends up as a high-fashion model in Paris, her family disowns her. This novel is an exploration of women's choices and the conflict between traditional roles and the twenty-first century.

Faqir, Fadia (Bedouin, Lebanon, Great Britain) PJ7862.A3 F36
The Cry of the Dove
New York: Black Cat/Grove/Atlantic, 2007
A young Bedouin woman, who having become pregnant before marriage, must flee her village to avoid being murdered by her brother as the tribal code of honor killings demands. She ends up in England where she creates a new life for herself, but cannot escape the past.



Farah, Nuruddin (Somalia) PR9396.9.F3 C4
Close Sesame
St. Paul: Graywolf Press, 1992
The third book in the author's trilogy on how a repressive regime destroys the people within it.

Farah, Nuruddin (Somalia) PR9396.9 F3M3
Maps
Pantheon, 1987
A child born with magical powers lives through the upheavals of a war for liberation.

Farah, Nuruddin (Somalia) PR9396.9.F3 S2
Sardines
St. Paul: Graywolf Press, 1992
A woman editor loses her job and at the same time is trying to develop a sense of dignity in her daughter in the face of the dual obstacles of an oppressive dictatorship and the conservative Islamic traditions of her people.

Farah, Nuruddin (Somalia) PR9396.9.F3 S9
Sweet & Sour Milk
St. Paul: Graywolf Press, 1992
A young man searches for the reasons his twin brother has been murdered by the brutal Somalia dictatorship.

Ghosh, Amitav (India, Egypt) DT56.2.G48 1994
In an Antique Land
New York: Knopf, 1994
A young Indian anthropologist spends several months in an Egyptian village learning about the culture. At the same time he researches a medieval manuscript about a Jewish merchant and his Indian slave who lived during the twelfth century in Cairo, Aden and Mangalore in a multicultural and more tolerant world.




Guene, Faiza (Algeria, France) PQ3989.3.G84 K5413
Kiffe, Kiffe Tomorrow
Orlando: Harcourt, 2006
Growing up in a housing project in the Paris suburbs, Doria is an Algerian immigrant whose father has deserted the family. She must confront, racism, gang violence and her burgeoning sexuality in this coming-of-age novel about Muslim immigrants in France.

Gurnah, Abdulrazak (Zanzibar) PR 9399.9 G87 B95
By the Sea
New York: New Press, 2001
This novel is about a political refugee from Zanzibar who is seeking to make a new life in England. There he encounters a distant relative who, in his memory, was involved in the downfall of his family. This is a beautiful novel about political betrayal and the inaccuracy of memory.

Hamid, Mohsin (Pakistan) PS 3558 A12 M68
Moth Smoke
New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 2000
This Pakistani version of the Great Gatsby follows the downfall of a bright former bank employee whose descent into drug abuse and crime takes place during the explosive summer when India and Pakistan both test their atomic weapons.

Hamid, Mohsin PS3558.A42169 R45
The Reluctant Fundamentalist
Orlando: Harcourt, 2007
After 9/11, a Pakistani young man who is living the American Dream in the USA as a Princeton graduate who has a beautiful girlfriend and who is employed by a large financial firm, suddenly develops sympathy for the suicide bombers. In the novel he is explaining his life to a mysterious American in a cafe in Lahore. (Pakistan, Lahore)


Hanif, Mohammed
PR6108.A55 C37 2008
A Case of Exploding Mangoes
New York: Knopf, 2008
This novel fictionalizes the assassination of Zia-ul-Haq, one of Pakistan's former Presidents. (Pakistan)






Hosseini, Khaled (Afghanistan) PS 3608 O525 K58
The Kite Runner
New York: Riverhead Books, 2003
A successful American writer of Afghani descent returns to Kabul to rescue the son of a childhood friend whose parents have been executed by the Taliban. In the course of his journey he must make amends for the betrayals of his youth.

Hosseini, Khaled (Afghanistan) PS3608.O832 T5 2007
A Thousand Splendid Suns
New York: Riverhead Books, 2007
The novel examines the lives of two Afghani women, Mariam and Laila, co-wives to the brutal Rasheed. Beginning with Mariam's childhood in the time before the Soviet invasion, the story explores the country's war-torn history and its effects on women.

Ibrahim, Sun`Allah (Egypt) PJ 7838 B7173 L313
The Committee
Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 2001
In this novel an intellectual appears before a mysterious committee in order to justify his life. This Kafkaesque short novel describes the horror of being trapped by a totalitarian bureaucracy, having no way out.

Kadare, Ismail (Albania) PG 9621 K3 T7513
Elegy for Kosovo
New York: Arcade Pub, 2000
This novel chronicles the Battle of Kosovo, 1389, in which the Turks definitively defeated the Serbs and added the Balkans to the Ottoman Empire. This novel is told from the points of view of three minstrels from the three warring factions.

Kadare, Ismail (Albania) PG 9621 K3 U713
The Three-Arched Bridge
New York: Arcade Pub, 1997
This novel narrates the story of how the Turks built a bridge over a river in Albania just before the Ottoman invasion, and how the bridge effected the peasants in the region who were about to see their way of life irrevocably changed.




Kureishi, Hanif (Great Britain, Pakistan) PR6061.U68 B77
The Black Album
New York: Scribner, 1996
A British Muslim college student is torn between his new friends who are extremely conservative Muslims and the British woman who is his lover. The novel demonstrates the pull of fundamental religion on young impressionable individuals.

Livaneli, O.Z. (Zülfü) PL248.L58 M8813 2006
Bliss
New York: St. Martin's, 2006
A fifteen-year-old rape victim refuses to hang herself. A cousin is ordered to take her to Istanbul and see that she dies along the way; however, he also cannot kill her and together they find sanctuary as the crew on a large sailboat owned by a wealthy professor fleeing a privileged life.

Maalouf, Amin (Central Asia, Persia) Johnson County Library (FICTION Maalouf Amin)
Samarkand
New York: Interlink Pub, 1996
This novel recreates the life of the poet Omar Khayyam in eleventh century Central Asia and follows the fortunes of one of his manuscripts until its purported loss during the sinking of the Titanic at the beginning of the twentieth century.

Mahfuz, Najib (also spelled Mafouz, Naguib) (Egypt) PJ 7846 A46 Z4813
Midaq Alley
New York: Anchor Books, 1992
Another view of life in a Cairo neighborhood, this one more light-hearted than most of the author's other works.

Mahfuz, Najib (also spelled Mafouz, Naguib) (Egypt) PJ 7846 A46 M513
Miramar
Colorado Spring: Three Continents Press, 1996
The lives of residents of an Alexandrian pension are thrown into an upheaval by a young female servant.



Mahfuz, Najib (also spelled Mafouz, Naguib) (Egypt) PJ 7846 A46 B313
Palace Walk: The Cairo Trilogy, Part I
New York: Doubleday, 1990
The Nobel Prize winning author chronicles the fate of an Egyptian family from 1917 to 1944, presenting a dynamic account of Egypt's social and political development. Each of the three novels can be read separately.

Mahfuz, Najib (also spelled Mafouz, Naguib) (Egypt) PJ 7846 A46 Q313
Palace of Desire: The Cairo Trilogy, Part II
New York: Doubleday, 1991
A Nobel Prize winning author chronicles the fate of an Egyptian family from 1917 to 1944, presenting a dynamic account of Egypt's social and political development. Each of the three novels can be read separately.

Mahfuz, Najib (also spelled Mafouz, Naguib) (Egypt) PJ 7846 A46 S913
Sugar Street: The Cairo Trilogy, Part III
New York: Doubleday, 1992
The Nobel Prize winning author chronicles the fate of an Egyptian family from 1917 to 1944 in a trilogy of which this is the third volume. He presents a dynamic account of Egypt's social and political development. Each of the three novels can be read separately.

Makiya, Kanan (Iraq) PR 6113 A58 R64
The Rock: A Tale of Seventh Century Jerusalem
New York: Pantheon Books, 2001
This novel by a well-known Iraqi dissident tells the story of the early years of Islam and of the building of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. The novel attempts to reconcile the beliefs of Islam and Judaism.

Mamdouh, Alia (Iraq) PJ 7846.A543H3312
Naphtalene: A Novel of Baghdad
New York: Feminist Press, 2005
In the time of revolution in Iraq, a young girl is growing up resenting the strictures put on her by society women.



Marouane, Leila (Algeria) PQ 3989.2 M257 R5813
The Abductor
London: Quartet, 2000
When, in a fit of anger, a brutish Algerian fisherman divorces his meek wife, she must marry and divorce someone else before he can remarry her. Unfortunately, the mild-mannered neighbor whom he chooses as her temporary spouse turns out to be something unexpected. This novel told from the point of view of one of the six daughters, who remain with their father in the house, is in turns funny and tragic as it describes how life in a traditional household can become tyranny of the worst sort.

Mueenuddin, Daniyal (Pakistan) PR9540.9.M84 I52
In Other Rooms, Other Wonders
New York: Norton, 2009
This related collection of short stories focuses on members of a wealthy Pakistani family who have lost touch with the land. Ranging through generations and sometimes about servants who work for the family, each story is a bittersweet jewel about life and deprivation for both rich and poor.

Nasr, Hassan (Tunisia) PJ7852.A685 D3713
Return to Dar-al-Basha
Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 2006
In this short poetic novel a man who has been abused by his autocratic father returns to his home after forty years of wandering. In reviewing his life he finds a sense of closure. This novel has a strong Sufi orientation.

Pamuk, Orhan (Turkey) PL 248 P34 K3713
The Black Book
New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 1994
A jealous husband searches for his missing wife assuming the identity of her half-brother, a famous journalist in this novel of stolen identity in contemporary Istanbul.

Pamuk, Orhan (Turkey) PL 248 P34 B4613
My Name is Red
New York: Knopf, 2001
This is a challenging and exciting narrative about the time when the Ottoman Empire began its decline. It tells the story of the search for the murderer of a manuscript illustrator. Along the way the novel discusses the nature of art, the place of art in Islam, fundamentalism and also manages to be a love story.


Pamuk, Orhan (Turkey) PL 248 P34 Y9313
The New Life
New York: Farrar Straus and Giroux, 1997
A university student reads a book that completely changes his perspective on life causing him to embark on an odyssey of aimless bus rides throughout the back roads of Turkey. He seems to be seeking the angel of death and what he discovers is a bizarre conspiracy to keep the book from readers and another conspiracy to countermand the first. Like much of the author's fiction the book is a meditation on the influence of the west on Turkish culture.

Pamuk, Orhan (Turkey) PL248.P34 K36513
Snow
New York: Knopf, 2004
In this haunting novel, a poet who has lived abroad for many years returns to Turkey and investigates the suicides of several young women who have been expelled from the secular state university for refusing to remove their head scarves.

Pamuk, Orhan (Turkey) PL 248 P34 W4713
The White Castle
New York: Braziller, 1991
This novel of seventeenth century Turkey tells the story of an educated Italian who is captured by the Turks and becomes a slave of a scholar. The two become so close that in the end it becomes a question of who is the master and who the slave.

Parsipur, Shahmush (Iran) PK 6561 .P247 T8413
Touba and the Meaning of Night
New York: Feminist Press, 2006
Eighty dramatic years in Iran--from the turn of the 20th-century to the 1979 revolution--are witnessed through Touba's chador-covered eyes in this bold, insightful novel. The novel is realistic in its exploration of Iranian history, but also has touches of magic realism as Touba becomes involved with a Sufi teacher.

Parvin, Manoucher (Iran) PS 3566 A7725 C79
Cry for My Revolution, Iran
Costa Mesa: Mazda Publishers, 1987
A novel about the political upheavals of modern Iran.


Pizishkzad, Iraj (Iran) PK 6561 P54 D313
My Uncle Napoleon
Washington DC: Mage Publishers, 1996
This is a farcical look at star-crossed lovers in an Iranian family headed by a dictatorial uncle. This novel was a best seller in Iran and became a popular TV series.

Rahimi, Atiq PK6878.9.R34 S9613 2009
The Patience Stone: Sang-e Saboor
New York: Other Press, 2009
In Persian folklore, Syngue Sabour is the name of a magical black stone, a patience stone, which absorbs the plight of those who confide in it. It is believed that the day it explodes, after having received too much hardship and pain, will be the day of the Apocalypse. But here, the Syngue Sabour is not a stone buth rather a man lying brain-dead with a bullet lodged in his neck. His wife is with him, sitting by his side. But she resents him for having sacrificed her to the war, for never being able to resist the call to arms, for wanting to be a hero, and in the end, after all was said and done, for being incapacitated in a small skirmish.

Rushdie, Salman (India/Pakistan) PR9499.3 R8M5
Midnight's Children
New York: Knopf, 1981
This satiric novel about the creation of the modern Indian State is narrated in magic realism style. It follows the fortunes of those children who were born at midnight of the day independence was declared. This novel won the Booker Prize. (Kashmir(partially))

Rushdie, Salman (India/Pakistan) PR9499.3 R8M5
Shame
New York: Knopf, 1983
This is the author's fanciful retelling of the history of modern Pakistan.

Sacco, Joe DS119.7.S29
Footnotes in Gaza
New York: Metropolitan Books, 2009
The graphic novelist writes about an incident in 1956 in Gaza that still reverberates with its residents and fuels their hatred of the Israelis.




Sacco, Joe (USA, Palestine) DS 119.7.S23
Palestine
Seattle: Fantagraphics, 2001
Political cartoonist Sacco captures life under a long and repressive occupation. This is a graphic novel.

Sa´dawi, Nawal also spelled Saadawi, Nawal El (Egypt) PJ7862.A3 W6
Woman at Point Zero
London: Zed books, 1983
This brief novel describes the life of an Egyptian woman condemned to death for murder. She was brutalized by her uncle and virtually every man with whom she was in contact, became a high-priced prostitute and eventually was driven to violence.

Said, Kurban (Azerbaijan) PT 2637 A433 A413
Ali and Nino
New York: Random House, 1970
During the collapse of the Russian Empire after World War I, young couples from different backgrounds - he a Muslim, she a Christian, - try to find happiness and political freedom in what has become present-day Azerbaijan.

Said, Kurban (Azerbaijan) PT 2637 A433 M313
The Girl from the Golden Horn
Woodstock: Overlook Press, 2001
After the fall of the Ottoman Empire, a daughter of the royal family is in exile with her father in Germany. She attempts to reconcile life in the west with her Islamic upbringing with varying degrees of success.

Satrapi, Marjane (Iran, France) ML 419.K495 S313 2006
Chicken with Plums
New York: Pantheon Books, 2006
This poignant graphic work tells the story of the author's great uncle, a brilliant musician whose irreplaceable stringed instrument, called aTar, is broken and without it he is nothing so he takes to his bed where he has visions of his entire life and then dies because the music has gone out of his life.





Satrapi, Marjane (Iran, France) PN 6747.S245 P4713
Persepolis
New York: Pantheon, 2003
Translated from the French, this is the autobiographical story of the author's life in Iran as a woman after the revolution that overthrew the Shah.

Satrapi, Marjane (Iran, France) PN 6747.S245 P4913
Persepolis Two
New York: Pantheon, 2004
The second part of the author's biographical work tells how she was forced to return to Iran when her life fell apart in the West.

Schami, Rafik (Syria) PT 2680 A448 E713
Damascus Nights
New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 1993
A group of old friends gather together each night and tell each other stories that are both fanciful, and real.

Schami, Rafik (Syria) PT2680.A448 D8613
The Dark Side of Love
Northampton: Interlink Books, 2009
Two feuding Syrian families, the Catholic Mushtaks and the Orthodox Shahins are involved in a blood feud that has gone on in their village for generations. This novel examines the consequences when Farid Mushtak and Rana Shahin fall in love and try to find happiness. This novel is set against the backdrop of twentieth century Syrian and Middle East politics.

Selimovic, Mesa (Yugoslavia) PG 1419.29 E43 D413
Death and the Dervish
Evanston: Northwestern University Press, 1996
A religious leader develops an elaborate plot to gain revenge for the murder of his brother. However, the plot fails and he himself becomes a victim.




Seraji, Mahbod (Iran) PS3619.E7356 R66 2009
Rooftops of Tehran
New American Library, 2009
In 1973, a teenaged boy spends the summer falling in love with his beautiful neighbor; however, she is betrothed to a local radical. The boy unwittingly betrays his rival to the Shah's secret police provoking misery for all involved.

Sethi, Ali (Pakistan) PR9540.9.S46 W57 2009
The Wish Maker
New York: Riverhead Books, 2009
Raised in a family of strong women, a young man becomes close to his slightly older and wilder female cousin. Later he goes to school in the United States, but comes home to see her marry. The novel tells the history of Pakistan through the cousins and their parents' and grandparents' lives.

Shafak, Elif (Turkey) PS3619.H328 B37 2007
The Bastard of Istanbul
New York: Viking, 2007
The American daughter of an Armenian mother and Turkish step-father goes to Istanbul to visit her large eccentric Turkish family comprised of only women. She is looking for answers about the Armenian genocide and hoping to connect with her relatives. The author was charged, but not convicted of insulting "Turkishness" when the novel was published.

Shafak, Elif (Turkey) PL 248 .S474 M3413
The Gaze
New York: Marion Boyars, 2006
A dwarf and a grotesquely obese woman live together, only going out together in disguise in order to avoid the stares of people on the street. He is writing a dictionary of "Gazes” which examines how people look at each other and at themselves. Alternating with the story of a nineteenth century freak show in Istanbul, the novel examines how we become and how we fear what we see reflected in others eyes.

Shafak, Elif (Turkey, Morocco, Spain, USA) PS 3619 .H328 S25
The Saint of Incipient Insanities
New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 2004
This novel follows the downward spiral of three foreign graduate students living in Boston. Filled with bittersweet humor, the men struggle to make sense of their world and the women to whom they are attracted. At times they are aloof from the temptations, at others they dive into all the allures of their new home, usually with disastrous results.

Shamsie, Kamila (Pakistan) PR 9540.9 S485 K37
Kartography
Orlando: Harcourt, 2003
When a young couple, living in Karachi, who have been "soul mates" throughout their lives, are separated from each other by his parents’ decision to move to London where their son will be safe, they exist through letters that describe the volatility of life in Pakistan and the hope for a better world.

Shamsie, Kamila (Pakistan) PR 9499.3 S45 S53
Salt and Saffron
New York: Bloomsbury, 2000
This is a witty story about the strength of family ties and class differences. In it, an educated young Pakistani woman from an aristocratic family, who have been bitterly divided since the partition of India, learns about the family history and myths while struggling to resist the attraction of a young man from the wrong background.

Shaykh, Hanan (Lebanon) PJ 7862 H356 H5513
The Story of Zahra
New York: Anchor Books, 1994
A young dutiful Muslim woman is caught up in the civil war in Lebanon and makes choices of which her family disapproves.

Soueif, Ahdaf (Egypt) PR6069.O78 M37
The Map of Love
New York: Anchor Books, 2000
In the early twentieth century, a British widow goes to Egypt where she falls in love with an Egyptian. Almost a hundred years later, one of her descendants finds herself repeating the love story. This novel was shortlisted for the Booker Prize.

Suri, Manil (India) PS 3569 U725 D43
The Death of Vishnu
New York: Norton, 2001
A poor man lies dying on the landing of a Mumbai apartment house, dreaming about his wasted life and all the while the residents of the apartment argue about who should be responsible for him.



Tekin, Latife (Turkey) PL 248.T35 B4713
Berji Kristin: Tales from the Garbage Hills
London: Marion Boyars, 1996
In this autobiographical novel, a group of homeless families from the Turkish provinces build a shanty town on top of a garbage dump and try to make a life for themselves despite the rain of chemical pollution and government hostility they encounter. The novel is full of folk tales and wisdom and reflects the fatalistic attitude of the squatters.

Tekin, Latife (Turkey) PL 248.T35 S4813
Dear Shameless Death
New York: Marion Boyars, 2001
This novel chronicles the life of a young girl growing up in modern Turkey from her birth is a village to her traumatic move to Istanbul. Replete with episodes of magic realism and imbued with a feminist sensibility as the protagonist struggles with her overbearing mother, the novel was a best-seller in Turkey.

Tlili, Mustapha (Tunisia) PQ 3989.2 T58 M6613
Lion Mountain
Boulder: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 1998
The novel describes the struggle of a woman to maintain her integrity during the French occupation.

Toer, Pramoedya (Indonesia) PL 5089 T8 A25
Child of All Nations
New York: W. Morrow, 1993
The novel chronicles the story of Indonesia's struggle against Dutch colonialism.

Toer, Pramoedya (Indonesia) PL 5089 T8 F84
The Fugitive
New York: W. Morrow, 1990
An Indonesian political fugitive flees to his home in the countryside where he is betrayed.

Toer, Pramoedya (Indonesia) PL 5089 T8 G3313
The Girl from the Coast
New York: Hyperion East, 2002
At the beginning of the twentieth century this novel describes how a young woman from a fishing village is married to a wealthy aristocrat, only to discover that when she has a child, the marriage is only a "practice marriage" and she will be separated from her baby and discarded.

Toer, Pramoedya (Indonesia) PL 5089 T8 B8413
This Earth of Mankind
New York: W. Morrow, 1991
This novel follows Child of All Nations. It continues the story of the struggle of the Indonesian peoples for independence from the Netherlands.

Yashar, Kemal (Turkey) PL 248 Y275 A5
Anatolian Tales
New York: Dodd Mead, 1969
This collection of short stories describes the harshness and cruelty of life in Turkish villages in the beginning of the twentieth century.

Yashar, Kemal (Turkey) PL 248 Y275 I513
Memed, My Hawk
New York: Pantheon books, 1961
A Turkish peasant is forced to become a bandit when unjustly accused by the large landowner in the district.

Yashar, Kemal (Turkey) PL 248 Y275 I513
They Burn the Thistles
New York: Morrow, 1973
The sequel to Memed My Hawk, this novel continues the saga of Turkey’s Robin Hood who with his allies fights the injustice of the landowners toward the peasants.