IN THIS ISSUE

(1) Welcome
(2) Win a Free Nepali Phrasebook
(3) Last Month's Contest Winners
(4) Fantastic Folktales from South Asia
(5) What Future for Development in Nepal?
(6) New Releases
(7) Quotable Quotes from the Panchatantra
(8) Rare Books
(9) Free Quarterly Newsletter: Pilgrims News
(10) Publishing Opportunities
(11) Pilgrims Contact Details
(12) Subscription & Cancellation Information

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(1) WELCOME
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The traditional stories of India and Nepal make delightful reading which
enthrall children and adults alike. Find out more in our article "Fantastic
Folktales from South Asia" below.

A recent general strike and continuing unrest in Nepal underlines the fact
that Nepal remains one of the poorest countries in the world. Genuine
development is an urgent need. Read more about this nation in need in our
article, "What Future for Development in Nepal?".

The uncensored facts on tourism in Nepal; the inner life of the great
spiritual figure Krishnamurti; and the description of the dangerous and
exciting exploration of the Himalayan peak Kangchenjunga in 1891...For
details on these great new reading experiences, see the "New Releases"
section below.

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(2) WIN A FREE NEPALI PHRASEBOOK
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Pilgrims is giving away THREE copies of "Nepali Phrasebook: A Pilgrims
Guide to Nepali".

This simple guide is valuable for travellers in Nepal. Emphasis has been
placed on basic travel essentials such as everyday conversation, lodging,
food, banking and trekking. This guide is a useful key for communication
for tourists and other visitors who are travelling through this fascinating
Himalayan land of Nepal.

Three copies of this book are being given away to our readers. For your
chance to win, take a moment now to visit the Pilgrims website
http://www.pilgrimsbooks.com and fill in the contest entry form. Entries
close on May 5 and winners will be announced on the website on May 15 and
in the next issue of this newsletter. So enter now!

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(3) LAST MONTH'S CONTEST WINNERS
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Congratulations to the following people who were winners in our March
contest (they have each been sent a copy of the book, "Surya, the Sun
Colouring Book"):

-- Sarah Putnam (Japan);
-- Janny Snaterse (Switzerland); and
-- Mark Wallem (Nepal).

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(4) FANTASTIC FOLKTALES FROM SOUTH ASIA
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The traditional stories of India and Nepal make delightful reading which
enthrall children and adults alike.

These stories -- myths, fairytales, folktales and fables -- date back
hundreds and often thousands of years. If you compare them with folktales
from other parts of the world, you will see how much people from different
cultures have in common but at the same time how much they differ in the
ways they view and explain the world around them. As the saying goes,
variety is the spice of life!

Here follow several great books to get you started!

*** Animal Fables of India: Narayana's Hitopadesha, or Friendly Counsel

by Francis G Hutchins. Illustrated by A Ramachandran.

The Hitopadesha (or Friendly Counsel) is a wonderful rendering of India's
animal fables. These fables were originally written in order to instruct
young Indian princes in their duties as rulers.

The fables here involve characters from the animal world who think, speak
and act like human beings. Each fable involves traits like love, hate, envy
or jealousy and has a moral or philosophical theme which retains its appeal
to the present day. The book gives us an insight into human nature, shows
us how to choose our friends and how to meet life's obstacles wisely, and
how to live a life of peace and harmony in an imperfect world. Adults and
children will both enjoy these ancient but timeless tales.

269 pages. Paperback. B&W illustrations.
$US 7.75 ISBN: 81-7303-130-4 Shipping: Sea/Air $US 1.25 / $US 7.00

*** The Golden Umbrella: Nepalese Folktales

Compiled by Eva Kipp, Hem Rai, Dilip Sapkota, Rajendra Bajracharya and
Parmeswari Shrestha

The Golden Umbrella is like a multicoloured lantern. The folktales included
in this collection cover almost the entire spectrum of human emotions and
situations. Some of them have the mellow fragrance of love, while some
others reek of hatred and jealousy. Some tales have ghosts and apparitions
as their main characters, while in some others one will find people
indulging in cannibalism.

All the tales have been picked up from small villages. They express various
aspects of country life, offer an insight into the complexities of the
human mind and provide a panoramic view of the cultural and social life of
Nepali villages. Also reflected in them are many local lifestyles,
activities, beliefs, feelings, superstitions, customs and inhibitions, as
well as a deep faith in the supernatural.

The Golden Umbrella has everything: love and revenge, miracles and magic,
infidelity and betrayal, greed and magnanimity, you name it!

77 pages. Paperback. B&W drawings.
$US 2.50 ISBN: 81-7303-162-2 Shipping: Sea/Air: $US 0.50 / $US 2.75

*** Jataka Tales: Birth Stories of Buddha

Selected and told by Ethel Beswisk

The Jataka Tales were told by the Buddha during the forty years following
his enlightenment. Today, 2,500 years after his death, they are still
remembered and cherished by readers of all ages. The 35 stories here are
mostly about animals and the former lives of Buddha. They exemplify
Buddhist ethics and his belief that action and character of the present
have their source in the past. The book is a fascinating introduction to
Indian thought and to the ways Buddhist values apply to the present-day world.
115 pages. Paperback.
$US 2.50 ISBN: 81-7303-173-8 Shipping: Sea/Air: $US 0.50 / $US 2.25

>>>>> Like to read some of these books? We can ship them to you quickly!
>>>>>To order, visit: http://pilgrimsbooks.com/folklore.html

===> BY THE WAY...
we have presented a selection of quotations from the Panchatantra animal
fables in the Quotations section of this newsletter (below).

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(5) WHAT FUTURE FOR DEVELOPMENT IN NEPAL?
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A recent general strike and continuing unrest in Nepal underlines the fact
that Nepal remains one of the poorest countries in the world, estimated by
the World Bank to have one of the lowest per capita incomes and highest
infant mortality rates.

Democracy was reintroduced to Nepal in 1990 but a succession of short-lived
governments has meant that little progress has been made in addressing the
country's pressing economic problems. Few of the country's population of
over 20 million are seeing improvement in the quality of their lives.

The situation is not helped by the fact that Nepal is landlocked between
the regional superpowers of India and China. Both of these countries invest
heavily in Nepal with the result that Nepal must be careful not to upset
these large neighbours. Nepal has little potential of raising foreign
exchange except through tourism (currently undergoing a slump) or the
development of hydro-electric power.

It is in this context that genuine development is an urgent need.

Here are some key books on this subject:





*** Bleeding Mountains of Nepal

by Aditya Man Shrestha

A wide-ranging study of corruption, greed, mismanagement and misuse of
power and resources in Nepal during the pell-mell developments of the past
fifty years. Divided into six different parts, this book contains 97
chapters each of which revolves around some sort of corruption that bleed
Nepal. The situation is examined from the social, economic and geographical
perspectives. The author was the winner of a Mitsubishi Award for Asian
Journalism in 1980.

Ekta Books, Kathmandu, 1999. 280 pages. Paperback. B&W illustrations.
Bibliography.
$US4.25. ISBN: N000023774. Shipping - Sea/Airmail: $US2.00/$US5.00

*** Fatalism and Development: Nepal's Struggle for Modernisation

by Dor Bahadur Bista

An analysis of Nepal's society and its failure to develop due to the caste
structures, a fatalistic attitude and other factors. "Insightful analysis
of the cultural factors that stand in the way of Nepal's development, by
the country's best-known anthropologist." -- David Reed, Nepal (Rough Guides)

Orient Longman. 190 pages. Hardback. B&W illustrations. Index.
$US3.50. ISBN: 8125001883. Shipping - Sea/Airmail: $US1.50/ $US3.50.

*** Foreign Aid and Foreign Policy: Major Powers and Nepal

by Narayan Khadka

The most commonly raised question is what motivates the donors for giving
aid? This volume is an in-depth study of donors aid motivations in Nepal.

423 pages. Hardback. Index.
Vikas Publishing House, New Delhi, 1997.
Price: $11.50. ISBN: 8125903895. Shipping: Sea/Air $5.00/$13.00

*** In the Name of Development: A Reflection on Nepal

by Nanda R. Shrestha

This book focuses on how development victimizes people from different walks
of life. Unlike many other books on third world development, this book
serves as a voice to the voiceless, the silent victims of development. It
highlights real life stories rather than lifeless data as indices of
development.

The author passionately attacks the development policies promoted by the US
in Nepal. Giving numerous examples from the life stories of individual
Nepalese, he shows that both the Nepalese economic winners and losers are
victims the development process. Some of the issues highlighted include:
the growth of prostitution and Freak Street pot culture, the increasing
poverty of the Nepalese poor, and the subordination of Nepalese elites to
Westerners.

Educational Enterprise, Kathmandu, 1998. 231 pages. Paperback. B&W
illustrations.
$US3.00. ISBN: 0761807594. Shipping - Sea/Airmail: $US2.00/$US6.00

===> Like to read some of these books listed? We can ship them to you
quickly! To order, visit: http://pilgrimsbooks.com/development.html

===> For an extensive list of further books on development in Nepal and the
Himalayas, visit: http://pilgrimsbooks.com/development.html

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(6) NEW RELEASES
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*** Nepal's Tourism: Uncensored Facts

by Diwaker Chand

Taking an unprecedented historical approach, author Diwaker Chand presents
an uncensored and bona fide examination of tourism -- past, present and
future. Interviews with living historians are presented. This book is also
a visual record, replete with rare and priceless photographs, which
provides not only a portrayal of events and people, and also offers an
analysis of every era of Nepal's development.

"The basic premise of tourism in Nepal," the author states, "is delicately
built upon the magnificent and famed Himalayas, brave and chivalrous
Gurkhas, skilled and distinguished Sherpas, a rich and intriguing culture
and mysterious and magnificent heritage." But what is the present
performance of tourism? What is its future? Nepal's Tourism: Uncensored
Facts critically examines the myths and realities of this issue and offers
an enlightened solution for the 21st century.

The author, who holds post-graduate degrees in both economics and
sociology, has had an active interest and role in the development of
tourism over the past twenty-five years. A prolific author and dedicated
social worker, he at present holds managerial posts in Group 4 Securitas
(Nepal), Cross Country Nepal Hotels, Nepal Hyro-Power and Energy Dev. Co.,
and Mahendra Nagar Medical College and Hospital.
283 pages. Paperback. B&W photographs.

Price: $16.50. ISBN: 81-7769-078-7. Shipping Air/Sea $3.00 / $8.00

===> For more details and to order, visit:
http://pilgrimsbooks.com/development.html

*** Round Kangchenjunga: A Narrative of Mountain Travel and Exploration

by Douglas W Freshfield

Kangchenjunga, the slumbering giant of the eastern Himalaya -- its mighty,
gigantic walls practically insurmountable from all sides -- sits like a
brooding god on the borders of eastern Tibet, Sikkim and Nepal, unwilling
to be desecrated. In 1899 this mountain, though clearly visible from the
British Raj hill station of Darjeeling, was geographically completely
unknown. Surrounding it, giant bastions of glaciers, outer guardian peaks
and hidden valleys were shrouded in mists as thick as those that rose from
the twisted and impenetrable rhododendron forests on its lower southern flanks.
Following in the footsteps of the 1883 mountaineering party of W W Graham,
which after climbing an 18,000 foot peak, was forced to return to
Darjeeling after only a week, Douglas Freshfield set out with his party in
1899. He was to be the first mountaineer to examine the great western face
of Kangchenjunga, rising from the Kangchenjunga Glacier.

This volume is the story of an exciting, often dangerous and frequently
frustrating journey of exploration to discover the lower and upper ramparts
of this great mountain. It is the epic story of adventurers seeking to open
up a path to the base of the mountain for future climbers and to seek a
pathway to the abode of the Gods.

Douglas W Freshfield (1845-1934), a British barrister, mountaineer, writer,
poet and geographer, was one of the greatest mountain explorers of any age.
A prominent figure in the Royal Geographical Society, Freshfield is
considered to be one of the most scholarly and sensitive mountain writers.
His books include Exploration of the Caucasus, Round Kangchenjunga and
Below the Snow Line.

"This dangerous and exciting circuit of Kangchenjunga is a classic of
mountain exploration." -- W R Neate, Mountaineering and its Literature

373 pages. Paperback. B&W photographs and foldout maps
Price: $16.50. ISBN: 81-7769-053-1. Shipping Air/Sea $4.00 / $11.00

===> For more details and to order, visit:
http://pilgrimsbooks.com/outdoors_adventure.html

*** The Inner Life of Krishnamurti: Private Vision and Perennial Wisdom

by Aryel Sanat

When Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895-1986) was fourteen, early Theosophists
proclaimed him the next messianic world leader and introduced him to
theancient perennial wisdom. He was educated in Great Britain and spent his
life sharing insights around the world. He became one of the greatest
spiritual teachers of the twentieth century. Among the millions he has
influenced are the Dalai Lama, Deepak Chopra, Joseph Campbell, Dr Jonas
Salk, Henry Miller and Aldous Huxley.

But Krishnamurti (K) was a revolutionary in the deepest sense. For over
sixty years he publicly eschewed belief systems and presuppositions of any
sort, including the esoteric systems of the Thoesophists.

Aryel Sanat explodes myths at the heart of the controversies surrounding
this beloved and complex man. His meticulous research reveals that,
contrary to appearances, K's inner life was rich in esoteric happenings.
Privately, he never denied the existence of his perennial "Masters", nor
did he deny being a vehicle for the manifestation of the Lord Maitreya or
the Christ. In fact, according to K, these inner realities were present
every day of his mature life and intimately related to his work. The
admittedly strange story that unfolds is critical for understanding K's
life and views. It is also essential to Buddhism, the teachings of
Gurdjieff, the perennial renaissance -- in fact, the whole of contemporary
spirituality.

324 pages. Paperback.
Price: $5.50. ISBN: 81-7769-058-2. Shipping Air/Sea $4.00 / $11.00

===> For more details and to order, visit:
http://pilgrimsbooks.com/religion_spirituality.html


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(7) QUOTABLE QUOTES FROM THE PANCHATANTRA
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The famous collection of animal fables from ancient India known as the
Panchatantra is thought to have been written sometime in the period 100-500
AD by the sage, Bidpai. The fables were written to instruct the sons of
princes in worldly wisdom and tend to glorify shrewdness and cleverness.

The Sanskrit original is now lost but the tales were translated into the
major languages of the Middle East, Europe and Southeast Asia and greatly
influenced the folktales of those regions (which is perhaps why some of the
quotes given below may seem somewhat familiar).

Some quotes:

-- We ought to do our neighbour all the good we can. If you do good, good
will be done to you; but if you do evil, the same will be measured back to
you again. (Dabschelim and Pilpay. Chap. i.)

-- It has been the providence of Nature to give this creature [the cat]
nine lives instead of one. (The Greedy and Ambitious Cat. Fable iii.)

-- There is no gathering the rose without being pricked by the thorns. (The
Two Travellers. Chap. ii. Fable vi.)

-- Men are used as they use others. (The King who became Just. Fable ix.)

-- Guilty consciences always make people cowards. (The Prince and his
Minister. Chap. iii. Fable iii.)

-- There are some who bear a grudge even to those that do them good. ( A
Religious Doctor. Fable vi.)

-- There was once, in a remote part of the East, a man who was altogether
void of knowledge and experience, yet presumed to call himself a physician.
(The Ignorant Physician. Fable viii.)

-- He that plants thorns must never expect to gather roses. (The Ignorant
Physician. Fable viii.)

-- Honest men esteem and value nothing so much in this world as a real
friend. Such a one is as it were another self, to whom we impart our most
secret thoughts, who partakes of our joy, and comforts us in our
affliction; add to this, that his company is an everlasting pleasure to us.
(Choice of Friends. Chap. iv.)

-- That possession was the strongest tenure of the law. (The Cat and the
two Birds. Chap. v. Fable iv.)

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(8) RARE BOOKS
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Pilgrims Book House stocks over 30,000 volumes of old & rare books: on
many subjects and in a number of languages, including English, French,
German, Sanskrit, Hindi and Nepali. If you are a collector, email us at
mailto:rarebooks@pilgrims.wlink.com.np for title searches and book lists.

"The worst thing about new books is that they keep us from reading old
ones." --Joseph Joubert (1754-1824)

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(9) FREE NEWSLETTER
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Keep up-to-date with the latest book news from India and Nepal, including
news of recent Pilgrims publications. Each fully illustrated, 8-page issue
of PILGRIMS NEWS is full of interesting articles and reviews by Indian,
Nepali and foreign writers and critics. PILGRIMS NEWS is mailed every 3
months. For a free subscription, send an email with your full name and
address in the message field with the word "Subscribe" in the subject field
to: mailto:pn@pilgrims.wlink.com.np
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(10) PUBLISHING OPPORTUNITIES
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PILGRIMS PUBLISHING (together with its predecessor companies, Pilgrims
Book House (Publishing), Book Faith India and Pilgrims Books Pvt. Ltd.) has
published over 350 quality titles on Nepal, Tibet and India. If you are an
author and have interest in publishing or co-publishing a new work,
especially on a topic relating to Nepal, Tibet and India, please email your
inquiry to: mailto:pilgrims@satyam.net.in .

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(11) PILGRIMS CONTACT DETAILS
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PILGRIMS BOOK HOUSE / PILGRIMS PUBLISHING
Thamel, P.O. Box 3872, Kathmandu, Nepal

Business Office: +977-1-425919
Book Shop: + 977-1-424942
24-Hour Fax: +977-1-424943

Mail Order: mailto:mailorder@pilgrims.wlink.com.np
General Business Office: mailto:pilgrims@wlink.com.np

Visit us Online: http://www.pilgrimsbooks.com

Member of the Nepal Booksellers and Publishers Association
Honorary Member of the Federation of Educational Publishers in India
Participant American Express 'Guarantee of Satisfaction' Program

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(12) SUBSCRIPTION & CANCELLATION INFORMATION
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