Click here for: Biography & Development Quotation Books Trekking Women's Fiction Women's Poetry Women Travellers

*** Biography & Development ***

Bending Bamboo, Changing Winds: Nepali Women Tell Their Life Stories Edited by Eva Kipp In modern Nepalese society many changes influencing women are taking place. From personal stories and interviews with women representing the varied ethnic groups and castes found in Nepal, this impressive book dramatically captures what village women think about the different aspects of their lives and the changes that are taking place. The stories and beautiful photographs reveal a wealth of information and a rare glimpse into the thoughts, beliefs, worries and pleasures of Nepali women today. With contributions from Kim Hudson, Lucia de Vries, Marieka van Vliet and Alieke Barmentloo. "Interesting insight" - Hugh Finlay, Nepal (Lonely Planet) "This book ... is about the hopes, fears and lives of seventeen Nepali women from different walks of life. It's a story of the Nepali dream, a Bible of their misery and an epic of their success story.... They tell you the story of their family, society and, above all, their own ups and downs in life that was not told before." - Sarad Pradhan, Kathmandu Post Paperback. 176 pages. Colour photographs. Revised and updated edition (2006). Weight: 650 g (22.8 oz). Item No: 8177694510. Price: $US 22.95. . Convert Currency ADD TO SHOPPING CART

Foreign Employment for Women: Challenges and Opportunities

Translated by Nabin Singh

In late 2002 the Acting Prime Minister of Nepal, Dr Prakash Chandra Lohani announced that the government would open foreign job markets to aspirant women workers, doing away with the current conditional access.

"The new Foreign Employment Act, which is at the draft stage currently, will have provisions that provide equal opportunities, like that for men, to women to earn their livelihood abroad," he said.

Nonetheless, he added, the government would scrutinise the job before granting such permission to ensure that their labour, human rights and interests are protected there.

This book is a collection of articles which explores the traditional limitations on foreign employment of Nepali women, the advantages and disadvantages of working abroad, the new government policies, and finally the experience of Nepali women who have worked in foreign countries.

Paperback. 142 pages.
Weight: 350 g (12.3 oz).
Item No: N000091352.
Price: $2.00. . Convert Currency

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The Life and Contribution of the Nepalese Princess Bhrikuti Devi to Tibetan History (from Tibetan Sources) by Min Bahadur Shakya Who was Princess Bhrikuti Devi? Why is she so famous? Renowned scholars such as Tucci, Wylie, Regmi and Bacot have long thought this Nepalese princess was a mythological figure only. But now exciting and compelling evidence reveals that Bhrikuti Devi was indeed a historical princess in the seventh century, who was given in marriage to a Tibetan king and who subsequently changed the course of Himalayan history by introducing Buddhism from Nepal. Although her marriage was not recorded in texts outside Tibet, Bhrikuti Devi nevertheless became a great woman in her own right by propagating Buddha Dharma. This remarkable woman was also responsible for the construction of the first ancient temples in both Tibet and Bhutan, including the famous Jokhang and Potala temples in Lhasa. A fascinating biography for anyone interested in the history of Nepal and Tibetan Buddhism and dynamic feminist personality of the Licchavi period. Hardback. 120 pages. Weight: 290 g (10.2 oz). Item No: 81-7303-065-0 Price: $US 7.50. . Convert Currency ADD TO SHOPPING CART Paperback. 120 pages. Weight: 180 g (6.3 oz). Item No: 81-7303-064-2. Price: $US 4.25. . Convert Currency ADD TO SHOPPING CART

Tara: A Fleshtrade Odyssey

by Matthew S. Friedman

This book traces the history of a young naive twelve year old, Tara, who is kidnapped by a girl trafficker and taken to a notorious brothel located within the city. This is a heart-wrenching tale of love, life, corruption and evil provides a small glimpse into a world seldom seen by outsiders - a world that is all too often much closer to home than we might want to admit.

Paperback. 149 pages.
Weight: 200 g (7 oz).
Item No: 8177692992
Price: $US 4.00. . Convert Currency

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Voice of Truth: The Challenges and Struggles of a Nepalese Woman

by Shanti Mishra

One woman's struggles to achieve equal rights in the Himalayan kingdom of Nepal when it was just emerging from the medievalism of the feudal Rana period (which ended in 1950) into the present-day democracy. Ms Mishra tells her own story in a moving autobiographical account of how she struggled for an education and went on to become Head Librarian of Tribhuvan University, a position of responsibility unprecedented at that time for someone of her background and gender. A must for those interested in the role that libraries and information science play in developing countries. It also offers rewarding insights into what it means not to simply accept one's lot in life but to create a personal vision of life.

"Milestone in women's writing in Nepal, especially in English" - The Sunday Post (Kathmandu)

Hardback. 468 pages.
Weight: 755 g (26.4 oz).
Item No: 81-7303-027-8.
Price: $US15.00. . Convert Currency

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*** Quotation Books ***

Woman

Edited by Chaitanya Nagar.

An insightful and sometimes witty collection of quotes on women.

Sample quotation:
"A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle." - Gloria Steinem (Attributed)

(One of the books in the Pilgrims Quotation Series. Each title in this series is an attractive mini-book with beautiful colour covers and a presentation page, making it an ideal gift or remembrance.)

Paperback. 42 pages.
Weight: 50 g (1.8 oz).
Item No: 81-7769-041-8.
Price: $US 1.00. . Convert Currency

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*** Trekking ***

Himalayan Adventure Trekking Gear: A Checklist for Women by Joyce A Tapper To get ready for your trek, read Himalayan Adventure Trekking Gear: A Checklist for Women. In this book Joyce Tapper, a seasoned frequent Nepal visitor and trekker, has written a slim encyclopedia of everything anyone needs to know to get ready for a trek. It is a must for hikers yearning to experience the fabled mountains of Nepal, India, or Bhutan. Joyce describes and tells readers how to select and where to get vital protective clothing, gear, and essentials. Readers also learn how to pack, where to eat, shop, buy gifts, and how to get involved with great charitable educational groups in Kathmandu. The book answers most questions; the author is available on email too. Larry Tapper's prizewinning images glorify the beauty of the mountains and its people and Larry tells readers how to shoot spectacular winners themselves. Their trekking buddies' anecdotes and witty pieces of advice make it a delightful read for armchair trekkers too. Get this book to avoid the dreaded, "missing gear syndrome" when you go trekking. Paperback. 117 pages. Colour photographs. Map. Varanasi, Pilgrims Publishing, 2002. Weight: 180 g (6.3 oz). Item No: 8177691511. Price: $US 3.25. . Convert Currency ADD TO SHOPPING CART

*** Women's Fiction ***

Fever

by Sita Panday. Edited by Yuyutsu R D Sharma. Translated by Yuyutsu R D Sharma and others.

Fever is an explosive anthology of short stories from an author who has been at the centre of literary commotion in Nepal for the past two decades.

Mature and skillfully structured, these stories investigate the hidden recesses of a woman's mind. Bold, intense and honest, they narrate the life struggle of a young woman from the Nepalese countryside hankering for a fresh emotional plateau of faith in a callously modernised cityscape of the legendary Shangri-la kingdom. Thus as one reads Sita Panday page after page, one finds the personal fused with the public.

Having entered the valley of a woman's mind, Sita effortlessly transcends gender and geography. The rage and revolt expressed in her characters reveals a woman's urge to shatter the norms of a decaying value system and reach out to a "universal celebration" and a "private space".

Translated from Nepali for the first time, Fever bears testimony to the richness and diversity of South Asian literature.

Paperback. 93 pages.
Weight: 150 g (5.3 oz).
Item No: 8185693935.
Price: $US 2.00. . Convert Currency

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*** Women's Poetry ***

Click here for books on Nepali and Indian Women's Poetry



*** Women Travellers ***

Aama in America: A Pilgrimage of the Heart

by Broughton Coburn

"Spirituality is our lasting reference" -- Aama

Vishnu Maya, called Aama (Mother) by everyone in her tiny Nepali village, was living high in the Himalayas when she befriended American Peace Corps worker, Broughton Coburn, in 1974. In 1988 Aama came to visit him -- on a trip prescribed by village priests as a way for the eighty-four year old, four-foot-eight woman to earn merit by making a difficult journey late in life.

Aama in America is a vivid chronicle of what became a 25 state, coast-to-coast adventure. Guided by the perpetual curiosity and deeply spiritual orientation of their ingenious, unpredictable travel companion, Coburn and his fiancee gradually began to view their country from an entirely new perspective. "Beneath the uniform commercial, man-made epidermis of our country," Coburn writes, "Aama found a culture and a landscape that was alive and sacred and she steered us toward it."
Aama in America is on one level an offbeat American travelogue. But on another it is a profound exploration of beliefs, value and lost spirituality, a rediscovery of the spirituality that lies beneath the surface of America, and a singular account of the meeting of two widely divergent cultures.

"A thought-provoking, enlightening story." -- Bellingham Herald

"Coburn gives us a sense of what the New World was like for the spiritually rich Aama But as the journey progresses, he embarks on a journey of his own, an inner pilgrimage to a place of psychic healing." -- Hartford Courant

Paperback. 304 pages. B&W photographs.
Weight: 280 g (9.8 oz).
Item No: 81-7303-213-0.
Price: $US 5.95. . Convert Currency

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Among the Tibetans

by Isabella Bird Bishop

In the late 1800s when most women were expected to stay at home and abide by strict Victorian standards, a small group of amazing women struck out for an adventurous life of travel in distant places.

Some of these women travelled to that ultimate in mysterious, remote destinations: Tibet. There was Nina Mazuchelli, Annie Taylor, Fanny Bullock Workman and Alexandra David-Neel (whose book, Tibetan Journey, is available through Pilgrims Book House).

And there was Isabella Bird Bishop, who was almost 60 years old when she went to Tibet. A near-invalid when back home, she thrived on her adventurous life. This book is the record of her great Tibetan adventure.

Paperback. 159 pages. B&W drawings.
Weight: 150 g (5.3 oz).
Item No: 81-7624-059-1.
Price: $US 3.50. . Convert Currency

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Tibetan Journey by Alexandra David-Neel In 1923 Alexandra David-Neel crossed mysterious Tibet, travelling incognito under the guise of a lamaist nun of rank. This book is the absorbing account of her long and hazardous journey and reveals the penetrating insight and courage of a woman who surmounted physical, intellectual and social barriers to pursue her quest. Her accounts of Tibetan religious ceremonies and beliefs are among the fullest and best ever written. "Brilliant feat" - New York Times "A lifelong student of Buddhism, Alexandra David-Neel outwitted officials (both Tibetan and British) and bandits to become the first European woman to enter Lhasa in 1923. She travelled on foot disguised as a pilgrim and lived in Lhasa undetected for two months. Her infectious enthusiasm for all things Tibetan comes over strongly in [her accounts] of her travels and adventures, whilst the hardships she describes appear to have done her no harm since she lived on till 1969, dying at the age of 100." - John Whelpton, Tibet (Clio Press) Hardback. 276 pages. B&W plates & foldout map. Weight: 560 g (19.6 oz). Item No: 81-7303-004-9. Price: $US10.50. . Convert Currency ADD TO SHOPPING CART

Travel and Adventure in Tibet, including the Diary of Miss Annie R. Taylor's Journey from Tau-Chau to Ta-Chien-Lu through the Heart of the Forbidden Land

by William Carey

Annie Taylor (born 1855) was the first European woman ever to enter Tibet. She was a missionary who went to China in 1884 in the belief that she was destined to bring the Christian message to the forbidden land of Tibet. She devoted her spare time during her first seven years in China learning Tibetan language and customs.

In 1892 she finally left for Tibet with a Chinese, Noga, and his wife. The trip was terrible. An icy winter was approaching. Bandits lurked on all sides. Her food began to run out, her horse died and she lost her servants. Yet Annie almost made it to Lhasa, being turned back just three days' march from the capital when Noga betrayed her to Tibetan officials.

This book presents the diary which Annie Taylor left about her remarkable journey.

Hardcover. 285 pages. B&W illustrations. Bibliography; index.
Item No: N000004692.
Price: $US8.00. . Convert Currency
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