Abhay K.| Poet, Editor, Translator, Artist| : November 2025

Sunday, November 9, 2025

A lyrical and singable translation of Tulsidas' Hanuman Chalisa by Abhay K. is published by Bloomsbury India

‘The Hanuman Chalisa was central to my upbringing. All of us siblings have been chanting the powerful hymn since childhood. We were lucky that our father translated the original Awadhi to easy Hindi for us, and explained the significance of each line so that we could understand what we were chanting. But many were not blessed with this at home. Abhay has done yeoman service by translating, simply and well, the Hanuman Chalisa into English for the modern generation. His translation keeps the spirit of devotion alive, and is also easy to understand. This is a book that you must have at home.’ --Amish Tripathi

'A reverent new translation of a poem beloved to millions.'-- Philip Lutgendorf

Abhay K.'s Nalanda: How it Changed the World becomes a national bestseller

Nalanda

Nalanda : How it Changed the World

"Abhay K. has written a wonderfully accessible introduction to early India's most important centre of philosophy and learning, the great monastery-university of Nalanda. Setting his story within a seductively-sketched panorama of the golden age of early Buddhism, Abhay celebrates Nalanda's dazzling libraries, scholars, teachings, doctrines and finally, its global influence. Sympathetic, scholarly and poetic, Abhay K's Nalanda fills an important gap and deserves to be widely read."--- William Dalrymple

"Even as he resurrects Nalanda from the embers of history, Abhay K. does not simply eulogise it; instead, he transforms this wellspring of scholastic endeavour into an emblem of humankind’s quest for knowledge. In my view, Abhay K.’s Nalanda, stunning and scholarly, is an outstanding starting point." -- Shashi Tharoor

"Son of the soil, Abhay K., tells the story of Nalanda Mahavihara’s revered scholars, groundbreaking philosophies, and the vibrant life within the world’s first residential university. He traces how it shaped the intellectual landscape of its era, influencing generations of thinkers and spiritual leaders."-- Rana Safvi

"For 700 years, Nalanda was considered the greatest university globally. Attracting students and grants from around the world, it would have been the envy of a modern Ivy League. In his simple and readable style, Abhay K. puts together what is known about this remarkable institution from a range of sources."-- Sanjiv Sanyal

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CAPITALS

"As the world shrinks and border fences go up, and travel becomes both easier and more difficult, Capitals looks like the book to have. Frequent flyers can here rest awhile as can nimble-footed backpackers, and for those who are still curious to see what the poets in Moroni or Tegucigalpa are doing, I cannot think of a better place to begin." —Arvind Krishna Mehrotra

"In striking voices of every hue and shade, from some of the greatest cities of our globe, Capitals marries word and verse to elegance and fire, transporting history's ghosts and tomorrow's hopes in an inspiring journey of the soul." —Shashi Tharoor

"...disturbing and poignant....what an anthology!"—Shobhaa De

"This anthology is a powerful evocation of cities, communities and urban spaces across cultures and continents, histories and timelines." —Namita Gokhale

On Poetry of Abhay K.

"The geographies, both material and spiritual, of Nepal, the pinnacle of our world, have never been more lovingly rendered than in this, Abhay K’s splendid poetic sequence of praise, dazzlement, and wonder for a realm in which he sojourned as both a pilgrim and a friend."—Vijay Seshadri, Winner, Pulitzer Prize for Poetry

"Abhay K.'s words don’t sit outside and observe. They dig in, making their subject their home, and then they turn outwards, watching the landscape, the people, the city, change. The city makes him feel, and these feelings seep into his words." —The Hindu Book Review

"Abhay K’s Seduction of Delhi is not so much a city transformed as tenderly opened up and invited to commune with the world around it in both time and place.The transformations are gentle and humane: the history is deep and lightly worn. This is a beautiful way to be introduced to a great city as both specific and essence." —George Szirtes, Winner T.S. Eliot Prize for Poetry

"Abhay K's poems serve up a Delhi, resplendent with character, torn asunder by marauders, patch-worked back several times with belief and faith - and above all saturated through with the touch of time and history."—The Times of India

"Qualities of love, tenderness and compassion set Abhay K's work apart from much of the general run of current poetics."— Jayanta Mahapatra, Major Indian Poet

"Abhay K has a special gift. His poetic mission, rare today, is simply to praise. His poems shimmer with a deep human appreciation of the gift of life and its fragile tapestry. I see them as Vedic hymns of praise in contemporary dress."—Gabriel Rosenstock, Major Irish Poet

"In these rapturous poems (in The Eight-Eyed Lord Of Kathmandu) Abhay K catches the allure and mystique of Kathmandu; its maze of medieval streets, its thronged bazaars, its twilit courtyards." —Cathal O'Searcaigh, Major Irish Poet

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Sunday, November 9, 2025

A lyrical and singable translation of Tulsidas' Hanuman Chalisa by Abhay K. is published by Bloomsbury India

Abhay K.'s Nalanda: How it Changed the World becomes a national bestseller