Fellowship Announcement: Debu Majumdar has a new book about Diwali soon to be available

The Rāmāyana for Western Readers tells one of the world’s great epics: an exiled prince, an abducted queen, and the war fought to win her back. Indians grow up with the story from childhood, but if you ask anyone at a supermarket or mall, you will find that most Westerners have not even heard of it. Many English versions of the legend have been written over the decades, but it remains largely unknown among Western readers. I wrote this book so a Westerner can read it easily and fill this knowledge gap. The Rāmāyana explores universal themes of duty, loyalty, and the triumph of good over evil, culminating in events associated with Diwali, the Festival of Lights. This book retells the story without simplifying its moral complexity: the duties of ruling and kingship, the question of whether loyalty or righteousness governs human action, and the ambiguous heroism of characters on both sides of a war. This version explains the often-unmentioned cultural details that Indian readers would know intuitively—ceremonies, meals, and the dharmic reasoning behind every action. Understanding this legend, which lies at the heart of India’s deepest cultural roots, is no longer optional for the globally curious reader — it is essential. 

Both the paperback and eBook editions will be available on October 2, 2026. You can pre-order an eBook now at a promotional launch price. 

For Kindle: https://a.co/d/0hujQm89

For Google Books: http://books.google.com/books?vid=9780996851695