Devaki Nandan Khatri's Chandrakanta is the virtual Taj Mahal in Hindi fiction, still as much glorious and historical. As the Taj is the emblem of real love, here we have the fictional counter-part. What's more, it is the exuberance of magic and romance, imagination and fantasy, suspense after suspense, battles and wars, espionage and conspiracy, tricks and tact, all blended together to make a sensational love story. Here we have the aiyars, human beings with extraordi-nary capacity to transmogrify themselves and take on the appearance of anybody, their voice, their manners and all. Moreover, there is the Tilism, which is a hidden treasure constructed underground with ingenious safeguards and magic locks and entrances. Chandrakanta has the spell of fantasy, a detective novel, a romance per excellence. It can be regarded as the fictional mother of Harry Potter.

Chandrakanta and the other books on that series are a very rich part of Indian cultural and literary heritage. They provide a glimpse of the life style and etiquette of Rajwadas (independent Princely states) prevailing in 19th Century India, emphasizing the entrenchment of caste system and religious relationship as woven into social fabric of those time and era. It will not be out of place to mention that most apt and beautiful description of the jungles, hills, valleys, hilly caves and ruins of old buildings has been narrated by the author so vividly because he had a chance to previously roam about in the jungles and hills of Chakiya and Naugarh areas as he had contract for the jungles of these two states from Rajah Ishwari Prasad Narayan Singh of Varanasi.

Srinagar, capital city of the famed ‘paradise on earth’, Kashmir. Ailan Gali, a deep, dark narrow lane that lies at its heart, where houses stand on a finger’s width of space and lean crookedly against each other, so deep, so narrow, so closely connected that even thieves do not dare enter. Yet people live and love here, they cling on to their old ways, they share stories and food, joys and sorrows, sufficient unto themselves. But the outside world beckons, youngsters begin to leave, and slowly change makes its way into Ailan Gali only to find its hitherto hidden mirror-image – the change that has insidiously been working its way into the lives of those who are the gali’s permanent residents. This funny, poignant, evocative story of a Kashmir as yet untouched by violence – but with its shadows looming at the edges – is a classic of Hindi literature, available in English translation for the first time. Published by Zubaan.

A Major Activity Of The Sahitya Akademi Is The Preparation Of An Encyclopaedia Of Indian Literature. The Venture, Covering Twenty-Two Languages Of India, Is The First Of Its Kind. Written In English, The Encyclopaedia Gives A Comprehensive Idea Of The Growth And Development Of Indian Literature. The Entries On Authors, Books And General Topics Have Been Tabulated By The Concerned Advisory Boards And Finalised By A Steering Committee. Hundreds Of Writers All Over The Country Contributed Articles On Various Topics. The Encyclopaedia, Planned As A Six-Volume Project, Has Been Brought Out. The Sahitya Akademi Embarked Upon This Project In Right Earnest In 1984. The Efforts Of The Highly Skilled And Professional Editorial Staff Started Showing Results And The First Volume Was Brought Out In 1987. The Second Volume Was Brought Out In 1988, The Third In 1989, The Fourth In 1991, The Fifth In 1992, And The Sixth Volume In 1994. All The Six Volumes Together Include Approximately 7500 Entries On Various Topics, Literary Trends And Movements, Eminent Authors And Significant Works. The First Three Volume Were Edited By Prof. Amaresh Datta, Fourth And Fifth Volume By Mohan Lal And Sixth Volume By Shri K.C.Dutt.

अब वह मौका आ गया है कि हम अपने पाठकों को तिलिस्म के अन्दर ले चलें और वहाँ की सैर करावें, क्योंकि कुँअर इन्द्रजीत सिंह और आनन्दसिंह मायारानी के तिलिस्मी बाग के चौथे दर्जे में जा विराजे हैं, जिसे एक तरह पर तिलिस्म का दरवाजा कहना चाहिए। ऊपर के भाग में यह लिखा जा चुका है कि भैरोसिंह को रोहतासगढ़ की तरफ़ और राजा गोपालसिंह और देविसिंह को काशी की तरफ़ रवाना करने के बाद इन्द्रजीतसिंह, आनन्दसिंह, तेजसिंह, तारासिंह, शेरसिंह और लाडिली को साथ लिए हुए कमलिनी तिलिस्मी बाग के चौथे दर्जे में जा पहुँची और उसने राजा गोपालसिंह के कहे अनुसार देवमन्दिर में, जिसका हाल आगे चलकर खुलेगा, डेरा डाला। हमने कमलिनी और कुँअर इन्द्रजीतसिंह वगैरह को दरोगावाले मकान के पास के एक टीले पर ही पहुँचाकर छोड़ दिया था, और यह नहीं लिखा कि वे लोग तिलिस्मी बाग के चौथे दर्जे में किस राह से पहुँचे या वह रास्ता किस प्रकार का था। खैर, हमारे पाठक महाशय ऐयारों के साथ कई दफे उस तिलिस्मी बाग में जाँयगे, इसलिए वहाँ के रास्ते का हाल उनसे छिपा न रह जायगा।

Banarasidas charms us with his transparency and frankness, revealing as much of himself as possible. And he punctuates the fast-flowing narrative of his life every now and then to muse on the nature of human existence.

'Chandrakanta' is Devkinandan Khatri's novel which is considered to be the first prose work in the modern Hindi language. This novel got popular to the extend that there came a TV serial based on it, with the same name. The story is a romantic fantasy about the prince and princess - Virendra Singh and Chandrakanta - of two rival kingdoms, with a lot of magic in it.