Publish Date
29 Jul, 2025
About This Book
A travelogue from the pen of a historian, The Buddha In My Backyard, is a spell-binding account of the monasteries and artefacts ranging from the time of the Buddha in her backyard of Visakhapatnam district. She dwells on the destruction that time, an apathetic state and a society ridden with ignorance of history, have wreaked on these rich remains that speak of a society and culture long past.
About The Author
Emani Rani Sarma (born 1947) taught history for two decades at Delhi and Hyderabad. She founded the Historical Society of Hyderabad, and was the convenor of INTACH, Visakhapatnam Chapter. As an ardent heritage activist, she litigated in the AP High Court to save a heritage site in Hyderabad and the Thotlakonda Buddhist site in Visakhapatnam. She authored 'The Deodis of Hyderabad – A Lost Heritage,' (2008) and ‘The Boy Who Wanted to Know More' (2025)
SouthSideBooks HBT
An English Imprint of Hyderabad Book Trust. Dedicated to encourage literature from South India. Especially from Telugu/Dakhni speaking states, including from Urdu. You are part of the Indian diaspora in the United States—one of the wealthiest, most successful minority communities in the West. But let’s be honest: the life you enjoy today was not built on American soil alone. It began in India, in classrooms and universities heavily subsidized by Indian taxpayers. Many of you—or your parents—paid mere pennies for world-class degrees before boarding a flight to prosperity. You carry the benefits of that public investment every single day. So ask yourself: what have you given back? Donations to temples or cultural festivals are not enough. India’s deeper needs—equitable education, robust public institutions, and a culture that values justice over status—require your active engagement. One of the most enduring ways to give back is through books. Books have always been silent yet seismic agents of change—building nations, shifting the way people think, quietly but irrevocably, and opening minds. Supporting meaningful literature is not charity; it is an investment in the ideas that will transform society. English is the bridge that connects Indian ideas to the world. Yet English-language publishing in India is dominated by North Indian voices, leaving much of peninsular India—its histories, struggles, and rich cultures—underrepresented. All these are reasons why we ask you to become patrons. Buy our books. Gift them. Share them. In doing so, you are not just purchasing pages—you are preserving voices, fostering change, and giving back to the India that made your success possible.
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