In an increasingly global world where the demonic appetite for consumerism is gobbling up sensations and emotions, we literally need moments to step out of the frame and loose ourselves in the pleasure of the senses. This bedside companion is for those who wish to inhale its mood, catch their breath, and savour the beauty within their souls. "Leela" is a collection of Indian poetry from ancient to contemporary times, complemented by some extremely refreshing and original photography, graphics and paintings. The book emerges from the celebration of sensuality and desire in the Indian cultural landscape, where eros is a part of everyday life. Dipping into the classical texts, the Bhakti poets, Sufi mystics, and moving on to the bold canvas of contemporary verse, it presents a mood-filled bouquet meant to be enjoyed in a lover's company or alone. The visuals contributed by some extremely talented Indian contemporary artists and photographers, as well as two Americans who work with Indian themes, are highly erotic and aesthetic. They brilliantly illustrate the efflorescence of Indian visual arts within the global context. The works are starkly modern yet deeply rooted in the Indian erotic tradition and are a delight to the senses.

If there is one subject that has failed to come under a serious preview of Indian art, it is erotica. Grossly under-represented and misused -- as a source of titillation by some, as a marketing principle by others -- erotica has finally found the focus it deserves with this book. From the earliest of terracotta images of the mother goddess to Tantric diagrams, from celluloid depictions to palm leaf paintings, from modern art and advertising graffiti to the fine details of miniature paintings, this book covers ground that others have not ventured into. Finding a striking continuity in the motifs used in erotic art, it grounds them in the principles that have shaped brush strokes and line drawings, curvatures and camera focuses through the centuries. Varied visuals, some as old as Indian civilisation itself, most as sensuous as the topic they cover, chart this fresh rediscovery.