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Karmachari
You who stand in a queue, who try to board a running local, who tolerate your boss's snide remarks and the trials and tribulations of marital life - you still manage to discuss politics with enthusiasm, to finish a game of cards, to laugh and to make others laugh ... You are a true karmachari. A collection of unforgettable short stories about ordinary people, Karmachari is a mirror held up to society. Set in suburban Mumbai of the 1970s, yet universal, it is peopled by characters we might meet in real life. They come alive under V.P. Kale's sharp but compassionate gaze, and prod us gently towards a world of greater kindness and understanding.
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My Mute Girlfriend
“That day I realized I had lost her forever. I had lost her smile, her friendship, her voice… But still, somewhere in my heart, I believed her to be my girlfriend. My mute girlfriend.” Rohan is a telecom professional posted in Meerut and misses his girlfriend from college days, who had stopped interacting with him, without giving any reason. Although she had always stood by his side and her eyes reflected immense love, but she remained his mute girlfriend. The book opens with an SMS from Vaidehi to Rohan, after five long years. But before he could reply, his mobile gets damaged and he wanders in his memories to narrate a story. About how his girlfriend became his mute girlfriend after the first year of their engineering college. My Mute Girlfriend is a true romance story of how Rohan unravels the answers to why Vaidehi was mute for so long and how their life is about to change. But little do they know that the worst is yet to come.
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For A Girl In A Star
What do you do when your best friend, the one person who has stood by you through thick and thin, knows you better than you know yourself and literally saved your life falls in love with the same girl as you? Avinash and Sahas, two village boys arrive in Bangalore in search of art and in pursuit of ambition. Sahas, hardworking and nervous, antonym to his friend, has emerged from a troubled past only to find that his future doesn’t come without encumbrances. Their friendship is the one constant in the two boys’ lives, but that is tested when they each meet Aarti, a mysterious, compassionate, beautiful girl who captures both their imaginations and sets their hearts aflame. Will their passion for the same girl and an untimely tragedy, sunder the two friends forever? A compelling tale with twists and turns reminiscent of India’s melodramatic films, For a Girl in a Star deals with the age old staples of young love, heartbreak and what it means to be a true friend.
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A Century is not Enough
Sourav Ganguly's life has been full of highs and lows. Arguably India's greatest cricket captain, he gave confidence to the team, re-energized them and took India, for the first time, to spectacular overseas victories. But Ganguly's story also came with great challenges - from his early days where he had to wait four long years before being included in the team to the ugly battle with the Australian coach Greg Chappell. He fought his way out of every corner and climbed back up from every defeat, becoming India's ultimate comeback king. What does it take to perform when the pressure is skyhigh? How do you fight back and win? How do you make a name for yourself when you are young and have started the journey which is closest to your heart? As Sourav takes you through his life, he looks at how to overcome challenges and come out a winner. Time and time again.
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Murder Interrupted
Two true-crime cases from the hit TV series Murder is Forever MURDER, INTERRUPTED. Rich, cheating financier Frank Howard wants his wife dead, and he's willing to pay Billie Earl Johnson whatever it takes. But when the bullet misses the mark, Billie Earl and Frank will turn on each other in a fight for their lives . . . MOTHER OF ALL MURDERS. Dee Dee Blancharde is a local celebrity. Television reports praise her as a single mother who tirelessly cares for her wheelchair-bound, chronically ill daughter. But when Gypsy Rose realises she isn't actually sick and Dee Dee has lied all these years, the daughter exacts her revenge . . .
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My not so perfect life
Katie Brenner has the perfect life: a flat in London, a glamorous job and a super-cool Instagram feed. OK, so the truth is that she rents a tiny room with no space for a wardrobe, has a hideous commute to a lowly admin job and the life she shares on Instagram isn’t really hers. But one day her dreams are bound to come true, aren’t they? Until her not-so-perfect life comes crashing down when her mega-successful boss Demeter gives her the sack. All Katie’s hopes are shattered. She has to move home to Somerset, where she helps her dad with his new glamping business. Then Demeter and her family book in for a holiday and Katie sees her chance. But should she get revenge on the woman who ruined her dreams - or try to get her job back? Does Demeter – the woman who has everything – actually have such an idyllic life herself? Maybe they have more in common than it seems. And what’s wrong with not-so-perfect, anyway? Everybody loves Sophie Kinsella: "I almost cried with laughter" Daily Mail "Hilarious . . . you'll laugh and gasp on every page" Jenny Colgan "Properly mood-altering . . . funny, fast and farcical. I loved it" Jojo Moyes "A superb tale. Five stars!" Heat.
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The Burial Hour
Number one bestselling author and master of suspense Jeffery Deaver returns with the thirteenth Lincoln Rhyme thriller, which sees a crime go global...The only leads in a broad-daylight kidnapping are the account of an eight-year-old girl, some nearly invisible trace evidence and the calling card: a miniature noose left lying on the street. A crime scene this puzzling demands forensic expertise of the highest order. Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs are called in to investigate. Then the case takes a stranger turn: a recording surfaces of the victim being slowly hanged, his desperate gasps the backdrop to an eerie piece of music. The video is marked as the work of The Composer... Despite their best efforts, the suspect gets away. So when a similar kidnapping occurs on a dusty road outside Naples, Rhyme and Sachs don't hesitate to re-join the hunt. But the search is now a complex case of international cooperation - and not all those involved may be who they seem. All they can do is follow the evidence, before their time runs out.
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The Lost Order
The Knights of the Golden Circle was the largest and most dangerous clandestine organization in American history. It amassed billions in stolen gold and silver, all buried in hidden caches across the United States. Since 1865 treasure hunters have searched, but little of that immense wealth has ever been found. Now, one hundred and sixty years later, two factions of what remains of the Knights of the Golden Circle want that lost treasure - one to spend it for their own ends, the other to preserve it. Thrust into this battle is former Justice Department agent Cotton Malone, whose connection to the knights is far deeper than he ever imagined. At the center is the Smithsonian Institution - linked to the knights, its treasure and Malone himself through an ancestor, a Confederate spy named Angus "Cotton" Adams, whose story holds the key to everything. Complicating matters are the political ambitions of a reckless Speaker of the House and the bitter widow of a United States Senator, who together are planning radical changes to the country. And while Malone and Cassiopeia Vitt face the past, ex-president Danny Daniels and Stephanie Nelle confront a new and unexpected challenge, a threat that may cost one of them their life.
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Amitabh Bachchan Reflections on a Star Image
The book is a set of philosophical essays on Amitabh Bachchan, a star like no other in Bollywood. Packed into the persona of Amitabh Bachchan is a star, a person, an expression of his writers, directors, cinematographers, music directors, choreographers and most importantly, the viewer. There are spaces where Amitabh Bachchan, as a person, spreads over to his screen persona and creates his stardom with many episodes and experiences from his life lived in flesh and blood. The book discusses Amitabh against images and appeals of other popular stars like Raj Kapoor, Dev Anand, Dilip Kumar and Rajesh Khanna and even Shah Rukh Khan. The book also discusses many of his films which were a remake of popular films of earlier days, as well as many of Amitabh's films which were remade later with the present day stars. The book finds that the star is an individual, the self-image of the viewer and essential in a modernizing society in which the individual is rooted in the institution of family and marriage and must operate within the structures of his class, caste, religion and even the city in which he lives. In his desire to take charge of his life, overcome the barriers that stand in the way of a fuller realization of his essence as an individual. Cinema can be classified around the star and the principles of classification pertain to the existential questions of the star in his embeddedness into the world and also a desire to transcend those attachments into a purer state of being.
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Letters to My Ex
It feels like I'm on autopilot; I have no control over anything. The pain of losing you is so crippling that I can barely hold pieces of myself together. The slightest nudge could break me. But somehow, my possessed brain knows what I need. It's telling me to stick to my choice, to stay away from you, to open a Word document and bleed on paper, try to throw up all my jumbled thoughts in form of words, collect all disconnected facts, try to make sense of it all.' From the bestselling author of Like a Love Song and Every Time It Rains, a story of heartbreak and things left unsaid...
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Small Acts of Freedom
In February 2017, Gurmehar Kaur, a nineteen-year-old student, joined a peaceful campaign after violent clashes at a Delhi University college. As part of the campaign, Kaur's post made her the target of an onslaught of social media vitriol. Kaur, the daughter of a Kargil martyr, suddenly became a focal point of a nationalism debate. Facing a trial by social media, Kaur almost retreated into herself. But she was never brought up to be silenced. ‘Real bullets killed my father. Your hate bullets are deepening my resolve,’ she wrote then. Today, Kaur is doubly determined not to be silent. Small Acts of Freedom is her story. This is the story of three generations of strong, passionate single women in one family, women who have faced the world on their own terms. With an unusual narrative structure that crisscrosses elegantly between past and present, spanning seventy years from 1947 to 2017, Small Acts of Freedom is about courage. It’s about resilience, strength and love. From her grandmother who came to India from Lahore after Partition to the whirlwind romance between her parents, from her father’s state funeral to her harrowing experiences since her days of student activism, Gurmehar Kaur’s debut is about the fierceness of love, the power of family and the little acts that beget big revolutions.
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Will You Still Love Me?
Lavanya Gogoi is from the scenic hills of Shillong while Rajveer Saini belongs to the shahi city of Patiala. Worlds apart from one another, the two land up next to each other on a flight from Mumbai to Chandigarh. It's love at first flight, at least for one of them. For the other . . . well, it's going to take more than a plane ride! And when love does finally happen, there are more obstacles to overcome. Rajveer has to stand up against his own if he and Lavanya are to be together. However, life has other plans. Things go horribly wrong and Rajveer now has to fight a different battle-one in which he is the devil as well as the deliverer. His love for Lavanya will be put to the ultimate test. And there are no guarantees. Will You Still Love Me? is deeply moving, disturbingly close to reality, and love at its worst and its best.
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A Murder on Malabar Hill
Bombay, 1921. Intrepid and intelligent, young Perveen Mistry joins her father's prestigious law firm to become one of India's first female lawyers. Her tumultuous past also makes her especially devoted to championing and protecting women's rights. When Mistry Law is appointed to execute the will of Omar Farid, a wealthy mill owner, Perveen's suspicions are aroused by a curious provision which could disinherit Farid's three widows and leave them vulnerable. Are the Farid widows--who live in strict seclusion, never leaving the women's quarters or speaking to men--being duped by an unscrupulous guardian? Perveen decides to investigate, but when tensions escalate to murder, it becomes clear that her own life is in mortal peril and she will need to use everything in her power to outwit a dangerous criminal.
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The One Plus One
Number one bestseller The One Plus One is the beautiful, poignant and utterly compelling romance by the internationally bestselling author of Me Before You and After You. One eternal optimist . . . Jess Thomas, with two jobs and two kids and never enough money, wears flip flops in the hope of spring. And when life knocks her down she does her best to bounce right back. But no one told her it's okay to ask for help. Plus one lost stranger . . . Ed Nicholls is the good guy gone bad. He had it all, then one stupid mistake cost him everything. Now he'll do anything to make it right. Equals a chance encounter . . . Ed doesn't want to save anyone and Jess doesn't want saving, but could Jess and Ed add up to something better together? Praise for The One Plus One: 'A beautifully written love story I relished' Daily Mail 'A heartbreaking, laugh-out-loud, roller coaster' Sunday Express 'An uplifting, charming, life-affirming tale that you won't want to put down' Heat 'Raw, funny, real and sad, this is storytelling at its best' Marie Claire
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Speaking Truth To Power
n a parliamentary democracy, citizens always wish to hear the articulate voice of the Opposition that can offer reasoned criticism of the government and alternative policy solutions to the challenges faced by the country. In 2017, P. Chidambaram braved misinterpretation, criticism and abuse to emerge as that voice. From the reckless adventure of demonetization to the flawed GST to the Central government’s economic report card that had to be marked ‘Failed’, Speaking Truth to Power is a collection of the incisive essays published in 2017 as a weekly column in The Indian Express. The essays highlight why there is a pervasive sense of disappointment after forty-three months of the Narendra Modi government. They are on a range of subjects that capture the reality of India more than the country’s GDP—hunger, children, privacy, intolerance, etc. In a year when Indian politics remained divisive and ugly, Chidambaram forcefully articulates his views on the Budget, the deceptive calm in Jammu and Kashmir, the implosion in the AIADMK, the intriguing verdict in the election to the Gujarat legislature and many other contemporary issues. Following principles of fidelity to truth and unbiased criticism based on sound logic, Chidambaram is at his characteristic best here.
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Odessa Sea
The new Dirk Pitt adventure from the Number 1 Sunday Times bestselling author As Director of the National Underwater and Marine Agency, Dirk Pitt has always had a knack for finding trouble. This time, though, trouble has found him. . . On a NUMA mission to the Black Sea to locate the wreck of a lost Ottoman Empire ship, Pitt and his friend Al Giordino respond to an urgent Mayday from a nearby freighter. But by the time they reach the area there's no one left alive - just dead bodies and the smell of sulphur in the air. When a massive blast from the stern suddenly scuttles the ship, Pitt and Giordino are lucky not to add to the death toll. As they investigate the fate of the lost ship, they're plunged deep into an extraordinary series of discoveries. And when connections emerge between a desperate attempt in 1917 o preserve the wealth and power of the Romanov empire, a Cold War bomber lost with a deadly cargo, modern-day nuclear smugglers and a brilliant engineer developing cutting-edge drone technology, Pitt is face with the most dangerous challenge of his career. One that will threaten the lives of his family and friends. Packed with breathtaking suspense, switchback plotting and remarkable imagination, Odessa Sea proves once again that, when it comes to adventure, Clive Cussler is in a league of his own.
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Cheaters
Cheaters tells nine short stories, each discussing a different shade of infidelity in today's times when societal norms are still the same-archaic. However, the urge to explore and experiment amongst the youth is at an all-time high. This friction, if not handled well, could lead to unexpected roads. Each story, though high on emotions, unfolds in a thrilling narrative.
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Bharatvarsha Stories of Great Indians
This collection of ten essays on men who shaped India's identity is adapted from the popular show Bharatvarsha, hosted by actor-director Anupam Kher on ABP News. From rulers like Ashoka and Akbar to spiritual leaders like Gautama Buddha and Kabir, and from learned men like Adi Shankaracharya and Dara Shikoh to great warriors like Prithviraj Chauhan and Maharana Pratap, these men, through their ideas and deeds, continue to inspire the people of this huge subcontinent.]
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Zakir Hussain A Life in Music
Tabla virtuoso, composer and percussionist Zakir Hussain is an international music phenomenon. The eldest son of the legendary Ustad Allarakha, Zakir gave his first public concert at the age of seven and was immediately hailed a child prodigy. In later years, his masterful dexterity and creative genius led to his becoming one of the most sought-after accompanists to the very best of Hindustani classical musicians and dancers. Zakir Hussain is equally recognized as one of the foremost contemporary jazz and world music percussionists; he has performed at innumerable concerts both as a solo artist and with renowned jazz musicians on the grand stages of the world, from the Royal Albert Hall to Madison Square Garden. With John McLaughlin, L. Shankar and T.H. Vinayakram, Zakir Hussain created music history with the band Shakti. He has acted in James Ivory's Heat and Dust and Sai Paranjpye's Saaz, and scored music for directors such as Bernardo Bertolucci (Little Buddha), Aparna Sen (Mr. & Mrs. Iyer) and Ismail Merchant (In Custody, The Mystic Masseur); he has also played the tabla for countless 1960s Hindi film soundtracks. In an in-depth conversation with Zakir Hussain, Nasreen Munni Kabir takes the readers through the story of his life: how he was deemed an 'unlucky' child; the early years of growing up in Mahim; his training from age four with his extraordinary father; and his experiences and memories working with a host of legendary musicians, including Pandit Ravi Shankar, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and Ustad Vilayat Khan. A born storyteller, Zakir speaks with humour and humility of his understanding of music, his relationship with his students, his dedication and love for the tabla, and the way he negotiates life as an acclaimed celebrity living in both America and India. Zakir Hussain: A Life in Music is a brilliant introduction to the life and times of a huge music star, a revered role model and a visionary world musician.
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From Lehman to Demonetization
From Lehman to Demonetization is the epic story of banking in India in the last decade. The years from 2007 to 2017 were the most tumultuous and exciting time for this sector, which saw D. Subbarao, Raghuram Rajan and Urijit Patel as RBI governors working with finance ministers Pranab Mukherjee, P. Chidambaram and Arun Jaitley. What a decade it has been-from India's first MFI, SKS Microfinance, entering the capital market to the near death of the industry; the RBI giving the nod to twenty-three banks and becoming an inflation targeter; from 9 per cent economic growth for three consecutive years to the jolt of demonetization. Featuring essays and interviews with the who's who of this sector, including Deepak Parkeh, K.V. Kamath, Arundhati Bhattacharya, Chanda Kochchar, Aditya Puri, Shikha Sharma, Raghuram Rajan, U.K. Sinha and Viral Acharya, this book makes for a riveting read. If you had to read one book on banking in India, let this be it!
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Keepers Of The Kalachakra
A seemingly random selection of heads of state are struck down like flies by unnamed killers who work with the clinical efficiency of butchers. Except that they leave no trace of their methods. Welcome back to the shadowy and addictive world of Ashwin Sanghi. After The Rozabal Line, Chanakya’s Chant, The Krishna Key and The Sialkot Saga, Ashwin Sanghi returns at last with another quietly fearsome tale—this time of men who guard the ‘Kalachakra’ or The Wheel of Time. Sanghi describes a world of people at war with one another—a boomeranging conflict of faiths that results in acts of such slow and planned human cruelty that they defy human imagination. Caught in the midst of this madness is Vijay Sundaram, a geek scientist who is only dimly aware that the wider sky outside his laboratory is stretched taut and close to being torn apart by forces that he wants simply to have nothing to do with. But events conspire to propel Vijay into the labyrinth of Milesian Labs, a centre of research deep in the forested hills of Uttarakhand. What he stumbles upon is a primordial clue to a galactic secret that could accelerate the downward spiral of humankind. Trapped and wholly unaware of his actual foe, Vijay races against time to save humanity—and himself. Zigzagging from Rama’s crossing to Lanka to the birth of Buddhism; from the origin of Wahhabism to the Einsteinian gravitational wave-detectors of LIGO; from the charnel-grounds of naked tantric practitioners to the bespoke suits of the Oval Office; and from the rites of Minerva, shrouded in frankincense, to the smoke-darkened ruins of Nalanda, Keepers of the Kalachakra is a journey that will have you gasping for breath—but one that you cannot abandon till all the pieces of the jigsaw come together. Till you come up gobsmack against an end that you simply did not see coming.
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Stories From Saratchandra
Some time ago, a sudden rumour spread across our region that unless three children were sacrificed, the railway bridge over Roopnarayan just could not be constructed. Two small boys had already been buried alive under one of the pillions and only one more needed to be caught...’ This book is a collection of twelve widely acclaimed short stories of Saratchandra Chattopadhyay, one of the doyens of Bengali literature. Divided into two sections, the first bunch of stories portray childhood in all its unburdened innocence while the latter section leads on to deeper sensibilities—the everyday experience of casteism, the lived reality of social hierarchy and the bonds of almost filial affection forged between man and animal that sustain both. Stories from Saratchandra shows Saratchandra’s keen eye as a social commentator, presenting a vivid picture of life in rural Bengal during the early twentieth century.