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Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak
Bal Gangadhar Tilak (1856-1920) was the first national leader of the Indian freedom movement who transcended provinces, communities, and languages to establish himself in the hearts of millions. Tilak was a fierce advocate of swarajya (self- rule) and his famous quote, 'Swarajya is my birthright, and I shall have it!' is well-remembered even today. Tilak's life touched millions. He was a warrior-hero and a scholar-philosopher, a man who lived a life of action with total selflessness in the pursuit of freedom for his motherland. He was a soul steady in reason, a sthithapradnya. As he stood, rock-solid and consistent amidst the ocean of turmoil, he earned the love and admiration of the people and came to be identified as Lokmanya, 'the admired one'. This book explores the multi-faceted personality of Bal Gangadhar Tilak-social reformer, scholar, and national leader-through the eyes of the people, convincingly portraying a man of the people and the people of his times.
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Gandhi - A Spiritual Journey
Beginning with his childhood and early years in South Africa, Gandhi: A Spiritual Journey explores the search for truth and the spiritual transformation of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Influenced by western thought in his youth, Gandhi underwent a deep inner conflict that drew him to the study of comparative religion. His experiments with spiritual ideas, derived from a living faith in God, led him to propagate the principles of ahimsa and satyagraha. Gandhi was as much in politics as he was in search of God and the desire for God-realisation was the mainspring of all his actions, both political and social. Could Gandhi have internalised his quest for God and still remained a leader of the masses? What is Gandhi's spiritual legacy that continues to inspire so many leaders across cultures? Can Gandhi's philosophy of non-violence address the ills of today's strife-torn world? This book examines Gandhi's spiritual ideology and traces his life-long journey in quest of truth that led him to conclude that Truth is God.
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India's Bismarck Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
As prime minister of Britain, Churchill had ordered the preparation of an imperial strategy with the intention of balkanising India and tightening Britain’s post-war hold over her. The strategy envisaged two Pakistans, one in the west and the other in the east, both large in size at India’s expense: the west to include the non-Muslim east Punjab; the east, the whole of Bengal (despite Hindus comprising almost half the population), and the predominantly Hindu Assam. Within her borders, India was to be balkanised with the creation of independent confederations of princely states. Attlee’s policy statement of 20 February 1947 was to implement the same, and Mountbatten was given the mandate to transfer power and quit India by June 1948, a date that was advanced to August 1947. However, Churchill’s imperial strategy was foiled by Patel. He stood in the way of transfer of power, unless Punjab and Bengal were divided. Fearing the loss of Congress cooperation, Mountbatten was forced to reach an agreement with Patel. Patel’s most significant gain was that Britain would not interfere in the settlement with the princes. This enabled Patel to integrate over 560 princely states in a period of about18 months and helped him to create a united India. This book examines the extraordinary contribution of Sardar Patel, from his unflinching support to Gandhi’s satyagrahas and the Indian freedom struggle, to his farsighted and courageous approach in building a strong, integrated India.
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Hindusim : Triumphs and Tribulations
Sanatana Dharma,which later came to be known as Hinduism,goes back at least five thousand years.In the course of its long journey through the centuries,it evolved,transformed,flourished and sometimes floundered.A succession of invasions by foreign powers significantly changed the ancient culture,in many ways contributing to it s richness and at the same time damaging and redefining it. In this honest and introspective study of the history of Hinduism,the author analyses it s strengths and weaknesses,and addresses it s contradicitions through contemporary eyes.He traces the origins of negative practices like untouchability and casteism that have crept into Hindu society.Debating the issue of conversion in India,he examines the nature and meaning of secularism in a multi-religious society.This book helps to clarify many misconceptions about Hinduism.
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Corruption And the Lokpal Bill
Its recent times there has been outrage at the brazen corruption, impunity and economic imbalance in our society. It has been marked by an expression of public anger against those in power. The Lokpal movement has seen, for the first time, India's people on the streets, in the courts, and inside the Parliament, working man issue that aims to make India a better place. The middle classes, so far fairly silent on the episodes of corruption, have become Incite outspoken. If corruption has to be tackled effectively; a lot depends on the pressure that the people are able to bring to beacon the political class. This book takes a look at corruption from the times of Kautilya and traces its history in our times. It assesses the journey of a measure intended to fight corruption and what happens to it in the power play of politics. Which way will this go? The Lokpal movement is just the beginning. Are we, as responsible citizens, fully aware of what the struggle against corruption involves? The outcome of this struggle concerns us all. Are we doing enough to cage the monster of corruption ? Or will we let it continue to overwhelm us with its sheer size and brutal presence? About The Author M. V. Kamath eminent writer, columnist and journalist, is the author of over 45 books. Born in 1921, he started his career in journalism in 1946. He was the correspondent at the United Nations for the Press Trust of India, and in Bonn. Paris and Washington for the Times of India. He was also editor of free press Journal and later of the Illustrated Weekly of India. A prolific writer, Mr. Kamath is the author of numerous biographes and books , which include The pursuit of Excellence, B.G. Kher: The Gentleman premier, sai Baba of shirdi: A Unique Saint, and Nani A. Palkbirala: A life. In 2004, Mr. Kamath was awarded the padma Bhushan by the Government of India. He has been given a D.Lit. (Honris Causa) by Mangalore University in 2007. He has been chairman of Vigyan Prasar. He was chairman of Prasar Bharathi, and is currently honorary director of the Manipal Institute of Communications. He lives in Manipal,Karnataka. Gayatri Pagdi is a full-time writer, translator, editor and professional ghostwriter of books. A published author in the UK, her work has also been included in The South Asian Literary Review brought out by the University of Pittsburgh, USA, as promising contemporary south Asian writer and poet. She has received an acknowledgment front the prestigious Sahitya Akademi in India. Pagdi has worked on several biographies of historical and spiritual figures as also books on Indian culture, belief and history. Her areas of interest are culture & history; anthropology of belief and practices and the esoterics. She is based in Mumbai.
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Spiritual Masters: The Buddha
The Buddha,Siddhartha Gautama,livedand taught over 2500 years ago.His teachings comprised some of the highest moral philosophy then known to man and appealed to the rational and the poetic mind alike.He led a remarkable life,travelling and teaching ceaselessly for forty five years after attaining enlightenment.Today,Buddhism is one of the world's most widely practiced religions,drawing followers from lands far away from the place of birth of Buddha. In this book,three men narrate the story of the Buddha's life.One is his son and disciple,Rahula.Another is King Bimbisara's charioteer,Triguna,who is a creature of fiction.The third narrator is ananda,a cousin and disciple of the master and later,his attendant.As they proceed with the narration,their understanding of Master's Teching deepens,enabling each one to achieve his own transformation.
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Spiritual Masters: Saibaba
Sai Baba of Shirdi is one of the most well known spiritual Masters of India.He belongs to the brotherhood of saints who crossed the barrier of caste and creed and spoke the language of love.He taught the most profound philospophy and the greatest truths in a simple and forthright way. This book is a collection of stories portrayed through the eyes of laxmi,one of Baba's closest devotees.While material facts have been kept intact,an element of fiction has been introduced to weave events from his life into a narrative.The reader will be inspired to reflect on Baba's teachings.
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Confucius: A Biography
Confucius is one of the important figures in Chinese history, the philosopher-founder of an intellectual, ethical tradition that has shaped a quarter of the world's population. This work reveals Confucius to be an outspoken and uncompromising man, and places him within the context of China of 2,500 years ago.
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Spark
When your world implodes, who can you trust? Onboard the Empyrean - Seth is mysteriously released from his cell in the brig when an explosion rocks the ship. Kieran accuses Seth of causing the explosion but it has in fact been caused by a saboteur - a stowaway from the New Horizon - who is using Seth to cover his tracks. Waverly agrees to help Seth on his mission to find the stowaway, but is punished by Kieran for colluding with Seth. How will the thorny, passionate love triangle between Waverly, Seth and Kieran resolve itself?
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A Monster Calls
An extraordinary and moving novel about coming to terms with loss. Conor has the same dream every night, ever since his mother first fell ill, ever since she started the treatments that dont quite seem to be working. But tonight is different. Tonight, when he wakes, theres a visitor at his window, but its not the one hes been expecting. This one is ancient, elemental, a force of nature. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor. It wants the truth. Best-selling novelist Patrick Ness takes the final idea of award-winning writer Siobhan Dowd whose premature death from cancer prevented her from writing it herself and weaves a tale of heartbreak, healing, and mischief, and above all, of the courage it takes to face the truth. About the Author Patrick Ness is the author of the critically-acclaimed and best-selling Chaos Walking trilogy. He has won numerous awards including the Costa and Galaxy Childrens Book Awards and the Carnegie Medal. He lives in London.
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The Mystery Of 2012
Are we truly coming to the end of a cosmic cycle? Will there be an age of awakening, a new step in human evolution, or even an end to the world we know? For years, archaeologists have known the Mayan calendar predicts this date as the end of an era on Earth. Yet today, more and more researchers, spiritual explorers, and even scientists are witnessing signs that 2012 will mark a critical shift in the history of our planet. Now, for the first time, the leading authorities on the 2012 phenomenon present their insights about this enigmatic date in a single book: The Mystery of 2012. Featuring articulate and lucid essays from dozens of renowned experts on the question of 2012, this invaluable anthology offers all the information necessary to examine the mystery from every angle - spiritual, economic, ecological, and scientific - and to decide for yourself whether 2012 will end with a whimper or a bang. In The Mystery of 2012, you will discover the startling predictions and revelations of prominent thinkers, including: John Major Jenkins' journey to the source for answers - the original Mayan calendar and the perennial wisdom it embodies. Gregg Braden's examination of the scientific evidence for a shift in the Earth’s magnetic field, and how it will affect all life. Daniel Pinchbeck's investigation of the shift of consciousness that will be necessary for humanity to survive 2012. What, if anything, is in store for us in 2012? Whether you are a skeptic, a true believer, or simply
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The Dispatcher
The phone rings. It's your daughter. She's been dead for four months. Ian Hunt is the police dispatcher for the small town of Bulls Mouth, East Texas. Just as his shift is ending he gets a call from his fourteen-year-old daughter, Maggie. Maggie, who has just been declared dead, having been snatched from her bedroom seven years ago. Her call ends in a scream. The trail leads to a local couple, but this is just the start of his battle to get his daughter back. What follows is a bullet-strewn cross-country chase along Interstate 10, from Texas to California. The riveting novel from the acclaimed author of Acts of Violence and Low Life is a brilliantly original, blood drenched thriller, about the lengths a man will go to for his daughter.
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Low Life
When Simon Johnson is attacked in his LA apartment, he knows he must defend himself or die. Turning on the lights after the scuffle, Simon realises he has killed his attacker and the resemblance of the man to himself is uncanny. He embarks on a gripping existential investigation, into his own murky past, and that of Jeremy Shackleford, the (apparently) happily married maths teacher whose body is now lying in Simon's bathtub under forty gallons of ice.
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The Deeper Secret: What Does Life Want From You?
Millions of people have read The Secret and have put its Law of Attraction into practice, hoping to draw the things they desire into their lives. But what happens if the life of your dreams doesn’t materialise? What if you need more help to fulfil your destiny? In The Deeper Secret, Annemarie Postma provides a fresh and empowering new perspective. She explains that the original blockbuster book, The Secret, is an important first step on a path that leads much further – towards the realisation of our deepest dreams. We learn to discern why we want what we want, to know what it means when our desires meet resistance, to decide actively to seek our destiny, to overcome the beliefs that limit us, and to take responsibility for ourselves – rather than blaming outside forces for the things we feel we lack. This is a book that will turn our most cherished dreams into possibilities we can recognise, seize and fulfil.
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The Gods of Gotham
1845. New York City forms its first police force. The great potato famine hits Ireland. These two seemingly disparate events will change New York City. Forever. Timothy Wilde tends bar near the Exchange, saving every dollar and shilling in hopes of winning the girl of his dreams. But when his dreams literally incinerate in a fire devastating downtown Manhattan, he finds himself disfigured, unemployed, and homeless. His older brother obtains Timothy a job in the newly minted NYPD, but he is highly skeptical of this untested "police force." And he is less than thrilled that his new beat is the notoriously down-and-out Sixth Ward-at the border of Five Points, the world's most notorious slum. One night while returning from his rounds, heartsick and defeated, Timothy runs into a little slip of a girl a girl not more than ten years old dashing through the dark in her nightshift . . . covered head to toe in blood. Timothy knows he should take the girl to the House of Refuge, yet he can't bring himself to abandon her. Instead, he takes her home, where she spins wild stories, claiming that dozens of bodies are buried in the forest north of 23rd Street. Timothy isn't sure whether to believe her or not, but, as the truth unfolds, the reluctant copper star finds himself engaged in a battle for justice that nearly costs him his brother, his romantic obsession, and his own life.
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Simple Guide to Yoga
Yoga is practised by millions all around the world. It is an all-embracing way of life, a science of physical and mental discipline that enhances well-being of the body and the mind. Yogic exercises have the ability to heal and strengthen the body. Pranayama and meditation ensure a calm mind and relief from stress. A combination of the mind-body processes of yoga lead to a healthy and harmonious life. This book explains the technique and benefits of a simple yoga routine in a precise and easy-to-follow format.
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Zig Ziglar's Secrets of Closing The Sale
Doctors, housewives, ministers, parents, teachers...everyone has to “sell” their ideas and themselves to be successful. This new guide by America's # 1 professional in the art of persuasion focuses on the most essential part of the sole-how to make them say “Yes, I will” Zig Ziglar lets you in on the secrets of his own sure-fire, tested methods: Over 100 successful closings for every kind of persuasion Over 700 questions that will open your eyes to new possibilities you may have overlooked How to paint word pictures and use your imagination to get results. Professional tips from America's 100 most successful salespeople Do what millions of Americans have already done-open this book and start learning from Zig Ziglar's Secrets of Closing the Sale!