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Woodsmoke and Leafcups
Bastar remained outside the country I knew and with which I was familiar: the scent of sal hinting at something more refreshing than the goals to which India aspired. Madhu Ramnath spent thirty years with the Durwa peoples in Bastar. What began as impulsive travel to a swathe of land that had no roads crisscrossing it soon turned into a homecoming: each stint in the forest compelled him to return and, finally, to stay. Over the years he became a student of Durwa life, living in the forest, tending cattle, working a hillslope in the village. He immersed himself in the Durwa world while indulging his passion for devising a botanical classification that would be accessible to a layperson Woodsmoke and Leafcups is a firsthand account of life in Bastar: the routines of communal life and the interactions of the Durwas with the State machinery. He writes of a culture where energy and laughter are currency, although of no value to anyone else. He draws a portrait of friends and teachers, threats and ways of eliding them, and the lure of politics for those long indifferent to it. At a time when 'there are few places in which to lose oneself', Ramnath writes of a people and a place that exist outside, sometimes counter to, known narratives.
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Making of Babaji Inc
In an era, where the self-appointed Godmen / women are making headlines and very often for all the wrong reasons, Making of Babaji Inc. is a satirical take on the rise of one such Godmen. In a witty way the story showcases circumstances where superstitions win over logic and ridiculous solutions, often termed as Upaay, given by the Godmen, become the last resort for their devotees. Billu, a middle-class bank cashier, loses a bag containing lakhs of rupees belonging to a high-end customer. His superstitious wife convinces him to seek the advice of a Babaji she knows. Billu undergoes a change of faith. His mediocre life takes a humorous turn and sets off for a distinctly accidental journey called�Making of Babaji Inc.
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Sheroes
Even as Kangana Ranaut or Rani sparkled in Queen as a single woman honeymooning in distant Paris and Deepika Padukone convincingly managed her cantankerous father obsessed with constipation in and as Piku, it would be safe to assume that the average Hindi film heroine has come unshackled. But that assumption is brilliantly challenged by Deepa Gahlot in this book when she asks - Why has there never been another Fearless Nadia in Hindi cinema? Sheroes: 25 Daring women of bollywood is a stellar account of heroines in roles that debunk the traditional slots in an industry orchestrated by men and obsessed with the 100 crores phenomenon. From the fiercely independent Rosie (Waheeda Rehman) in Guide, the endearingly impish Manju (Rekha) in Khubsoorat, The feisty Damini (Meenakshi Sheshadri) in the eponymous film, The beauteous yet tenacious Zeenat in Dor, to the ambitious wedding planner, Shruti (Anushka Sharma) in Band Baaja Baarat, these and other actresses in the book took paths that were least travelled yet managed to create benchmarks in Hindi cinema. A mandatory read for every lover of Hindi cinema, Sheroes is pathbreaking as it showcases heroines who explode the stereotypes in a male bastion with incredible chutzpah.
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Mind Over Matter
Hollywood agent Aurora Fields kept her personal life strictly separate from her professional one, until she met TV producer David Brady. He might be working with her biggest client on a documentary,but that didn't mean Aurora trusted him. She'd be on hand to protect her celebrity star from exploitation and if that meant spending more time with David then so be it! David had always considered himself a good judge of character, so why did each moment he spent with Aurora leave her as enigmatic and enticing as before? Fall under the spell of New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts!
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The Marble Collector
A forgotten childhood. A discovered life. What if you only had one day to find out who you really were? When Sabrina Boggs stumbles upon a mysterious collection of her father's possessions, she discovers a truth where she never knew there was a lie. The familiar man she grew up with is suddenly a stranger to her. An unexpected break in her monotonous daily routine leaves her just one day to unlock the secrets of the man she thought she knew. A day that unearths memories, stories and people she never knew existed. A day that changes her and those around her forever.The Marble Collector is a thoughtprovoking novel about how the most ordinary decisions we make can have the most extraordinary consequences for how we live our lives. And how sometimes it�s only by shining on a light on someone else, that you can truly understand yourself.
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The One That Got Away
What are school friends for? Shared lunches, secrets, movies and studies. And if there is a best friend, you want to share everything with him. But do things really work out the way you want them to? Is life really fair? Shyamita and Jai know they have to go different ways once school is over. Shyamita is going to pursue dance and Jai is off to Cardiff for further studies. What happens when they meet after several years? Sparks fly, shocking them both. Before they can figure out what is happening, love strikes.
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Chicken Soup For the Soul Readers Choice
We're 20! And as part of our 20th-anniversary celebration, we asked our readers to tell us how their favorite Chicken Soup for the Soul stories affected them. You�ll find the stories in pairs in this volume - a new story written just for this book, followed by the story or poem that the reader found so inspiring in one of our past 250+ titles. You�ll read about the military wife who was mentally prepared for "the phone call" the morning after she read a story about a soldier who lost his limbs. You'll read about the Vietnam vet who discovered that one of the soldiers he rescued went on to win the Super Bowl four times, which he learned decades later in a Chicken Soup for the Soul story. You'll read about a birth mother whose 23-year-old found her through one of our stories. All in all, you'll read 100 stories about epiphanies, attitude adjustments, great advice, motivational tips, doing good, and the amazing connections that people made as a result of these stories.
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Dial D for Don
March 1993. Mumbai was rocked by a series of bomb blasts. Unknown to most, Dawood Ibrahim, the mastermind behind the terror attack, had made several calls to the CBI. The don was desperate to prove his 'innocence' by giving himself up, but with conditions. October 1999. The world's very first case of cricket match-fixing led to the banning of six top Indian cricketers, including the then team captain. It was only in 2013, after the then commissioner of police revived the case, that a charge sheet was filed in a court of law. January 2002. Aftab Ansari - a notorious Dubai-based don responsible for kidnapping a shoe baron in 2001 with the help of Jihadi groups in Pakistan was arrested just as he was about to escape Dubai on a forged passport to Pakistan. All these cases of life-threatening moments and unbelievable relief, involved the sharp investigative skills of an Indian Police Service officer then serving in the CBI. In his thirty-seven years of service, Neeraj Kumar neutralized several terror modules and decimated insidious organized crime syndicates spanning continents, working closely with Interpol, FBI, Scotland Yard and several national and international agencies. Much decorated and feted, he hung up his boots in 2013, after his last calling as Delhi's police commissioner. He has now decided that the inside details of what have been some of the most fascinating crime stories of our times must not go unheard and untold. The book covers several high-profile cases cracked by him in recent years, including the arrest and deportation of Aftab Ansari, the main accused in the shooting at the American Center in Kolkata, the nabbing of Jagtar Singh Tara, the man behind Punjab CM Beant Singh's assassination, and the arrest of Romesh Sharma, a Dawood henchman masquerading as a politician based in Delhi.
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The Patriot Attack
An attack on a Japanese warship brings Japan and China to the brink of war. Meanwhile, top Covert-One operative Colonel Jon Smith is sent on a mission to recover mysterious material from the wreckage of the Fukushima nuclear reactor. When Smith fails to return, CIA agent Randi Russell heads off on an unsanctioned mission to find him. She quickly discovers that the missing samples may be evidence that Japan, led by hawkish military chief of staff Masao Takahashi, has been secretly developing next-generation weapons systems in preparation for a conflict with China. If the Covert-One team can't prevent General Takahashi from provoking a war, the entire world will be dragged into a battle certain to kill tens of millions of people and leave much of the planet uninhabitable for centuries.
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Complete Book of the Human Body
An introduction to the human body and how it works. It explores from allergies and brain waves to x-rays and zits. It allows readers to look at scans of the inside the human body take a 3-D tour of the brain make an edible model of a DNA molecule and more.
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Triple
Triple is the riveting story of the most successful espionage coup - and best-kept secret - of this century. It is 1968. Israeli intelligence has learned that Egypt, with Soviet help, will develop atomic bombs within months - an untimely end for the young nation unless a source of uranium for Israeli bombs can be had in complete secrecy. Impossible, of course, unless someone as improbable as the plan can be found to steal it... Working alone, Israeli agent Nat Dickstein concocts an ingenious scenario for the biggest, and quietest, hijacking in history. Against him are the Russian KGB, Egyptian Intelligence and the Arab extremist Fedayeen. With him is a half-English, half-Arab young woman of uncertain allegiance, who discovers Dickstein's Achilles heel.
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Daring To Dream
Raised together, Kate, Margo, and Laura are as close as real sisters, despite their differing backgrounds. Laura Templeton is the beloved daughter of the wealthy Templetons, Kate Powell is her orphaned cousin, and Margo Sullivan is the housekeeper's daughter. Margo has achieved fame and success far away from home, but her world comes crashing down when the man she thought she loved loses all her money and involves her in an international scandal. Devastated and broke, Margo has no choice but to return home to try to rebuild her life. Laura's older brother, Josh, has been in love with Margo for years. He's always disapproved of her lifestyle, but her unexpected return heats up the long dormant passion between them. But is Margo just on the rebound, or could she really be falling for Josh?
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Outwitting the Devil
After the publication of Think and Grow Rich, Hill wrote this book to show what prevents people from achieving what they want in life. However, the book languished in the original manuscript form, unpublished for more than 70 years. The reason being that Hill wrote Outwitting The Devil: The Secret To Freedom And Success as a conversation with the Devil. Many, including his wife Annie Lou, were uneasy about that concept and did not want it published. Hill uses the Devil in this book to show people that negative ideas and attitudes are the devil’s tools to keep humans from progressing. Progress is positive, and happiness, courage, and working to achieve one’s goal are all positive attributes that could help a person be happy. The Devil uses the opposite emotions and attributes to prevent each person from achieving happiness and progress. His tools are all negative, like fear, indecision, jealousy, anger, and procrastination. These effectively prevent a person from realizing their full potential, from living a useful and productive life that makes use of all the gifts they were born with. Outwitting The Devil: The Secret To Freedom And Success is presented in the form of an interview with the Devil. Hill is Mr. Earthbound, who interviews the Devil who insists on being addressed as Your Majesty. This interesting premise is what prevented this book from being published for over seven decades. Now, this book has been brought out with annotation by Sharon Lechter, who is the co-author of the Rich Dad Poor
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Breath Go Away And Other Stories
Endearing, humorous and thought-provoking, Breath, Go Away is a collection of true and near-true stories. 'Breath, Go Away' is a true story of requited but tragic love, 'Kisses to God' is a tale of love with an unforeseen twist. 'A Shiver of Joy' is mischievous story, describing a moment of ecstasy experienced by the protagonist. In 'Momentous Emotions', Venkat is attracted to Sheila but something holds him back from professing his feelings. 'Tears in the Bathroom' highlights the strength and grace with which women cope with life's adversities. In 'Heights of Height' Kris and Kavitha make a great start to their romance but the outcome is unexpected. 'Priceless Conversations' is about the innocence and artlessness of children. Bringing together tales of romance, wit and suspense, told with a touch of philosophy, Breath, Go Away is a delightful and heartwarming read.
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My Gita
In My Gita, acclaimed mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik demystifies The Bhagavad Gita for the contemporary reader. His unique approach thematic rather than verse-by-verse makes the ancient treatise eminently accessible, combined as it is with his trademark illustrations and simple diagrams. In a world that seems spellbound by argument over dialogue, vi-vaad over sam-vaad, Devdutt highlights how Krishna nudges Arjuna to understand rather than judge his relationships. This becomes relevant today when we are increasingly indulging and isolating the self (self-improvement, self-actualization, self-realization even selfies!). We forget that we live in an ecosystem of others, where we can nourish each other with food, love and meaning, even when we fight. So let My Gita inform your Gita
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On My Terms
Sharad Pawar is one of India's key public figures. Through his five-decade-long career, during which he has never lost an election, he has served as chief minister of Maharashtra four times and as India's defence minister and minister for agriculture. On two occasions he came close to becoming the country's prime minister. He has often bucked the trend, preferring policy and pragmatism over populism, and won admiration for his administrative acumen and consensual politics. Eyewitness-at the highest levels-to India's and Maharashtra's history since the 1960s, he shares in this memoir his reflections on coalition politics, the loss of democracy in the Congress Party (with which he began his political life), the state of agriculture and industry in the country, and the absolute necessity of social harmony and a liberal, inclusive ethos for India's future. As he does this, he also gives us rare information about many crises and turning points: Emergency and its impact on national and regional politics; the fall of the Chandrashekhar government in 1991; the signing of the Punjab Accord between Rajiv Gandhi and H.S. Longowal; the Babri Masjid demolition; the Mumbai bomb blasts of 1993; the devastating earthquake in Latur; the controversy over the Enron power project; and Sonia Gandhi's dramatic decision to give up the chance to occupy the country's highest office
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The Habit of Winning
The Habit Of Winning is a compilation of the life stories of several great personalities like Mahatma Gandhi, Sachin Tendulkar, Randy Pausch and Charlie Plumb. The author also identifies their common traits, some of which are perseverance, team spirit and hard work. The author further elaborates that it is these traits that help a person face difficult times and pave their way to success. The author explicitly states that one does not learn everything he needs to, in books. The author also uses incidents from his own life to illustrate his points, so much so that the book in itself becomes a collection of several individual short stories. It has the ability to alter how one thinks, lives and works. The author reinstates the belief in his readers that winning is a habit that everyone should acquire. Stories work well in helping an author put his message across to the readers. The incidents in the book are thrilling, leading the readers to be motivated to lead their lives with renewed energy, passion and a sense of purpose. They are short narrations with a moral given at the end of each. The book lets the user make a difference, in his own life, and in that of those around him. The book has been widely appraised and has been on the list of top 10 books on business management published by Business Standard. It has also been accorded the status of the most selling non-fiction book by Economic Times.
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Then Came You
She thought her heart was safe, but… Reckless, wild, and beautiful, Lily Lawson delights in shocking proper London society -- and now she is determined to rescue her sister from an unwanted impending marriage to the notorious Alex, Lord Raiford, by fair means or foul. But while she succeeds outrageously, Alex is a master gamesman who is not to be undone. Alex has lost one bride, yet he is enchanted by this remarkable lady who is willing to break any rule to flaunt her independence. When Lily offers him only scorn, he counters with kindness, and he parries her blistering barbs with gentle words and a soft, tender touch. The spirited miss will pay dearly for her interference -- with her body, her soul, and her stubborn, unyielding heart. But will Alex's own heart be the prize to be won in this sensuous game of love?
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All Dressed In White
Five years ago Amanda Pierce was excitedly preparing to marry her college sweetheart. She and Jeffrey had already battled through sickness and health, although their lives were certainly more richer than poorer as Amanda was set to inherit her father's successful garment company. Then Amanda disappeared the night of her bachelorette party. In present-day New York City, Laurie Moran realizes a missing bride is the perfect cold case for her 'Under Suspicion' television series to Five years ago Amanda Pierce was excitedly preparing to marry her college sweetheart. She and Jeffrey had already battled through sickness and health, although their lives were certainly more richer than poorer as Amanda was set to inherit her father's successful garment company. Then Amanda disappeared the night of her bachelorette party. In present-day New York City, Laurie Moran realizes a missing bride is the perfect cold case for her 'Under Suspicion' television series to investigate. By recreating the night of the disappearance at the wedding's Florida resort with Amanda's friends and family, Laurie hopes to find the same success solving the cases featured in the series' first episodes. With Amanda's former fiancee now married to a bridesmaid, and a jealous sister, playboy groomsmen, and rumors about the 'beloved' bride herself, Laurie and Under Suspicion host Alex Buckley quickly realize everyone has their own theory about why Amanda disappeared into thin air. One thing is certain, whoever was behind Amanda's vanishing plans to keep the truth hidden 'til death do they part'.
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The Guilty
A gripping Will Robie thriller from bestselling author David Baldacci The small, remote Bayou town hasn't changed and its residents remember Robie as a wild sports star and girl magnet. He left a lot of hearts broken, and a lot of people angry. Will and his father, Dan, are estranged, and his mother left years ago. When he visits Dan in jail, he finds that time hasn't healed old wounds. There's too much bad blood between the men, and although Will feels no good will come of staying around, he is persuaded to confront his demons by fellow government agent Jessica Reel. The Guilty is the fourth thriller in the Will Robie series by David Baldacci, following on from The Innocent, The Hit and The Target.
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Indian Family Business Mantras
Indian Family Business Mantras presents a comprehensive manifesto for family owned businesses. In this book, a well known family business expert and a partner at Deloitte UK, Peter Leach and Tatwamasi Dixit, an internationally renowned Vedic scholar and one of Indias foremost family business consultants, focus on the ways and means to help family businesses manage growth, change and transitions. Richly illustrating each of their arguments with real life examples as well as anecdotes from Indian epics, scriptures and history, the authors present compelling instances of family business, those which flourished and those that floundered. With interviews and analyses of some of the top Indian business families, including the Murugappa Group, Ambuja Group, Haldiram Group, GMR Group and Thermax Group, the book offers ways and means to help both small and large family businesses achieve prosperity and longevity. Other case studies include Biocon, Reliance, Ranbaxy, Godrej, Max India, Future Group, TVS Group, Tata Group and HCL Technologies. Along with addressing issues as varied as governance systems, professionalism, intergenerational integration, generational transition and family business conflicts, the authors make a vital point - in the absence of foresight.
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The Public Intellectual in India
The public intellectual in India is an endangered species. Should we care? In this well-argued book, Romila Thapar and others tell us why we should. Thapar begins by defining the critical role that such individuals play in our societies today. Collectively, they are the objective, fearless, constructive voice that asks the awkward questions when government, industry, religious leaders and other bulwarks of society stray from their roles of ensuring the proper functioning of a country whose hallmarks are (or should be) social and economic equality, justice for all, and the liberty to say, think and profess the fundamental requirements of good citizenship. Through the lens of history, philosophy, science, and politics, she shows us the key role enlightened thinkers and activists have played in India, Europe and elsewhere. Today, as the liberal space in India is threatened by religious fundamentalism, big business, and, worryingly, a government that appears to be tacitly (and sometimes overtly) encouraging the attack on freedom of expression, secular values and rational readings of history, there could be no book as timely as this one. With contributions from writers and scholars in the fields of philosophy, science, history, journalism and social activism, The Public Intellectual in India shows us why it is important to have independent voices to protect the underprivileged, ensure human rights and social justice, and watch over the smooth functioning of our liberal, secular democracy.