Showing Books By Language : English

Wanderings In India And Other Sketches Of Life In

Lang was a friend and student of India, its cultures and people, at a time when this was hardly a fashionable stance among white colonial gentlemen. - The Spectator. Written by writer, journalist and Indophile John Lang, Wanderings in India is one of the best and most engaging, personal accounts of India in the nineteenth century. Spanning the years during and after the 1857 Sepoy Rebellion and taken from Lang's contributions to the weekly magazine, household words, it includes a series of 'sketches of life in Hindostan' as encountered by Lang during his travels. Included in this book are stories like 'The Ranee of Jhansi', an account of Langs personal meeting with Rani Lakshmibai regarding the infamous Doctrine of Lapse, 'The Mohommedan Mother', a powerful portrayal of the predicament of Indian women who had relationships with European men and 'The Himalayas', an account of Lang's adventures in the hills, camping and shooting Kakur, bear, pheasant, ghooral and the like. From wonderfully evocative descriptions of the Himalayas to insightful narratives of his encounters with historical figures, Lang's remarkable book transcends genres and moves effortlessly from memoir to travelogue to fiction, but never fails to delight and enlighten the reader.

Vikraal

Set in a world that reflects post - Vedic India, the second book in the Kaal Trilogy, Vikraal follows Arihant, the superhero, as he evolves into the ultimate warrior through an intricate weave of conflicts and discoveries which lead him to the realm of the cosmic enigma, the Oracle or Kaal - the governor of the universe. Set in a world that reflects post - Vedic India, Vikraal takes up where Jaal, the first book of the Kaal Trilogy, ends. The lingering bars of the six-millennia old prison of dreams are disintegrating around Aushij, the sleeping God, making him increasingly aware of Arihant, his designated Foe. Half a year after his incredible metamorphosis in the Vakrini's mind-city, Arihant himself is now on an unpredictable journey that takes him further on the road to becoming the ultimate warrior. Unexpected truths assail him at every turn-the searing fact of his own identity, the soaring joy of true love, the shock of his unforeseen vulnerability and ultimately, the discovery and acceptance of his true self and purpose in the realm of the cosmic enigma whom some call the Oracle and who calls itself Kaal - the Governor of the universe. The intricate weave of conflicts and discoveries propels the protagonists towards an explosive climax that alters the very course of the Cosmic game. This roaring adventure blends seamlessly with India's metaphysical traditions, creating a thrilling tale of action-packed mysticism.

Hadal

Taking a break from her job in Maldives, young, attractive and unhappily married Miriam lands in Trivandrum, with the idea of writing a novel. Honey Kumar is a police officer in charge of visa extension, on a punishment transfer from Delhi to Trivandrum for graft. Miriam wants to extend her visa. Honey Kumar demands sex in return. When Miriam refuses to comply, he fabricates an espionage charge against her. That Miriam is sleeping with Paul Roy, director of the Indian Space Research Centre, renders Honey Kumar's job of trapping her easier. Inspired by a true - life incident, this is an incisive critique of the rot at the heart of India and the corruption, physical and spiritual, that permeates the structures of authority and how that deep institutional breakdown impacts individual lives.

Money Wise- The Aam Aadmi's Guide To Wealth and Fi

Do you obsess about money and yet not talk about it with parents or friends and barely enough with the spouse? Do you worry about how much you have, how much you need, what you need to do to get more of it? The world of money is bewildering. The biggest investment you will ever make is towards your financial education and this easy-to-read guide provides just that. It answers vital questions such as - Where does money come from? Why do prices go up every year? How do I get out of debt? Should i invest in the stock market? What is the value of gold in our financial system? How do i make my investment portfolio shock-proof? Practical, fun and straight to the point, Money Wise will equip you with the tools to manage your money with confidence and competence.

Innovation-The Einstein Way

How did Albert Einstein acquire such a cult status? What was so great about him? And more importantly, what can we learn from his life? One of the most admired figures from the last century, Albert Einstein's contributions to science, particularly theoretical physics, are unparalleled. How did Einstein's achievements translate into our daily lives? And what was he like as a person? In this book, Virender Kapoor analysis every facet of Einstein's life and personality. He shows how Einstein's contributions went far beyond the field of science-he was an active supporter of human rights, a generous donor and remarkably detached from material possessions. Einstein also knew how to use his imagination productively, employ communication skills effectively and above all, keep his sense of humor intact. It was these qualities and others that made him the man he was and understanding and absorbing them would also help others go a long way as well, in any time and at any place. Containing powerful truths in simple, lucid words, Innovation - The Einstein Way is a must-read for everyone, irrespective of their fields of interest, to understand how to utilize their strengths to the fullest.

Exit Interview

When the rebellious Rasha Roy leaves the comfort of her home to pursue a career in journalism, little does she know of the challenges that lie in her path. But she quickly discovers that life isnt a bed of roses for young rookies-especially one with a mind of her own-despite her exceptional acumen for sniffing out stories. As she moves from one job to another - first in India and then in Dubai trying to make herself heard, she realizes that the companies exit interviews are all a sham. Those three short lines on the interview form are not enough to sum up her struggles. She cannot write about the sexual harassment she has faced at the workplace, the promotions she has missed because of nepotism and the trouble she has landed in for a shocking expose. But a chance encounter with a young woman at a police station in Cairo leads Rasha to stumble on to the biggest story of her life. Will this be the big break that she has been looking for? Or will this story too, like so many of her others, be sent to an early grave? Exit Interview is the captivating story of an ambitious young woman trying to find her place in an unforgiving world.

Written In Tears

Mainao and Alfred are forced to leave their village for Delhi in search of employment. Ill-adjusted to city life, they return to their village only to find their house burnt down and family destroyed by Bodo militants. A half - burnt bus passes through a city charring everything beautiful and alive in its wake. Arunima, the new bride, looks forward to joining the large, loving family of her husband, but is unaware of the trouble her insurgent brother-in-law's absence from home is going to bring. Ayengla lives happily with her husband, working in her fields and secretly supplying food to the insurgents until one day a horrible act of violence changes her life irrevocably. Arupa Patangia Kalita's writings chronicle the disturbing history of aggression and hate that has plagued Assam, her homeland, for many decades.

Behind A Billion Screens

What is happening to India's television industry? How is it adapting to the rapid changes in the country? And what does India's television programming tell us about the state of the nation? Television touches almost everyone. It is rapidly expanding and becoming socially ever-more powerful, but is simultaneously facing a crisis of credibility. In Behind a Billion Screens, Nalin Mehta looks closely at how television works in India, how TV channels make their money or not and what this means for the cacophony that appears on our screens. Given that television is a strategically vital social gateway for power, he also probes the ownership of television networks politicians, corporations, real-estate tycoons and tells us why this matters. Based on extensive research and wide-ranging conversations with industry leaders, channel heads, policy makers and politicians, this is a comprehensive report on the state of the Indian television industry, how it is shape shifting in response to the ferment of mobiles and social media and its vital role in the wider Indian story. Everybody watches television, everybody has an opinion on it and everybody claims to have solutions, but Mehta brings new research and understanding to illuminate a topic that often raises a lot of heat and smoke but little light.

The 13th Disciple

The New York Times bestselling author of Buddha and Jesus weaves together masterful storytelling, historical narrative, mystery and intrigue, to reveal surprising discoveries about the unknown last disciple of Christ, offering a new understanding of who Jesus really was in his final days. A missing nun, a distressed young woman who wants to take back an obituary from the local newspaper and a solid gold reliquary missing from a church in Belgium that suddenly resurfaces in America. These are the ingredients that set off Deepak Chopra's new novel, The 13th Disciple. When a young newspaper man begins to investigate the lost reliquary, at first it seems like another case of a treasure stolen during the chaos of World War II. But it soon becomes apparent that much more is at stake. Inside the medieval reliquary is a sacred relic - a single finger bone - from an anonymous saint. Why should an anonymous person's remains be considered holy? It turns out that a secret is hidden inside the gold box and a small band of people know what it is - by touching the reliquary, they have received mental images and sometimes verbal messages. These point to a figure far more remote than the Middle Ages. It's a young girl who had a chance encounter with Jesus just before he was crucified. The few people who have had visions of her have banded together as a mystery school, a closed society who preserve sacred wisdom so that it won't be lost. As The 13th Disciple unfolds, we discover that the secrets inside the reliquary are at once fascinating and controversial, because the young girl went on a quest to discover who Jesus really was and the answers she came up with are at times far different from the accepted gospels. Did she become the last and truest disciple of Christ?

In Search Of Freedom

In search of freedom is a journey through India, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Burma searching for the forgotten freedom fighters of India. Sagari Chhabra's travels across these regions and her encounters, reveal what it means to be oppressed and what true freedom implies. Both personal and political, historical and contemporary, the author's intrepid excursions across the region and extraordinary interviews provide a valuable account of what it was to fight for the freedom of India and yet to remain largely in oblivion.

ISIS- The State Of Terror

Drawing on their unusual access to intelligence sources and material, law enforcement, and groundbreaking research into open source intelligence, Jessica Stern and J M Berger outline the origins of ISIS (known variously as ISIL and IS) as the formidable terrorist group it has quickly become.ISIS: The State of Terror delves into the ghoulish pornography of pro-jihadi videos, the seductive appeal of jihadi chic and the startling effectiveness of the Islamic States use of social media as a means of luring and recruiting citizens from countries such as the United States, Great Britain, and Franceusing recent examples such as Douglas McCain, the American citizen from Minnesota who joined ISIS and died in combat fighting on the side of the Islamic State. Although the picture Stern and Berger paint is bleak, State of Terror also offers well-informed thoughts on potential government responses to ISIS most importantly, emphasizing that we must alter our present conceptions of terrorism and react to the rapidly changing jihadi landscape, both online and off, as quickly as the terrorists do.ISIS: The State of Terror is not only a compelling account of the evolution of a terrorist organization, but also a necessary book that attempts to answer the question of what our next move as a country, as a government, as the world should be.

Strategy Rules

Between 1968 and 1976, Bill Gates, Andy Grove and Steve Jobs, founded three companies that would define the world of technology and redefine our personal and business lives for the next half-century. At their peaks, their three companies - Microsoft, Apple and Intel were collectively worth some $1.5 trillion. While much has been written about these individuals and their companies, this book examines these three individuals collectively, for the first time, revealing the business strategies and practices they pioneered while building their firms. Examining both successes and failures, commonalities and differences, this book will appeal to entrepreneurs and executives in all sectors and industries. In Strategy Rules, readers will discover that Gates, Grove and Jobs approached strategy and execution in remarkably similar ways and yet markedly differently from so many of their erstwhile competitors by keeping their focus on five most strategic principles

Great Soul- Mahatma Gandhi And His Struggle With I

A highly original, stirring book on Mahatma Gandhi that deepens our sense of his achievements and disappointments-his success in seizing India's imagination and shaping its independence struggle as a mass movement, his recognition late in life that few of his followers paid more than lip service to his ambitious goals of social justice for the country's minorities, outcasts and rural poor. Pulitzer Prize-winner Joseph Lelyveld shows in vivid, unmatched detail how Gandhi's sense of mission, social values and philosophy of non-violent resistance were shaped on another subcontinent - during two decades in South Africa - and then tested by an India that quickly learned to revere him as a Mahatma, or "Great Soul", while following him only a small part of the way to the social transformation he envisioned. The man himself emerges as one of history's most remarkable self-creations, a prosperous lawyer who became an ascetic in a loincloth wholly dedicated to political and social action. Lelyveld leads us step-by-step through the heroic - and tragic - last months of this selfless leader's long campaign when his non-violent efforts culminated in the partition of India, the creation of Pakistan and a bloodbath of ethnic cleansing that ended only with his assassination. Here is a vital, brilliant reconsideration of Gandhi's extraordinary struggles on two continents, of his fierce but, finally, unfulfilled hopes and of his ever-evolving legacy, which more than six decades after his death, still ensures that he occupies a key position in India's social conscience and not just India's.

Smart And Human-Builiding Cities Of Wisdom

The 20th century changed the way we live. Human population went up from 1.5 billion in 1900 to 7 billion in 2010. The hope of a better life drove and continues to drive people to urban areas, leading to the growth of mega-cities around the world. Between 2015 and 2030, India's GDP is expected to multiply five times, with over 70 per cent of new employment generated in cities. Close to 800 million square meters of commercial and residential space needs to be built to serve this population. That is roughly the equivalent of building a new Chicago every year and amounts to over $1.2 trillion in investments. Does India have a new model of urban development to cope? Can the quality of urban life be improved? Can cities become places that promote happiness?Smart and Human argues that these are not unreachable, utopian dreams. The 21st century could change the way we live yet again - A Smart India powered by its Smart Cities.

Sourav Ganguly- Cricket, Captaincy and Controversy

Sourav Ganguly is a difficult icon. He is undoubtedly one of India's most successful captains, one who moulded a new team when India was at its lowest ebb, reeling from the betting scandal. There can be no argument about his cricketing genius, right from the time he scored a Test century at Lord's to the time he led India to the 2003 World Cup final. But the world of cricketing fans is divided into those who adore him fiercely and despise him greatly. He could be arrogant on occasion - Ganguly allegedly refused to carry the drinks as a twelfth man. He constantly challenged authority. Greg Chappell discarded him from the team during his stint as coach. Gangulycared little for convention-remember the bare-chested celebration at an Indian win? Yet, in all the years of his roller-coaster ride through Indian cricket, no one questioned the man's utter devotion to the game or his team. In this account of one of India's greatest cricketers, shot through with intimate details, Saptarshi Sarkar tackles controversies around the legendary cricketer head on. Racy and gripping, Sourav Ganguly - Cricket, Captaincy and Controversy investigates the big events in Dada's interesting career. It probes the symbiotic relationship between the man and the cricketer. What was Gangulythinking before a match? Why did he demand that the grass be trimmed just before start of play at the Nagpur pitch? What was the Indian dressing room like? What was that Greg Chappell chapter all about? An unflinching biography of a man who never shied away from controversies, this is as much a ready reckoner forSourav Ganguly fans as it is an examination of a crucial era in Indian cricket.

In Search Of The Obvious

This book could upset a lot of people! This is the first book to state the obvious. Marketing is a mess. Marketing guru Jack Trout intends to make a lot of people, who made the mess, very uncomfortable Advertisers are criticized as people who look for the creative andEdgy, not the obvious. They will not be happy. Marketing people are criticized for getting hopelessly entangled in corporate egos and complicated projects. They will not be happy. Research people are criticized for generating more confusion than clarity. They will not be happy. Some big companies are criticized for their ill-fated marketing programs or lack of proper strategy. They will not be happy. Wall Street is criticized for putting too much emphasis on unnecessary growth that can be destructive to a brand. They will ignore this criticism and continue trying to make as much money as they can. This book is not written to make people happy but to explain to marketers what their real problem is. Only then will they begin to look for the obvious solutions that will separate their products from their competitors-in a way that is equally obvious to customers. All this comes with no jargon, no numbers, no complexity and a great deal of common sense.

Mafia Queens Of Mumbai

The Mumbai underworld, or the Mumbai Mafia is as much a part of the city as Bollywood is, and as much a stuff of legends. The well known stories from this murky world are all male-centric. Haji Mastan, Dawood Ibrahim, Varadarajan Mudaliar, and Karim Lala, to name a few. But, there were women who ruled the roost there too, women who remained in the background and pulled the strings, women who acted as mentors and advisers to the famous dons, women who were wives of the dons and then took over when their husbands were killed, women who assumed leadership to try and bring down rival leaders who had harmed their family. Their stories are varied and just as intriguing, and hitherto untold. But these stories are well known in the ganglands of Mumbai. This book now brings together a set of stories about interesting and powerful female leaders of the Mumbai underworld. There is the story of Gangubhai, a girl who ran away from a small village and ended up in Mumbai streets and eventually became the powerful matriarch of Kamathipura, Mumbai’s red light area. Ashraf, who learnt of her husband’s underworld connection only after he was killed, transformed herself into the powerful Sapna Didi, to try and take down her husband’s killer. Mrs. Paul and Rubina Sayyed, associates of Chota Shakeel, Tarannum Khan, a bar dancer who became rich through cricket betting, and more such stories. But, the most intriguing story is probably about the very powerful Jenabhai, who was closely associated with many underworld dons like Haji Mastan, Varadarajan Mudaliar, Dawood Ibrahim etc, and advised them on various matters and helped in shaping important events in the underworld.

Powder Room- The Untold Story Of Indian Fashion

Riveting, behind the scenes account of the Indian fashion world Ever been intrigued by the Indian Fashion Industry its stereotypes of drugged models, gay designers, and fascinating but un affordable clothes? Join Shefalee Vasudev, former editor of Marie Claire and an acclaimed fashion journalist, on a deepsea dive into the gagging depths of Indian fashion. In Powder Room, she offers an insiders view of people who make the industry what it is from a lower middle class girl who sells global luxury for a living to a designer who fights the inner demons of child sexual abuse yet manages to survive and thrive in the business of fashion, or a Ludhiana housewife on a perpetual fashion high. Besides candid interviews of known names in Indian fashion, Shefalee provides a commentary on new social behaviour, urban culture, generational differences, and the compulsions behind conspicuous consumption in a country splitting at the seams with inequalities of opportunity and wealth. From Nagaland to Patan, Mumbai, Delhi, and Punjab, Powder Room mirrors how and why India does fashion.

Bunker 13

Our hero, known as MM, is a pleasure-seeking journalist working for an upstart Indian newsweekly. He is also an ex?army cadet with political connections, able to secure exclusive and dangerous assignments in the armed forces with the promise that he?ll write about his experiences. But MM has ulterior motives. Over a period of years he has been clandestinely investigating a source of corruption in the guerrilla war on India?s frontier: in the midst of skirmishes with the ?Mossies? in Kashmir, the sale of arms and drugs?often back to the insurgents they have been seized from?is an ever-renewable source of profit. MM hits the jackpot when a brutal border-patrol raid on which he is tagging along uncovers an emormous cache of both arms and high-grade heroin; but the goods in hand also provide him with a tempting brokerage opportunity. Knowing, cynical, highly capable, and deeply motivated, MM is an intriguing new postmodern hero. His action-packed narration of his daredevil, drug- and sex-drenched dangerous life is world-class suspense of an entirely new kind.

Tatya Tope's Operation Red Lotus

Tatya Tope’s Operation Red Lotus is a quest to understand the real history of the Revolt of 1857. It is a quest that led the Tope family to discover the dramatic battle man oeuvres of their ancestor, the legendary Tatya Tope, as well as the true import of the war. The first detailed account of Tatya Tope, covering his entire campaign from the planning of the war to his death, Operation Red Lotus offers a surprising answer to the generations-old question of whether the man hanged on 18 April 1859 was really Tatya Tope.

The Two-Year Mountain

With his life in the balance as he hangs from a rope—alone, high in the Himalayas—a young idealist relives his relentless struggle as a Peace Corps volunteer in a remote village in Nepal. When Phil Deutschle sets out for Nepal, he’s naively unaware of the ordeals he will face—striving to teach in the Nepali language, suffering from debilitating disease, painfully adapting to a foreign culture—but imperceptibly, over two years, he grows so attached to the village that he ultimately leaves it in tears. Following the alienation of his departure, he sets off on a reckless, solo climb of Mount Pharchamo, hardly caring whether he survives. Now, thirty-four years later, Deutschle returns to his village, intent on learning the fate of his family and his students in the wake of Nepal’s bloody Maoist civil war. Vividly written and deeply felt, The Two Year-Mountain combines adventure, travel and autobiography with rare skill.

A Glimpse Of Eternal Snows

In pulsating, polluted Kathmandu, and an idyllic village at the foot of the Himalayas, ‘Doctor Jane’ and her engineer husband Simon hope to make a difference: Jane to fulfil her vision to heal and advocate for the poor, Simon to avert the floods that threaten to devastate the country every monsoon. And even as they take to the Nepali way of life, they find sanity, compassion and joy with baby David, who in England was little more than an ‘interesting case’. A moving, candid story of courage, love and a family’s determination to give their child the best life possible, A Glimpse of Eternal Snows is a must read

The War Of The Worlds

The Selfish Gene

Traditional understanding of evolution has always been from the point of view of whole organisms. Survival of the Fittest and Natural Selection have all been perceived as being dictated by the species’ drive to survive. Dawkins turns this on its head. In The Selfish Gene, he says it is the genes that drive evolution, not the species. Each gene is motivated to replicate and pass on its own copies as long as possible. So, the fundamental competition for survival is between genes. In this race, the successful genes design the complex organism that it forms a part of. The organism's own survival is secondary. It is a vehicle to pass on its inclusive genes. The author does not use the word selfish in a sentient sense, to imply that the genes are consciously selfish. What the term in this context means is that the individual genes are automatically programmed to replicate and pass on their own characteristics, without any drive to cooperate with other individual genes. At the organism level, the cooperation and altruism among members of the same species also makes sense in this context. They share the same genetic code. So, if they care for other individuals of their species and even give up their life defending other members like their own offspring, they are just doing it to protect their own genetic composition. The gene-centric view of evolution also implies that gene survival can sometimes come at the expense of individuals of a species. For instance, in some spider species, the males are eaten by the females. Yet, the drive to pass on its genes overrides the male’s drive for individual survival. The Selfish Gene explains evolution as being driven by the competition to survive among the most basic units of life, the genes. It is a purely individualistic view rather than the collective view of the organism which is composed of countless genes coming together.