Showing Books By Language : English

A Touch Of The Wisdom Of India's Nobel Laureates

This book brings together, for the very first time, the work of all Indian (Indian citizens, naturalized Indians, and erstwhile citizens of independent India) winners of the Nobel Prize—Rabindranath Tagore (1913), C. V. Raman (1930), Har Gobind Khorana (1968), Mother Teresa (1979), Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar (1983), Amartya Sen (1998), Venkatraman Ramakrishnan (2009), Kailash Satyarthi (2014), and Abhijit V. Banerjee (2019). The book, which contains over seventy essays, stories, poems, songs, and prayers, is divided into ten sections—Memoir, Literature, Science, Economics, Religion and Philosophy, Aesthetics, Inequality and Injustice, Politics, India, and Nobel Lectures. Each of the sections contains illuminating chapters that provide the reader with extraordinary insights into the human condition, literature, art, science, religion, philosophy, politics, human rights, economics, and the world we live in. Composed by the country’s finest minds, the pieces in A Touch of Genius will be read and reread for a very long time to come.

The Lawful and the Awful

The citadel of justice is solemn and serious by design. But this book looks beyond that façade, bringing together a series of intriguing and surprising episodes that will appeal not only to lawyers and judges, but to non-legal readers as well. In The Lawful and the Awful, Tushar Mehta takes the reader into the lesser-known corners of the legal world, where personality presses against principle and the law reveals a side of itself rarely seen. Drawing on real cases from courts across the world, these pages recount judges who brandished loaded pistols inside courtrooms, penned poetry instead of judgments, or pronounced sentences from improbable places; the sharp wit and wisdom of the inimitable Justice Scalia; and memorable instances of the British art of courtroom humour. Written with wit, measured sarcasm, and the practised eye of a courtroom insider, these essays do not seek either to scandalize or to sermonize. They simply remind us that the citadel of justice is not always as solemn as it appears—and that the line between what is lawful and what is awful can sometimes be thinner than we might like to believe. This blurring of the line is what makes the law all the more interesting and fascinating.

The Bench, the Bar, and the Bizarre

In The Bench, the Bar, and the Bizarre, Tushar Mehta invites you on a guided tour through the curious edges of the law—sometimes whimsical, sometimes absurd, and often unexpectedly funny. This book offers a collection of surprising and engaging incidents, events, and judgments that will appeal not only to lawyers and judges, but to non-legal readers as well. Drawing on real cases from around the world, this is the side of the law and its functionaries rarely seen: judges who expressed dissenting views in their judgments with remarkable vigour; maverick litigants who sued demons, the Devil, and even God—not out of mere eccentricity, but to prove a point; judges who harangued others over robes, wigs, and mobile phones; instances of judges unduly absorbed in social media; and those who, from the Bench, allowed authority occasionally to overwhelm restraint. Unpredictable and incisive, these episodes reveal the strange humanity that lurks behind the solemn rituals of justice—and remind us that the law, for all its dignity, can sometimes be gloriously bizarre, yet undeniably fascinating to legal professionals and lay readers alike.

Amazing Sanatan Dharma Hinduism Is Science Not A Religion

• The numeral system was invented by India and is known as Hindu-Arabic numeral system. • The first university in the world was established in Takshashila, also known as Taxila, during 700 BCE. • Aryabhata (476–556 CE), the astronomer and mathematician, discovered ‘shunya’ or zero. • Many languages originated from Sanskrit. Some of the first words of the English language came from Sanskrit words, such as ‘father’ from ‘pita’ and ‘mother’ from ‘mata’. According to Forbes magazine, Sanskrit is the most suitable language for computer software. • The decimal system as well as the place value system were developed in India in 100 BCE. • Electric Battery: Maharishi Agastya (approximately 1500–1200 BCE) invented electricity generation as well as the use of electricity, electric wire and battery cells (formula for electric battery). • The value of pi was first calculated by Baudhayana, who lived around 800 BCE, and he explained the concept of what is known as the Pythagorean Theorem. He discovered this long before Pythagoras. • Surya Siddhanta has calculations of the diameters of Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Earth, Moon and Sun, as well as their distances from the planets. • Mathematical subjects like algebra and trigonometry were discovered by Indians. Quadratic equations were invented by Bhaskaracharya (1114–1185 CE). • Mayasura, in his treatise Surya Siddhanta, calculated the time taken for the Earth to orbit the Sun to nine decimal places (365.258756484). • Ayurveda, which is a part of the Hindu Upavedas, is also one of the earliest schools of medicine in the world. Charvaka, the father of medicine, consolidated Ayurveda 2,500 years ago. • Atomic Theory: Maharishi Kanada, the creator of Vaisheshika Upanishad, said in 600 BCE that paramanu (atom) is the indestructible particle of matter and discussed atomic theory long before the West did. • Rishi Sushruta (800–700 BCE) is considered the ‘Father of Surgery’. • The ‘vimana’ (aeroplane) that Mayasura built is said to be a three-storied flying craft operated by motive power generated by solar rays. Details of the Pushpaka Vimana are described in the Valmiki Ramayana. • The art of navigation was born in the river Sindh, 5,000 years ago. The very word ‘navigation’ is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘navgati’. ‘Nav’ means a ship or a vessel and ‘gati’ means speed or progress.

The Curious And The Classified

The Curious and the Classified: Unearthing Military Myths and Mysteries Did you know that the popular cheer of chak de phatte actually has its roots in the Sikh army of the 17th and 18th centuries? Or that Badluram, the inspiration behind the foot-tapping number ‘Badluram ka Badan’, was killed in action in the decisive Battle of Kohima in 1944? How did the city of Bangalore come to be associated with a weapon that was regarded as a game-changer during World War I? In The Curious and the Classified: Unearthing Military Myths and Mysteries, General Manoj Naravane (Retired) pulls aside the still-drawn curtains on some of the most riveting and compelling arcana that colour the legends and lore of the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force. Be it the enduring spirit of Baba Harbhajan, the fate of INS Khukri, the extraordinary sagas of airmen and their call signs, or the raw courage of Pedongi, the military mule, you will find it all and more in this thoroughly entertaining yet meticulously researched foray into the underexplored, bizarre and often wildly amusing aspects of our armed forces. Equal parts accessible, humorous and thought-provoking, and embellished with warm personal vignettes and quirky illustrations, this definitive masterwork from the man who led India’s most revered institution also shines the spotlight on the tenets of every soldier’s life—duty, loyalty, comradeship and pride in deep-rooted traditions—tested by insurmountable odds, hard choices and their lasting consequences. The Curious and the Classified: Unearthing Military Myths and Mysteries is a captivating, eye-opening, boots-on-the-ground page-turner that will excite anyone who refuses to settle for surface-level truths.

50 Stories

A young Jesus Christ in crisis goes for a shave at a barber’s shop. At a blood bank, a Dracula-esque figure draws in a desperate youth. A wild, mysterious alchemist tells his patients strange riddles. The Devil appears at the window of a devout man, asking for ten proofs of the existence of the Almighty. A man becomes the receptacle for the impulses of the dead, the thoughts sent out by black holes, and the emanations of God floating around in outer space…. These and the forty-five other stories in this book are testament to the extraordinary imagination of the awardwinning Malayalam writer, Paul Zacharia. In the worlds he conjures into being, many of them metaphysical and spellbinding, things are usually not what they might appear to be at first sight. With erudition and dark humour, the author mercilessly exposes human frailties, shows us how desire and sexuality can drive stunning outcomes, and portrays better than any politician or priest can how the intertwining of religion and politics can only lead to disastrous ends. If there is a single thread that binds these stories together it is that Zacharia’s tragicomic lens spares no one and nothing. Translated brilliantly from the Malayalam, these are stories of vivid alternate realities that will enchant lovers of magical realism, surrealism, and literature that creates a sense of wonder

Flower Of India Ways Of Seeing The Lotus

In Flower of India, bestselling author and renowned mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik examines the lotus as one of the most pervasive and resonant symbols of the Indian subcontinent. Through its many avatars—as plant, resource, metaphor, design, and sacred form—he traces how the lotus has shaped India’s cultural imagination across history, religion, art, and everyday life. Concise yet expansive, accessible yet intellectually serious, and rooted in both lived experience and wider historical enquiry, this book offers a fresh perspective on the lotus—a symbol central to India’s cultural consciousness, and integral to the nation’s aesthetics, cuisine, erotica, romance, mythology, and spirituality.

The Indian Woman’s Essential Guide to Investing and Building Wealth

The Indian Woman’s Essential Guide to Investing and Building Wealth is designed to help women transform their relationship with money. For too long, women have been encouraged to save but not to invest. Yet saving alone is rarely enough to build real financial security. In a world of rising costs and changing economic realities, understanding investing is no longer optional—it is essential. Drawing from personal experiences, real-life financial journeys, and practical investing principles, the book shows how women can move from being cautious savers to confident wealth builders. Inside, readers will learn how to: • Understand the fundamentals of investing • Build a diversified investment portfolio • Harness the power of compounding to grow wealth • Navigate financial milestones such as buying a home or planning retirement Whether you are in your 20s starting your career, navigating family responsibilities in your 30s and 40s, or preparing for retirement later in life, this book provides clear guidance for every stage of your financial journey. Along the way, it also addresses the unique challenges women face—from the gender pay gap to career breaks for caregiving.

SARANYU: Surya’s Wife

Before dawn ever touched humanity, a choice was made that shaped creation itself. Saranyu, daughter of the divine craftsman Tvashtra, is wedded to Vivasvan, lord of the Sun—her beloved, yet the source of her torment. Blinded by his radiance, she forges her own shadow, Chhaya— and in doing so, sets into motion a cosmic conflict between light and darkness, duty and desire. Half Deva, half Daitya, Saranyu’s journey becomes one of rebellion and self-discovery. Torn between brilliance and shade, she reclaims her voice, her power, and her place in the order of the cosmos. Blending the grandeur of Vedic myth with the intimacy of a woman’s awakening, Saranyu reimagines the forgotten wife of the Sun—not as a consort, but as a creator, a mother, and the unseen force behind the rhythm of existence. This is her story—of love, defiance, and the choices that birthed the civilization.

Voices In The Waiting Room

Five doctors. One hospital. A cacophony orchestrated by forced silence, ruptured memories and the quiet fight to belong. When Dr Silva receives a bangle, it threatens to unravel the life she has so carefully constructed. Around her, four colleagues carry burdens of their own. There is Dr Ankit, who fled a broken system in India and is now struggling to find a sense of home in a country that sees him as a stranger; Dr Pooja, poised on the outside but aching beneath the surface; Dr Shashi, brilliant yet adrift in the ubiquity of human connections; and Dr Jindal, a pillar of the diaspora, undone by a grief too vast to articulate. In the antiseptic corridors of a hospital in the United States, these voices intersect and intertwine, bound together by the universal need to be seen, understood and remembered. Voices in the Waiting Room is a powerful, multi-perspective debut by Mayank Gupta about identity, displacement and the fragile bonds that tether us to one another. As each voice rises, falters and finally finds its place, Gupta crafts a chorus that is both intimate and resonant.

Mahagauri

The brilliant Gauri Vishwanath is a senior scientist at a top defence lab in Bengaluru. A recurring violent dream sees her transformed into a fierce warrior, wielding weapons and spilling blood on the battlefield. One night, the dream turns into a horrific reality when a freak lab accident transports her to the ancient kingdom of Saptapuri. Saptapuri is under siege—Moishan, the buffalo-demon, and his formidable army of demons are marching towards the kingdom to seize the precious Ajna Chakra. According to legend, the purple jewel, forged from the fire of Shiva’s Third Eye, grants immortality and power to whoever possesses it. Saptapuri’s only hope lies in an age-old prophecy that speaks of one of Goddess Durga’s avatars descending from another world to save them from Moishan. To Gauri’s astonishment, the prophecy points to her.

Char Dham

Char Dham : Four Sacred Shrines, One Transformative Journey Life is a Yatra, it’s a pilgrimage for the soul. Trace the footsteps that trod the path, centuries old. Embark thy soul on a journey across the sleeves of time. Rediscover, re-emerge and reinvent thine. Char Dham explores the inner you. It compels one to get acquainted with the knowledge of the past that has been forgotten and forsaken in the race against time. It urges the reader to self-transform, realize and rekindle one’s lost spirit. This journey, traversed by many, reflects on the path of spirituality and is imbued with the essence of it. Learn about the power of selfless love and the way to gain victory over one’s ego. This book weaves historical depth with thoughtful travel guidance, offering readers both context and clarity as they explore. It not only illuminates the past but also equips travellers with insights that enrich and elevate the journey itself. Char Dham propels you to the land of the HariHar: Vishnu and Shiva. Let them be your guide on this beautiful journey for your soul. Let your mind devour the knowledge, meditate and adorn your new, refurbished avatar, ready to face the world. • Life is a Yatra: Discover pilgrimage not merely as travel, but as a profound journey of the soul. • A Spiritual Awakening: Char Dham invites you to rediscover forgotten wisdom and reconnect with your inner self. • Rooted in History: Explore centuries-old traditions, sacred narratives and the timeless legacy of India’s spiritual heritage. • More than a Travel Guide: Blending historical depth with practical insights, the book enriches both understanding and experience. • Lessons in Self-Transformation: Learn the power of selfless love, humility and triumph over ego. • In the Land of HariHar: Journey into the sacred realms of Vishnu and Shiva, where devotion meets self-realization. • Renew, Re-emerge, Reinvent: Return transformed, spiritually recharged and ready to face the world with clarity and purpose.

At The Altaras Of The Unkown

Just beyond the veil of reason lies the expanse of the unknown. Who goes there, nobody knows. Certain footsteps echo and certain (un)life blooms, yet it is darkness that greets us when we peek within. The unknown—the incomprehensible—demands a fearful capitulation. Thus we kneel at its altar and pray—for the respite from the need to pray. But its touch is infectious and reveals the lurking fear underneath the mundane. And there’s nowhere left to hide. At the Altars of the Unknown is a collection of 13 classic horror tales about those beings that exist beyond the veil—be they deities, demons, or visitors from outer space. Step in, why don’t you? What have you got to lose?

The Curse of the Maharani

The Ruhera family’s crumbling ancestral haveli in the former princely state of Samantipur has found a buyer. Young Samika and her family are summoned to Samantipur for a final family reunion before the sale of the property. Samika grabs the opportunity as she is curious about the mystery of her father’s sudden disappearance fifteen years ago. The moment she crosses the haveli’s gates, murky family secrets from the past unravel. Rumours abound that Maharani Urvashi, the infamous senior queen from the Ruhera family tree, is now the haveli’s resident ghost. As the hauntings intensify, the legend of the cursed Maharani—once dismissed as local folklore—begins to feel terrifyingly real. For generations, the men of the Ruhera family have died under strange, brutal circumstances—and always after the birth of a son. Now, with another heir on the way, will the Maharani’s curse claim its next victim? And as the past claws its way into the present, will the curse be broken to reveal a chilling truth? Neil D’Silva, bestselling author of Yakshini, delivers a page-turning narrative that leads up to a climactic supernatural battle that will challenge the very foundation of the Ruhera dynasty

The Crossing Places

Dr Ruth Galloway is called in when a child's bones are discovered near the site of a pre-historic henge on the north Norfolk salt marshes. Are they the remains of a local girl who disappeared ten years earlier - or are the bones much older?DCI Harry Nelson refuses to give up the hunt for the missing girl. Since she vanished, someone has been sending him bizarre anonymous notes about ritual sacrifice, quoting Shakespeare and the Bible. He knows that Ruth's expertise and experience could help him finally to put this case to rest. But when a second child goes missing, Ruth finds herself in danger from a killer who knows she's getting ever closer to the truth...

How To Read A Book

With half a million copies in print, How to Read a Book is the best and most successful guide to reading comprehension for the general reader, completely rewritten and updated with new material. A CNN Book of the Week: “Explains not just why we should read books, but how we should read them. It's masterfully done.” –Farheed ZakariaOriginally published in 1940, this book is a rare phenomenon, a living classic that introduces and elucidates the various levels of reading and how to achieve them—from elementary reading, through systematic skimming and inspectional reading, to speed reading. Readers will learn when and how to “judge a book by its cover,” and also how to X-ray it, read critically, and extract the author’s message from the text. Also included is instruction in the different techniques that work best for reading particular genres, such as practical books, imaginative literature, plays, poetry, history, science and mathematics, philosophy and social science works. Finally, the authors offer a recommended reading list and supply reading tests you can use measure your own progress in reading skills, comprehension, and speed.

Veer Savarkar Allegations & Reality

As the intellectual fountainhead of the ideology of Hindutva, which is in political ascendancy in India today, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar is undoubtedly one of the most contentious political thinkers and leaders of the twentieth century. Accounts of his eventful and stormy life have oscillated from eulogizing hagiographies to disparaging demonization. The truth, as always, lies somewhere in between and has unfortunately never been brought to light. Savarkar and his ideology stood as one of the strongest and most virulent opponents of Gandhi, his pacifist philosophy and the Indian National Congress.An alleged atheist and a staunch rationalist who opposed orthodox Hindu beliefs, encouraged inter-caste marriage and dining, and dismissed cow worship as mere superstition, Savarkar was, arguably, the most vocal political voice for the Hindu community through the entire course of India's freedom struggle. From the heady days of revolution and generating international support for the cause of India's freedom as a law student in London, Savarkar found himself arrested, unfairly tried for sedition, transported and incarcerated at the Cellular Jail, in the Andamans, for over a decade, where he underwent unimaginable torture.From being an optimistic advocate of Hindu-Muslim unity in his treatise on the 1857 War of Independence, what was it that transformed him in the Cellular Jail to a proponent of 'Hindutva', which viewed Muslims with suspicion?Drawing from a vast range of original archival documents across India and abroad, this biography in two parts-the first focusing on the years leading up to his incarceration and eventual release from the Kalapani-puts Savarkar, his life and philosophy in a new perspective and looks at the man with all his achievements and failings.

Happier Than God

Life was meant to be happy. Do you believe that? It’s true. I know it doesn’t seem like it when you look around, but it’s true. Life was meant to be happy. You were meant to be happy. And if you are happy, you were meant to be happier. Even if you’re very happy, you can be even happier. How happy? Just how happy can you be? Well... you can be happier than God.” Since the publication of his worldwide bestseller Conversations with God, Neale Donald Walsch has been telling readers that a new understanding of God can change their lives and change the world. Here is Walsch at his best with the message that not only can you be happy, but that you are meant to be happy now!

Selected Stories of Maxim Gorky

Renaissance State

Maharashtra. Among the country's largest, wealthiest, most significant constituents. A great state in name and in deed that has been the cradle of individuals and events that have shaped India. Girish Kuber - seasoned journalist and one of Maharashtra's foremost opinion makers - tells its story in Renaissance State. Taking in his vast sweep the region's politics, society and history from the time of the Satavahanas down to the present day, he chronicles a number of lesser-known tales: the empire that brought the mighty Mughals to their knees, the woman who took the issue of consent in marital sex right up to Queen Victoria, the social reformers who were far ahead of their time, the evolution of movements of the right and left as well as for Dalit identity, and the long tradition of this great land of always standing up to Delhi. This is the account of the making of Maharashtra that its proud people deserved but had remained unwritten.

Lost Secret

A razor-sharp thriller that fuses ancient history with high-stakes espionage, Lost Secret: The Hidden Truth of Nalanda will leave you breathless. When intelligence officer Kabir is sent to Rajgir to recover from a personal tragedy, he doesn’t expect to be thrust into a conspiracy that could rewrite the global power structure. A sniper’s bullet, a cryptic inscription, and a murdered archaeologist catapult him into a perilous chase across India’s ancient sites. Teaming up with fiery historian Reeya Ghosh, Kabir uncovers secrets buried for millennia: the legendary wootz steel and its lost connection to the clean and abundant thorium energy. Hunted by mercenaries and mistrusted by their own, they must race against time to stop a forgotten technology from igniting a new era of domination and chaos. Thrilling, intelligent and disturbingly plausible, Lost Secret unearths the forgotten past to confront the future and keeps you turning pages long into the night.

Vanish

A nameless, beautiful woman appears to be just another corpse in the morgue. An apparent suicide, she lies on a gurney, awaiting the dissecting scalpel of medical examiner Maura Isles. But when Maura unzips the body bag and looks down at the body, she gets the fright of her life. The corpse opens its eyes. Very much alive, the woman is rushed to the hospital, where with shockingly cool precision, she murders a security guard and seizes hostages . . . one of them a pregnant patient, Jane Rizzoli. Who is this violent, desperate soul, and what does she want? As the tense hours tick by, Maura joins forces with Jane’s husband, FBI agent Gabriel Dean, to track down the mysterious killer’s identity. When federal agents suddenly appear on the scene, Maura and Gabriel realize that they are dealing with a case that goes far deeper than just an ordinary hostage crisis. Only Jane, trapped with the armed madwoman, holds the key to the mystery. And only she can solve it–if she survives the night.

White Riot

When the savagely beaten body of a Muslim student is discovered in a rundown area of Newcastle, blame falls on the far right National Unity Party - but for once they appear to be innocent. In fact, with elections looming, they are poised to make significant gains. Not the best time for Trevor Whitman, ex-70s radical, to return to his native north-east. Haunted by his violent past, he's receiving death threats over the murder of a policeman years ago. Joe Donovan is called in to investigate. After the death of a supposed would-be suicide bomber, the investigation takes a more dangerous turn as Donovan and his team find themselves the targets of a ruthless killer unlike any they have faced before. A killer who will do anything to ensure an explosive 30-year-old secret remains buried. Anything - no matter who stands in his way. Anything - even orchestrating a brutal race war that will tear the city apart.When the savagely beaten body of a Muslim student is discovered in a rundown area of Newcastle, blame falls on the far right National Unity Party - but for once they appear to be innocent. In fact, with elections looming, they are poised to make significant gains. Not the best time for Trevor Whitman, ex-70s radical, to return to his native north-east. Haunted by his violent past, he's receiving death threats over the murder of a policeman years ago. Joe Donovan is called in to investigate. After the death of a supposed would-be suicide bomber, the investigation takes a more dangerous turn as Donovan and his team find themselves the targets of a ruthless killer unlike any they have faced before. A killer who will do anything to ensure an explosive 30-year-old secret remains buried. Anything - no matter who stands in his way. Anything - even orchestrating a brutal race war that will tear the city apart.

Bombay Fever

Where did it come from? In the courtyard of a Hindu temple in Switzerland, a woman collapses in the arms of a visiting Indian journalist, her body reduced to a puddle of blood. It is unlike anything anyone has ever seen. How does it kill? Three months later, all over Mumbai, men, women and children are ravaged by a disease that strikes with deceptive mildness before swiftly condemning patients to a gruesome death. Who will it hit next? As the rogue microbe wreaks its bloody havoc—slaying rich and poor, young and old—chaos ensues. Thousands try to flee the city for their lives. Including the most powerful man in the country. Can it be stopped? All that stands between the city and apocalypse is a ragged team of doctors, civil servants and scientists. But is their intervention too little, too late? Bombay Fever is a meticulously researched work of fiction—too plausible to ignore and too chilling to put down—by one of India's most original writers.