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Speaking Truth To Power

n a parliamentary democracy, citizens always wish to hear the articulate voice of the Opposition that can offer reasoned criticism of the government and alternative policy solutions to the challenges faced by the country. In 2017, P. Chidambaram braved misinterpretation, criticism and abuse to emerge as that voice. From the reckless adventure of demonetization to the flawed GST to the Central government’s economic report card that had to be marked ‘Failed’, Speaking Truth to Power is a collection of the incisive essays published in 2017 as a weekly column in The Indian Express. The essays highlight why there is a pervasive sense of disappointment after forty-three months of the Narendra Modi government. They are on a range of subjects that capture the reality of India more than the country’s GDP—hunger, children, privacy, intolerance, etc. In a year when Indian politics remained divisive and ugly, Chidambaram forcefully articulates his views on the Budget, the deceptive calm in Jammu and Kashmir, the implosion in the AIADMK, the intriguing verdict in the election to the Gujarat legislature and many other contemporary issues. Following principles of fidelity to truth and unbiased criticism based on sound logic, Chidambaram is at his characteristic best here.

Odessa Sea

The new Dirk Pitt adventure from the Number 1 Sunday Times bestselling author As Director of the National Underwater and Marine Agency, Dirk Pitt has always had a knack for finding trouble. This time, though, trouble has found him. . . On a NUMA mission to the Black Sea to locate the wreck of a lost Ottoman Empire ship, Pitt and his friend Al Giordino respond to an urgent Mayday from a nearby freighter. But by the time they reach the area there's no one left alive - just dead bodies and the smell of sulphur in the air. When a massive blast from the stern suddenly scuttles the ship, Pitt and Giordino are lucky not to add to the death toll. As they investigate the fate of the lost ship, they're plunged deep into an extraordinary series of discoveries. And when connections emerge between a desperate attempt in 1917 o preserve the wealth and power of the Romanov empire, a Cold War bomber lost with a deadly cargo, modern-day nuclear smugglers and a brilliant engineer developing cutting-edge drone technology, Pitt is face with the most dangerous challenge of his career. One that will threaten the lives of his family and friends. Packed with breathtaking suspense, switchback plotting and remarkable imagination, Odessa Sea proves once again that, when it comes to adventure, Clive Cussler is in a league of his own.

Cheaters

Cheaters tells nine short stories, each discussing a different shade of infidelity in today's times when societal norms are still the same-archaic. However, the urge to explore and experiment amongst the youth is at an all-time high. This friction, if not handled well, could lead to unexpected roads. Each story, though high on emotions, unfolds in a thrilling narrative.

Bharatvarsha Stories of Great Indians

This collection of ten essays on men who shaped India's identity is adapted from the popular show Bharatvarsha, hosted by actor-director Anupam Kher on ABP News. From rulers like Ashoka and Akbar to spiritual leaders like Gautama Buddha and Kabir, and from learned men like Adi Shankaracharya and Dara Shikoh to great warriors like Prithviraj Chauhan and Maharana Pratap, these men, through their ideas and deeds, continue to inspire the people of this huge subcontinent.]

Zakir Hussain A Life in Music

Tabla virtuoso, composer and percussionist Zakir Hussain is an international music phenomenon. The eldest son of the legendary Ustad Allarakha, Zakir gave his first public concert at the age of seven and was immediately hailed a child prodigy. In later years, his masterful dexterity and creative genius led to his becoming one of the most sought-after accompanists to the very best of Hindustani classical musicians and dancers. Zakir Hussain is equally recognized as one of the foremost contemporary jazz and world music percussionists; he has performed at innumerable concerts both as a solo artist and with renowned jazz musicians on the grand stages of the world, from the Royal Albert Hall to Madison Square Garden. With John McLaughlin, L. Shankar and T.H. Vinayakram, Zakir Hussain created music history with the band Shakti. He has acted in James Ivory's Heat and Dust and Sai Paranjpye's Saaz, and scored music for directors such as Bernardo Bertolucci (Little Buddha), Aparna Sen (Mr. & Mrs. Iyer) and Ismail Merchant (In Custody, The Mystic Masseur); he has also played the tabla for countless 1960s Hindi film soundtracks. In an in-depth conversation with Zakir Hussain, Nasreen Munni Kabir takes the readers through the story of his life: how he was deemed an 'unlucky' child; the early years of growing up in Mahim; his training from age four with his extraordinary father; and his experiences and memories working with a host of legendary musicians, including Pandit Ravi Shankar, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and Ustad Vilayat Khan. A born storyteller, Zakir speaks with humour and humility of his understanding of music, his relationship with his students, his dedication and love for the tabla, and the way he negotiates life as an acclaimed celebrity living in both America and India. Zakir Hussain: A Life in Music is a brilliant introduction to the life and times of a huge music star, a revered role model and a visionary world musician.

From Lehman to Demonetization

From Lehman to Demonetization is the epic story of banking in India in the last decade. The years from 2007 to 2017 were the most tumultuous and exciting time for this sector, which saw D. Subbarao, Raghuram Rajan and Urijit Patel as RBI governors working with finance ministers Pranab Mukherjee, P. Chidambaram and Arun Jaitley. What a decade it has been-from India's first MFI, SKS Microfinance, entering the capital market to the near death of the industry; the RBI giving the nod to twenty-three banks and becoming an inflation targeter; from 9 per cent economic growth for three consecutive years to the jolt of demonetization. Featuring essays and interviews with the who's who of this sector, including Deepak Parkeh, K.V. Kamath, Arundhati Bhattacharya, Chanda Kochchar, Aditya Puri, Shikha Sharma, Raghuram Rajan, U.K. Sinha and Viral Acharya, this book makes for a riveting read. If you had to read one book on banking in India, let this be it!

Keepers Of The Kalachakra

A seemingly random selection of heads of state are struck down like flies by unnamed killers who work with the clinical efficiency of butchers. Except that they leave no trace of their methods. Welcome back to the shadowy and addictive world of Ashwin Sanghi. After The Rozabal Line, Chanakya’s Chant, The Krishna Key and The Sialkot Saga, Ashwin Sanghi returns at last with another quietly fearsome tale—this time of men who guard the ‘Kalachakra’ or The Wheel of Time. Sanghi describes a world of people at war with one another—a boomeranging conflict of faiths that results in acts of such slow and planned human cruelty that they defy human imagination. Caught in the midst of this madness is Vijay Sundaram, a geek scientist who is only dimly aware that the wider sky outside his laboratory is stretched taut and close to being torn apart by forces that he wants simply to have nothing to do with. But events conspire to propel Vijay into the labyrinth of Milesian Labs, a centre of research deep in the forested hills of Uttarakhand. What he stumbles upon is a primordial clue to a galactic secret that could accelerate the downward spiral of humankind. Trapped and wholly unaware of his actual foe, Vijay races against time to save humanity—and himself. Zigzagging from Rama’s crossing to Lanka to the birth of Buddhism; from the origin of Wahhabism to the Einsteinian gravitational wave-detectors of LIGO; from the charnel-grounds of naked tantric practitioners to the bespoke suits of the Oval Office; and from the rites of Minerva, shrouded in frankincense, to the smoke-darkened ruins of Nalanda, Keepers of the Kalachakra is a journey that will have you gasping for breath—but one that you cannot abandon till all the pieces of the jigsaw come together. Till you come up gobsmack against an end that you simply did not see coming.

Stories From Saratchandra

Some time ago, a sudden rumour spread across our region that unless three children were sacrificed, the railway bridge over Roopnarayan just could not be constructed. Two small boys had already been buried alive under one of the pillions and only one more needed to be caught...’ This book is a collection of twelve widely acclaimed short stories of Saratchandra Chattopadhyay, one of the doyens of Bengali literature. Divided into two sections, the first bunch of stories portray childhood in all its unburdened innocence while the latter section leads on to deeper sensibilities—the everyday experience of casteism, the lived reality of social hierarchy and the bonds of almost filial affection forged between man and animal that sustain both. Stories from Saratchandra shows Saratchandra’s keen eye as a social commentator, presenting a vivid picture of life in rural Bengal during the early twentieth century.

Why I Killed the Mahatma

It is common knowledge that Mahatma Gandhi was shot dead in 1948 by a Hindu militant, shortly after India had both gained her independence and lost nearly a quarter of her territory to the new state of Pakistan. Lesser known is assassin Nathuram Godse’s motive. Until now, no publication has dealt with this question, except for the naked text of Godse’s own defence speech during his trial. It didn’t save him from the hangman, but still contains substantive arguments against the facile glorification of the Mahatma. Dr Koenraad Elst compares Godse’s case against Gandhi with criticisms voiced in wider circles and with historical data known at the time or brought to light since. While the Mahatma was extolled by the Hindu masses, political leaders of divergent persuasions who had had dealings with him were less enthusiastic. Their sobering views would have become the received wisdom about the Mahatma if he hadn’t been martyred. Yet, the author also presents some new considerations in Gandhi’s defence from unexpected quarters.

Ambedkar An Overview

Unlike a drop of water which loses its identity when it joins the ocean, man does not lose his being in the society in which he lives. Man’s life is independent. He is born not for the development of the society alone, but for the development of his self.’—B.R. Ambedkar Born in 1891 into an Untouchable family, Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar is the man behind the Indian Constitution and the champion of the Dalit cause. Much ahead of his times, he raised pertinent issues pertaining to the broader cause of nation-building process for India. This is a collection of extracts from some of his finest works that capture him as a modernist thinker with an outstanding intellectual sweep over the major aspects of a then newly independent nation. These writings cover a wide range of issues such as the caste system, Untouchability, Hinduism, status of women, the multiple religions in India, creation of Pakistan, the constitution and much more. Ambedkar: An Overview is both a handy reference guide and a preamble for those who wish to familiarize themselves with the pioneering works of Babasaheb.

Kill Or Be Killed

The Trial An accused murderer is on trial. But after he threatens to unleash violence on everyone involved in the case, the whole city is paralysed, and Detective Lindsay Boxer and the Women’s Murder Club are caught in the eye of the storm. Heist A band of thieves is about to pull off the perfect diamond heist – until a rival crew arrives at the exact same time. The Women’s War Former Marine Corps colonel Amanda Collins and her lethal team of women warriors have vowed to avenge her family's murder. And they have nothing left to lose... Little Black Dress Can a little black dress change everything? What begins as one woman's fantasy is about to go too far.

Imperfect

This book is about me, my cricket career, my life. My strengths and weaknesses, my successes and failures. Every individual lives a uniquely different life. Life stories are always interesting. No one leads an uneventful life. Having been a sportsman, I also want young, aspiring sportsmen to learn from my career. Like a father once said to his son: 'I made twenty mistakes in my life, you'll make twenty new ones.' In Imperfect, Sanjay Manjrekar uses his famous analytical powers to look back on his own career as a cricketer. His photographic memory takes the reader along on his journey from the dusty maidans of Mumbai to the world stage as the combative batsman faces up to the fearsome West Indian and Pakistani pace attacks. In his precise plainspeak, Sanjay reflects on his father Vijay Manjrekar and the effects of his personality on his game. He comments on the complex equations with the India greats with whom he shared the dressing room, and on the lessons learnt from his opponents. He also reveals his own excruciating obsession with batting technique, the quest for perfection, and the battle to shake off his mental shackles. Imperfect sets a new standard for cricket writing in India, with significant life lessons even for those who aren't cricket fans.

The Late Show

Los Angeles can be a dangerous city - never more so than in the dead of night. Detective Renée Ballard, once one of the department's young hotshots, now works 'The Late Show', the graveyard shift at the LAPD. It's a thankless job keeping strange hours in a twilight world of tragedy and violence, handing over her investigations as the sun rises, never getting closure. Some nights are worse than others. And tonight is the worst yet. Two cases: a brutal assault and a multiple murder with no suspect. Ballard knows it is always darkest before dawn. But what she doesn't know is how deep her dual investigation will take her into the dark heart of her city, her department and her past...

All By Myself Alone

A glamorous cruise on a luxurious ocean liner turns deadly in this thrilling novel from the ‘Queen of Suspense’ and international bestselling author Mary Higgins Clark. Fleeing the humiliating arrest of her husband-to-be on the eve of their wedding, Celia Kilbride, a gems and jewellery expert, hopes to escape from public attention by lecturing on a brand-new cruise ship, the Queen Charlotte. On board she meets eighty-six-year-old Lady Emily Haywood – the owner of a priceless emerald necklace that she intends to leave to a museum after the cruise. But three days out to sea she is found dead – and the necklace is missing. And the list of suspects is large and growing. Celia, with the help of her new friends Willy and Alvirah Meehan, who are celebrating their forty-fifth wedding anniversary, sets out to find the killer, not realizing that she has put herself in mortal danger before the ship reaches its final destination…

No Middle Name

Jack Reacher, lone wolf, knight errant, ex military cop, lover of women, scourge of the wicked and righter of wrongs, is the most iconic hero for our age. This is the first time all Lee Child's shorter fiction featuring Jack Reacher has been collected into one volume. A brand-new novella, Too Much Time, is included, as are those previously only published in ebook form: Second Son, Deep Down, High Heat, Not a Drill and Small Wars, as well as every Reacher short story that Child has ever written.

You Are Forever In My Heart

“Love can leave a memory no one can steal, Love can leave a pain no one can heal.” Sanjeev had loved Ashima with his heart and soul. But she left him for another, leaving him in a vortex of pain, dejection and depression. Unable to move on and haunted by her memories day and night, he pens down his story as a novel and becomes a noted author. With a nudge from a friend, he decides to make an effort to reclaim his life, to learn to be alive again and joins a photography class. There, he befriends Ruchita, a happy-go-lucky girl, who introduces him to his ardent fan Shuchi who is fighting a break up too. As two broken hearts meet, they connect like they were made for each other. But just when Sanjeev seems to have gained some control over life, he receives a pack of letters that turns his world upside down. Will Sanjeev find true love or has destiny planned something else for him?You Are Forever in my Heart is based on real life events and explores the true meaning of love that was once lost and comes back.

Touch The Sky

I’ve got the Power. The power to change my world. To speak up. To stand out. Leap forward. And break out. Give me a football, give me a pen. If I fall down, I will stand up again. This book is a tribute to the courage and confidence of the Indian woman, from Korba to Kashmir. In each personal triumph lies a larger story. Of boldness, of transformation. Of women rising, to take their place in the sun.

Be My Perfect Ending

The order quantity for this product is limited to 2 units per customer. Please note that orders which exceed the quantity limit will be auto-canceled. This is applicable across sellers. Not every story has a happy ending, but is a perfect ending all that matters? Armaan is a young television writer and seems to have it all – a dream job, ample money and a good place to live in Mumbai. Despite all that, his heart lies somewhere in his hometown Indore. Merry and beaming through all of life’s ups and downs, Sara is a little desolate and now needs a different space to rethink her life as she joins a leading television channel in Mumbai. Armaan and Sara meet in FILMY style and quite obviously then, cannot help but fall in love. The passionate new romance in his life throws everything else aside, but little does he know that there’s a storm headed their way. Walking together, they stumble upon long-buried truths, shocking new twists and tough decisions. Be My Perfect Ending is a story of love that knows no bounds, of endings that are far from ordinary and new beginnings that hold a promise of LOVE.

The Black Book

Fire And Fury

With extraordinary access to the Trump White House, Michael Wolff tells the inside story of the most controversial presidency of our time. The first nine months of Donald Trump's term were stormy, outrageous--and absolutely mesmerizing. Now, thanks to his deep access to the West Wing, bestselling author Michael Wolff tells the riveting story of how Trump launched a tenure as volatile and fiery as the man himself. In this explosive book, Wolff provides a wealth of new details about the chaos in the Oval Office. Among the revelations: -- What President Trump's staff really thinks of him -- What inspired Trump to claim he was wire-tapped by President Obama -- Why FBI director James Comey was really fired -- Why chief strategist Steve Bannon and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner couldn't be in the same room -- Who is really directing the Trump administration's strategy in the wake of Bannon's firing -- What the secret to communicating with Trump is -- What the Trump administration has in common with the movie The Producers Never before has a presidency so divided the American people. Brilliantly reported and astoundingly fresh, Michael Wolff's Fire and Fury shows us how and why Donald Trump has become the king of discord and disunion.

DNA

khwaabon ka safar

Relive the golden era of Hindi cinema with Mahesh Bhatt as he recounts the Khwaabon Ka Safar (the journey of dreams) of iconic film studios in India. Did you know that German filmmaker Franz Osten partnered with an Indian studio on some of India’s earliest blockbuster films in the 1930s? Do you know which production house invented the Hindi ‘formula filmmaking’ style in the 1950s that still drives big budget Bollywood films? Khwaabon Ka Safar with Mahesh Bhatt takes us through the incredible journey of Bollywood’s landmark film studios which gave us iconic stars and cinematic masterpieces. This book provides the captivating stories behind Bollywood’s top thirteen studios from Prabhat Film Company (1929) to Filmayala (1958) with which the studio era ended. The book weaves in various interesting anecdotes about our erstwhile studio system, the great entrepreneurial skills of the forefathers of Hindi cinema, their iconic films and the superstars they created. A must-read for all film aficionados.

Maharashtra Maximus

What is Maharashtra? What has been the contribution of various communities and castes in making the Maharashtra of today? What makes Mumbai a centre of political power? Why is it that rampage can be unleashed if the city is called by its old name, Bombay? Who is a Maharashtrian? Sujata Anandan delves into history to unravel multiple layers that explain the complexity of Maharashtrian politics and its impact on the Indian State.

Why I Am A Hindu

In Why I Am a Hindu, one of India’s finest public intellectuals gives us a profound book about one of the world’s oldest and greatest religions. Starting with a close examination of his own belief in Hinduism, he ranges far and wide in his study of the faith. He talks about the Great Souls of Hinduism, Adi Shankara, Patanjali, Ramanuja, Swami Vivekananda, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, and many others who made major contributions to the essence of Hinduism. He delves deep into Hinduism’s most important schools of thought (such as the Advaita Vedanta). He explains, in easily accessible language, important aspects and concepts of Hindu philosophy like the Purusharthas and Bhakti, masterfully summarizes the lessons of the Gita and Vivekananda’s ecumenism, and explores with sympathy the ‘Hinduism of habit’ practised by ordinary believers. He looks at the myriad manifestations of political Hinduism in the modern era, including violence committed in the name of the faith by right-wing organizations and their adherents. He analyzes Hindutva, explains its rise and dwells at length on the philosophy of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, its most significant ideologue. He is unsparing in his criticism of extremist ‘bhakts’, and unequivocal in his belief that everything that makes India a great and distinctive culture and country will be imperiled if religious ‘fundamentalists’ are allowed to take the upper hand. However, he also makes the point that it is precisely because Hindus form the majority that India has survived as a plural, secular democracy. A book that will be read and debated now and in the future, Why I Am a Hindu is a revelatory and original masterwork.