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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.

8 The Game Is On

Neel is a cop investigating the mysterious death of a famous film director. In the middle of a divorce case with his wife Avantika and amidst thoughts of resigning from his job, will he be able to find the culprit? A five-hundred-year old sunken ship belonging to Vasco da Gama is discovered off the coast in Oman. It is well known that the ship sank with thousands of artefacts in it. Out of them, eight artefacts are missing in specific. Do they have some connection with the film director’s death? Neel tries to unearth the truth behind the missing artefacts to find clues to questions nobody else can answer. Join Neel as he tries to find the truth behind 8! 1 ship; 2 deaths; 3 cops; 400 murders; 500 years; 60 days; 7 countries; 8 artefacts – Let the adventure begin!

Ira Oberois Pursuit Of Love

Sparkling and zesty with a dash of green, a Virgin Mojito is a unique blend up and Ira is one lucky girl to have found her Mojito – tall and handsome with green eyes, he is in every definition the intoxication for her. In a twist of tales, the traditional concept of the boy wooing the girl goes for a toss. Smitten at first sight, she boldly pursues her love interest, every bit candid and upfront about it. But what is a concoction if not for a heady mix of elements? Her descriptive personal diary falls in the hands of her mother who, on the verge of a cardiac arrest, forbids her from getting into a relationship with the guy she has fallen for. Will Ira stand up for the love that she has found? Or will she be the ideal daughter and keep the promise for her mother’s sake? Will hers be a love story that finds it difficult to have a sweet ending or will it be the perfect fairytale to be remembered down the years? Will Ira Oberoi’s Pursuit of Love be successful?

Imperfect Misfits

Just like a scoop of vanilla ice cream makes the sizzling chocolate brownie delicious, these best friends complimented each other. A chef by passion, Tiasha jumps and waves through her professional choices, while Aakaash, the witty stand-up comedian, knows exactly what he wants. He was the tranquility which refugees crave to stay in and she was the refugee, who wanted to wander and explore. Imperfect Misfits is a story of perfect misfits, food, frolic, emotions and their endless imperfections. The question is, will their friendship survive through this wavy journey of love?

The Fisher Queens Dynasty

Matsyagandha, Daseyi, Yojanagandha — the queen of Hastinapur, Satyavati. Abandoned as a baby, preyed on by a rishi, she hardens herself, determined that the next time she is with a man, she will be the one to win. And win she does: the throne of Hastinapur for herself, and the promise that her sons will be heirs to the kingdom. But at what cost? In a palace where she is disdained and scorned, Satyavati must set aside her own loss and pain if she is to play the game of politics. She learns to be ruthless, unscrupulous — traits that estrange her from everyone around. Everyone, except the man she cheated of his birthright. A piercing, insightful look at the grand matriarch of the Kuru family, the woman who set off the sequence of events that ended in the bloody battle of Kurukshetra, The Fisher Queen’s Dynasty will re-align your reading of the Mahabharata.

The Tigers Prey

The Malabar coast is full of dangers: greedy tradesmen, fearless pirates and men full of vengeance. But for a Courtney, the greatest danger might just be his own family… Francis Courtney flees the comfort of his Devonshire estate when his stepfather’s gambling debts leave him penniless and at risk. He sails to South Africa with revenge and fortune on his mind: his uncle Tom Courtney killed his father and Francis intends to avenge his death and make his fortune in the process. However, upon his arrival in Cape Town, he uncovers a truth that leaves him overwhelmed and disoriented. Christopher Courtney sets out to make his own way in the world, giving up his privileged position as the son of the Governor of Bombay. The perils and betrayals on his journey carve a fierce warrior out of him, but they also harden his soul and lead him to greater violence and treachery. As the lives of these two Courtney men intertwine, the sins of the fathers will forever alter the lives of a younger generation. The Tiger’s Prey takes readers on an epic journey from the southernmost point of Africa, through the perilous waters of the Arabian Sea, to the lush Indian coastline. It is an incredible and breathless tale of intrigue and family betrayal from one of the world’s greatest storytellers.

Leaves Of Life

Meeran Chadha Borwankar, an IPS officer of Maharashtra, has a story to share with young girls and women. A story that is important, honest and pertinent. A story every young woman with dreams of making it big and leading a dignified life must read. It is the story of a small town girl from Punjab cracking the UPSC exam and battling for survival in a male dominated police department. Could she just strive or did she thrive? Full of real life interesting anecdotes from her career, Meeran wants to share the lessons she learnt with the youth. She wants to flag some action points that would enable the young to steer their lives and careers in the right direction. She wants to contribute to enhancing leadership skills of the young. Hence along with wielding the baton, this police officer also decided to pick up the pen.

Rasia The Dance Of Desire

Two women wait for him at two different ends of the crossroads. He knows which path is his, but he can’t walk that path till he has attended to the other. One perfect couple. An obsessed seductress. A Bharatanatyam show in Manhattan, New York. One hell of a love story. Raj Shekhar Subramanian and Manasi, both Bharatanatyam dancers, are made for each other. Till an obsessed fan, Vatsala Pandit, enters their lives, testing the man’s character and his wife’s patience. But then why does Manasi invite Vatsala to her Bharatanatyam show, for a dance of passion with her husband—the very man vatsala wants to take from her? Why did Shekhar agree to take in Vatsala as his student in the first place? This singular love story deftly explores the many facets of love—mutual trust, obsessiveness, the arrogance of passion, the need for self-fulfilment, the yearning for the beloved and the complexity of modern relationships.

The Only Life

A one of its kind biography, The Only Life is the story of a woman who blazed a path for herself and others in the presence of one of the greatest mystics, Osho. Growing up an ordinary Indian girl in British India, and rendered powerless in a domineering world, Laxmi went on to become Osho’s first disciple and secretary. What follows is an account of not just a life, but of the massive international movement which grew around Osho in the 1970s and 80s—one that Laxmi was at the helm of. Equally, what unfolds is a narrative, full of pathos, where her protégé usurps her place. Heartbroken, ostracised and later banished, she wanders the wastelands of America in isolation, seeking to rediscover herself by choosing devotion for her master over despair. The Only Life is an extraordinary account of a life of starkly contrasting ups and downs. Laxmi’s journey and the way she lived continues to serve as a crucial illustration for dealing with life’s adversities. It shows that the path of kindness, devotion and awareness trumps all in these present chaotic and precarious times.

In Course Of True Love

Some say all love stories are the same. A boy meets a girl and they fall in love eventually. But is that where the story ends? What about the journey they make together, the feelings they share and the moments they live? Aarush is a reticent boy who has dreams of making it to a premier engineering college. Staying away from home and working hard towards his dreams, he falls in love under strange circumstances. That too, truly, madly, deeply. Can love happen at sixteen or is it just a passing infatuation? A true yet unusual emotional love saga, In Course of True Love explores the reality of puppy love and plumbs its depth, its warmth and its true meaning.

A House for Mr. Misra

‘Whatever came over me? Agreeing to move to the other side of the world was mad enough but to build a house slap bang against one of the widest, wildest oceans in the world?’ And so begins a journey of hope and anxiety as the author and her husband, the phlegmatic Mr M, set off to build their beachside home in Kerala. The obstacles are many and mostly unexpected, like neighbours waving cutlasses over the wall, venomous snakes and mercenary union men at the gate, not to mention a large and complicated piece of legislation called the Coastal Regulation Zone. Obstacles, however, are meant to be overcome and so they are, with some quick thinking and a few helpful friends, an honest cop and an equally straight-talking scientist, and Excel sheets pulled up on demand to outwit corrupt builders. All of which make for a great story, filled with laughter and despair, and sharp yet good-humoured insights into the Malayali way of life.

You are the Best Friend

Ajay has lost his wife and is deep in depression. No amount of medication or therapy seems to help him as he struggles with his grief. He has only one wish—he wants to immortalize his wife. Then, he meets Anisha, who is shocked at Ajay’s hatred towards God. How can a person hate God? Where would that hatred lead him? Anisha is ready to judge Ajay harshly, when a simple, caring and guileless gesture changes her perception of him. So begins the journey of two people who are poles apart. A journey which will change their outlook towards life. A bittersweet tale, told very simply, by a man who lost everything, except his ability to find humour in the world. This is the story of Ajay who finds a second lease of life. What helps him? A friend? Or the love that he finds again?

The Indigo Sun

Home—neither a place you live in, nor a place you arrive at. It’s where you belong, and ultimately return—a return to the beginning, a return within. The Indigo Sun is an enchanting tale set amidst the deserts of Rajasthan where Maya, a young NRI woman is led on a transformative journey by a young boy Ananda; a mystic gypsy woman named Leela; and Veer, a well-respected, socially driven entrepreneur from London. Together, they embark on a colourful odyssey encompassing culture, heritage, simplicity and celebration of life. In this unknown and distant land surrounded by strangers, Maya’s past, present, and future come together as do her body, mind and soul. She discovers another meaning of life, forms incredible bonds, meets the man of her dreams, and finally comes face-to-face with her truth—the indigo sun, a treasure that lay buried in her heart all along. She is finally home.

Hit for a Six

Thirteen-year-old Laila is mad about cricket, but ever since her favourite player admitted to match-fixing, she wonders if she could love the game again. All this is complicated further when she discovers that her school is going to be home to the town’s first ever girls’ cricket club. Can her hero’s betrayal and her love for the game coexist? Meanwhile, working on a school project about their town’s historical spots, Laila and her friends stumble upon a series of apparently unrelated questions that point to a mystery just begging to be solved. What is the secret behind the new owners of Laila's erstwhile secret hideout, old mister Marshall's house? Who are the anonymous benefactors who have sponsored the renovation of Laila's school? What is the secret behind the new girl jasmine’s grumpiness and why is she so good at cricket? Laced with a niggling mystery, some nail-biting cricket and a few precarious friendships, this book is sure to leave you asking for more.

The Midnight Bell

In Ulster, Northern Ireland, a petty criminal kills a woman in a drunken car crash. Her sons swear revenge. In London, Sean Dillon and his colleagues in the ‘Prime Minister’s private army’, fresh from defeating a deadly al-Qaeda operation, receive a warning: ‘You may think you have weakened us, but you have only made us stronger.’ In Washington, D.C., a special projects director with the CIA, frustrated at not getting permission from the President for his daring anti-terrorism plan, decides to put it in motion anyway. Soon, the ripples from these events will meet and overlap, creating havoc in their wake. Desperate men will act, secrets will be revealed – and the midnight bell will toll.

A House For Happy Mothers

Priya Rao left India when she was twenty to study in the U.S., and now seven years later she has to return to give her family the news: She’s engaged to Nick Collins, an American man. It’s going to break their hearts. Returning to India is an overwhelming experience for Priya. Her mother and father, her grandfather and grandmother, her aunts and uncles, they all insist that it’s time they arranged her marriage to a “nice Indian boy.” As Priya’s extended family gets together to make mango pickle, she knows this is her chance to tell them the truth. Will she have to choose between the love of her family and Nick, the love of her life? As sharp and intoxicating as fresh sugarcane juice, The Mango Season is a delightful trip into the heart and soul of both contemporary India and a woman on the edge of a profound life change.

Odyssey Of Courage

`Do not be afraid of making mistakes, but never repeat them.' With these words of paternal advice, Habil Khorakiwala set forth to create one of India’s most respected, research-based pharmaceutical companies—Wockhardt Limited. In Odyssey of Courage, Khorakiwala narrates a saga of Indian enterprise, talent and creativity. Hailing from Palanpur, Gujarat, the Khorakiwalas arrived in Bombay in 1896 to build one of the city’s iconic retail chain stores—Akbarallys. Opting to strike out on his own, Khorakiwala entered the pharmaceutical business in 1967. Despite fierce competition at home and abroad, Wockhardt has emerged as a global firm with subsidiaries in the US and Europe. The pharma giant is now ready to launch an antibiotics ‘super drug’ that will mark a new stage in the evolution of the Indian pharmaceutical industry. Odyssey of Courage is more than just the story of Wockhardt. It offers invaluable insights into the making of a knowledge-based Indian multinational. Policymakers, business executives, students of management and public policy will relate to Khorakiwala’s experiences in ‘learning by doing’, taking risks and handling crises and in managing change—within the industry, within India’s policy environment and within the world of global pharma.

The Evolution of Ghalib

One of the most oft-quoted poets of the nineteenth century, Ghalib was an intellectual colossus, whose poetry is imbued with timelessness and universality. Born and brought up in North India, he wrote both in his mother tongue, Urdu and in Persian, the established and privileged language of literature and officialdom. He wrote exquisite prose, but is better known for his poetry, particularly his Urdu ghazals. In The Evolution of Ghalib, the author, Hasan Abdullah, provides a detailed introduction that describes Ghalib’s life history and brings out his persona and situates his work in time and space. He briefly discusses the Urdu language and ghazal as a literary form and familiarizes the reader with the words, symbols and concepts crucial for understanding Ghalib’s poetry. Based on a chronological reading of Ghalib’s Urdu ghazals, the author identifies the different stages and phases of the poet’s development and from each of these phases, selects and interprets verses, including those that differ from the dominant trend, in order to reveal Ghalib’s intellectual evolution. The book aims to make reading and understanding of Ghalib’s Urdu ghazals a pleasurable and enlightening experience.

Spirituality

Seventy And To Hell With It

The Perils Of Being Moderately Famous

KAUTILYA’S ARTHASHASTRA: AN INTELLECTUAL PORTRAIT

‘Kautilya who?’ In India itself, Kautilya is mentioned for reasons that are more sentimental and nationalistic than analytical and comparative with respect to the theoretical significance of his contributions to statecraft. In academic circles, Kautilya is labelled as the ‘Indian Machiavelli’, even though the Arthashastra was written some 1800 years prior to Machiavelli’s Discorsi and Principe, and is much broader in scope. This book brings the wisdom of Kautilya’s text—a tour de force in strategic thinking—to the present political discourse, emphasizing the relevance of this ancient text to contemporary world affairs. Brilliant scholarly analysis complemented with in-depth academic enquiry gives this work an edge over all that has been written on Arthashastra so far. Mitra and Liebig move beyond romanticizing Kautilya, and present to the reader one of the sharpest minds in history, unmatched in its knowledge of statecraft, and a theory unparalleled in strategic thinking. A must-have guide to understanding both Kautilya and the intricacies of governance.

The Burning Queen Rani Padmavati

Padmavati is the most beautiful queen Chittor has ever had. Everyone who sees her is enthralled by her grace and goodness. When the greedy gaze of the Sultan of Delhi, Alauddin Khalji, falls upon Chittor and its queen, Padmavati's flawless beauty turns against her, because it inspires both love and hate in equal measure. Beset by the threat of an invasion and scheming political rivals who are envious of her immense popularity, Rani Padmavati must rise to the demands of war and fight for everything she believes in. This is the story of a remarkable woman who lived gently, loved passionately, and embraced her destiny with unmatched courage.

The Boy with the Broken Heart

You're asking me to hold your hand. And now you're turning away from me. You are saying something but I can't hear you. It's too windy. You're crying now. Now you're smiling. I'm done. I love you . . .' It's been two years since Raghu left his first love, Brahmi, on the edge of the roof one fateful night. He couldn't save her; he couldn't be with her. Having lost everything, Raghu now wants to stay hidden from the world. However, the annoyingly persistent Advaita finds his elusiveness very attractive. And the more he ignores her, the more she's drawn to him till she bulldozes her way into an unlikely friendship. What attracts at first, begins to grate. Advaita can't help but want to know what Raghu has left behind, what he's hiding, and who broke his heart. She wants to love him back to life, but for that she needs to know what wrecked him in the first place. After all, the antidote to heartache is love.