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Where Earth Meets Water
In this poignant and breathtaking debut, one man searches for Meaning in the wake of incomparable tragedy. Karom Seth should have been in the twin towers on the morning of 9/11 and on the Indian shores in 2004, when the tsunami swept his entire family into the ocean. Whether its a curse or a blessing, Karom cant be sure, but his absence from these disasters has left him with crushing guilt and a belief that fate has singled him out for invincibility. Karoms affliction consumes everyone around him, from his best friend, Lloyd, to his girlfriend, Gita, who hopes that a trip to India will help him find peace. It is in Delhi that he meets Gitas grandmother, Kamini - a quirky but wise woman with secrets of her own. At first Karom dismisses Kamini, but little does he realise that she will ultimately lead him to the clarity hes been looking for. Spanning the globe from New York to India, Where Earth Meets Water is a stunning portrait of a quest for human understanding and a wise exploration of grief, survival and love in all its forms.
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Islands : Short Stories
Keki N. Daruwallas short stories circle around islands-solitary tracts of land, self-contained mini-continents. Sometimes, these autonomous landmasses are conjured up in a sadhus third-eye- Yogananda builds them like he would a dream scape. Sometimes, they transform into objects of desire - Arnaaz sails towards the declining sun, in search of an islet of aloneness and youth. Sometimes, they come with the promise of abundance - Vidyarthi scours his reef for a magic shrub. And sometimes, they silently disappear - Santa Xavier is swept away by blustery winds and rumours. Through these stories, each linked, each disparate, Daruwalla asks what it means to abandon an island or inhabit one. He also asks what it means to allow an island to sail within us. For each of the characters is on a private journey, a reclusive flight inwards, towards an isle of peace, an isle beyond questions of faith and unbelief, an isle past remembrance and forgetting. Ultimately, each character is an island unto himself or herself, from the retiring vagrant on bird island, to Dinaz, feeling her way on her own through a fast receding past, to the wild Khampa, severed from his people, who realises there must be worse things than being alone, but I dont know what they are. In these short stories, Daruwallas love for the sea becomes evident, as also his yearning for a kind of solitude, which evades us in this overcrowded century. Equally, in a style rich in humour, irony and compassion, his preoccupation with the modern human condition comes to the fore-its drift away from an anchoring mainland, its island-like seclusion, its quiet search for fullness.
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Shikhandi : And Other Tales They don't Tell You
Patriarchy asserts men are superior to women. Feminism clarifies women and men are equal. Queerness questions what constitutes male and female. Queerness isnt only modern, Western or sexual, says mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik. Take a close look at the vast written and oral traditions in Hinduism, some over two thousand years old, and you will find many overlooked tales, such as those of Shikhandi, who became a man to satisfy her wife; Mahadeva, who became a woman to deliver his devotees child; Chudala, who became a man to enlighten her husband; Samavan, who became the wife of his male friend; and many more. . . Playful and touching - and sometimes disturbing - these stories when compared with their Mesopotamian, Greek, Chinese and Biblical counterparts, reveal the unique Indian way of making sense of queerness. Exclusive Piece written by Devdutt Pattanaik for Flipkart Customers March of Celibate Men Vishnu takes the form of a king, a cowherd, a priest, a fish even an enchantress called Mohini. In this female form, he seduces gods and demons and hermits, all in order to preserve social order. Thus a God who is visualised as male becomes a nymph, bears a child for the sake of social order. This story is remarkable at so many levels. Here, Gods gender is not restricted to the male form. Fertility is not restricted to women. Divinity is associated with enchantment and sensory pleasures. And though woman, Mohini is not a demure wife; she is a dancer who is restricted to no man. Could this possible be a Hindu story? When the Europeans came to India, they saw stories such as these as yet another indicator of Indian effeminacy and Oriental debauchery. Back home, they were themselves exposed to a world where God was avowedly masculine, he sent down a son, not a daughter, to save the world, and that son was conceived without sexual intercourse and had no wife of his own. The priests of this God were all male and celibate. An alternate worldview where the feminine and the queer was appreciated, even venerated, made no sense to them. They naturally mocked Indians. This mockery became intense when the Europeans became rulers of India. So Hindus became defensive and apologetic. Not knowing how to explain their stories in the language of the foreign rulers, they started to reform the stories. They focused on stories that met with European approval: stories where celibacy and self-control was valorised and women were reduced to objects of temptation. The stern celibate monk became the representative of Hinduism, not the dancing mischievous affectionate nymph. The Europeans left. The Americans came. In the 60s, America went through a radical change sexual revolution, hippie revolution, anti-war protests. They wrote books rediscovering Indias sensual heritage. They spoke of how Hindus had bisexual gods and goddesses. Hindus were horrified. Was not Hinduism was all about celibacy and self-control? Was that not what the story books told them? Was that not what their parents and teacher told them? They protested passionately but were gagged with typical Western academic disdain, You are in denial. You dont have the facts; we do. Let us tell you what your culture is! Battle lines were thus drawn. They continue to be drawn. Time for empathy, and expansion of the mind. Appreciate the stories of sensuous men and women, celibate men and women. More importantly, appreciate the different context in which celibacy was celebrated and the different context in which the dance of the enchantress was celebrated. Even more importantly, appreciate the vast volume and diversity of India, where things have never been static, where things are never static, where the past and the present coexist simultaneously, the liberal coexists with the conservative, the wise next to the most unfair. Time to read Shikhandi and other tales they dont tell you. And remember, they who dont tell you these 30 stories are not villains. They probably are unware of their vast heritage themselves.
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Deadline
Dawson Scott is a well-respected journalist, recently returned from Afghanistan. Haunted by everything he experienced, he's privately suffering from battle fatigue-which is a threat to every aspect of his life. But then he gets a call from a source within the FBI. A new development has come to light in case that began forty years ago. It could be the big story of Dawson's career - one in which he has a vested interest.
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What the Lady Wants
If he's Cary Grant, where's his Girl Friday? Mitch Peabody was learning pretty fast that the life of a private detective was nothing like the movies. He'd envisioned a world of tough-talking detectives and smart-mouthed, stunning dames. Instead he saw case after case of cheating husbands, suspicious wives and unsuspecting mistresses, until she walked through the door. Right down to her stilettos, Mae Sullivan was a knockout with a lethal body-and a lethal family to go with it. There was something not quite on the up-and-up about her, but she came with a case he couldn't afford to refuse and left him with a case of lust he hadn't had since high school. It didn't take long for him to fall for her, hook, line and sinker. But was Mae interested only in catching the double-crossing crooks who murdered her uncle or did the lady want to catch him?
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My One and Only
Divorce attorney Harper James can't catch a break. Bad enough that she runs into her ex-hubby, Nick, at her sister's destination wedding, but now, by a cruel twist of fate, she's being forced to make a cross-country road trip with him. And her almost-fianc back at home is not likely to be sympathetic. Harper can't help that Nick has come blazing back into her life in all of his frustratingly appealing, gorgeous architect glory. But in Nick's eyes, Harper's always been the one. If they can only get it right this time, forever might be waiting-just around the bend.
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Perfect Double
If Looks Could Kill When OMEGA agency gets credible intelligence regarding an assassination plot against the first female Vice President of the United States, Agent Maggie Sinclair is assigned the dangerous job of impersonating her. As a key figure in the creation of an international anti-terror act, the real Vice President is safely hidden until crisis is avertedwhile Maggie steps into the cross-hairs. Determined to keep his best agent safe, Adam Ridgeway plans to stick close by, posing as the widowed VP's new love interest. But as their romance becomes a field day for the media, the charade sparks off some hidden feelings. Maggie soon realises that risking her life means putting her career and her heart in jeopardy.
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Only Connect! : Short Fiction about Technology and
ndorsement - Intriguing stories by established or rising writers in which technology is examined to connect, question, provoke and entertain. - Tabish Khair, author of How to Fight Islamist Terror from the Missionary Position. We live in a world where battles are fought in cyberspace, relationships are forged through voice - Over - IP and declarations of love are made through speedy text messages. Pertinently then, the stories in Only Connect weigh the deep impact of technology on our lives, relationships and the ways in which we perceive each other and ourselves. While Meenakshi Bharats B Wid U Soon shows how, despite the distance between them, technology helps a couple share the birth of their baby, Janhavi Acharekars Sneha, 25 highlights the hoax of digital ties as a young girl is conned by a cyber-lover. The sinister face of technology is alarmingly demonstrated by Malik Sajads graphic tale, Facebooked, Chandani Lokuges Trial by Media and Kiran Nagarkars The Race for Arms. Technology changes the language we speak, as dramatized in Neelum Saran Gours A Software Sonata. It colours our perception of lived experience, as shown by Sharon Rundle in Fugue for Guinea Pigs. And, in fact, technology even irrevocably changes the way we connect with art as Yasmine Gooneratne describes in Barry Meets His Muse. A collection of twenty riveting stories, Only Connect traces this brave new world we have come to inherit. About the Author Meenakshi Bharat, University of Delhi is a writer, translator, reviewer and critic. Some of her published books are - The Ultimate Colony - The Child in Postcolonial Fiction - Rushdie the Novelist and two volumes of Indo - Australian short fiction entitled Fear Factor - Terror Incognitoand Alien Shores - Tales of Refugees and Asylum Seekers.
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The Mother I Never Knew
What secrets lurk in a familys past-and how important are they in the here and now? Sudha Murtys new book comprises two novellas that explore two quests by two different men-both for mothers they never knew they had. Venkatesh, a bank manager, stumbles upon his lookalike one fine day. When he probes further, he discovers his fathers hidden past, which includes an abandoned wife and child. Ventakesh is determined to make amends to his impoverished stepmother-but how can he repay his fathers debt? Mukesh, a young man, is shocked to realise after his fathers death that he was actually adopted. He sets out to find his biological mother, but the deeper he delves, the more confused he is about where his loyalties should lie-with the mother who gave birth to him, or with the mother who brought him up. The mother I never knew is a poignant, dramatic book that reaches deep into the human heart to reveal what we really feel about those closest to us.
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Will Grayson,Will Grayson
Will Grayson, Will Grayson is narrated evenly between two boys of the same name. It is a funny and insightful novel which has won the authors, John Green and David Levithan, loyal fans that thoroughly enjoy the humor in the book. Summary of the Book This is a story about two young boys in an unlikely corner of Chicago who are about to meet. The catch is that both the boys go by the name of Will Grayson. Whether this is coincidence or fate is up to the reader to decide. Both boys find their lives going in a direction that is not expected. They later seem to find that their lives are slowly becoming entwined since the day of their meeting. The story turns out to be a good humored and epic production of history’s most fabulous high school musical. About the Author John Green John Green’s first novel was looking for Alaska which won him the 2006 Michael L. Printz Award presented by the American Library Association. His next novel, Paper Towns, is a New York Times bestseller and won the Edgar Allen Poe Award. David Levithan David Levithan is a children's book editor and award winning author. He published his first book Boy Meets Boy in 2003. He is the Founding Editor of PUSH which is a young adult imprint of Scholastic Press.
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In the Shadow of Inheritance : A Haunting Love Sto
A haunting dream. A sinister legend. Mesmerising love. The appearance of a mysterious and attractive stranger in the small town of Adeli changes Taras life forever. Shes now the heiress to the Khanolkar Rajwada in Mahabaleshwar. However, the palatial home that is her ancestral legacy is also full of people with deep, dark secrets and one of them is her fathers murderer. Evil lurks in the shadows, as does love. But Tara cant rely on anyone as someone out there is determined to prove the legend right and to finish the incomplete murderous task of the past. Read on to find out what Taras fate will be.
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Teardrop : A Girl in Mourning. A Boy in Love. A Wo
Never, ever cry. . . Seventeen-year-old Eureka wont let anyone close enough to feel her pain. After her mother was killed in a freak accident, the things she used to love hold no meaning. She wants to escape, but one thing holds her back: Ander, the boy who is everywhere she goes, whose turquoise eyes are like the ocean. And then Eureka uncovers an ancient tale of romance and heartbreak, about a girl who cried an entire continent into the sea. Suddenly her mothers death and Anders appearance seem connected, and her life takes on dark undercurrents that dont make sense. Can everything you love be washed away?
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Innocent Blood
A boy believed to be an angel given flesh. A chance to save the world - or to hasten its destruction. Archaeologist Erin Granger isn't the only one looking for boy - he's hunted by an enigmatic enemy of power. To get to the child first, Erin must uncover the truth behind Christ's early years and understand His first true miracle, an event wrapped in sin and destruction. The search will take Erin across centuries and around the world, from the dusty plains of the Holy Land to the icy waters of the Arctic Ocean, from the catacombs of Rome to an iron fortress in the Mediterranean Sea, and at last to the gates of Hell itself. Where the fate of mankind awaits.
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Police : The New Harry Hole Thriller
The police urgently need Harry Hole. A killer is stalking Oslo's streets. Police officers are being slain at the scenes of crimes they once investigated, but failed to solve. The murders are brutal, the media reaction hysterical. But this time, Harry can't help anyone. For years, detective Harry Hole has been at the centre of every major criminal investigation in Oslo. His dedication to his job and his brilliant insights have saved the lives of countless people. But now, with those he loves most facing terrible danger, Harry can't protect anyone. Least of all himself. About the Author Jo Nesbo is a musician, songwriter, economist and internationally acclaimed author. The Leopard - the eighth Harry Hole thriller - was a number 1 bestseller in hardback, with phantom - the ninth book in the series, topping the paperback charts. The snowman has been optioned by working title films and will be directed by Martin Scorsese, whilst the film adaptation of Jo's standalone thriller, headhunters was nominated for a BAFTA.
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Never Say Goodbye.
A compelling and deeply moving novel of friendship, family and the power of love, from the Sunday Times top ten bestselling author of No Child of Mine and Don't Let Me Go. How would you cope with the threat of losing someone you love? Josie Clark is a loving wife and mother. She and her husband Jeff dont have much and its often difficult to make ends meet. But Josie will do anything to protect her family and keep them safe. Bel Monkton is a successful property developer, living in a beautiful house by the sea. She seems to have everything going for her, but shes lonely. And shes let the shadows from her past cloud her future. Josies life couldnt be more different to Bels. But three years ago, tragedy tore Bels life in two. Now its happening to Josie. And faced with uncertainty and heartbreak, they come to treasure their growing friendship.
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Hindu Hriday Samrat : How the Shiv Sena Changed Mu
Full of anecdotes and pulling no punches, Samrat explores the life and times of Bal Thackeray and attempts to bring to the readers a unique insight into how a rather timid man from the working classes was shaped by his circumstances-and certain vested interests-into becoming a demagogue with the kind of success and following few could either dream of or replicate in the future. Thackeray not just changed the name of Bombay to Mumbai but quite altered the character and fabric of the city even though he was driven not by ideology, as might have seemed to most outsiders, but by his own pragmatism and personal interests. As Vir Sanghvi says in the forward, 'The book is an attempt to understand the milieu that Thackeray operated in and to capture the essence of his style amidst the shifting stands and the politics of pragmatism'.
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Secrets of the Wolf
His eyes held secrets She?d returned to her birthplace to expose her mother?s killer. But in facing her hazy childhood memories, Brie Danzinger soon discovered a family she?d never known ? and an undeniable attraction to enigmatic police chief Reed Hunter. Reed knew something that he wouldn?t ? or couldn?t ? tell her. Was it about her mother...or more personal? Giving in to his yearning for Brie could mean her death. But when her questions stirred a sleeping killer, Reed couldn?t keep his vow to stay away. His feelings had to take second place to protecting Brie ? but could Reed save her from the shocking truth about herself?
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Guts and Glory
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didnt do than by the ones you did do, so explore, dream, discover. - Mark Twain Guts and Glory profiles twenty entrepreneurs who have conquered limitations and obstacles to write their stories of success. In the beginning was just an idea. Gutsy and driven by the will to succeed, they aspired to shun the limitations of working in cushy corporate jobs and confront the challenges of the unknown by plunging into entrepreneurship. Where will we generate the finances from? How will we deal with disappointment and disillusionment? Such questions and apprehensions didnt have the power to demotivate these entrepreneurs as they moved out of their comfort zones to start out on their own and chase their dreams. They run businesses ranging from apparel and FM radio to beer cafes and wineries, from HR consultancies and leadership training organizations to software firms and advertising agencies These former MBA students of SIBM Pune are glorious and inspiring examples for those who feel that the fear of failure-and its repercussions-is holding them back from realizing their ambitions. The book will inspire and unshackle those who havent had the courage to translate their ideas into reality due to the absence of enterprise and, more importantly, willpower. Above all, the book has a lesson for everyone.
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The Mirror Knows the Truth and Other Stories
People feel that the position I have acquired, after transcending painful memories, is full of happiness. I am happy, married to a rich and successful doctor. I have two adorable children and servants. Status, dignity, prestige - I lack nothing. But my heart is not in my surroundings and I don't seem to know why. An eclectic collection, the mirror knows the truth and other stories offers a kaleidoscopic range of human emotions, from love, longing and loneliness, to the discrimination faced by the minorities with in society. It was my day poignantly describes the marriage anniversary of a middle-aged woman, spent aching for a gesture of affection from her ever-busy husband, the pigeon story chronicles the various discrimination's and the general lack of empathy among people, as perceived by the birds and, in the title story, a mirror faithfully records the goings-on in an affluent, upper-caste family which adopts Kalyani, a girl from a lower caste and raises as a daughter. Evocative, sensitive and nuanced, the mirror knows the truth and other stories is a compelling exploration of the myriad complexities of the human psyche. Interesting facts An evocative, sensitive and nuanced collection of stories that compellingly explore the myriad complexities of the human psyche. Fleshed out and rounded characters from different strata of society whom the readers would have encountered at some point in real life. The mirror knows the truth and other stories is a powerful collection that deals with important themes of love, identity, relationships and self-discovery. About the Author A prolific writer, Kusum Ansals repertoire comprises novels, poems, short stories and travelogues. Her books have been translated into English, Punjabi, Bengali, Urdu, Greek, Russian and French. Her novel Ek Aur Panchvatiwas adapted into the film, Panchvati, by Basu Bhattacharya, for which she wrote the screenplay and dialogues. She has also contributed to television, the all India radio and the Indian progression writers theatre association. An avid nature lover and a qualified Ikebana teacher, she enjoys flowers as a subject and has written several articles on it. She has a masters degree in psychology from Aligarh Muslim university and a PhD in Hindi literature from Punjab university. She organises a monthly literary meet, Samvad, for creative writers of all languages and has been actively involved with organisations working in the field of education and social services. She is the director of Chiranjiv Bharti school and has been the recipient of several awards, including the international women entrepreneurial challenge award.
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Face Off
In this unprecedented collaboration, twenty-three of the world's favourite crime writers bring you original, co-written short stories featuring their much-loved series characters. Face Off includes the first meeting of Ian Rankin's Rebus and Peter James' Roy Grace, a case for Dennis Lehane's Patrick Kenzie and Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch, as well as a page-turning mystery starring Lee Child's Jack Reacher and Joseph Finder's Nick Heller. Edited by international bestseller David Baldacci, this exclusive page-turning collection is one of a kind. Read on to discover the full list of author and character pairings - Lee Child's Jack Reacher + Joseph Finder's Nick Heller Ian Rankin's John Rebus + Peter James' Roy Grace Michael Connelly's Hieronymus 'Harry' Bosch + Dennis Lehane's Patrick Kenzie Jeffery Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme + John Sanford's Lucas Davenport Linwood Barclay's Glen Garber + Raymond Khoury's Sean Reilly Linda Fairstein's Alexandra Cooper + Steve Martini's Paul Madriani Steve Berry's Cotton Malone + James Rollins' Gray PierceLisa Gardner's D.D. Warren + MJ Rose's Malachai Samuels T. Jefferson Parker's Joe Trona and John Lescroart's Wyatt Hunt Heather Graham's Michael Quinn + F. Paul Wilson's Repairman Jack Douglas Preston / Lincoln Child's Aloysius Pendergast + R.L. Stine's Slappy the Ventriloquist Dummy.
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Engglishhh : Fictional Dispatches from a Hyperreal
My derr Punaita, ths peem isss foor ou: When I saaat too wriit a peem Th woords wooulldnt cme When the didd the wooulldnt rhhym When the rhhymeed the maad n seensee Lik aaa red rose ii aaa blaak annd whit fiilmmm From Rohan Shah to Punita A love poem in Engglishhh, a new language that has numerology as its guiding principle, Arnold MmYum who leaves his bench outside a popular eatery to discover the city of animate beings, a purveyor-director of cinematic porn, a watchman who counts the seconds to death. Altaf Tyrewala has an uncanny ability to write the streets and mind-scapes of Mumbai, the city he first captured in prose as nobody else had in No God in Sight and more recently in verse, in Ministry of Hurt Sentiments. His words are sharp with irony and each story is slashed through with deftly satirical insights into the ways of men and the worlds they inhabit. About the Author Altaf Tyrewala is the author of the critically acclaimed books No God in Sight and Ministry of Hurt Sentiments. He is also the editor of the crime-fiction collection, Mumbai Noir. His works have been published and anthologised around the world. He was awarded the 2011 DAAD Artist-in-Berlin literature grant.