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The Making of Mumbai
Fr Benny Aguiar tells the story of Mumbai as no one has told it before. Indeed, here you have a fascinating story told in all its details across the centuries. Books about Mumbai are many, but few people know that the flint stones found in Backbay attest to the presence of early man in the seven islands which the ancient historian, Ptolemy called "Heptanesia" (Seven Islands) or that the caves of Kanheri and Elephanta are witnesses to the ancient Aryan and Buddhist civilizations that flourished here or in nearby Sopara, Kalyan and Thane? True, many people are aware that it was the British colonizers that transformed Bombay into the Cosmopolitan, industrial and commercial capital of the country. But how many people know that Shivaji and his Maratha Successors mightily ruled over Bassein and Salsette for nearly sixty years? Today's 12 million Mumbaikars enjoy the legacy left behind by the early traders and rulers and should therefore strive to preserve what was best in that legacy. For Catholics especially the history of Mumbai is of special importance as it was from the Portuguese missionaries that they acquired their religion and partly their culture, but also because the transition from one period of history to another led to a decline and then to a revival and formation of the vibrant Catholic Community that has made such a vital contribution in the educational and other fields in the city of Mumbai
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The Last Victory
It is October 1910 and the lovers Kim and Parvati are fleeing across India, escaping forces beyond their control. They know that great changes are afoot the Mahatma's ideas are gaining ground and the Indian National Congress is about to change remarkably with the entrance of Jawaharlal Nehru. Ahead lie turbulent times that will reveal the ruthlessness of the Empire and give rise to the promise of independence. Kim and Parvati's lives criss-cross those of many known and unknown Indians who believe in the Indian nation, and they too are swept into the very centre of the struggle for independence, where they must confront their terrifying tormentors. Taking off from The Imperial Agent, where Timeri Murari masterfully recreated Kipling's free-spirited and idealistic hero, Kimball O'Hara, The Last Victory is a thrilling account of Kim's life from the uncertainty of youth to an illuminating maturity mirrored only by the brilliance of a new India.
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Savaging The Civilized
This evocative and beautifully written book brings to life one of the most remarkable figures of twentieth-century India. Verrier Elwin (1902-64) was an anthropologist, poet, Gandhian, hedonist, Englishman, and Indian. Savaging the Civilized reveals a many-sided man, a friend of the elite who was at home with the impoverished and the destitute; a charismatic charmer of women who was comfortable with intellectuals such as Arthur Koestler and Jawaharlal Nehru; an anthropologist who lived with and loved the tribes yet who wrote literary essays and monographs for the learned. Savaging the Civilized is both biography and history, an exploration through Elwin's life of some of the great debates of our times, such as the impact of economic development, and cultural pluralism versus cultural homogeneity. For this new edition, Ramachandra Guha has updated the epilogue to take account of the growing influence of Naxalites in Adivasi areas. He has also added a fresh introduction, stressing the relevance of Elwin's life and work to current debates on Indian democracy and pluralism.
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The Only Story
THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER** Would you rather love the more, and suffer the more; or love the less, and suffer the less? That is, I think, finally, the only real question. First love has lifelong consequences, but Paul doesn't know anything about that at nineteen. At nineteen, he's proud of the fact his relationship flies in the face of social convention. As he grows older, the demands placed on Paul by love become far greater than he could possibly have foreseen. Tender and wise, The Only Story is a deeply moving novel by one of fiction's greatest mappers of the human heart.
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Uncommon Ground
"Uncommon Ground" brings together titans of industry and leaders of civil society to explore eight themes that are highly relevant for our future development. Based on Rohini Nilekani's 2008 show on NDTV, the conversations explore the middle ground between the ideological divisions that often polarise the business and voluntary sectors. In course of these rare dialogues between leaders who have sometimes been adversaries, a number of common concerns emerge. The author, uniquely placed to moderate these discussions as she traverses both sides herself, demonstrates that the relationship between business, society and state need not be necessarily confrontational. Rich in insights, "Uncommon Ground" highlights the critical importance of dialogue in our democracy to create a shared vision of the future. It is a significant contribution to the ongoing debate on development and equitable growth in India.
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Serious Sweet
A good man in a bad world, Jon Sigurdsson is 59 and divorced: a senior civil servant in Westminster who hates many of his colleagues and loathes his work for a government engaged in unmentionable acts. A man of conscience. Meg Williams is ‘a bankrupt accountant — two words you don’t want in the same sentence, or anywhere near your CV’. She’s 45 and shakily sober, living on Telegraph Hill, where she can see London unfurl below her. Somewhere out there is safety. Somewhere out there is Jon, pinballing around the city with a mobile phone and a letter-writing habit he can’t break. He’s a man on the brink, leaking government secrets and affection as he runs for his life. Set in 2014, this is a novel of our times. Poignant, deeply funny, and beautifully written, Serious Sweet is about two decent, damaged people trying to make moral choices in an immoral world: ready to sacrifice what’s left of themselves for honesty, and for a chance at tenderness. As Jon and Meg navigate the sweet and serious heart of London — passing through 24 hours that will change them both for ever — they tell a very unusual, unbearably moving love story.
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I Have Become The Tide
Githa Hariharan has written novels, short fiction and essays over the last three decades. Her highly acclaimed work includes the Thousand Faces of Night which won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best First Book in 1993, the short story collection the Art of Dying, the novels the Ghosts of Vasu Master, When Dreams Travel, in Times of Siege and Fugitive Histories and the collection of essays Almost Home: Cities and Other Places. She has also written children’s stories and edited a collection of translated short fiction, A Southern Harvest and the essay collection from India to Palestine: Essays in Solidarity. For more on this Delhi-based author and her work.
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The Marriage Pact
It ranks with The Stepford Wives and Gone Girl as a terrifying look at what it really means to say "I do"' Joseph Finder, bestselling author of The Switch ** It's the perfect wedding gift. Newlyweds Jake and Alice are offered membership of a club which promises members will never divorce. Signing The Pact seems the ideal start to their marriage. Until one of them breaks the rules. Because The Pact is for life. And its members will go to any lengths to ensure nobody leaves . . . Praise for The Marriage Pact: 'A brilliant premise . . . tautly plotted and deftly written' J.P. Delaney, bestselling author of The Girl Before 'Beware. This book will keep you up all night' Lisa Gardner, bestselling author of Right Behind You 'Gripping, thought-provoking and irresistible' Dean Koontz, bestselling author of The Silent Corner 'It's a high-concept, fast-moving thriller . . . a gripping and intriguing read' Sunday Mirror
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Set Goals Set Life
Success is the by-product of goal setting and a sincere effort towards achieving these goals. The process of Goal-Setting is the quest to achieve that much-desired success. Our mind is a powerful tool of manifestation that can perform miracles when guided well, and the process of goal setting intensifies that power. You are capable of achieving way more than you have right now. All you need to do is Think it, Ink it and Achieve it. After all, “Energy goes where Attention flows”. Set Goals, Set Life is for anyone who wishes to make their life better.
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G For Gobar
Before the Modi government set up Rashtriya Kamdhenu Aayog in 2019, three young adults from Mumbai had recognized cow as natural and national wealth. Satvik Patel, reeling under the burden of crippling debts and weighty family responsibilities, feels disconnected from every - thing around. Desperations to end his financial crisis soar high. His office friends Anish and gaurav, finding that ‘Gobar’ - cow dung cakes-can pay off his debts and solve all his life problems, ask him to quit his job. Will Satvik quit his job, a survival kit, for some smelly dung cakes? What is so special about them?
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Not A Cancer Survivor
This book is for those affected by extreme situations in their lives, including Cancer. The book is not only designed to assist cancer patients and their families but allows common people to come out of such situations with an extremely positive approach. I was born as Ketan but got transformed with a second life chance to be a Ninja, who survived all extremities, including death, and is enjoying the journey of life with joy and being limitless. This journey brought me to a near-death experience but I excelled through being a spiritual and psychological Ninja to battle out the war on the King of all Maladies or Cancer. The discussion in the book is not just theoretical but gives you actionable suggestions at the end of each chapter. The content of the book works fundamentally on different layers of the body-mind complex and empowers you within to challenge the status-quo with the inner powers of a Ninja. It is a self-help guide on how to overcome extreme difficulties thrown up by life without preaching, or getting bored!. It makes you stand by the side of your health and positivity and not disease and delusion. It's a must-read for all wanting joy, freedom and happiness in life even during extremely painful situations.
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The Great Mughal
An engrossing saga of one of the greatest dynasties of the world, The Mughal dynasty contemporaries of the Mughal empire called it the sultanate-i-mughalia. In terms of the area and time that it covered, The empire was gigantic. From the warrior king Babur who laid its foundation to the Lonely poet king Bahadur Shah Zafar who saw its dilution, the book charts the origin, rise, success and eventual downfall of an empire that ruled India for three centuries. With pure history as a backdrop the narrative sweeps along the myths and mysteries of the Mughal times unfolding on its pages the Courts and harems, bazaars and battlefields, blood and gore and the gloss and glamour of the Mughal empire. Beyond the glistening surface of their glory, farhat nasreen’s authoritative account brings the empire vividly to life, rolling out the saga of the fabulously talented Rajputs and Marathi along with the challenges the Mughal emperors faced to sustain their phenomenal empire.