A Good Indian Wife


Anne Cherian - 2008
    So when he agrees to return to India to visit his ailing grand­father, he is sure he’ll be able to resist his family’s pleas that he marry a “good” Indian girl. With a girlfriend and a promising career back in San Francisco, the last thing Neel needs is an arranged marriage.Leila is a thirty-year-old teacher in Neel’s family’s village who has watched too many prospective husbands come and go to think her newest suitor will be any different. She is well past prime marrying age; her family has no money for a dowry; and then there’s the matter of an old friendship with a Muslim boy named Janni.Neel and Leila struggle to reconcile their own desires with the expectations of others in this riveting story of two people, two countries, and two ways of life that may be more compatible than they seem.

Chanakya's Chant


Ashwin Sanghi - 2010
    A hunted, haunted Brahmin youth vows revenge for the gruesome murder of his beloved father. Cold, calculating, cruel and armed with a complete absence of accepted morals, he becomes the most powerful political strategist in Bharat and succeeds in uniting a ragged country against the invasion of the army of that demigod, Alexander the Great. Pitting the weak edges of both forces against each other, he pulls off a wicked and astonishing victory and succeeds in installing Chandragupta on the throne of the mighty Mauryan empire.History knows him as the brilliant strategist Chanakya. Satisfied—and a little bored—by his success as a kingmaker, through the simple summoning of his gifted mind, he recedes into the shadows to write his Arthashastra, the ‘science of wealth’. But history, which exults in repeating itself, revives Chanakya two and a half millennia later, in the avatar of Gangasagar Mishra, a Brahmin teacher in smalltown India who becomes puppeteer to a host of ambitious individuals—including a certain slumchild who grows up into a beautiful and powerful woman.Modern India happens to be just as riven as ancient Bharat by class hatred, corruption and divisive politics and this landscape is Gangasagar’s feasting ground. Can this wily pandit—who preys on greed, venality and sexual deviance—bring about another miracle of a united India? Will Chanakya’s chant work again? Ashwin Sanghi, the bestselling author of The Rozabal Line, brings you yet another historical spinechiller.

The Ground Beneath Her Feet


Salman Rushdie - 1999
    This is her story, and that of Ormus Cama, the lover who finds, loses, seeks, and again finds her, over and over, throughout his own extraordinary life in music. Their epic romance is narrated by Ormus's childhood friend and Vina's sometime lover, her "back-door man," the photographer Rai, whose astonishing voice, filled with stories, images, myths, anger, wisdom, humor, and love, is perhaps the book's true hero. Telling the story of Ormus and Vina, he finds that he is also revealing his own truths: his human failings, his immortal longings. He is a man caught up in the loves and quarrels of the age's goddesses and gods, but dares to have ambitions of his own. And lives to tell the tale.Around these three, the uncertain world itself is beginning to tremble and break. Cracks and tears have begun to appear in the fabric of the real. There are glimpses of abysses below the surfaces of things. The Ground Beneath Her Feet is Salman Rushdie's most gripping novel and his boldest imaginative act, a vision of our shaken, mutating times, an engagement with the whole of what is and what might be, an account of the intimate, flawed encounter between the East and the West, a brilliant remaking of the myth of Orpheus, a novel of high (and low) comedy, high (and low) passions, high (and low) culture. It is a tale of love, death, and rock 'n' roll.

Gently Falls The Bakula


Sudha Murty - 2008
    . . Holding a bakula flower in his palm, he was wondering why he was fascinated by this tiny flower, that was neither as beautiful as a rose nor had the fragrance of a jasmine or a champaka. And yet, it was very special to him. It held an inexplicable attraction for him.’ Shrimati and Shrikant are neighbours and star students of their school in the small north Karnataka town of Hubli. It leaves no one in surprise when they come first and second respectively in the final Board exams. Soon Shrikant discovers he is strangely attracted to Shrimati, a plain-looking yet charming person, who always does better than him in the exams. Shrimati too falls in love with the amiable and handsome Shrikant and the two get married. Shrikant joins an IT company and starts rapidly climbing the corporate ladder. He works relentlessly and reaches the pinnacle of his industry, while Shrimati abandons her academic aspirations and becomes his uncomplaining shadow, silently fulfilling her duties as a corporate leader’s wife. But one day, while talking to an old professor, she starts examining what she has done with her life and realizes it is dismally empty . . . Gently Falls the Bakula is the story of a marriage that loses its way as ambition and self-interest take their toll. Written nearly three decades ago, Sudha Murty’s first novel remains startlingly relevant in its scrutiny of modern values and work ethics.

The Girl I Last Loved


Smita Kaushik - 2012
    Or is it? Then what about one sided love...Being friends in spite of knowing your true feelings...The incapability to read eyes...Don't frustration, pain and loneliness lie on the other side of love?Meet Akash, an over achiever, who aims to conquer it all but is unable to love. Kasam, a girl beyond his reach. Though destiny keeps bringing them together, their world seldom collides.When he was a naïve geek, she was the Style Diva.And now when he is a corporate junkie, where faces are masked. She is a professional motivator, who sees even beyond the faces.Two people.Single love story revisited three times.Four proposals.A ten year journey of finding and losing love.Countless moments of serendipity.Yet not a single moment of confession.He lived all his life fighting love...Will he ever fight for love?

Te Amo... I Love You


Rohit Sharma - 2012
    They meet. They fall in love. But soon they realise that love is all about Sacrifices, Efforts and Hope. A sacrifice, which Isabella makes for her family and her love, Aryan. A sacrifice, which compels her to stay with Ethan, the man she hates most, and the man who tortures her everyday ! An effort, which Aryan makes to rescue his love, Isabella, from the dreadful clutches of the extremely powerful Ethan, and his vicious gang. A hope that persistently flares in the hearts of Isabella and Aryan, a hope to stay together, forever. But, will Isabella's selfless sacrifices bring any good to her, or her loved ones? Will Aryan's death-defying efforts be successful? Will Isabella and Aryan's eternal hope eventually come true? Let's unfold together a fascinating saga about passionate love, honest friendships, and ruthless animosity-a story about happiness and togetherness, hatred and revenge, sacrifices and solitude, efforts and hope.

Chokher Bali


Rabindranath Tagore - 1903
    First published as a serial, a novel on love, family and sexuality in Bengal society.

The Runaway Bridegroom (Marriages Made in India)


Sundari Venkatraman - 2014
    But when the bridegroom runs away immediately after the wedding, the Maheshwari family’s world comes crashing down. They move to Jaipur to begin a new life in the city.Fourteen years later, as a management student in Delhi, Chanda takes up a temporary job at RS Software Pvt. Ltd and finds herself falling head-over-heels for her boss, Ranveer Singh. But, for all her feelings, Chanda is still a married woman. Meanwhile, Ranveer’s secretary, Shikha, is determined to win him for herself. Even though his second-in-command, Abhimanyu, keeps getting in the way, she keeps a steady eye on the main prize. So when Ranveer starts to show an interest in Chanda, Shikha is furious. Back in Jaipur, an astrologer predicts that Chanda’s errant husband will soon make an appearance.A secret childhood marriage, a vindictive secretary and unwelcome cosmic predictions—how much can Chanda deal with? And does anyone care about what she wants? Torn between the man she loves and the claim a missing husband still has on her, will Chanda ever find happiness?

Just Friends


Sumrit Shahi - 2010
    She knows everything about him, right from his favourite soccer club to his favourite x rated websites. He will complete her English homework, even at three in the night.She will arrange an Armani suit for him, even if it calls for flirting with ugly guys.He has her picture in his wallet. She has his number on speedial.They talk to each other all the time. They talk about each other when they dont talk to each other. They discuss everything from periods to playstation. They have tasted alcohol and then thrown up...together. They have bunked countless tuitions... together. They cant live without each other. YET They dont love each other. They are JUST FRIENDS...

Dongri To Dubai : Six Decades of The Mumbai Mafia


S. Hussain Zaidi - 2012
    It is the story of notorious gangsters like Haji Mastan, Karim Lala, Varadarajan Mudaliar, Chhota Rajan, Abu Salem, but above all, it is the story of a young man who went astray despite having a father in the police force. Dawood Ibrahim was initiated into crime as a pawn in the hands of the Mumbai police and went on to wipe out the competition and eventually became the Mumbai police’s own nemesis.The narrative encompasses several milestones in the history of crime in India, from the rise of the Pathans, formation of the Dawood gang, the first ever supari, mafia’s nefarious role in Bollywood, Dawood’s move to Karachi, and Pakistan’s subsequent alleged role in sheltering one of the most wanted persons in the world. This story is primarily about how a boy from Dongri became a don in Dubai, and captures his bravado, focus, ambition, and lust for power in a gripping narrative. The meticulously researched book provides an in-depth and comprehensive account of the mafia’s games of supremacy and internecine warfare.

An Equal Music


Vikram Seth - 1999
    Michael Holme is a violinist, a member of the successful Maggiore Quartet. He has long been haunted, though, by memories of the pianist he loved and left ten years earlier, Julia McNicholl. Now Julia, married and the mother of a small child, unexpectedly reenters his life and the romance flares up once more. Against the magical backdrop of Venice and Vienna, the two lovers confront the truth about themselves and their love, about the music that both unites and divides them, and about a devastating secret that Julia must finally reveal. With poetic, evocative writing and a brilliant portrait of the international music scene, An Equal Music confirms Vikram Seth as one of the world's finest and most enticing writers.

Train to Pakistan


Khushwant Singh - 1956
    By the time the monsoon broke, almost a million of them were dead, and all of northern India was in arms, in terror, or in hiding. The only remaining oases of peace were a scatter of little villages lost in the remote reaches of the frontier. One of these villages was Mano Majra.”It is a place, Khushwant Singh goes on to tell us at the beginning of this classic novel, where Sikhs and Muslims have lived together in peace for hundreds of years. Then one day, at the end of the summer, the “ghost train” arrives, a silent, incredible funeral train loaded with the bodies of thousands of refugees, bringing the village its first taste of the horrors of the civil war. Train to Pakistan is the story of this isolated village that is plunged into the abyss of religious hate. It is also the story of a Sikh boy and a Muslim girl whose love endured and transcends the ravages of war.Introduction by Arthur Lall

A Half Baked Love Story


Anurag Garg - 2012
    The tale of his first love Anamika. This story is a feel good love story of these two very different characters as they understand the Pangs and Pleasures of first love while battling with the situations that life has placed them in. The book takes a dig at our so called 'modern society' and peer pressure in one's life.Just when life seems perfect, Love chooses its own routes. From the first glimpse to the last letter! What happens finally?About the AuthorGunjan Narang an aspiring educationist, polishing her mind and teaching skills at Miranda House. Assuming that she was never born to be a teacher, fell in love with the profession, and faced a similar accident in case of writing. Writing, to her, is a means of influencing masses. A sudden encounter with a friend brought her into realization of a hidden spark in her and here she is, with her first recognized work.Optimism and perseverance are the essence of her life. Sensitized towards various social issues, she plans to write about them in near future. Rational and skeptic in approach, she believes not only in dreaming but also in accomplishing those dreams. Honest in expression and rebellious at heart.Anurag Garg not yet a Bachelor of Technology, he's a not so sincere student of Bharti vidyapeeth's college of engineering, New Delhi. After being an unknown pass-out from St Xavier's school and having tried a hand at journalism, he finally found his forte in writing. Simple living and plenty eating is his funda in life.Random thoughts, eligible to be put together in the form of a storyline dragged him to his destiny. Young for his thoughts, he loses himself to them and lives in his fly-by-night imaginations. A little shy to girls, he is a family guy, who believes in learning from every experience. Photography being his field of interest, he also finds himself close to the nature. A keen follower of spirituality and Humanism!

Sacred Games


Vikram Chandra - 2006
    It is is a story of friendship and betrayal, of terrible violence, of an astonishing modern city and its dark side.Seven years in the making, Sacred Games is an epic of exceptional richness and power. Vikram Chandra's novel draws the reader deep into the life of Inspector Sartaj Singh—and into the criminal underworld of Ganesh Gaitonde, the most wanted gangster in India. Sartaj, one of the very few Sikhs on the Mumbai police force, is used to being identified by his turban, beard and the sharp cut of his trousers. But "the silky Sikh" is now past forty, his marriage is over and his career prospects are on the slide. When Sartaj gets an anonymous tip-off as to the secret hide-out of the legendary boss of G-Company, he's determined that he'll be the one to collect the prize. Vikram Chandra's keenly anticipated new novel is a magnificent story of friendship and betrayal, of terrible violence, of an astonishing modern city and its dark side. Drawing inspiration from the classics of nineteenth-century fiction, mystery novels, Bollywood movies and Chandra's own life and research on the streets of Mumbai, Sacred Games evokes with devastating realism the way we live now but resonates with the intelligence and emotional depth of the best of literature.

Sad Girls


Lang Leav - 2017
    Because Audrey told a lie and now her classmate, Ana, is dead. Just as her world begins to spin out of control, Audrey meets the enigmatic Rad—the boy who could turn it all around. But will their ill-timed romance drive her closer to the edge?