One and a Half Wife


Meghna Pant - 2012
    Much to the anxiety of her parents – the spirited Biji and the doting Baba – Amara leads an unremarkable life. That is, until she marries Harvard-educated millionaire, Prashant Roy. However, this fairy-tale isn’t meant to last, and even as Amara’s marriage collapses, she finds herself returning to the land of her birth, to the small city of Shimla. Here, in a borough grappling with questions of modernity, Amara is caught in a tug-of-war between old beliefs and new ones, between parents who favour obedience and new friends who encourage independent thought. With powerful insights, One and a Half Wife traces the coming-of-age of multiple characters, while re-defining family, relationships and love in contemporary India.

MATSYA: The First Avatar


Sundari Venkatraman - 2018
    It’s Asura Hayagriva who’s gotten away with the sacred scriptures.Lord Vishnu offers to go to the creator’s rescue and takes the guise of Matsya, the fish. King Satyavrath lands up with a tiny gold fish when he’s offering prayers to the Sun God one morning. Is the fish all that it appears to be?How can Satyavrath help the fish?Read more to find out the reason for Lord Vishnu taking the avatar on earth as Matsya. *This is a straightforward story of the first avatar of Mahavishnu, retold in simple English just the way it’s written over the ages. The target audience is the youngsters, children, who don’t know all that much about Indian mythology. It’s also for those parents who are keen to read aloud stories to their children and are looking for suitable books on mythology.

If God Was a Banker


Ravi Subramanian - 2007
    Sundeep is ambitious and selfish, which leads him to achieve his goals through unscrupulous means. Swami is the exact opposite as he sticks to his morals and ethics to ensure success in his career. Swami's ideal and ethics keeps him behind Sundeep in terms of performance at the New York International Bank where they both work. Sundeep's rapid rise up the corporate ladder and his popularity with colleagues disguises his real motives and cunning mind. The story also has a main character, who is a friend and counsellor to both of them and he has his own philosophy which is based on his experience and is genuine. He always taught what he deemed right. Inspite of all the facts, the temptation of untold riches was too strong for Sundeep and he continued on his quest for more ill-gotten financial gain. All through the novel, the backdrop is the corporate bank environment, which is so polluted that the characters are portrayed as people who are ready to deviate from the righteous path at the drop of a hat. Women throw themselves at their bosses to advance their position. If God Was A Banker was published in 2007 and it won the Indiaplaza Golden Quill Book Award. The book has sold more than 260,000 books and has been a national bestseller.

An Odyssey in War and Peace


J.F.R. Jacob - 2011
    Of this, the Baghdadi Sephardic community is very small in number but has produced one of India???s greatest contemporary soldiers, Lt Gen. Jack Jacob. This is his fascinating story. As a small boy, Jacob, who was from a business family, was sent to a residential public school in Darjeeling along with his two brothers. When the Second World War broke out, Jacob without informing his family joined the army in 1941 to fight against the Nazis! After Independence, Gen. Jacob became a gunnery instructor for some time and subsequently was trained in an advanced Artillery and Missile course at Fort Sill in the US. A quick learner, he commanded infantry and artillery brigades, headed the artillery school, and finally the Eastern Army. Rubbing shoulders with some of the stalwarts who strode the Indian political and military arena in those times, Gen. Jacob sometimes fell foul of his bosses and twice came close to resigning. But he stuck on and the pinnacle of his career came in 1971, when he planned and oversaw operations leading to the fall of Dacca and obtained an unconditional public surrender, the only one in history, of Gen. Niazi and his army of 93,000. Written lucidly, this autobiography comes to life as a historical document recapitulating some of the most important events of the 1960s to the 90s ??? from the defeat of the Naxalites in West Bengal, to the problems of Nagaland and Sikkim and the politics of Goa and Punjab. This is not only the story of the life of one great soldier, but provides glimpses of some of the most influential and colourful personalities who wrote the history of those tumultuous times.

Dirt Rich: How One Ambitiously Lazy Geek Created Passive Income in Real Estate Without Renters, Renovations, and Rehabs


Mark Podolsky - 2018
    Yet with Mark Podolsky’s tried-and-true technique of raw land investment, you can become Dirt Rich without ever having to battle with a tenant, toilet, or termite. In this step-by-step guide, Mark breaks down his “ultimate subscription model” for creating passive income through the niche of raw land investment. Featuring details on common pitfalls, tips on cultivating an investor’s mind, and advice on working smart instead of hard, this handbook will show you how to obtain a life of fiscal independence, with the flexibility to work where you want, when you want, and with whom you want. Financial freedom is within your reach. It’s time to make your dreams a reality by starting to think dirty.

Closet of Lies


Samruddhi Chandak - 2019
    “ Bogged down by the pressures of a daily hospital routine, 28-year-old cancer-stricken Riddhi's life suddenly picks up pace when she starts receiving mysterious letters from an anonymous sender, who means bloody business. Riddhi finds herself in the fast lane when a renowned top cop is found murdered as mentioned in one of the letters. It is only when CBI officer Kabir Rana gets involved in solving the case, does he realize there is more to Riddhi than meets the eye. When Kabir starts decoding secret clues that would lead him to the murderer, what he comes across shakes him to the core.

The Shaadi Brouhaha


Anjlee Shah - 2015
    Launching a newbie into the Indian matrimonial scene is likeintroducing a new iPhone in an already saturated market – has to be sleek,overflowing with catchy features, and better than the already available versions.So when twenty-five-year-old Nitya Trivedi is forced into it by her ever soenthusiastic mother and pestering relatives, she hardly knows what she hasbargained for.In her journey to find her soul-mate (??!!), she becomes Dollarkumar’sPoundkumari, ends up fasting on party days to make peace with her horrorscope,attends hilarious ‘arranged’ meetings through various matchmakingportals and people – all under the nose of her extremely evil, but deliciouslydebonair boss Rudra Desai.With besties tying the knot and cousins ‘stealing’ prospective grooms…wonderhow Nitya’s mother will find the perfect match for her only daughter.But as always, love will find a way in the midst of The Shaadi Brouhaha..

Chanakya's New Manifesto to Resolve the Crisis within India


Pavan K. Varma - 2013
    270-380 BCE) was classical India's greatest thinker and teacher. Through his unparalleled ability to devise result-oriented military, political, and administrative strategy, he overthrew one king, crowned another and paved the way for the establishment of India's first great empire. His seminal work, the Arthashashtra, arguably the world's first comprehensive treatise on statecraft and governance, was written approximately two thousand years before Machiavelli's The Prince.What would Chanakya do if confronted with the various crises that beset contemporary India? Using this question as the starting point for his new book, celebrated writer and thinker Pavan K. Varma has drawn up a practical and detailed plan, modelled on the Arthashashtra, to bring about reform and change in five key areas that require urgent attention governance, democracy, corruption, security, and the building of an inclusive society. Whether it is laying the foundation for an independent and effective Lokpal, or decriminalizing politics and successfully weeding out the corrupt, the solutions he proposes are substantive, well within the constitutional framework, and can make all the difference between intent and action.Chanakya's New Manifesto is both a call to action as well as a deeply insightful account of the challenges facing the country today. It is a book that should be attentively read by everybody with a stake in India's future.

India's Greatest Speeches


Nitin Agarwal - 2014
    Set to inspire, this book includes some of the most stirring and eloquent addresses by Rabindranath Tagore, Swami Vivekananda, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Mother Teresa, JRD Tata, Abdul Kalam, Nardendra Modi and other influential Indian leaders.This impelling selection of expressive moments of oratory would provide the reader a fresh perspective; evoke feelings of patriotism, inspiration and unbounded motivation. Nitin Aggarwal introduces each speech with relevant information, providing valuable insight.

The Aayakudi Murders


Indra Soundar Rajan - 2019
    When he first arrives in Aayakudi to investigate a curious tip about a ghost, the place seems like an ordinary, traditional farming village. Soon, though, Rajendran finds himself entangled in a head-spinning mystery involving ancient treasure, spirit possession, and a series of grisly killings. There's also the beautiful, troubled daughter of the village panchayat president... and the notorious evil sorcerer who wants her dead. Indra Soundar Rajan, one of the stalwarts of the Tamil pulp fiction scene, has been writing his unique brand of supernatural mystery thrillers for over 30 years. He's also known for his television screenplays, such as the long-running superhit serial Marmadesam (Land of Mystery). He lives in Madurai.

Salman Rushdie: Midnight's Children-The Satanic Verses


David Smale - 2002
    As a novelist and icon, Rushdie has embraced both 'popular' and 'high' culture; reflecting this, the Guide brings together both academic criticism and journalism to investigate the passions and preoccupations of Rushdie's many critics, steering the reader through the inflamed debates and rhetoric surrounding this much admired but controversial author.

Blowback (Lashkar, #3)


Mukul Deva - 2010
    This is the impact of the words of Mukul Deva ... the country's first military thriller writer' - The HinduA warlord in the rugged Tribal Areas of Pakistan pushes his way to the crest of the jihadi wave, seeking to forge an alliance of terror groups to take on the American surge. One of his allies appears to be Pakistan's ISI. But are they using him to attain their own goals? Or is he using them? And for what?Facing the brunt of this deadly double game is the spirited Force 22 represented by Iqbal and Tanaz, just back from Pakistan after their search-and-destroy mission to eliminate Salim, who are catapulted into action as lethal intelligence operations begin to unfold. The third in the action thriller series from India's 'literary storm trooper', Blowback will keep you riveted with its tight plotting and heart-stopping pace.'For a land so strife-torn and terrorism plagued, Mukul Deva's books become topical, close to the hearts of millions of Indians, and offer hope and redemption.' - Eika Chaturvedi Banerjee'Gripping, well narrated action – I read the book in one go.' - Ananth Doraswamy'His in-depth knowledge of affairs military coupled with a lucid style of storytelling makes the reader crave for more.' - Brigadier Sanjeev Kanal'Mukul Deva is an extraordinary writer – his imagination and attention to detail make his characters come alive and one is almost sorry to reach the end.' - Neena Singh

Megatrends Asia


John Naisbitt - 1996
    While the attention of the West has been fixed on the USSR and Eastern Europe, a quieter, cumulative revolution has been taking place in Asia which may have even more profound consequences for world history.

Games Indians Play: Why We Are the Way We Are


V. Raghunathan - 2006
    Raghunathan uses the props of game theory and behavioural economics to provide an insight into the difficult conundrum of why we are the way we are. He puts under the scanner our attitudes towards rationality and irrationality, selflessness and selfishness, competition and cooperation, and collaboration and deception. Drawing examples from the way we behave in day-to-day situations, Games Indians Play tries to show how in the long run each one of us—whether businessmen, politicians, bureaucrats, or just plain us—stand to profit more if we were to assume a little self-regulation, give fairness a chance and strive to cooperate and collaborate a little more even if self-interests were to be our main driving force.

Get Started Investing: It's easier than you think to invest in shares


Alec Renehan - 2021