The thirty nine short stories in this book will blow you away. Starting with a ghoststory by Rabindranath Tagore, India's most famous writer and ending with a fable by Kanishk Tharoor, a writer who has come of age in the twenty first century, these literary masterpieces showcase the extraordinary range and diversity of our story telling tradition. The first recognizably modern Indian short stories were written in Bengal (by Tagore andothers) in the second half of the nineteenth century and writers from other regions werequick to follow suit, often using the form to protest colonial oppression and the various illsafflicting rural and urban India. Over the next century and a half, some of the finest writers the world has seen produced outstanding fiction in every conceivable genre. Many of these stories find a place in this volume, as does work by emerging talent that has never been published in book form before. Here you will find stories of classical realism, ones rootedin folklore and myth, tales of fantasy, humour, horror, crime and romance, stories set invillages, small towns, cities and the moon. They will entertain you and shock you, they will lighten your mood and cast you down, they will move you and they will make you reflect onlife's big and little questions. Most of all, they will make you see the world differently as the greatest stories always do.

    Varun whiles away his time, hopping from pub to pub, spending time with friends and keeping a track of his love interest on Facebook.These traits worry his mother to the bone, compelling her to put the very meddlesome Anu Aunty on the job, to help get her son moving in the right direction in life. Anu Aunty does a rather good job of this, much to Varun's dismay. He then does all that he can to get her off his track, while pursuing his dreams to become an entrepreneur.How I Braved Anu Aunty and Co-Founded A Million Dollar Company is the author’s debut novel and is on its fourth reprint already. Having sold twenty thousand copies in only a month, the book has become a bestseller by national standards. It has also occupied a firm foothold on the bestseller charts for eighty days at a stretch. The author attained initial popularity with his Facebook blog posts, a few of which were sent to his publishers. The book was conceived once they demanded a full manuscript.

    This award-winning collection of adapted classic literature and original stories develops reading skills for low-beginning through advanced students.Accessible language and carefully controlled vocabulary build students' reading confidence.Introductions at the beginning of each story, illustrations throughout, and glossaries help build comprehension.Before, during, and after reading activities included in the back of each book strengthen student comprehension.Audio versions of selected titles provide great models of intonation and pronunciation of difficult words.

    Now she returns with the gripping and expansive story of America’s coming-of-age—told through the extraordinary life of Gypsy Rose Lee and the world she survived and conquered.America in the Roaring Twenties. Vaudeville was king. Talking pictures were only a distant flicker. Speakeasies beckoned beyond dimly lit doorways; money flowed fast and free. But then, almost overnight, the Great Depression leveled everything. When the dust settled, Americans were primed for a star who could distract them from grim reality and excite them in new, unexpected ways. Enter Gypsy Rose Lee, a strutting, bawdy, erudite stripper who possessed a preternatural gift for delivering exactly what America needed. With her superb narrative skills and eye for compelling detail, Karen Abbott brings to vivid life an era of ambition, glamour, struggle, and survival. Using exclusive interviews and never-before-published material, she vividly delves into Gypsy’s world, including her intensely dramatic triangle relationship with her sister, actress June Havoc, and their formidable mother, Rose, a petite but ferocious woman who seduced men and women alike and literally killed to get her daughters on the stage.American Rose chronicles their story, as well as the story of the four scrappy and savvy showbiz brothers from New York City who would pave the way for Gypsy Rose Lee’s brand of burlesque. Modeling their shows after the glitzy, daring reviews staged in the theaters of Paris, the Minsky brothers relied on grit, determination, and a few tricks that fell just outside the law—and they would shape, and ultimately transform, the landscape of American entertainment.With a supporting cast of such Jazz- and Depression-era heavyweights as Lucky Luciano, Harry Houdini, FDR, and Fanny Brice, Karen Abbott weaves a rich narrative of a woman who defied all odds to become a legend—and whose sensational tale of tragedy and triumph embodies the American Dream.

    By the soldier, writer and founder of the world Scouting movement. Recounts Baden-Powell's experiences in espionage during his military career, and talks about 'the sport of spying'. Details some of his adventures scouting out military emplacements in foreign countries, establishing a cover and collecting information. Also details the different types of spies. Baden-Powell shows that spying is a craft that can be learned, but also requires a certain intelligence and ability to swiftly improvise and adapt to situations in the field. The book acts as a great introduction to the field-craft of being a spy. Illustrated with the author's own sketches.

    He also wrote "India: The Siege Within".

    There are many legends about this man, but nothing definite is known about him. The famous Bengali writer, Sunil Gangopadhyay has pieced together this interesting biography, The Fakir, based on many legends.Lalan Fakir united people of different communities through his simple songs that expressed love of mankind and of God, without adhering to any particular religious creed or any traditional spiritual school. His simple teachings alienated the orthodox communities of Hindus and Muslims. But, he inspired thousands of simple folk who were attracted by his songs and by his universal message of love and hope.His simple compositions have since passed into folklore, and his uncomplicated message attracted people of different communities and bound them together during a time of strife and feudal oppression. But, there is no written record of the life history of this mystic. The Fakir is written based on the many legends that abound about him. The author describes Lalan Fakir as a simple young man whose gift of a sweet voice attracts the patronage of a local landlord.While on a pilgrimage with his patron, Lalu contracts smallpox and is presumed dead. His body is set afloat in the river Ganga. However, the young man is rescued and cared for by a Muslim lady. Due to these incidents in his life, he is considered an outcast by the both Hindu and Muslim communities.Based on these life experiences, Lalu then learns and amalgamates the teachings of various religions and preaches a universal path that does not subscribe to any traditionally defined beliefs. He is revered as Lalan Fakir and attracts a huge number of followers.

    He was a valued teammate whose very presence on the ice affected the way the game was played. As an enforcer and as a teammate, Nilan ranks among the greatest of all time; when the cheering stopped, however, Chris Nilan did not do well. The same qualities—his aggressiveness and high-emotion style—that proved so valuable on the ice did not serve him well when his career ended. Nilan turned to drugs and alcohol to dull his pain and nearly died from an overdose. His story is a fascinating and troubling exposé of the booze, bills, and drugs that destroy so many athletes after their careers are over. But it’s also a story of triumph, as Nilan has been the victor in his fight against his demons.

    An intricately researched and elegantly written epic history peopled with larger-than-life characters, it is the work of a major scholar at the peak of his abilities...

    You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

    The result is a refreshingly unique perspective on Austen and her work and a beautifully nuanced exploration of gender, creativity, and domesticity."--Amanda Foreman, bestselling author of Georgianna, Duchess of DevonshireTake a trip back to Jane Austen's world and the many places she lived as historian Lucy Worsley visits Austen's childhood home, her schools, her holiday accommodations, the houses--both grand and small--of the relations upon whom she was dependent, and the home she shared with her mother and sister towards the end of her life. In places like Steventon Parsonage, Godmersham Park, Chawton House and a small rented house in Winchester, Worsley discovers a Jane Austen very different from the one who famously lived a 'life without incident'. Worsley examines the rooms, spaces and possessions which mattered to her, and the varying ways in which homes are used in her novels as both places of pleasure and as prisons. She shows readers a passionate Jane Austen who fought for her freedom, a woman who had at least five marriage prospects, but--in the end--a woman who refused to settle for anything less than Mr. Darcy. Illustrated with two sections of color plates, Lucy Worsley's Jane Austen at Home is a richly entertaining and illuminating new book about one of the world’s favorite novelists and one of the subjects she returned to over and over in her unforgettable novels: home.

    The Forrester family are slowly winning their fight for survival. But fourteen-year-old Helen’s personal battle is to persuade her parents to allow her to earn her own living, to lead her own life after the years of neglect and inadequate schooling while she cared for her six younger brothers and sisters. Her untiring struggles against illness caused by severe malnutrition and dirt (she has her first bath in four years) and, above all, the selfish demands of her parents, make this a story of amazing courage and perseverance.

    In this dazzling novel, based on true-life events, bestselling author Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni presents the unforgettable story of Jindan, who transformed herself from daughter of the royal kennel keeper to powerful monarch. Sharp-eyed, stubborn, and passionate, Jindan was known for her beauty. When she caught the eye of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, she was elevated to royalty, becoming his youngest and last queen--and his favorite. And when her son, barely six years old, unexpectedly inherited the throne, Jindan assumed the regency. She transformed herself from pampered wife to warrior ruler, determined to protect her people and her son's birthright from the encroaching British Empire.Defying tradition, she stepped out of the zenana, cast aside the veil, and conducted state business in public, inspiring her subjects in two wars. Her power and influence were so formidable that the British, fearing an uprising, robbed the rebel queen of everything she had, but nothing crushed her indomitable will.An exquisite love story of a king and a commoner, a cautionary tale about loyalty and betrayal, a powerful parable of the indestructible bond between mother and child, and an inspiration for our times, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's novel brings alive one of the most fearless women of the nineteenth century, one whose story cries out to be told.

    When there's a family problem - her father's arrest for thieving, her mother losing her job at the London Transport Staff Canteen - it is Rose who somehow manages to bring the Humbles through the crisis, But as she grows older and war starts to cast its shadow over all their lives, Rose realises there are some problems a quick wit and a ready tongue cannot solve. And she also comes to see that there are people who are not all they seem...

    Realizing that she really wanted to help people more than be involved in the intricacies of contract law, Michelle left her job at a respected law firm to work in the world of nonprofits, community outreach and mentoring.This civic-mindedness is what she brought with her into the White House, where she strove to make an impact on children’s health, veterans affairs and education. Michelle Obama feels lucky to have had strong female role models in her life, and she has made it part of her life’s work to help empower the next generation of civic leaders.Disclaimer: This is a CONCISE VERSION of Becoming by Michelle Obama. It summarizes the book in detail, to help people understand and implement the original work by Michelle Obama. This book is not meant to replace the original book but to serve as a companion to it.