Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Chapters: Marthandavarma, Khasakkinte Itihasam, Yanthram. Source: Wikipedia. Free updates online. Not illustrated. Excerpt: Marthandavarma ( IPA: Malayalam: , ) is a novel by C.V. Raman Pillai published in 1891. It is presented as a historical romance recounting the history of Venad (Travancore) during the final period of Rajah Rama Varmas reign and subsequently to the accession of Marthanda Varma. The action of story takes place in Kollavarsham 901-906 (Gregorian calendar: 1727-1732). The story revolves around the main protagonists, Ananthapadmanabhan, Subhadra, Mangoikkal Kurrup who are trying to secure the title character from the plans of Padmanabhan Thampi

    This story travels through three different generations and how the culture, habits of people has changed over time, from the girl's point of view.

    Sharad Pawar. The book is a rich, insightful and remarkably frank memoir and a valuable document of the country's recent political history. Sharad Pawar is one of India's key public figures. Through his five- decade-long career, during which he has never lost an election, he has served as chief minister of Maharashtra four times and as India's defence minister and minister for agriculture. On two occasions he came close to becoming the country's prime minister. He has often bucked the trend, preferring policy and pragmatism over populism, and won admiration for his administrative acumen and consensual politics. Eyewitness-at the highest levels-to India's and Maharashtra's history since the 1960s, he shares in this memoir his reflections on coalition politics, the loss of democracy in the Congress Party (with which he began his political life), the state of agriculture and industry in the country, and the absolute necessity of social harmony and a liberal, inclusive ethos for India's future. As he does this, he also gives us rare information about many crises and turning points: Emergency and its impact on national and regional politics; the fall of the Chandrashekhar government in 1991; the signing of the Punjab Accord between Rajiv Gandhi and H.S. Longowal; the Babri Masjid demolition; the Mumbai bomb blasts of 1993; the devastating earthquake in Latur; the controversy over the Enron power project; and Sonia Gandhi's dramatic decision to give up the chance to occupy the country's highest office. Throughout, the narrative also contains candid and fascinating assessments of some of the biggest names in Indian politics, among them, Indira, Rajiv and Sonia Gandhi, Y.B. Chavan, Morarji Desai, Biju Patnaik, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Chandrashekhar, P.V. Narasimha Rao, George Fernandes and Bal Thackeray.

    To accomodate his friends Ish and Omi's passion, they open a cricket shop. Govind's wants to make money and thinks big. Ish is all about nurturing Ali, the batsman with a rare gift. Omi knows his limited capabiltiies and just wants to be with his friends. However, nothing comes easy in a turbulent city. To realize their goals, they will have to face it all - religious politics, earthquakes, riots, unacceptable love and above all, their own mistakes. One Night At The Call Center - The novel revolves around a group of six call center employees working in Connexions call center in the Delhi suburb of Gurgaon in Haryana. It is filled with a lot of drama with unpleasant things happening to all of the leading characters. The story takes a dramatic and decisive turn when they get a phone call from God. The novel has also been adapted into a movie. Five Point Someone - Five Point Someone is a story about three friends in IIT who are unable to cope. The book starts with a disclaimer, 'This is not a book to teach you how to get into IIT or even how to live in college. In fact, it describes how screwed up things can get if you don't think straight.'Three hostelmates - Alok, Hari and Ryan get off to a bad start in IIT - they screw up the first class quiz. And while they try to make amends, things only get worse. It takes them a while to realize- If you try and screw with the IIT system, it comes back to double screw you. Before they know it, they are at the lowest echelons of IIT society. They have a five-point-something GPA out of ten, ranking near the end of their class. This GPA is a tattoo that will remain with them, and come in the way of anything else that matters - their friendship, their future, their love life.

    The inspiring story of one of the most courageous and promising Indian Police services (IPS) officers comes straight from the heart of his wife, Vinita. It traces the life and career of this fearless officer who showed exemplary valour at his postings-be it at the Naxalite-affected Bhandara district, Satara, Sangali, Solapur or Mumbai. It also brings out the details of his life which would inspire many a youngsters. While the Mumbai terror attacks are largely associated with the Taj Hotel, the Trident Hotel, Nariman House and Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) due to wide media coverage, it was lesser-known Cama Hospital incident in which the quickest and the most decisive of action were taken, that too within the first few hours. The only Fidayeen to be ever captured alive Ajmal Kasab, was injured here and three officers-Hemant Karkare, Ashok Kamte, and Vijay Salaskar and their men made the ultimate sacrifice for this. Vinita Kamte's search for truth of the circumstances that led to the death of her brave husband who sacrificed his life for the nation is heart-rending. Vinita fought a tenacious battle along with her twin sister Revati to get to the truth-for which they also invoked the Right To Information Act (RTI) to understand the chronology of the events of that fateful night. The story answers many questions, but raises many more. The book promises to move your heart as it reveals the dynamic career of this brilliant officer who was also a great human being.About the Author: Vinita Kamte is the wife of IPS officer, Late Mr.Ashok Kamte, who was additional commissioner, East Region Mumbai, when he was killed in action in the Mumbai terror attack of November 26, 2008. Vinita has graduated in Bachelor of Socio-Legal subjects(BSL), Bachelor of Laws (LLB) and Masters in Labour Laws and Labour Welfare from Law College, Pune.Vinita Deshmukh is a senior journalist of 22 years standing. Presently, she is the editor of Intelligent Pune, a pro-active, public journalism weekly, which she launched in 2006. She was Senior Editor of the national daily, The Indian Express, Pune. An award winning journalist, she has won the prestigious Chameli Devi Jain award (2008)and The Statesman Award for Rural Reporting twice(in 1998 & 2005)

    The interlinked stories are set in the late twentieth century, before a wave of anticolonialism crested across India and resulted in Bombay's rechristening. The stories feature everyday characters who face challenges unique to Bombay life, from the schoolboy who forms an unlikely friendship with a street vendor to the retired serviceman whose livelihood is threatened by the city's notorious bureaucracy. Readers familiar with Bombay will reawaken their memories, while those new to the city will experience a taste of its varied flavors.

    Ambedkar

    The shrine of Lord Somanath at Prabhas is a very holy place and people flock here for darshan and prayers. Chaula is a very young temple dancer when the story begins. She is just eighteen and has the honour of dancing in front of the Lord on an auspicious day. She is applauded by everyone. She comes across Bheemdev and falls in love with him. The temple is destroyed by Mahmud of Ghazni and this book deals with the historical facts woven interestingly with a story.Jaya Somanath is the story and heroism of Bheemdev and the love of the temple dancer Chaula for him. The story tells of the mortal crisis which Gujarat passed through when Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni attacked and destroyed the sacred temple of Somanath. It is a moving and fascinating story of Gujarat’s fight to save its honour.

    12 HOURS is a perfect blend of Love, Pain and Laughter" - Sanjay Chauhan (Script Writer of Paan Singh Tomar)Every hour of our life scripts a new story. And, every story is colored with a different feeling - Love, Pain, Joy, Sorrow, Trust, Deceit, Excitement, Repentance, Respect, Humiliation, Loneliness and AngerWe all have been a part of these intense emotions, which our heart experiences. We grow among them, feeling them, living them every minute, every hour, and our life is incomplete without them. 12 HOURS is a collection of twelve engrossing and beautifully written stories, which express different emotions and pour out the essence of different relationships. Some stories will make you laugh, while some will shed your tears. Some stories will spread a lesson, while some will electrify your spine. Some stories will make you fall in love, while some will motivate you to succeed. Each story will try to touch one or the other emotion that is nested inside us.In a nutshell, every hour of 12 HOURS will take you on a completely different journey by putting you amid the intriguing lives of the various characters, the characters that look very much real like all of us, the characters that belong to one or the other hour of our life.

    He has enshrined in them every kind of experience from the pangs of hunger and sex to the rapture of mystic vision. Its range includes stark realistic pictures of the material world as well as the realm of fantasy haunted by ghosts and spirits. Basheer has written on love and hate, on politicians and pickpockets, on the fancies of childhood and on the disillusionments of adult life with an intense sense of the tragedy of life and at the same time an irrepressible sense of humour.

    But when Kriya vanishes without a trace, Shakti is unwittingly swept into a cataclysmic vortex of greed, lust and betrayal. Shakti meets Shiva, a struggling Silicon Valley entrepreneur, and discovers that love is an enigmatic cosmic force. Shakti and Shiva are thrust on a frantic race against time through the dark Mumbai underbelly, forbidden Thailand islands, and treacherous cliffs in the Andaman Sea, where danger lurks in every shadow. As they get closer to the truth, they realize that millions of innocent lives are at stake. Quest for Kriya is an epic saga of love, friendship and sacrifice. The journey is incredible. The emotions are real. The transformation is eternal.

    Just into his twentieth year, Akbar readies himself to emerge from behind the veil and stake his claim to the Mughal throne. But the figure of his regent, Bairam Khan, looms large in his path. After an exchange of blows and wits, Bairam Khan is subdued. Akbar forgives him, and forces upon him a pilgrimage to Mecca. On the eve of his departure, Bairam Khan is found murdered in his chamber. With the help of Mahesh Das — a Brahmin who Akbar has befriended — Akbar must find out who killed Bairam Khan. But in the insidious Mughal court — a hotbed of intrigue and suspicion — danger lurks at every step. One false step could cost them their lives.

    Men of peace are spreading the message of the Buddha even as monks are being tortured in the dungeons of Pataliputra. In Magadha, all talk is about the impending war against Kalinga. While King Ashoka plots the movements of his ships and cavalry, Queen Asandhimitra broods over the growing unrest in the kingdom. There is only one man they can both trust to take them through this period of uncertainty and looming danger: the enigmatically named Brahmin, skilful spymaster and custodian of Magadha’s best-kept secrets. Lush with historical detail and unforgettable characters, The Brahmin is an intricately plotted novel that seeks to recreate a near-mythical period in India’s past.

    Salil loves a shadow which transforms into many characters to reveal the secrets of life. Aalya, his neighbor, is doing research in English literature. Her guide Seema is a childless lesbian. Paul, husband of Seema, is a drama director. I am the protagonist, who coins philosophies for day to day events and my wife Sulekha is the second protagonist who makes coincidences happen with her artful manipulations. Read on to learn what happens when....

    It revolves around a limited number of characters, confines itself in time and space, and has a well-plotted narrative that drives its central theme. Within the traditional framework, however, creativity flowers and a fresh and imaginative story emerges. This volume is chock-full with such stories, written by authors well known in their regional languages as well as those who have made a name for themselves in English literary circles. Carefully selected by India's literary giant, the late Khushwant Singh, these pieces represent the best of Indian writing from around the country.