Under The Mango Tree


BINA PILLAI - 2019
    September 1975. Diya Nair is eighteen, a diligent student, hopelessly in love with Aditya. Married against her wishes to Rajagopal, ten years older than her, Diya is exposed to an orthodox family where they follow archaic customs that are alien to her modern upbringing. Despite this, Diya adjusts to her life in Rajagopal's ancestral house, winning his family over and even changing some of their regressive practices. But she is not able to understand Rajagopal. She gives her all to the marriage, and is blessed with two wonderful kids who become her world. Only Rajagopal's erratic, abusive behaviour is a constricting thorn in her side. He continues to break her spirit. Her thoughts keep returning to Aditya and the mango sapling they had planted together as proof of their love. Eating the fruits of the tree together seems a distant dream, an impossibility. Made resilient by repeated tribulations, will Diya overcome her biggest problems and find peace? Will Aditya and Diya ever reunite? Will Rajagopal mend his ways? Will her confidence help her find the balance in turmoil? And will life come a full circle for Diya under the very mango tree she had planted? To know more, undertake this nostalgic trip with true incidents, happenings and emotions interspersed with a dosage of fiction.

And So Can You!


Dr. Roopleen - 2018
    Roopleen. This book contains the success stories of 17 renowned doctors namely Virendra Sarwal, Ashok Khurana, Lingam Vijaya, Muralidhar V. Pai, Krishna R. Murthy, Suresh K. Pandey, Jyotirmay Biswas, Barnali Das, Mahipal S. Sachdev, Praveen R. Murthy, Anita Panda, Jas Kohli, Dhanashree Ratra, Sarbjit Singh, Vidushi Sharma, Vinay R. Murthy and Sundaram Natarajan. It’s indeed a must read for all those young hearts aspiring to become doctors and also the other people in general who think that all the doctors are corrupt and they don’t feel, because firstly doctors are humans too, and not every doctor is bad, they sacrifice their personal lives to give birth and rebirth to others lives. Everyone knows that it takes a lot to become a good doctor, but what people think is that the big fat books are the only hurdles. But the truth is, the books are only a petty thing, the circumstances and plot twists of life is the real struggle. In the book we get to read about seventeen different doctors who had their fair share of struggle and all went through equal ups and downs. Their lives offered them different types of barriers in the way to their goals but one thing is there that they all have in common- None of them gave up. They continued to fight through the worst of situations. Even when the world were against them, they kept holding on to their dream. And they all worked hard and put in a lot of effort to get where they are today. Nothing in life comes without a price. They paid the price through immense hard work and now life is paying them back with success and happiness. I feel that the book is not only inspiring for to be doctors but also for other students from any stream and subject. Because the point of the book is the struggle to reach success not just the struggle to become doctor. The book also contains quotes and advice for the medical students. It warns them of the pros and cons. It is the best feeling in the world to give someone life but then there js sacrificing of personal time, family time, vacations, and yes again, there’s a lot of dedication and hard work required. It’s a full package and a complete punch of knowledge and motivation. The stories are destined to stir hearts and motivate souls. Every journey is aspiring in it’s own way. The hurdles were strong, but the will power and self motivation was stronger. It’s very easy to give up but then once you give up the rest of your lives you have to struggle to make a living. You struggle now, the rest of your lives will contain only flowers. Overall I’d like to rate this book 9/10. It was a good and satisfying read after a long time.

The Unsolved case of an Indian woman


Puneeth JH - 2020
    

Life Unknown - A Passage Through India


Kartikeya Ladha - 2020
    It takes him to the sacred waters of the Ganges River, and ultimately on a 1000 km pilgrimage by foot across South India, following the echoes of a cryptic message.This story speaks directly from the author’s heart to an audience considering the idea of leaving everything they know behind to embrace life in its raw and untamed magnitude and search for understanding and meaning.

Dignity and Grace


Alison Ragsdale - 2020
    Reeling from what she reads, Iona soon discovers a mysterious, faded photograph of Grace, hidden inside her cello case.Honoring her mother's request, Iona visits Grace's beloved music teacher, taking the first step on an emotional trail of discovery that has been left for her. As Grace's story unfolds, Iona gains a deeper insight into the mother she lost and the heartbreaking truth about Grace’s last months. The more Iona learns, the more she is drawn back to her family home, on the remote Scottish island of Orkney, and to her father.

The Grandmaster & Other Short Stories


Chinmaya Desai - 2019
    Through his lucid and captivating writing, he brings to the fore how there is always something more than what meets the eye. The Grandmaster & other short stories is a selection of fictional tales that provide a glimpse of life’s different facets and oddities. It is these experiences that make our journey interesting, colourful and ends where you least expected it to.  Explore these fast-paced tales, with a twist that will keep you turning pages till you reach the end…

Once There Was Me: The Extraordinary Life of an Unknown Indian


Bobby Sachdeva - 2020
    As a fourteen year-old, his world turns upside down, exactly at the age his father had escaped from Pakistan during the Partition of India. Recovering from the trauma, Bobby re-builds his business and journeys across the US and China, experiencing a life unhindered by religious animosity. Having experienced both sides of religion—of immersion and detachment—he starts questioning the role of religion in our lives. Based on his vision of an emergent India, Bobby finally submits a PIL in the Supreme Court for religious shrines to distribute their excess income for the downtrodden. What happens next as religious hardliners turn against him?

Yakshini


Neil D'Silva - 2017
    Down on Earth, a couple in Maharashtra is expecting their seventh child and is performing a special yajna to fulfil their desires. By a strange quirk of fate, these two distinctly different lives are soon to be intertwined. Fifteen-year-old Meenakshi is no ordinary girl. Blessed with celestial attributes, she has beauty that would rival a goddess’, a unique communion with nature and a supernatural being living inside her. Even so, Meenakshi lives amongst men and eventually, the evil eye falls upon her. That’s when the Yakshini inside her awakens. As the Yakshini takes control, Meenakshi is catapulted into a world of passion and violence that even threatens her husband life. Neil D’Silva’s Yakshini is a toe-curling, spine-tingling tale where mythology comes deliciously alive on the page. With its fantastic creatures and unforgettable characters, the book highlights the tussle between the supernatural and the human, sure to enchant all readers.

Murder Before Carnival: A Tale Of The Floating Body


Sameer Kumar - 2020
    The stakes soared rooftop when a lifeless corpse was found inside an idol during the celebration of Durga Puja. The sizzle and chill was observed by all. Aahana, an independent psychologist, was assigned the case in isolation by higher authorities when it was ascertained that the murder was being covered-up internally. How deep she can go to exhume the purpose of enormity is for her to decide.

If I Could Remember


Vedant Saxena - 2021
    Only to find it was a dream. Or was it? He can’t differentiate between reality and dreams. And his memories lapses aren’t helping him either. Haunted by a past he can’t remember about, he stands at odd with the society, and his family—who favours their prodigal son, Yash.UNTIL! He discovers the session tapes of his classmate Ananya, in his psychiatrist father’s office. What’s in those tapes that incite fear in the school diva? When the tapes go missing from the office, he believes something sinister is being protected. Meanwhile, he is able to win the trust of Ananya, who reluctantly bares her traumatic past, revealing she was—RAPED & MOLESTED. It compels him to seek justice for her. But, the evils bestowed upon her stretch deep, even forcing her to—KILL.Will he be able to save her after the revelation of his family‘s involvement in her destruction? Or will the truth drive him to insanity?In this vicious dark thriller, everyone’s a liar. Everyone is hiding a secret which can’t come to light...

Brand New Start: Fast-Start Your Career with the Power of Personal Branding


Mainak Dhar - 2021
    Brand New Start teaches you that a lot of success at the start of your career hinges on how well you understand, articulate and present the most important brand you can work on.You.Combining the wisdom and experience of a CEO gained over two and a half decades in the corporate world with the accessible and engaging storytelling of a bestselling novelist, Brand New Start is a unique book. It will make you reflect, smile, rethink some things you've taken for granted, and ultimately equip you with practical advice on how to build a more authentic, more compelling and more differentiated personal brand as a cornerstone of your career success.Brand New Start empowers and equips young employees to fast-start their careers by unlocking the X factor of their personal brand.

Once Upon Us (Part I)


Abhiishek Mohta - 2019
    With the notes in his soul, he feels the rhythm in his rhymes and the beat of the instruments even when he closes his eyes. When he meets Saatvika Lakhiani, her voice and her form inspire that music and shine through every interaction they have. There is something about her that pulls him and calls to him… an underlying feeling that maybe she is the one who will complete him and be the partner he need. However, sorority princess Abhilasha walks and talks as if Arjun is already hers, a fact that seems surer by the day. While Saatvika is not exactly looking for a relationship, there is something about Arjun that makes her catch her breath – and ensures that a confrontation with Abhilasha is inevitable.

The Speaking Stone


Ratnadip Acharya - 2019
    A quest to know the origin of the stone brought him to the distant part of the country. Chandannagar, December 2016: A young vivacious historian woman read an old book on a century-old secret story about a little known part of the country. Her curiosity got the better of her as the book disappeared mysteriously before she could complete it. She reached a sleepy quaint state of the country to satiate her curiosity. Eventually they both met and their search began from the city museum to a far-flung rock mountain which revealed a century-old story of a seductive danseuse, her enigmatic lover, a string of her admirers, a painter with a photographic memory, a bird that could speak in many voices, a benevolent king and a gruesome conspiracy. And the most important clue to decode the final secret was with the missing part of "The Speaking Stone" But in the process of unearthing old secrets, their life was also in danger… To know more read... The Speaking Stone.********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************* About the Author: Ratnadip Acharya is the author of two successful novels, Life is Always Aimless... Unless you love it and Paradise Lost & Regained. He is a columnist for the Speaking Tree in The Times of India. He contributed many write-ups in different collections of Chicken Soup for the Soul. He lives in Mumbai with his wife, Sophia and son, Akash. He can be contacted via the following channels Website: www.ratnadipacharya.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheRatnadip Facebook: www.facebook.com/ratnadip.acharya.5, Instagram: www.instagram.com/ratnadipacharya Twitter: www.twitter.com/RatnadipAcharya

Those Delicious Letters


Sandeepa Datta Mukherjee - 2020
    Never one for cooking, but drawn by the nostalgia and lured into the delicious world of forgotten food, Shubha starts experimenting with the recipes. The dishes are an instant hit with everyone she knows -- everyone except Sameer, her very busy husband.As Shubha tries to find the mysterious writer and her own life begins to unravel, the notes from a bygone era give her courage to take a second chance at life.Torn between the taste of success that the letters bring her, and the need to save her marriage, Shubha must find the perfect recipe for love.

My Better Half Forever


Arushi Vats - 2021
    Her life once revolved around her brother who later became a memory of the past. With a dysfunctional family and grieving the loss of her brother, Malvika decides to begin a new chapter in life by stepping into the gates of college, not knowing what fate awaits her. One glance at Rahul on the first day and she feels something mysterious. The smart and confident Rahul looks at her and it appears to him like they are soulmates, waiting to have their lives entangled in unconditional love.