Hi all,
With Schools re-opening and T 20 out of the way, guess parents can now breathe free and find time for reading. We have this huge list of books reviewed and huger pile listed. Do drop in and browse and make your selection.
Indian Writing
“The Hotel At The End Of The World” by Parismita Singh @ Rs.350/- (Pgs.139)
Drawing from various oral storytelling and folklore traditions, and with influences ranging from Commando war comics to World War II history and Buddhist art, Parismita Singh creates a world that’s magical yet very real. Exquisite in terms of both narrative and artwork, The Hotel at the End of the World marks a new height in graphic fiction in India.
In The Hotel at the End of the World its business as usual, as Pema dishes up rice and pork curry to travellers who stop by for a drink and refuge from the rains. Everyone there has a story to tell, and at times they end up revealing more than they want to.
On their journey to China, Kona and Kuja, bound together by fate, stumble upon the trail of the Floating Island, promised land of plenty. Pema’s story is about lost love, while her husband speaks of homesick Japanese soldiers in Manipur and the Naga hills during World War II. The Prophet takes us back to the quest for the Floating Island, leading us to the little girl’s story as she sets out to fetch water and chances upon something quite unexpected…
“The Strike” by Anand Mahadevan @ Rs.299/- (Pgs.274)
Hari, a 12 year old living in the 1980s trying to make sense of his tumultuous and complex world. He experiments at eating fish which only leads to the accidental death of his grandmother; he prefers Hindi over his mother tongue Tamil which leads to slanderous graffiti against his family in Madras; and his friendship with the household help lands him in trouble with Vishu, a militant Tamil film fan and political functionary.
When MGR, the film star turned politician, dies and his supporters led by Vishu declare a strike, trapping Hari and his mother in a train bound for Madras…matters come to a head. Oblivious to the cross currents of tension pulsating outside the train, Hari experiences the first stirrings of his adolescent sexuality in the company of an aspiring actor and a loquacious transsexual. Hari’s attempt to help has devastatingly tragic results when protestors try to take over the engine of the train and the driver fights to keep them out. This is a wonderfully accomplished debut, and a tender story about childhood and family that is also evocative of a whole era.
“The Orphan Diaries” by Shashi Warrier @ Rs.299/- (Pgs.465)
At 38, feeling ancient and used up, Colonel Rajan Menon knows his best years as a commando are behind him. But he is soon tested as never before. The Prime Minister’s granddaughter has been abducted, and the kidnappers want some sensitive diaries in the possession of the CBI, the contents of which, if made public, can throw the country into turmoil. Raja works out a meticulous rescue plan, but the raid ends in a disaster – the girl is killed, not a single kidnapper is captured and the diaries disappear. And all the evidence points to Raja’s complicity.
Hounded by the police and, inexplicably, a ruthless psychopath, Raja is on the run, determined to clear his name. As he makes his harrowing journey towards the truth, a sinister plot unfolds an astounding account that began in 1947…
“Atlas of Unknowns” by Tania James @ Rs.660/- (Pgs.319)
It’s a tale of two sisters, Anju and Linno, who are set out on their journey of life… They have been raised in Kerala by their father after their mother’s mysterious death.
Linno is a type of a girl, who can’t promise herself, the way other girls do – I want a house and two children, boy and girl. She wants smooth weighted paper, a new set of soft pencils, a room in which to draw, a window of time… Whereas, Anju is a girl who wishes her family could know of her hardships, which are mostly hardships of heart and to know her loneliness without having to say the word ‘lonely’… Tania James, has beautifully painted the two worlds of the novels – India & America, and has told the story of two sisters whose bonds are powerfully tested
“The Middleman” by Sankar (trs. by Arunava Sinha) @ Rs.200/- (Pgs.192)
This particular story is based in Calcutta of the 70s. Somnath Banerjee is one of the young men who queue up at the employment exchange everyday. This book basically portrays the journey of Somnath Banerjee from an idealistic man into a corrupt businessman and how the city changed his morals and values and made him a totally money driven person. After the hugely successful Chowringee, this translation was much awaited. This was made into the film “Jana Aranya” by Satyajit Ray.
“If It Is Sweet” By Mridula Koshy @Rs.295/- (Pgs 283)
Here is a collection of short stories that are lovely, dark and deep…In these stories, families are seen in their whole corrosive element, and the poor and disenfranchised are returned to history – in language that’s affecting, tender, unexpected, like translations from a tongue infinitely superior to our own.
Her writing is deeply attentive and fearless, telling us the stories other writers overlook, or do not wish to tell: the household thoughts that must always remain silent, the disavowed dramas of the city, the heartbreaking proximity of opposite emotions.
This is a book of savage, beautiful writing, when empathy and curiosity flood over the usual barricades of the imagination – and remind us, indeed, what real writing is.
Fiction:
“The Thing Around Your Neck” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie @ Rs.299/- (Pgs 218)
A medical student hides from a violent riot with a poor Muslim woman whose dignity and faith force her to confront the realities and fears she’s been pushing away…
A woman unlocks the devastating secret that surrounds her brother’s death…
The choking loneliness of a Nigerian girl who moves to an America that turns out to be nothing like the country she expected…
From the author of The Purple Hibiscus and Half of a Yellow Sun, come twelve dazzling stories in which the author turns her penetrating eye on the ties that bind men and women, parents and children, Nigeria and the West. Searing and profound, suffused with beauty, sorrow and longing, this collection is a resounding confirmation of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s prodigious storytelling powers.
“The Paris Enigma” by Pablo De Santis @ Rs.295/- (Pgs.324)
Pablo De Santis was born in Buenos Aires, studied Literature at the Universidad de Buenos Aires and subsequently worked as a journalist and comic strip creator, becoming Editor- in chief of one of the Argentina’s leading comics magazines, Fierro. De Santis is also the author of many books for young adults. He lives in Buenos Aires.
Introducing the twelve detectives, the greatest sleuths in the world, gathered together for the first time at the 1889 world’s fair in Paris. See the wonderful new work of engineering genius by Gustave Eiffel. Marvel at Buffalo Bill’s world famous show. Witness the sewage tribes of France’s colonies gathered here for the first time! But beware a killer is at large who will test the genius of the twelve to their limits. Secret societies, strange puzzles and seemingly impossible crimes wait within the pages of this book.
“The Secret Fire” by Martin Langfield @ Rs.250/- (Pgs.461)
The world is under threat…from a weapon launched in 1944.
A paper by Sir Isaac Newton is sold at auction to a bookseller’s agent and within minutes of leaving the auction house, he is killed and the paper stolen. The Nazis get their hands on Newton’s formula that will unleash The Secret Fire – a weapon beyond all imagining that can wipe their enemies off the face of the earth. And this document is the key…unless the French Resistance and SOE operatives also on its tracks can stop them.
New York, 2007, Katherine Reckliss learns her grandmother’s SOE radio has started picking up disturbing messages from occupied France, warning that a VI containing The Secret Fire is being launched by the Nazis. It’s target? Present day London. So begins the desperate race to halt The Secret Fire – both in 1940’s Nazi-occupied France and modern day London. The clock is ticking as history starts to re-write the future in a new and terrifying script…
“Daemon” by Daniel Suarez @ Rs.499/- (Pgs.432)
‘We are all connected…There is no escape’
What is Daemon? A computer program that runs continuously in the background and performs specified operations at predefined times or in response to certain events.
Recruiting acolytes from the dispossessed and disaffected, the Daemon grows stronger with each passing day. We face a stark choice: confront a faceless, formless monster or learn to live in a world we are no longer in control. An infernal web of autonomous computer programs, Sobol’s Daemon feasts on the lifeblood of our hyper-connected society viz: information. Gathering secrets and stealing identities, it soon has the power to change lives as well as the power to take them. Those who serve the Daemon are rewarded; those who defy it are eliminated.
“The Split Second” by John Hulme and Michael Wexler @ Rs.299/- (Pgs.301)
‘When time is running out, ever second counts’
Becker Drane is just like every other 13-year-old…trying to live a normal life…But what makes his different than other 13-year-olds is that he has got the best job in the world! - being a fixer in The Seems – the organisation responsible for making our world work! And shuffling between his job and being a normal 13-year-old is sometimes just impossible!
One day, on the way to a family holiday, a bomb explodes in the department of time and Becker is called in to mend the damage. It’s his toughest mission yet, and Becker finds himself going to places in The Seems he never knew existed, and meeting people long thought dead.
Can Becker repair the split second before he runs out of time for ever?
“Rogue” by Danielle Steel @ Rs.240/- (Pgs.480)
Rogue: a mischievous person, a scamp, a rascal, an impish or playful young person – Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary.
Maxine Williams was very happy when she got married to Blake a beautiful, charismatic but very irresponsible and unpredictable person. As an entrepreneur he is earning millions but fails to perform as a husband. Now when they are separated and getting settled in their own lives, Blake wants Maxine in his life again – as a partner in a humanitarian project. She finds him changed from a carefree playboy to compassionate, responsible grown-up.
Here comes a new novel for all Danielle Steel’s fan’s… ‘Rogue’
Socio-Eco-Pol / Current Affairs:
“From Fatwa To Jihad: The Rushdie Affair and Its Legacy” by Kenan Mallik @ Rs.399/-
‘A thorough and highly readable history of the politics of the Rushdie affair and an important intervention in the current debate on freedom of expression’ – Monica Ali
It was in 1989, where a thousand Muslim protestors paraded through a British city displaying a copy of The Satanic Verses before ceremoniously burning the book. It was an act motivated by rage and offence as well as one calculated to shock and offend. It did more than that: images of the burning book become an icon of Muslim anger. These images of protest announced the birth of a new world. The ‘Rushdie Affair’ raised many questions twenty years later – of Islam’s relationship to the West, the meaning and value of multiculturalism, the limits of tolerance in a liberal society – have become defining issues of our time.
By taking the Ayatollah Khomeini’s fatwa condemning Rushdie as his starting point, Kenan Malik examines how radical Islam gained hold in Muslim communities, how multiculturalism contributed to this process, and how the Rushdie affair has transformed the very nature of the debate on tolerance and free speech.
Here is an original and vividly insightful account of one of the major historical punctuation marks of the last twenty-five years.
“Hegemony or Survival” by Noam Chomsky @ Rs.275/- (Pgs.301)
America’s quest for global dominance…
Here is a compelling analysis of America’s pursuit of total domination and the catastrophic consequences that are sure to follow. In Hegemony or Survival, Chomsky exposes the real motives behind America’s quest for power, from US funding of repressive regimes to the current ‘war on terror.’ Insightful and brave, this towering polemic reveals him to be one of the radical heroes of our time.
“Branding India: An Incredible Story” by Amitabh Kant @ Rs.499/- (Pgs.267)
How do you bring a magnificently diverse country – with twenty-eight states, seven union territories, eighteen official languages and 1.12 billion people – under one brand?
How did a sleeping giant like India get its act together? How did government departments not normally known for their speed, dynamism or flexibility build and nurture a brand? How did infrastructure keep pace with the demand so that what was promised to tourists could be delivered?
In what was a complex and massive exercise, this is exactly what the author, Amitabh Kant, former joint secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, and his colleagues cutting across various government departments achieved as they put India on the World Tourism Map with their ‘Incredible India’ campaign.
Launched in 2002 when travel to India was down in the dumps – in the wake of the destruction of the World Trade Centre, the war on Afghanistan and the attack on Indian Parliament – the ‘Incredible India’ campaign triggered a take-off of Indian tourism. This fascinating success story, written by an insider, becomes even more relevant today as the Indian tourism industry again faces a slowdown because of the economic downturn and the attacks on Mumbai in November 2008. Scholarly as well as personal, the book is essential reading for the travel and tourism industry as well as the layperson, and an inspiring business case study that shows how even the bureaucracy can be as dynamic as anyone in the private sector.
“Common Wealth: Economics for A Crowded Planet” by Jeffrey Sachs @ Rs. 350/- (Pgs 386)
Common Wealth explains the most basic economic reckoning that the world faces…Despite the rearguard opposition of some vested interests, policies to help the world’s poor and the global environment are in fact the very best economic bargains on the planet. Jeffrey Sachs is one of the world’s leading thinkers and activists in economic development. In this inspiring new book he sets out a realistic, practical plan for solving the most severe crises our world faces – population growth, climate change, extreme poverty – in a way that will ultimately benefit all of us.
By harnessing new technology and a new ethic of global co-operation, he shows we can find common ground in our crowded world, leaving a healthy, healed planet for future generations. It is a book appealing equally to the head and the heart.
“Malicious Medicine – My experience with fraud and falsehood in infertility clinics” by Anitha Jayadevan @ Rs.150/- (Pgs.105)
A simple slim book, but one that highlights/ brings to light the malpractices and cover-ups indulged by unethical medical practioners and clinicians. Assisted Reproductive Technology or ART is big business today – and a lot of clinics in every big or small town offer the entire range of treatment from intrauterine insemination (IUI), in vitro fertilization (IVF), intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) to surrogate motherhood. This book, though coming from a harrowing personal trauma has questions to ask of the medical world and the society that allows unethical practices go unchecked.
Management:
“The Power Of Four: leadership lessons of crazy horse” by Joseph.M.Marshall III @ Rs.399/- (Pgs.168)
The author was born on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota and raised by his maternal grandparents. He is a historian, educator, motivational speaker, and Lakota craftsman, and has worked as both technical advisor and actor in television movies including the award-winning Into the West.
In 1876, the warrior Crazy Horse led a hundred riders in a spectacularly courageous charge against Custer’s last stand. What can his example teach us about true leadership today? The best selling author of the Lakota Way retells the great chief’s story to reveal the four principles that made Crazy Horse a dynamic and compassionate leader, not only in battle but in life lessons that all of us can use whether we lead or follow.
“Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us” by Seth Godin @ Rs.375/- (Pgs.131)
In this book, Seth Godin argues that today everyone has an opportunity to start a movement to bring together a tribe of like – minded people and do amazing things. And yet too many people ignore the opportunity to lead because they are ‘sleepwalking’ their way through their lives and work, too afraid to question whether their compliance is doing them – or their company any good.
Tribes is for those who don’t want to be the sheep and instead have a desire to do fresh and exciting work. If you have a passion for what you want to do and the drive to make it happen, there is a tribe of fellow employees, or customers, or investors, or readers, just writing for you to connect with each other and lead them where they want to go.
“Nudge” by Thaler & Sunstein @ Rs.299/- (Pgs.396)
Are you looking for a book that changes the way you think about choice? A book showing how you can influence people and improve decisions about health, wealth and happiness…
Here is a book using eye-opening real-life examples, having the authors show that no choice is ever presented in a neutral way.
Now the question is: When do we need a nudge in the right direction?
This book fundamentally changes the way you think about the world and its bigger problems, but also about yourself. Just as surprising, it is fun to read, drawing on examples as far as a field as urinals, organ donations and marriage.
This book won’t just nudge you – it will knock you off your feet!
“Radical Trust: How Today’s Great Leaders Convert People to Partners” by Joe Healey @ Rs.350/- (Pgs.224)
In this engaging and hard-hitting guide to leadership, using inspiring case studies and stories of real leaders, Healey reveals a simple yet powerful method for teaching the four competencies necessary to build performance enhancing trust that form the foundation of financial success in this age of global competition. Radical Trust is a practical, proven guide that actually shows managers how to create the kind of trust that makes a difference.
Once you discover the four competencies inside, you’ll know how to engage the full potential of all your people. Whether you’re a senior-, middle-, or supervisory-level manager, the practical ideas and examples will enable you to quickly modify and expand the way you lead so you can produce tangible results. You’ll learn to generate a radical trust that fuels passion and creates energizing focus. People simply work harder and better for people they trust and admire.
Personalities:
“The Mahatma And The Monkeys”: What Gandhiji Did, What Gandhiji Said” By Anu Kumar @ Rs. 150. Introductory Price Rs 125/- (Pgs 181)
This book, for today’s kids with an introduction by Anupam Kher, brings together the most interesting incidents that shaped Gandhiji’s life and his most important sayings. From his quest for truth, non-violence, equality and freedom, from the lessons he learned, and from his powerful words, you too can learn to be a little bit like Gandhiji.
Through what he did and what he said Gandhiji inspired millions of Indians and made one of the mightiest empires in the world bow to his dream: freedom for India. That’s what made him an uncommon man and the greatest leader of the millennium. And that’s why, even decades after his death, his work and his words matter in today’s world. Mahatma Gandhi never said, “What can I do, I’m only one person.” Instead he said, “In a gentle way, you can shake the world.” And he did.
“A Life of Change” by Noshir H. Antia @ Rs.299/- (Pgs.189)
Antia’s autobiography tells in a delightful style, laced with humour, the story of an extraordinary individual who distinguished himself in many fields and adorned whatever he touched. Noshir H. Antia became a doctor by accident. He wanted to be a forest officer like his grandfather and uncle. But life took a different turn once he chose medicine as his profession. From a modest beginning in Hubli, he became a pioneer of plastic surgery in modern India and established one of the earliest burns units in the country. He realized that ‘health’ could not be the domain of medical science alone, but needed to be framed by the social, cultural and economic perspectives of the common people. He and his team began training women volunteers – an experiment that became the blueprint for the Community Health Workers’ Scheme. In this candid and critical account, Antia is unsparing of the medical profession and laments the emergence of the ‘health industry’ at the cost of ‘health for all.’
“Noon, with a view: Courage and Integrity” by Gulam Noon @ Rs.499/- (Pgs.205)
This is a candid story from a man who values highly his family, friends and country – both his birthplace and his adopted home. Throughout his life, Sir Gulam has made many friends and helped innumerable people, and when the Noon Products factory was destroyed by fire, both friends and clients were there to help him recover. After the Noon Foundation was established and he was awarded an MBE, his time was spent working with many different charities and, in 2002, the Queen honoured him with a knighthood. Sir Gulam accepted nomination for a peerage but the ‘cash for honours’ storm erupted which he related the incident from his personal perspective – his anger, humiliation, frustration and depression.
Reflecting upon the tough questions facing Britain today, such as education, immigration, terrorism, and the role of the government and private citizens, he pulls no punches and his indomitable spirit commands respect – his story demands to be read!
“A Taste of Life: The Last Days of U.G.Krishnamurti” by Mahesh Bhatt @ Rs.225/- (Pgs.161)
‘Those who talk about death don’t want to die. I don’t want to go and I don’t want to stay’
Here is a bare, intensely personal account of a bedside vigil with the dying, A Taste of Life records the final days that well-known film-maker Mahesh Bhatt spent with U.G. Krishnamurti, narrating how, in death, U.G. shows the author and us a way to live life.
It was on the afternoon of 22 March 2007, U.G. Krishnamurti passed away in Vallecrosia, Italy. Known as the ‘anti-guru’, the ‘raging sage’ and the ‘thinker who shuns thought’, U.G. spent his life destroying accepted beliefs in science, god, mind, soul, religion, love and relationships – all the props man uses to live life. And when U.G. knew that it was time for him to go, he refused all attempts to prolong life with medical help. He let nature, and his body, take its course.
History:
“The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of The World” by Niall Ferguson @ Rs.595/- (Pgs.442)
Niall Ferguson, famed for his clarity and verve, reveals financial history as the essential back-story behind all history…that sooner or later every bubble will bursts, and that’s why, whether you’re scraping by or rolling in it, there’s never been a better time to understand the Ascent of Money.
In this book, Ferguson shows that finance is in fact the foundation of human progress. Bread, cash, dosh, dough, loot, lucre, moolah, readies, the wherewithal: call it what you like, money matters. To Christians, the love of it is the root of all evil. To generals, it is the sinews of war; to revolutionaries, the shackles of labour. But what exactly is money? Is it a mountain of silver, as the Spanish conquistadors thought? Or will mere clay tablets and printed paper suffice? How did we come to live in a world where most money is invisible, little more than numbers on a computer screen? Where did money come from? And where did it all go?
He explains why the origins of the French Revolution lie in a stock market bubble caused by a convicted Scots murderer. He shows how financial failure turned Argentina from the world’s sixth richest country into an inflation-ridden basket case – and how a financial revolution is propelling the world’s most populous country from poverty to power.
“The Legend Of Sigurd & Gudrun” By J.R.R Tolkien @ Rs. 899/- (Pgs 377)
Many years ago, Tolkien composed his own version, now published for the first time, of the great legend of Northern antiquity, in two closely related poems to which he gave the titles The New Lay of the Volsungs and The New Lay of Gudrun. Deriving his version primarily from his close study of the ancient poetry of Norway and Iceland known as the Poetic Edda (and where no old poetry exists, from the later prose work the Volsunga Saga), Tolkien employed a verse-form of short stanzas whose lines embody in English the exacting alliterative rhythms and the concentrated energy of the poems of the Edda.
“In Our Time: the speeches that shaped the modern world” by Hywel Williams @ Rs.550/- (Pgs.215)
In Our Time brings together 40 of the most memorable, eloquent and influential speeches since 1945. From stark warnings against the threat of totalitarianism to celebrations of independence long fought for, and from rallying calls for political change to passionate defences of moral principle. Hywel William’s choice of speeches is richly eclectic in scope. This is an anthology with many voices: dictators and democrats, liberals and conservatives, nationalists and internationalists, soldiers and peace-makers, statesmen and entrepreneurs. Each speech is accompanied by a biography of the speaker, a concise introduction setting it in historical context, and a brief account of its impact and consequences. Every major speech of the post-war era can be found within these pages, including some of the most important and memorable orations ever given.
Both rousing and thought-provoking, In Our Time offers a unique and fascinating perspective on world history since 1945.
“Nefertiti” By Michelle Moran @ Rs.295/- (Pgs 424)
“To speak the name of the dead is to make them live again” – Egyptian proverb
It has been a long journey for the author into Nefertiti’s ancient world… a journey that began with a visit to the Altes Museum in Berlin, where her iconic bust is housed. The bust itself has a long and detailed history, beginning with its creation in the city of Amarna and continuing to its arrival in Germany, where it became an instant draw in its first exhibition in 1923.
It is 3000 years after her death…Nefertiti’s allure still captivates tens of thousands of visitors each year. She is one of the world’s great legendary beauties.
This novel takes you into the life of Nefertiti. At the tender age of fifteen, she marries Akhenaten, the Prince of Egypt, and her dreams of face and fortune begins unfolding. Her natural beauty is so enhanced, where she is bathed and decorated by a team of body servants, she soon becomes the darling of the people and her husband’s closest confidant. But when the Prince breaks with a 1000 years of tradition, defying the priests and the military, it takes all of Nefertiti’s wiles to keep the nation from being torn apart. She’s prepared to sacrifice her sister to strengthen her power and this act will lock the two women in a feud…
Seen through her sister’s eyes, she is vividly brought to life in this heartbreaking story of celebrity, ambition, love and loss.
Timeless Cuisine-Recipes from Harrisons By Latha Kannan @ Rs.250/- (Pgs 105)
Harrison’s of Broadway goes back to the era when George Town – in fact, to the era when it was still called Black Town – was ‘The City’, and virtually all business activity in Madras was centred there. It was in 1891 that G Varadarajulu Chetty founded Harrison’s on what was Black Town’s ‘Main Street’, Popham’s Broadway. The ground floor of its two-storey building was stocked with goodies as beautiful as they were tasty. It was a veritable showroom of confectionery imported from England and the Continent, but competing with what Harrison’s itself produced.
There were chocolates in plain and fancy boxes…crystallised fruits and cream caramels…Turkish Delight and almond-rich marzipan coloured like the fruits, flowers and vegetables they were shaped into. But what always caught the eye were the wedding cakes waiting for delivery, from small ones to towering, ornately decorated ones, but every one as fruit-and-brandy-rich as only Harrison’s could make!
Harrison’s, in its heyday, specialised in what is called ‘Butler Cuisine – fusion cooking at its best, Western food flavoured in a way that has made Curry king in Britain. To their recipe books were added the fare that Ethiraj Naidu and his wife, Thulasiamma, experimented with at home. And together that team made Harrison’s meals amongst the tastiest in mid-20th Century Madras.
Others:
“In The Valley Of Mist” By Justine Hardy @ Rs.475/- (Pgs 271)
Mohammad Dar is many things. He is a patriarch who loves his children, a house-boat owner who has had to leave his beautiful lakeside home, a carpet-seller who became an aid worker but, through all, he has been a devout Muslim and a passionate Kashmiri.
In the Valley of Mist is an intimate portrait of one family’s extraordinary story living in a conflict zone and adapting to their changed world. This book shows the reality of trying to stay sane, keep children safe, arrange weddings, and seek solace in religion while being attacked by those acting in its name – all the time, living in a tension-filled pocket of land that is at the heart of the conflict within and beyond the Muslim world. Kashmir, once praised by poets as an earthly paradise has become deeply scarred by bloodshed and political unrest. Justine Hardy has known the Dar family for many years, sharing their lives, their hopes and their shattered dreams. As a journalist and writer, their home has been her Kashmiri base.
Through the experiences of Mohammad, his relatives and friends, Justine reveals what it’s like for an ordinary household to survive raids, street fighting, religious persecution and military oppression.
“Outlook Traveller Driving Holidays Across India” @ Rs.295/- (Pgs 542)
The romantic suggestion that the journey can be as exciting as the destination oftentimes seems out of place in the Indian context. Air travel has little charm in itself, our trains can be crowded or beset with delays and our roads are full of potholes. But, as the writers who travelled for Outlook Traveller Getaways’ latest title Driving Holidays Across India discovered, there are still plenty of reasons for taking the long road to a good holiday. Detailed information is provided in each drive has a route guide that shows places, railheads and airports en route, and nearby water bodies and wildlife parks to help you plan detours. A front-of-the-book section with information on what to pack, getting the car ready, handling accidents and tips for driving on various terrains in different seasons. In the pages that follow, you’ll rediscover the magic of the road. It may be a bumpy ride ahead but it’s well worth your time!
“What to Expect When You’re Adopting…” Dr Ian Palmer @ Rs.655/- (Pgs.260)
Adopting a child can be one of the most rewarding experiences anyone can have – for both the parents and the child. But making the decision to adopt can be daunting and often overwhelming.
A practical guide to the decisions and emotions involved in adoption, Dr Ian Palmer is very well placed to look at the psychological and emotional issues relating to adoption. Adopted himself, he is also a psychiatrist with particular interest in family medicine and psychological trauma. Dr Palmer has wide experience of dealing with individuals and couples attempting to come to terms with difficult experiences and decisions, including going through IVF and contemplating adoption.
In this unique guide, Dr Palmer does not gloss over the realities of the adoption process, but rather leads you through the many stages and emotional aspects involved and offers practical guidance on making crucial decisions, building a strong foundation, separating the myths about adopted children, and dealing with issues of single-parent adoption, infertility and the option of remaining childless.
“Endal: How one extraordinary dog brought a family back from the brink” by Allen & Sandra Parton @ Rs.275/- (Pgs 308)
The book Endal is about a cute golden Labrador that comes into Allen and Sandra lives and changes it in many ways that they could never repay him for. As Allen goes to the Gulf war he returns with a serious head injury that makes him forget everything about his past life. He also forgets about his wife and two children. This causes various problems in their lives. Mostly pain, that is caused by Allen’s war injuries.
As Sandra is a nurse she always thought that she could take care of her husband but eventually she realises that his injury will not allow her to do so as he had no memory of her. He and she could not cope up with daily life. Sandra is determined to take care of her family and keep them together. That’s when Endal enters their life and with his joyous nature brings the family together and gets them closer to one and another.
Endal is a heart-warming journey of Family and the connection they hold with one and another and how a dog with affectionate actions brings a broken family together and gets love back into his family.
“7 Secrets From Hindu Calendar Art” by Devdutt Pattanaik @ Rs.295/- (Pgs.175)
Here is in fact the most democratic expression of a mythic imagery that was once restricted to temple walls and palm leaf manuscripts. Portraits of the Hindu pantheon of gods and the stories that surround them can be found on the walls and puja rooms of almost every Hindu household in India. Rich in symbols, each image is a piece of an ancient metaphysical jigsaw puzzle.
Attempts to explain the ‘fantastic’ imagery are usually defensive, apologetic or chauvinistic, as one tries to legitimize the content using logic or comparisons with other religions. To best appreciate Hindu art, one has to enter a new paradigm, a new way of explaining things. One has to explore new notions of perfection and possibility.
Dr Devdutt Pattanaik, India’s renowned mythologist, decodes these symbols to reveal a wisdom that has nourished India for thousands of years.
“The Rapids of a Great River: The Penguin Book of Tamil Poetry” edited by Lakshmi Holmstrom, Subashree Krishnaswamy and K.Srilata @ Rs.499/- (Pgs.222)
This magisterial collection, the first of its kind, presents to the modern reader chronologically arranged translations from the rich tapestry of the Tamil poetic tradition.
The Rapids of a Great River begins with selections from the earliest known Tamil poetry dating from the 2nd century CE. The writings of the Sangam period laid the foundation for the Tamil poetic tradition, and they continue to underlie and inform the works of Tamil poets even today. Breaking free from prescriptions, the new voices – which include Sri Lankan Tamils, women and Dalits, among others – address the contemporary reader, the poems underscored by a sharp rhetorical edge, grapple with the complexities of the modern political and social world.
The selection is wide-ranging and the translations admirable echo the music, pace and resonance of the poems. This anthology links the old with the new, cementing the continuity of a richly textured tradition. There is something in the collection for every reader and each will make his or her own connections – at times startling, at other times familiar.
“Two Measure of Bhakti” by Puntanam and Melpattur translated by Vijay Nambisan @ Rs.150/-
For four centuries, Jnana-paana and Narayaniyam have been touchstones of faith in Kerala. Puntanam’s Jnana-paana may claim to be the first original modern poem in Malayalam; simple and innocent, it still speaks directly to the reader. Melpattur’s Narayaniyam is ‘the last great hurrah of classical Sanskrit’ in India; the poem excerpted here, majestic in its humility, describes a vision of the Lord. With his elegant verse translations, Vijay Nambisan brings these poems to a new audience. Also translated is a poem by Mahakavi Vallathol which relates the story of Melpattur and Puntanam’s meeting and how the Sanskritist scorned the vernacular poet. Nambisan has explored the dynamics of Malayali culture in his incisive ‘Translator’s Apology’.
New Books:
“The Rest Is Noise” by Alex Ross @ Rs.599/-
“007 For Your Eyes Only: Ian Fleming + James Bond” by Ben Macintyre @ Rs.399/-
“Eunuch Park: Fifteen stories of love and destruction” by Palash Krishna Mehrotra @ Rs.250/-
“Pran Oorja – Raho positive hamesha!’ by Dr.Surakshit Goswami @ Rs.350/-
“Something to Tell You” by Hanif Kureishi @ Rs.299/-
“Six Graves to Munich” by Mario Puzo @ Rs.399/-
“Movers And Shakers- Prime Ministers Of India 1947 To 2009” By Scharada Dubey @ Rs.150/-
“Change We Can Believe In- Barak Obamas Plan To Review Americas Promise” by Barak Obama
Karadi Tales “Little Vinayak”, “Monkeys on a Fast”, “The Lizard’s Tail”, “The Monkeys and the Capseller” with the voices of Vidya Balan and Sanjay Dutt @ Rs.145/- each
“Hoshruba: The Land and the Tilism” by Muhammad Husain Jah @ Rs.495/-
“Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul” by Stuart Brown, M.D. @ Rs.1025/-
“Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian” by Rick Riordan @ Rs.350/-
“The Khufra Run” by Jack Higgins @ Rs.250/-
“The Adventures of the Missing Girl” by Sunila Gupte @ Rs.195/-
“Fallout” by Usha Ananda Krishna @ Rs.295/-
“A Nice Quiet Holiday” by Aditya Sudarshan @ Rs.250/-
“How The Mighty Fall And Why Some Companies Never Give In” by Jim Collins @ Rs. 635/-
“A Mercy” By Toni Morrison @ Rs. 280/-
“Molly Fox’s Birthday” By Deirdre Madden @Rs. 299/-
“Chaotics – The business of managing and marketing in the age of turbulence” by Philip Kotler and John A. Caslione @ Rs. 1280/-
“Hunting Bin Laden: How al-Qaeda is Winning the War on Terror by Rob Schultheis @ Rs.295/-
“The Princess Diaries- Ten Out Of Ten” By Meg Cabot @ Rs. 399/-
Happy reading and see you at the Store,
From the team at,
twistntales
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Entries invited !!
From Katha:
Katha will soon be venturing into the world of poetry, with the fond hope of bringing out two poetry ebooks this year, which would include: A PDF ebook of contemporary verses and a PDF ebook of haiku, tanka, senryu, haibun and haiga.
For the poetry collection, we look forward to poems from any linguistic culture written originally in English, or translated from any regional language/bhasha. We will consider variant forms on an individual basis in both traditional and innovative verse of high quality.
You are invited to submit your poems for the 2009/10 issue of Katha, a PDF ebook. The submission deadline is October 1, 2009. Submissions will not close earlier than the deadline.
Previously unpublished work, not on offer elsewhere, is solicited. There won’t be any payment for publication.
Set up in 1988, Katha is a profit-for-all voluntary organization that works in the areas of education, publishing and community development. Our main objective is to spread the joy of reading among adults and children. Known for quality of production and authenticity of translation, Katha focuses on English translations from twenty-one Indian languages, both in adult and children’s categories. Our oeuvre of fiction includes short stories, novellas and novels by the great Indian masters as well as by emerging and avant-garde storytellers, while our academic and nonfiction titles are designed to facilitate a critical understanding of various facets of life and literature.
Katha, Delhi Website: http://www.katha.org Editor: Kala Ramesh. Email up to 5 or 6 poems to the editor. email id: kala.ramesh@katha.org
Keenly looking forward to reading your poems,
Thank you for sharing this call widely.
Warm wishes,
_kala
_kala
katha cell # 09822064727
kala.ramesh@katha.org www.katha.org
Katha will soon be venturing into the world of poetry, with the fond hope of bringing out two poetry ebooks this year, which would include: A PDF ebook of contemporary verses and a PDF ebook of haiku, tanka, senryu, haibun and haiga.
For the poetry collection, we look forward to poems from any linguistic culture written originally in English, or translated from any regional language/bhasha. We will consider variant forms on an individual basis in both traditional and innovative verse of high quality.
You are invited to submit your poems for the 2009/10 issue of Katha, a PDF ebook. The submission deadline is October 1, 2009. Submissions will not close earlier than the deadline.
Previously unpublished work, not on offer elsewhere, is solicited. There won’t be any payment for publication.
Set up in 1988, Katha is a profit-for-all voluntary organization that works in the areas of education, publishing and community development. Our main objective is to spread the joy of reading among adults and children. Known for quality of production and authenticity of translation, Katha focuses on English translations from twenty-one Indian languages, both in adult and children’s categories. Our oeuvre of fiction includes short stories, novellas and novels by the great Indian masters as well as by emerging and avant-garde storytellers, while our academic and nonfiction titles are designed to facilitate a critical understanding of various facets of life and literature.
Katha, Delhi Website: http://www.katha.org Editor: Kala Ramesh. Email up to 5 or 6 poems to the editor. email id: kala.ramesh@katha.org
Keenly looking forward to reading your poems,
Thank you for sharing this call widely.
Warm wishes,
_kala
_kala
katha cell # 09822064727
kala.ramesh@katha.org www.katha.org
Friday, June 5, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
To write drift
Birthdays are never going to be the same again. A very happy birthday and may this birthday herald all the joys and happiness waiting on the threshold for you. Have a great time !
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Spreading the love
Where I work now, there is a colleague I don't much like. Or know, for that matter. She's often cranky and tries too hard to be cool. We got along, just about. Then, one day, her gtalk status msg read 'I'm soooo happy I'm back to reading.' Naturally I was intrigued and asked her what she was reading. She said she was midway through Ladies Coupe by Anita Desai. Then she asked the most beautiful question: 'Do you have any books I could read?'
Now, this is a question I have been asked since we started library period in school. People somehow assumed I would know the good books, the right books for them.
I brought my colleague Book Of Rachel. She loved it, she wanted more. I have now given her Pitching my Tent. I love looking musingly up at my bookshelf, wondering what will fit her, what will push her too far. Tis what Weed calls book matchmaking, and really, it's the best kind.
She's recently moved into a new house and while showing us pictures some days back, she said ,'look that's my bedside table, where I keep your book,'
It made my day!
Now, this is a question I have been asked since we started library period in school. People somehow assumed I would know the good books, the right books for them.
I brought my colleague Book Of Rachel. She loved it, she wanted more. I have now given her Pitching my Tent. I love looking musingly up at my bookshelf, wondering what will fit her, what will push her too far. Tis what Weed calls book matchmaking, and really, it's the best kind.
She's recently moved into a new house and while showing us pictures some days back, she said ,'look that's my bedside table, where I keep your book,'
It made my day!
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Latest books reviewed ...
Message sent to twistntales@yahoogroups.com on 23rd May, 2009.
Hi all,
As a new positive dawn breaks in with a new team under Dr. Manmohan Singh, we at twistntales are hopeful and quietly confident of a recovery both in the economy and in people’s spirits. Divisive trends have been kept at bay and the simple wisdom of the masses has overpowered and spoken truly!
twistntales was at the London Book fair in April this year and the experience was mind-boggling. More details and pictures of the book fair can be seen at www.twistntales.blogspot.com. Lots of exciting new ideas and books!!
In the meantime Kshitija and Reshma, alongwith summer trainees, Sharan and Mihir have been hard at work and have put together some wonderful reviews of new books. Lots of new books at the Store, so do drop in!
“The Razor’s Edge: Entering into the Unknown” by Osho @ Rs.375 (Pgs.614)
The Razor’s Edge?...The first step towards reality, is never looking back, however dangerous it may seem – because as questions and answers and you and I start disappearing, you will find yourself entering into a more and more unknown space. This is what Osho refers to as ‘The Razor’s Edge’.This is a book of questions and answers which tell a true story of great trust, great love and humour between Osho and those who have gathered around him again after a long separation. Fresh from their adventures and experiences as seekers alone in the marketplace, this book is full of genuine, pertinent questions and enlightened responses from Osho that will inspire each one of us to live our full potential and risk walking on the razor’s edge of life.
“The Winner Stands Alone” by Paulo Coelho @ Rs.325/- (Pgs.373)
Igor Malev, a Russian millionaire, handsome, and effortlessly personable is a man of rare intensity and cold intelligence but he has one thing on his mind – his ex-wife Ewa who leaves him for Hamid, a successful fashion designer. Igor has not recovered from this sting. So, he travels to the glamorous Cannes International Film Festival where they’ll be appearing, intent on winning her back. Amid the luxury and excess of the new Superclass – the ultimate winners in the hedonistic game of modern life – he begins a 24 hour campaign of extraordinary violence.
Even with his intensity and his cold intelligence, this is to be no ordinary reconciliation…because he made a promise to destroy whole worlds to get to his beloved.
What happens when obsession turns to murder?
“Six Attitudes For Winners” by Norman Vincent Peale @ Rs.150/- (Pgs.136)
From the author of international bestseller, The Power of Positive Thinking comes a new book- Six Attitudes for Winners. Dr. Peale believes that attitudes are the keys to success. This book is a practical guide to boost these attitudes. Dr. Peale covers six attitudes, namely positive, courageous, enthusiastic, peaceful, confident and expectant. This book gives the secrets of these winning attitudes.
“Nautch Girls of the Raj” by Pran Nevile @ Rs.250/- (Pgs.136)
The nautch girl, celebrated for her beauty as well as virtuosity, belonged to a class of courtesans in eighteenth and nineteenth century India. The nautch girl was no ordinary woman of pleasure. A synthesis of different cultures, she had refined manners, a ready wit and poetry in her blood and catered to the elite who had the time, inclination and resources to enjoy her accomplishments.
Over the centuries, however, this image of the nautch girl has been distorted over the years. This book traces the emergence of the nautch girl from the Mughal era, when she reached the peak of her talent and charisma, to the British Raj when her popularity and status among the English sahibs and the Indian aristocracy reached a new high. Beautifully illustrated with reproductions and drawings, this book offers a glimpse into the seductive world of nautch in its days of glory. Pran Nevile, a specialist in the study of social and cultural history of India has brought the nautch girl to life.
“Tata Nano: The People’s Car” by Pradeep Thakur @ Rs.99/- (Pgs.198)
The anticipation amongst the people has been rising ever since Ratan Tata announced his intention to produce a people’s car. An affordable car, a transition from two wheels to four, has long been a dream of the middle class.
This book brings together every fact about the Nano, from production problems, to technical specifications, cosmetic attractions, and performance ratings. It also goes on to list probable rival cars that have been announced or are on the anvil, how they are expected to compare with the Nano, world reactions and more.
Compact and precise, this book wills the reader every last fact on the Nano.
“The Bin Ladens: Oil, Money, Terrorism & Secret Saudi World” by Steve Coll @ Rs.350/- (Pgs.671)
One of the most closed, unaccountable countries on Earth, little known about…This world that created Osama...This world where the Bin Ladens were shrouded in secrecy – until now. Steve Coll, a prize-winning journalist interviewed those closest to the family who rose from Yemeni peasants to jet setting millionaires in two generations. In this gripping account, he reveals a Saudi Arabia torn between religious purity and the temptations of the West, telling a story of oil, money, power, patronage and dangerous cultural extremes.
Using the prism of one family to examine the mind-boggling, culture-rocking effects that sudden oil wealth had on Saudi Arabia, this book explains a great deal about the tentacles that run from Riyadh to touch a wider world, tentacles of corruption, ambition, hedonism and dislocation.
Riveting…Enthralling…a classic saga, grippingly told! It’s the most psychologically detailed portrait of the brutal 9/11 mastermind yet.
“Snuff” by Chuck Palahniuk @ Rs.270/- (Pgs.197)
Here is a writer continually pushing at the boundaries of literature…thus this is what you can expect from him – writing at breakneck pace, with a relentlessly compelling style drawing you inexorably towards the ultimate car crash of a climax.
The INDEPENDENT says ‘Snuff is a Chernobyl of taboos…like Tom Wolfe on acid, poppers and speed…The Bonfire of the Inanities. Once you have come down and mopped up the vomit, you will be glad you snorted this particular snuff”
Unfolding from the perspectives of Mr 72, Mr 137 and Mr 600, who await their turn on camera in a very crowded green room…This book speaks about Cassie Wright, a porn princess, intending to cap her legendary career by breaking the world record for serial fornication. On camera! With six hundred men!
“Brushes With History: An Autobiography” by Krishna Kumar Birla with a foreword by Sonia Gandhi @ Rs.550/- (Pgs.665)
Brushes with History brings alive an important era in the life of the Nation, its changing social mores, evolving principles of corporate governance and enduring family values. Shobhana Bhartia, K.K. Birla’s daughter, acquaints readers with her father’s spiritual strength and moral values, which were an integral part of his life.
“KK’s” memoir is imbued with a towering humility and sense of discipline which strikes one as all the more impressive in the context of the House of Birla being an inextricably interwoven part of the success of the Indian struggle for Independence and the formative evolution of our young nation state…there is not a single boastful or smug moment in this book rich with impression, sketches and personalities.
In a life spanning nine decades, K.K. Birla the son of the legendary Ghanshyam Das Birla, witnessed events that shaped India in the twentieth century and had close associations with iconic figures like Mahatma Gandhi, Madan Mohan Malviya, Jayaprakash Narayan, Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi. Being the head of one of India’s leading business houses, he embraced principles in which the creation of wealth, philanthropy and political leadership were all regarded as part of nation-building. Here is a life that definitely brushed and even shook history.
“Peaks and Valleys: Making Good and Bad Times Work for You – At Work and In Life” by Spencer Johnson, M.D. @ Rs.325/- (Pgs.102)
‘The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeing new landscapes, but in having new eyes’ - Proust
On one rainy evening in New York, Michael Brown hurried to meet Ann Carr who was to help him deal with his difficult time. She didn’t quite turn out to be what he expected her to be. She was upbeat and full of energy instead. She then told him a story that changed his life.
Peaks and Valleys is a story of a young man who lives unhappily in a valley until he meets an old man who lives on a peak, and it changes his work and life forever. Initially, the young man does not realize he is talking with one of the most peaceful and successful people in the world. However, through a series of conversations and experiences that occur up on peaks and down in valleys, the young man comes to make some startling discoveries. Eventually, he comes to understand how he can use the old man’s remarkable principles and practical tools in good and bad times and becomes more calm and successful himself.- ‘The errors you make in today’s good times create tomorrow’s bad times’ similarly ‘The wise things you do in today’s bad times create tomorrow’s good times’
“Chicken Soup for the Chocolate Lover’s Soul” by Jack Canfield @ Rs.250/- (Pgs.210) (so also for the Coffee Lover and Tea Lover)
This book is a must read for all the chocolate lovers in the world. This book has true short stories of romance and friendship that are flavoured with all the chocolate flavours available. As one reaches the end of the book, one realizes that in every way chocolate plays an important role in every chocolate lover’s life.
A sweet warning to every chocolate lover; before opening the book, keep your favourite chocolate treat with you, because life is too short to live without chocolate!
“Spirit Level: Why More Equal Societies Almost Always Do Better” by Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett @ Rs.550/- (Pgs.330)
Spirit Level goes to the heart of the apparent contradiction between the material success and social failings of many modern societies, but it does not simply provide a key to diagnosing our ills. It tells us how to shift the balance from self-interested ‘consumerisms’ to a friendlier and more collaborative society. It shows a way out of the social and environmental problems, which beset us and opens up a major new approach to improving the real quality of life, not just for the poor but for everyone. It is, in its conclusion, an optimistic book, which should revitalize politics and provide a new way of thinking about how we organize human communities.
It is common knowledge that in rich societies the poor have shorter lives and suffer more from almost every social problem. Large inequalities of income are likewise often regarded as divisive and corrosive.
This groundbreaking book, based on thirty years’ research, goes an important stage beyond either of these ideas: it demonstrates that more unequal societies are bad for almost everyone within them – the well-off as well as the poor. The remarkable data the book lays out and the measures it uses are like a spirit level which we can hold up to compare the conditions of different societies.
“Sacred Places: Sites of Spiritual Pilgrimage from Stonehenge to Santiago de Compostela” by Philip Carr-Gomm @ Rs.899/- (Pgs.255) (Coffee Table)
From the earliest times, journeys to sacred places or shrines undertaken as acts of religious veneration or penance have been a feature of religious observance. Whether for reasons of divine providence, immemorial tradition or sheer visual power, certain locations have long been imbued with a sense of spiritual significance.
Involving, instructive and steeped in spiritual insight, Sacred Places offers a dramatic and distinctive perspective on more than six millennia of world history. Many of the world’s holiest sanctuaries and landscapes are here examined in a series of concise, informative and lavishly illustrated essays.
Philip Carr-Gomm tells the stories of 50 sacred sites across all five continents, including sites venerated by all of the major religions.
“Wired For War: The Robotics Revolution & Conflicts in The 21st Century” by P.W.Singer @ Rs.1345 (Pgs.499)
What happens when science fiction starts to become reality on the battlefield?
A military expert reveals how technology is changing not just how wars are fought, but also the politics, economics, laws, and ethics that surround war itself. In this book, P.W. Singer explores the greatest revolution in military affairs since the atom bomb – the dawn of robotic warfare.
We are on the cusp of a massive shift in military technology that threatens to make real the stuff of I, Robot and the Terminator. More than twelve thousand robotic systems are now deployed in Iraq. Pilots sitting in Nevada are remotely killing terrorists in Afghanistan. Scientists are debating just how smart – and how lethal – to make their robotic creations. And many of the most renowned science fiction authors are quietly consulting for the Pentagon on the next generation.
Moving humans off the battlefield makes wars easier to start but more complex to fight. Replacing men with machines may save some lives, but will lower the moral and psychological barriers to killing.
Paradoxically, these new technologies will also bring war to our doorstep. As other nations and even terrorists start to build or buy their own robotic weapons, this revolution could even undermine America’s military pre-eminence.
“Love Stories from the Raj” by Pran Nevile @ Rs.299/- (Pgs.220)
Rich in historical and human interest, Raj literature comprising journals, diaries and memoirs provides a rare insight into British social life in India. Embedded in its numerous volumes are lively accounts of the private lives of sahibs and memsahibs interspersed with entertaining episodes and incidents. Modern writers in the recent spate of books on the Raj have tried to reconstruct this period of history from various aspects. They have, however, paid little attention to the love life of the white community to which this collection of twenty three stories is exclusively devoted.
Love Stories from the Raj is a treasury of tales engagingly narrated by witnesses of a vibrant and extraordinary era.
Quick glances, surreptitiously passed love letters, bold escapades, young maidens brought in by the shipload – the years of the Raj, with their ambitious young swashbuckling sahibs, begums and bibis, were anything but dull. There was romance in the air and passions overrode racial constraints, casting aside propriety and rules, creating memorable stories that almost defy imagination.
“A Better India A Better World” by N R Narayana Murthy @ Rs.499/- (Pgs.290)
With one of the highest GDP growth rates in the world and an array of recent achievements in technology, industry and entrepreneurship, India strides confidently towards the future. But, in the world’s largest democracy, not everyone is equally fortunate. More than 300 million Indians are still prey to hunger, illiteracy and disease, and 51 per cent of India’s children are still undernourished.
What will it take for India to bridge this great divide? When will the fruits of development reach the poorest of the poor, and wipe the tears from the eyes of every man, woman and child, as Mahatma Gandhi had dreamt? And how should this, our greatest challenge ever, be negotiated?
In this honest, bold and remarkably well-argued book, N.R.Narayana Murthy, who pioneered, designed and executed the Global Delivery Model that has become the cornerstone of India’s success in information technology services outsourcing, shows us that a society working for the greatest welfare of the greatest number – samasta jananam sukhino bhavantu – must focus on two simple things: values and good leadership. Drawing on the remarkable Infosys story and the lessons learnt from the two decades of post-reform India, Narayana Murthy lays down the ground rules that must be followed if future generations are to inherit a truly progressive nation.
“Toll the Hounds” by Steven Erikson @ Rs.350/- (Pgs.1295)
It is said that Hood waits at the end of every plot, every scheme, each grandiose ambition. But this time the Lord of Death is there at the beginning.. Darujhistan swelters and seethes with portents, rumours and whispers. Strangers have arrived, a murder, and assassins are targeting the owners of K’rul Bar. But such events will be dwarfed by what is about to happen- for in the distance can be heard the baying hounds. And in distant Black Coral, the ruling Tiste Andii appear oblivious to the threat posed by the cult of the Redeemer- an honourable, once mortal man who seems powerless against the twisted vision of his followers. So Hood stands at the beginning of a conspiracy that will shake the cosmos, but at the end there waits another: Anomander Rake, Son of Darkness, has come to right an ancient and terrible wrong..
In this book, Erikson has created a world that is both absorbing on human level and full of magic sublimity. Erikson has fluidly combined a sense of mythic power and depth of world with fully realized characters and thrilling action.
“The Road of Jerusalem” by Jan Guillou @ Rs.250/- (Pgs.383)
Arn de Gothia, the man who would become the Great Crusader, began his life in a monastery, fulfilling a promise made by his mother. While he did absorb some scholarly lessons, he learnt far more from a former Knight Templar. Arn became a swordsman, an excellent horseman and was a natural fighter.
Once released from the safe surroundings to the world, Arn’s innocence and strength propelled him into remarkable difficulties. His country was at war, rival families including his own striving for the crown and no one had expected him ever to emerge from the monastery to claim his heritage. The penalties imposed for transgressing rules were fierce. In his case, banishment to join the Knight’s Templar, The crusader was born.
Jan Guillou was born in Sweden in January 1944. He made his name as a journalist and rose to fame when he exposed a secret intelligence organization, was convicted of espionage and spent 10 months in prison, 5 of which were spent in solitary confinement. He is now a best selling novelist and writes regularly for Sweden’s leading tabloid, commenting on current affairs.
“The Armchair Economist; Economics and Everyday Life” by Steven E. Landsburg @ Rs.465/- (Pgs.241)
Ever wondered why popcorn cost so much at the movies? OR
When does it make sense not to recycle? OR
Why are laws against polygamy detrimental to women? …All such questions are answered here. This book is a compendium of essays about how economists think. It is about the things that we find mysterious, why we find them mysterious, and how we try to understand them.
Steven E. Landsburg examines everything from taxes, unemployment and illiteracy to the mating game, the death penalty and environmentalism to solve the puzzling questions that occur in daily living. Both controversial and humorous, The Armchair Economist demystifies the economics of everyday behaviour, and shows how the laws of economics can reveal themselves in surprising ways.
Put your convictions to the test with THIS BOOK!
“India and the Global Financial Crisis” by Y.V. Reddy @ Rs. 595/- (Pgs.397)
Using his enormous technical expertise in the areas of monetary policy and applying it judiciously to a growth environment as in India, Y.V.Reddy has brilliantly managed to balance growth imperatives with stability. The author, currently Professor Emeritus of the University of Hyderabad, was Governor of RBI between September 2003 and September 2008, a period of rapid growth of the Indian Economy as well as extraordinary challenges for the conduct of monetary policy. He has earned universal acclaim for managing, as Governor, India’s calibrated financial integration with the global economy.
This collection of essays provides insights into the making of public policies across as spectrum of areas during those years and gives a close view of the dynamics that are played out behind the scenes.
Ever since the financial crises erupted in the USA in 2007 and spread to the rest of the world, there has been an interest in India’s management of a financial sector that has facilitated growth and has yet maintained stability.
What contributed to this situation? What was the RBI’s perspective and what were its policies? This volume attempts to answer these questions and also providing a comprehensive account of the events that led to the global financial crisis, the policy responses, the directions for future reforms and an Indian approach to meeting the challenges of contagion from the turmoil.
“Mom in Chief; How Wisdom from the Workplace Can Save Your Family from Chaos” by Jamie Woolf @ Rs.350/- (Pgs.262)
Mom-in-Chief is filled with real-life stories, in-the-trenches strategies, and interactive assessment tools that clearly show how proven workplace techniques can increase your family’s bottom line for happiness. Drawing from her two decades of experience, Jamie Woolf offers her “best practices” that will help you improve your communication, create a healthy family culture, discover your parent leadership style, manage crises, and thrive during your child’s adolescence.
She reminds us that leading a family doesn’t mean churning out living masterpieces or indulging children with the perfect everything. It means inspiring without pushing your own agenda, nurturing without micromanaging, encouraging without aiming to win a best-of-show competition, and expecting the best without ignoring the joy of childhood.
“Who Said So? The Questions Revolutionary Businesses Ask That Make Them Successful” by Michael E. Parker @ Rs.350/- (Pgs.192)
Michael E.Parker is President and C.E.O of Stellar Enterprise. Previously, he worked for Toyota, implementing Lean principles throughout the company’s North American operations. He frequently delivers seminars of Lean management to companies outside of the manufacturing arena and is the founder of the Value – Centred Management Institute.
This book systematically helps you in creating a supporting infrastructure and leading your employees through the complex and chaotic process of implementing this vital change. Anyone who manages a team, organizations, etc. will receive valuable and practical information woven in an easy-to-read tale. Who Said So is a well written, engaging parable about the application of Lean concepts to a service organization.
“The Secret Language of Business” by Kevin Hogan @ Rs.350/- (Pgs.227)
“Great leaders don’t just talk; they communicate. Through words, body language and energy. I consider ‘The Secret Language of Business’ a must-read for anyone looking to enhance their leadership and communication skills.” – Jon Gordon, international bestselling author of The Energy Bus.
The secret language of business is nonverbal communication, but nonverbal communication is not simply body language. This book gives the detailed information about body language. Everyone conveys information through body language, knowingly or unknowingly. Kevin Hogan, not only explains if you are ‘Receiver’, but also explains the points if you are ‘Sender’ of a message. If you want to understand the real communication of business, study this book from page to page.
“Recess” by Palash Krishna Mehrotra @ Rs.450/- (Pgs.355)
This book brings together over 50 moving and human accounts of school covering a period of 200 years, as seen through the eyes of some of the finest minds India has produced – from hal Behari Dey and Dayananda Saraswati to Premchand and Harivansh Rai Bachchan, from Andre Beteille and Nisad Chaudhuri to Vikram Seth and Amit Chaudhari, from Ismat Chugtai and Sheila Dhar to Dilip Simeon and Shuddhabrata Sengupta.
This collection casts a very clear and unsentimental eye over a familiar childhood background, reminding us of our own schooldays. This book is indeed the definitive record of the Indian experience of school for years to come.
“Eat My Globe” by Simon Majumdar @ Rs.295/- (Pgs.278)
Simon’s world revolves around food all the time. He has a culinary obsession and is thus on a mission to eat the best food in the world, all of it, even the oddly shaped bits.
In this book, Simon has shared his search of the ultimate taste experience where he tries steaming pots of crayfish in Iceland, intestines in Argentina, delectable candied aubergine in China and the infamous Philly cheese steak in the US.
During this experience, Simon has met street vendors and farmers to deli kings and fancy chefs also fellow obsessives who devote their lives to food and welcome him into their kitchens.
“The Illustrated History of the Freedom Struggle” by Pavan K.Varma @ Rs.1499/- (Pgs.143) Coffee Table
A stunning visual record of India’s struggle for independence!
This elegant volume attempts to chronicle, for the first time ever, the visual moments of the movement that changed the history of India. The culmination of over a hundred years of striving that had claimed thousands of lives, the Indian freedom movement was a struggle marked by remarkable leadership, personal integrity and terrible sacrifice. It was the first non-violent mass movement that over threw an empire.
With a though provoking introduction by Pavan K. Varma, who enumerates the enduring legacies of the freedom movement, this book is replete with photographs, maps, newspaper clippings and letters sourced from various archives, museums and libraries from India and abroad.
The richly illustrated pages take you from the decades prior to the Revolt of 1857 to the Independence of India on 15 August 1947 and to the formation of the Republic of India.
This book is a must have for anyone who believes that when it comes to chronicling the epochal events of a nation’s history, a picture is worth a thousand words.
“The Case of the Missing Servant” by Tarquin Hall @ Rs.430/- (Pgs.312)
MEET Vish Puri, India’s most private investigator. Portly, persistent and unmistakably Punjabi, he cuts a determined swathe through modern India’s swindlers, cheats and murderers. His main work though comes from screening prospective marriage partners, a job once the preserve of aunties and family priests. But everything goes for a turn when an honest public litigator is accused of murdering his maidservant and it takes all of Puri’s resources to investigate.
How will he trace the fate of the girl, known only as Mary, in a population of more than one billion?
Who is taking potshots at him and his prize chilli plants?
And WHY is his widowed ‘Mummy-ji’ attempting to play sleuth when everyone knows Mummies are not detectives?
Tubelight, Flush and Facecream are part of his team of undercover operatives, and with Puri who ingeniously combines modern techniques with principles of detection established in India more than two thousand years ago…long before ‘that Johnny-come-lately’ Sherlock Holmes donned his deerstalker!
In his search for Mary, taking him to the desert oasis of Jaipur and the remote mines of Jharkhand, from his Gymkhana Club to the slums where the servant classes live, Puri’s adventures reveal modern India in all its seething complexity.
“Your Heart Belongs To Me” by Dean Koontz @ Rs.250/- (Pgs.337)
At 34, Ryan Perry never expected to find himself on a waiting list for a heart transplant, with time running out. So when miraculously he receives a new heart and the transplant is a success, thinking his troubles are over, a year later he never felt so good about his life, but then he starts to receive heart shaped gifts from an unknown person. Suddenly, $100,000 disappears from his bank account, and he finds them donated to the cardiology department of the local hospital.
And then comes a terrifying threat: ‘Everything he has – his money, his reputation, his friends etc will get ripped away from him’. He is promised a nightmare death. In grave danger, alone with his beating heart and its secrets, can Ryan unlock the mystery of the enemy who threatens his very existence?
Prepare for the unexpected in this compelling and fast-paced thriller from the master of suspense.
New books
1. “Ernesto Che Guevara; Reminiscences of the Cuban Revolutionary War” by Aleida Guevara @ Rs.295/- (Pgs.314)
2. “Radical Trust” by Joe Healey @ Rs.350/- (Pgs.224)
3. “The Girl Who Played with Fire” by Stieg Larsson @ Rs.299/- (Pgs.649)
4. “First Family” by David Baldacci @ Rs.470/- (Pgs.452)
5. “Arctic Drift” by Clive Cussler and Dirk Cussler @ Rs.390/- (Pgs.515)
6. “The Ascent of Money” by Niall Ferguson @ Rs.595/- (Pgs.442)
7. “Atlas of Unknowns” by Tania James @ Rs.660/- (Pgs.319)
8. “The Speaking Tree; Celebrating the Festivals of India” by Times of India @ Rs.200/- (Pgs.187)
9. “The Paris Enigma” by Pablo De Santis @ Rs.295/- (Pgs.324)
10. “Marley; A Dog Like No Other” by John Grogan @ Rs.150/- (Pgs.208)
11. “Train Your Brain More” by Dr.Kawashima @ Rs. 199/- (Pgs.187)
12. “Cultural Histories of Central Asia” Ed. by Rashmi Doraiswamy @ Rs. 595/-
Lots more books making their way into the Store everyday. Do drop in and check it out !
From the team at twistntales,
Hi all,
As a new positive dawn breaks in with a new team under Dr. Manmohan Singh, we at twistntales are hopeful and quietly confident of a recovery both in the economy and in people’s spirits. Divisive trends have been kept at bay and the simple wisdom of the masses has overpowered and spoken truly!
twistntales was at the London Book fair in April this year and the experience was mind-boggling. More details and pictures of the book fair can be seen at www.twistntales.blogspot.com. Lots of exciting new ideas and books!!
In the meantime Kshitija and Reshma, alongwith summer trainees, Sharan and Mihir have been hard at work and have put together some wonderful reviews of new books. Lots of new books at the Store, so do drop in!
“The Razor’s Edge: Entering into the Unknown” by Osho @ Rs.375 (Pgs.614)
The Razor’s Edge?...The first step towards reality, is never looking back, however dangerous it may seem – because as questions and answers and you and I start disappearing, you will find yourself entering into a more and more unknown space. This is what Osho refers to as ‘The Razor’s Edge’.This is a book of questions and answers which tell a true story of great trust, great love and humour between Osho and those who have gathered around him again after a long separation. Fresh from their adventures and experiences as seekers alone in the marketplace, this book is full of genuine, pertinent questions and enlightened responses from Osho that will inspire each one of us to live our full potential and risk walking on the razor’s edge of life.
“The Winner Stands Alone” by Paulo Coelho @ Rs.325/- (Pgs.373)
Igor Malev, a Russian millionaire, handsome, and effortlessly personable is a man of rare intensity and cold intelligence but he has one thing on his mind – his ex-wife Ewa who leaves him for Hamid, a successful fashion designer. Igor has not recovered from this sting. So, he travels to the glamorous Cannes International Film Festival where they’ll be appearing, intent on winning her back. Amid the luxury and excess of the new Superclass – the ultimate winners in the hedonistic game of modern life – he begins a 24 hour campaign of extraordinary violence.
Even with his intensity and his cold intelligence, this is to be no ordinary reconciliation…because he made a promise to destroy whole worlds to get to his beloved.
What happens when obsession turns to murder?
“Six Attitudes For Winners” by Norman Vincent Peale @ Rs.150/- (Pgs.136)
From the author of international bestseller, The Power of Positive Thinking comes a new book- Six Attitudes for Winners. Dr. Peale believes that attitudes are the keys to success. This book is a practical guide to boost these attitudes. Dr. Peale covers six attitudes, namely positive, courageous, enthusiastic, peaceful, confident and expectant. This book gives the secrets of these winning attitudes.
“Nautch Girls of the Raj” by Pran Nevile @ Rs.250/- (Pgs.136)
The nautch girl, celebrated for her beauty as well as virtuosity, belonged to a class of courtesans in eighteenth and nineteenth century India. The nautch girl was no ordinary woman of pleasure. A synthesis of different cultures, she had refined manners, a ready wit and poetry in her blood and catered to the elite who had the time, inclination and resources to enjoy her accomplishments.
Over the centuries, however, this image of the nautch girl has been distorted over the years. This book traces the emergence of the nautch girl from the Mughal era, when she reached the peak of her talent and charisma, to the British Raj when her popularity and status among the English sahibs and the Indian aristocracy reached a new high. Beautifully illustrated with reproductions and drawings, this book offers a glimpse into the seductive world of nautch in its days of glory. Pran Nevile, a specialist in the study of social and cultural history of India has brought the nautch girl to life.
“Tata Nano: The People’s Car” by Pradeep Thakur @ Rs.99/- (Pgs.198)
The anticipation amongst the people has been rising ever since Ratan Tata announced his intention to produce a people’s car. An affordable car, a transition from two wheels to four, has long been a dream of the middle class.
This book brings together every fact about the Nano, from production problems, to technical specifications, cosmetic attractions, and performance ratings. It also goes on to list probable rival cars that have been announced or are on the anvil, how they are expected to compare with the Nano, world reactions and more.
Compact and precise, this book wills the reader every last fact on the Nano.
“The Bin Ladens: Oil, Money, Terrorism & Secret Saudi World” by Steve Coll @ Rs.350/- (Pgs.671)
One of the most closed, unaccountable countries on Earth, little known about…This world that created Osama...This world where the Bin Ladens were shrouded in secrecy – until now. Steve Coll, a prize-winning journalist interviewed those closest to the family who rose from Yemeni peasants to jet setting millionaires in two generations. In this gripping account, he reveals a Saudi Arabia torn between religious purity and the temptations of the West, telling a story of oil, money, power, patronage and dangerous cultural extremes.
Using the prism of one family to examine the mind-boggling, culture-rocking effects that sudden oil wealth had on Saudi Arabia, this book explains a great deal about the tentacles that run from Riyadh to touch a wider world, tentacles of corruption, ambition, hedonism and dislocation.
Riveting…Enthralling…a classic saga, grippingly told! It’s the most psychologically detailed portrait of the brutal 9/11 mastermind yet.
“Snuff” by Chuck Palahniuk @ Rs.270/- (Pgs.197)
Here is a writer continually pushing at the boundaries of literature…thus this is what you can expect from him – writing at breakneck pace, with a relentlessly compelling style drawing you inexorably towards the ultimate car crash of a climax.
The INDEPENDENT says ‘Snuff is a Chernobyl of taboos…like Tom Wolfe on acid, poppers and speed…The Bonfire of the Inanities. Once you have come down and mopped up the vomit, you will be glad you snorted this particular snuff”
Unfolding from the perspectives of Mr 72, Mr 137 and Mr 600, who await their turn on camera in a very crowded green room…This book speaks about Cassie Wright, a porn princess, intending to cap her legendary career by breaking the world record for serial fornication. On camera! With six hundred men!
“Brushes With History: An Autobiography” by Krishna Kumar Birla with a foreword by Sonia Gandhi @ Rs.550/- (Pgs.665)
Brushes with History brings alive an important era in the life of the Nation, its changing social mores, evolving principles of corporate governance and enduring family values. Shobhana Bhartia, K.K. Birla’s daughter, acquaints readers with her father’s spiritual strength and moral values, which were an integral part of his life.
“KK’s” memoir is imbued with a towering humility and sense of discipline which strikes one as all the more impressive in the context of the House of Birla being an inextricably interwoven part of the success of the Indian struggle for Independence and the formative evolution of our young nation state…there is not a single boastful or smug moment in this book rich with impression, sketches and personalities.
In a life spanning nine decades, K.K. Birla the son of the legendary Ghanshyam Das Birla, witnessed events that shaped India in the twentieth century and had close associations with iconic figures like Mahatma Gandhi, Madan Mohan Malviya, Jayaprakash Narayan, Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi. Being the head of one of India’s leading business houses, he embraced principles in which the creation of wealth, philanthropy and political leadership were all regarded as part of nation-building. Here is a life that definitely brushed and even shook history.
“Peaks and Valleys: Making Good and Bad Times Work for You – At Work and In Life” by Spencer Johnson, M.D. @ Rs.325/- (Pgs.102)
‘The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeing new landscapes, but in having new eyes’ - Proust
On one rainy evening in New York, Michael Brown hurried to meet Ann Carr who was to help him deal with his difficult time. She didn’t quite turn out to be what he expected her to be. She was upbeat and full of energy instead. She then told him a story that changed his life.
Peaks and Valleys is a story of a young man who lives unhappily in a valley until he meets an old man who lives on a peak, and it changes his work and life forever. Initially, the young man does not realize he is talking with one of the most peaceful and successful people in the world. However, through a series of conversations and experiences that occur up on peaks and down in valleys, the young man comes to make some startling discoveries. Eventually, he comes to understand how he can use the old man’s remarkable principles and practical tools in good and bad times and becomes more calm and successful himself.- ‘The errors you make in today’s good times create tomorrow’s bad times’ similarly ‘The wise things you do in today’s bad times create tomorrow’s good times’
“Chicken Soup for the Chocolate Lover’s Soul” by Jack Canfield @ Rs.250/- (Pgs.210) (so also for the Coffee Lover and Tea Lover)
This book is a must read for all the chocolate lovers in the world. This book has true short stories of romance and friendship that are flavoured with all the chocolate flavours available. As one reaches the end of the book, one realizes that in every way chocolate plays an important role in every chocolate lover’s life.
A sweet warning to every chocolate lover; before opening the book, keep your favourite chocolate treat with you, because life is too short to live without chocolate!
“Spirit Level: Why More Equal Societies Almost Always Do Better” by Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett @ Rs.550/- (Pgs.330)
Spirit Level goes to the heart of the apparent contradiction between the material success and social failings of many modern societies, but it does not simply provide a key to diagnosing our ills. It tells us how to shift the balance from self-interested ‘consumerisms’ to a friendlier and more collaborative society. It shows a way out of the social and environmental problems, which beset us and opens up a major new approach to improving the real quality of life, not just for the poor but for everyone. It is, in its conclusion, an optimistic book, which should revitalize politics and provide a new way of thinking about how we organize human communities.
It is common knowledge that in rich societies the poor have shorter lives and suffer more from almost every social problem. Large inequalities of income are likewise often regarded as divisive and corrosive.
This groundbreaking book, based on thirty years’ research, goes an important stage beyond either of these ideas: it demonstrates that more unequal societies are bad for almost everyone within them – the well-off as well as the poor. The remarkable data the book lays out and the measures it uses are like a spirit level which we can hold up to compare the conditions of different societies.
“Sacred Places: Sites of Spiritual Pilgrimage from Stonehenge to Santiago de Compostela” by Philip Carr-Gomm @ Rs.899/- (Pgs.255) (Coffee Table)
From the earliest times, journeys to sacred places or shrines undertaken as acts of religious veneration or penance have been a feature of religious observance. Whether for reasons of divine providence, immemorial tradition or sheer visual power, certain locations have long been imbued with a sense of spiritual significance.
Involving, instructive and steeped in spiritual insight, Sacred Places offers a dramatic and distinctive perspective on more than six millennia of world history. Many of the world’s holiest sanctuaries and landscapes are here examined in a series of concise, informative and lavishly illustrated essays.
Philip Carr-Gomm tells the stories of 50 sacred sites across all five continents, including sites venerated by all of the major religions.
“Wired For War: The Robotics Revolution & Conflicts in The 21st Century” by P.W.Singer @ Rs.1345 (Pgs.499)
What happens when science fiction starts to become reality on the battlefield?
A military expert reveals how technology is changing not just how wars are fought, but also the politics, economics, laws, and ethics that surround war itself. In this book, P.W. Singer explores the greatest revolution in military affairs since the atom bomb – the dawn of robotic warfare.
We are on the cusp of a massive shift in military technology that threatens to make real the stuff of I, Robot and the Terminator. More than twelve thousand robotic systems are now deployed in Iraq. Pilots sitting in Nevada are remotely killing terrorists in Afghanistan. Scientists are debating just how smart – and how lethal – to make their robotic creations. And many of the most renowned science fiction authors are quietly consulting for the Pentagon on the next generation.
Moving humans off the battlefield makes wars easier to start but more complex to fight. Replacing men with machines may save some lives, but will lower the moral and psychological barriers to killing.
Paradoxically, these new technologies will also bring war to our doorstep. As other nations and even terrorists start to build or buy their own robotic weapons, this revolution could even undermine America’s military pre-eminence.
“Love Stories from the Raj” by Pran Nevile @ Rs.299/- (Pgs.220)
Rich in historical and human interest, Raj literature comprising journals, diaries and memoirs provides a rare insight into British social life in India. Embedded in its numerous volumes are lively accounts of the private lives of sahibs and memsahibs interspersed with entertaining episodes and incidents. Modern writers in the recent spate of books on the Raj have tried to reconstruct this period of history from various aspects. They have, however, paid little attention to the love life of the white community to which this collection of twenty three stories is exclusively devoted.
Love Stories from the Raj is a treasury of tales engagingly narrated by witnesses of a vibrant and extraordinary era.
Quick glances, surreptitiously passed love letters, bold escapades, young maidens brought in by the shipload – the years of the Raj, with their ambitious young swashbuckling sahibs, begums and bibis, were anything but dull. There was romance in the air and passions overrode racial constraints, casting aside propriety and rules, creating memorable stories that almost defy imagination.
“A Better India A Better World” by N R Narayana Murthy @ Rs.499/- (Pgs.290)
With one of the highest GDP growth rates in the world and an array of recent achievements in technology, industry and entrepreneurship, India strides confidently towards the future. But, in the world’s largest democracy, not everyone is equally fortunate. More than 300 million Indians are still prey to hunger, illiteracy and disease, and 51 per cent of India’s children are still undernourished.
What will it take for India to bridge this great divide? When will the fruits of development reach the poorest of the poor, and wipe the tears from the eyes of every man, woman and child, as Mahatma Gandhi had dreamt? And how should this, our greatest challenge ever, be negotiated?
In this honest, bold and remarkably well-argued book, N.R.Narayana Murthy, who pioneered, designed and executed the Global Delivery Model that has become the cornerstone of India’s success in information technology services outsourcing, shows us that a society working for the greatest welfare of the greatest number – samasta jananam sukhino bhavantu – must focus on two simple things: values and good leadership. Drawing on the remarkable Infosys story and the lessons learnt from the two decades of post-reform India, Narayana Murthy lays down the ground rules that must be followed if future generations are to inherit a truly progressive nation.
“Toll the Hounds” by Steven Erikson @ Rs.350/- (Pgs.1295)
It is said that Hood waits at the end of every plot, every scheme, each grandiose ambition. But this time the Lord of Death is there at the beginning.. Darujhistan swelters and seethes with portents, rumours and whispers. Strangers have arrived, a murder, and assassins are targeting the owners of K’rul Bar. But such events will be dwarfed by what is about to happen- for in the distance can be heard the baying hounds. And in distant Black Coral, the ruling Tiste Andii appear oblivious to the threat posed by the cult of the Redeemer- an honourable, once mortal man who seems powerless against the twisted vision of his followers. So Hood stands at the beginning of a conspiracy that will shake the cosmos, but at the end there waits another: Anomander Rake, Son of Darkness, has come to right an ancient and terrible wrong..
In this book, Erikson has created a world that is both absorbing on human level and full of magic sublimity. Erikson has fluidly combined a sense of mythic power and depth of world with fully realized characters and thrilling action.
“The Road of Jerusalem” by Jan Guillou @ Rs.250/- (Pgs.383)
Arn de Gothia, the man who would become the Great Crusader, began his life in a monastery, fulfilling a promise made by his mother. While he did absorb some scholarly lessons, he learnt far more from a former Knight Templar. Arn became a swordsman, an excellent horseman and was a natural fighter.
Once released from the safe surroundings to the world, Arn’s innocence and strength propelled him into remarkable difficulties. His country was at war, rival families including his own striving for the crown and no one had expected him ever to emerge from the monastery to claim his heritage. The penalties imposed for transgressing rules were fierce. In his case, banishment to join the Knight’s Templar, The crusader was born.
Jan Guillou was born in Sweden in January 1944. He made his name as a journalist and rose to fame when he exposed a secret intelligence organization, was convicted of espionage and spent 10 months in prison, 5 of which were spent in solitary confinement. He is now a best selling novelist and writes regularly for Sweden’s leading tabloid, commenting on current affairs.
“The Armchair Economist; Economics and Everyday Life” by Steven E. Landsburg @ Rs.465/- (Pgs.241)
Ever wondered why popcorn cost so much at the movies? OR
When does it make sense not to recycle? OR
Why are laws against polygamy detrimental to women? …All such questions are answered here. This book is a compendium of essays about how economists think. It is about the things that we find mysterious, why we find them mysterious, and how we try to understand them.
Steven E. Landsburg examines everything from taxes, unemployment and illiteracy to the mating game, the death penalty and environmentalism to solve the puzzling questions that occur in daily living. Both controversial and humorous, The Armchair Economist demystifies the economics of everyday behaviour, and shows how the laws of economics can reveal themselves in surprising ways.
Put your convictions to the test with THIS BOOK!
“India and the Global Financial Crisis” by Y.V. Reddy @ Rs. 595/- (Pgs.397)
Using his enormous technical expertise in the areas of monetary policy and applying it judiciously to a growth environment as in India, Y.V.Reddy has brilliantly managed to balance growth imperatives with stability. The author, currently Professor Emeritus of the University of Hyderabad, was Governor of RBI between September 2003 and September 2008, a period of rapid growth of the Indian Economy as well as extraordinary challenges for the conduct of monetary policy. He has earned universal acclaim for managing, as Governor, India’s calibrated financial integration with the global economy.
This collection of essays provides insights into the making of public policies across as spectrum of areas during those years and gives a close view of the dynamics that are played out behind the scenes.
Ever since the financial crises erupted in the USA in 2007 and spread to the rest of the world, there has been an interest in India’s management of a financial sector that has facilitated growth and has yet maintained stability.
What contributed to this situation? What was the RBI’s perspective and what were its policies? This volume attempts to answer these questions and also providing a comprehensive account of the events that led to the global financial crisis, the policy responses, the directions for future reforms and an Indian approach to meeting the challenges of contagion from the turmoil.
“Mom in Chief; How Wisdom from the Workplace Can Save Your Family from Chaos” by Jamie Woolf @ Rs.350/- (Pgs.262)
Mom-in-Chief is filled with real-life stories, in-the-trenches strategies, and interactive assessment tools that clearly show how proven workplace techniques can increase your family’s bottom line for happiness. Drawing from her two decades of experience, Jamie Woolf offers her “best practices” that will help you improve your communication, create a healthy family culture, discover your parent leadership style, manage crises, and thrive during your child’s adolescence.
She reminds us that leading a family doesn’t mean churning out living masterpieces or indulging children with the perfect everything. It means inspiring without pushing your own agenda, nurturing without micromanaging, encouraging without aiming to win a best-of-show competition, and expecting the best without ignoring the joy of childhood.
“Who Said So? The Questions Revolutionary Businesses Ask That Make Them Successful” by Michael E. Parker @ Rs.350/- (Pgs.192)
Michael E.Parker is President and C.E.O of Stellar Enterprise. Previously, he worked for Toyota, implementing Lean principles throughout the company’s North American operations. He frequently delivers seminars of Lean management to companies outside of the manufacturing arena and is the founder of the Value – Centred Management Institute.
This book systematically helps you in creating a supporting infrastructure and leading your employees through the complex and chaotic process of implementing this vital change. Anyone who manages a team, organizations, etc. will receive valuable and practical information woven in an easy-to-read tale. Who Said So is a well written, engaging parable about the application of Lean concepts to a service organization.
“The Secret Language of Business” by Kevin Hogan @ Rs.350/- (Pgs.227)
“Great leaders don’t just talk; they communicate. Through words, body language and energy. I consider ‘The Secret Language of Business’ a must-read for anyone looking to enhance their leadership and communication skills.” – Jon Gordon, international bestselling author of The Energy Bus.
The secret language of business is nonverbal communication, but nonverbal communication is not simply body language. This book gives the detailed information about body language. Everyone conveys information through body language, knowingly or unknowingly. Kevin Hogan, not only explains if you are ‘Receiver’, but also explains the points if you are ‘Sender’ of a message. If you want to understand the real communication of business, study this book from page to page.
“Recess” by Palash Krishna Mehrotra @ Rs.450/- (Pgs.355)
This book brings together over 50 moving and human accounts of school covering a period of 200 years, as seen through the eyes of some of the finest minds India has produced – from hal Behari Dey and Dayananda Saraswati to Premchand and Harivansh Rai Bachchan, from Andre Beteille and Nisad Chaudhuri to Vikram Seth and Amit Chaudhari, from Ismat Chugtai and Sheila Dhar to Dilip Simeon and Shuddhabrata Sengupta.
This collection casts a very clear and unsentimental eye over a familiar childhood background, reminding us of our own schooldays. This book is indeed the definitive record of the Indian experience of school for years to come.
“Eat My Globe” by Simon Majumdar @ Rs.295/- (Pgs.278)
Simon’s world revolves around food all the time. He has a culinary obsession and is thus on a mission to eat the best food in the world, all of it, even the oddly shaped bits.
In this book, Simon has shared his search of the ultimate taste experience where he tries steaming pots of crayfish in Iceland, intestines in Argentina, delectable candied aubergine in China and the infamous Philly cheese steak in the US.
During this experience, Simon has met street vendors and farmers to deli kings and fancy chefs also fellow obsessives who devote their lives to food and welcome him into their kitchens.
“The Illustrated History of the Freedom Struggle” by Pavan K.Varma @ Rs.1499/- (Pgs.143) Coffee Table
A stunning visual record of India’s struggle for independence!
This elegant volume attempts to chronicle, for the first time ever, the visual moments of the movement that changed the history of India. The culmination of over a hundred years of striving that had claimed thousands of lives, the Indian freedom movement was a struggle marked by remarkable leadership, personal integrity and terrible sacrifice. It was the first non-violent mass movement that over threw an empire.
With a though provoking introduction by Pavan K. Varma, who enumerates the enduring legacies of the freedom movement, this book is replete with photographs, maps, newspaper clippings and letters sourced from various archives, museums and libraries from India and abroad.
The richly illustrated pages take you from the decades prior to the Revolt of 1857 to the Independence of India on 15 August 1947 and to the formation of the Republic of India.
This book is a must have for anyone who believes that when it comes to chronicling the epochal events of a nation’s history, a picture is worth a thousand words.
“The Case of the Missing Servant” by Tarquin Hall @ Rs.430/- (Pgs.312)
MEET Vish Puri, India’s most private investigator. Portly, persistent and unmistakably Punjabi, he cuts a determined swathe through modern India’s swindlers, cheats and murderers. His main work though comes from screening prospective marriage partners, a job once the preserve of aunties and family priests. But everything goes for a turn when an honest public litigator is accused of murdering his maidservant and it takes all of Puri’s resources to investigate.
How will he trace the fate of the girl, known only as Mary, in a population of more than one billion?
Who is taking potshots at him and his prize chilli plants?
And WHY is his widowed ‘Mummy-ji’ attempting to play sleuth when everyone knows Mummies are not detectives?
Tubelight, Flush and Facecream are part of his team of undercover operatives, and with Puri who ingeniously combines modern techniques with principles of detection established in India more than two thousand years ago…long before ‘that Johnny-come-lately’ Sherlock Holmes donned his deerstalker!
In his search for Mary, taking him to the desert oasis of Jaipur and the remote mines of Jharkhand, from his Gymkhana Club to the slums where the servant classes live, Puri’s adventures reveal modern India in all its seething complexity.
“Your Heart Belongs To Me” by Dean Koontz @ Rs.250/- (Pgs.337)
At 34, Ryan Perry never expected to find himself on a waiting list for a heart transplant, with time running out. So when miraculously he receives a new heart and the transplant is a success, thinking his troubles are over, a year later he never felt so good about his life, but then he starts to receive heart shaped gifts from an unknown person. Suddenly, $100,000 disappears from his bank account, and he finds them donated to the cardiology department of the local hospital.
And then comes a terrifying threat: ‘Everything he has – his money, his reputation, his friends etc will get ripped away from him’. He is promised a nightmare death. In grave danger, alone with his beating heart and its secrets, can Ryan unlock the mystery of the enemy who threatens his very existence?
Prepare for the unexpected in this compelling and fast-paced thriller from the master of suspense.
New books
1. “Ernesto Che Guevara; Reminiscences of the Cuban Revolutionary War” by Aleida Guevara @ Rs.295/- (Pgs.314)
2. “Radical Trust” by Joe Healey @ Rs.350/- (Pgs.224)
3. “The Girl Who Played with Fire” by Stieg Larsson @ Rs.299/- (Pgs.649)
4. “First Family” by David Baldacci @ Rs.470/- (Pgs.452)
5. “Arctic Drift” by Clive Cussler and Dirk Cussler @ Rs.390/- (Pgs.515)
6. “The Ascent of Money” by Niall Ferguson @ Rs.595/- (Pgs.442)
7. “Atlas of Unknowns” by Tania James @ Rs.660/- (Pgs.319)
8. “The Speaking Tree; Celebrating the Festivals of India” by Times of India @ Rs.200/- (Pgs.187)
9. “The Paris Enigma” by Pablo De Santis @ Rs.295/- (Pgs.324)
10. “Marley; A Dog Like No Other” by John Grogan @ Rs.150/- (Pgs.208)
11. “Train Your Brain More” by Dr.Kawashima @ Rs. 199/- (Pgs.187)
12. “Cultural Histories of Central Asia” Ed. by Rashmi Doraiswamy @ Rs. 595/-
Lots more books making their way into the Store everyday. Do drop in and check it out !
From the team at twistntales,
Monday, May 11, 2009
Literary tour !
With the sleuth @ Baker Street
With Charles Dickens @ Madame Tussauds
Adam Smith, father of modern Economics, author of "Wealth of Nations"
"The Complete Tales Of Peter Rabbit" by Beatrix Potter
The main hall of the British Museum which used to be the British Library. The same place where Karl Marx wrote his "Das Kapital"
Oxford !!!!
With Charles Dickens @ Madame Tussauds
Adam Smith, father of modern Economics, author of "Wealth of Nations"
"The Complete Tales Of Peter Rabbit" by Beatrix Potter
with Beatrix Potter !
The main hall of the British Museum which used to be the British Library. The same place where Karl Marx wrote his "Das Kapital"
Where was "Inspector Morse" shot ? In the Turf Tavern in Oxford !
Oxford !!!!
twistntales @ London Book Fair
Book Fairs are happy places to be. One gets to meet "books" people - authors, publishers, others in the books trade - and readers !
twistntales was in the London Book Fair in April this year, catching on with what's happening in the trade, who's coming to India when, what and how of things. As small but independent booksellers, we felt it important to build bridges, establish new contacts and generally have a good "dekho" at the book scene.
India was the "market focus" this year boasting one of the largest English reading populations of the World. The "India Section" was interesting, with almost 78 Indian authors participating, including the bigwigs like Vikram Seth. We had our very own Ajit Harisinghani with "One Life to Ride" (posing above) from Pune (Copies available @ twistntales)
The Book Fair itself was interesting with lots of new products being launched (apart from books), the most interesting being an ATM for books ! An Any Time Machine for printing books on demand when you run out of copies was a big hit amongst bookstore owners ! Besides, authors and publishers, there were others like Tulika and Zubaan (regulars at twistntales know these publications well) who were working with NGOs promoting the cause of reading amongst schoolchildren in the UK.
One also took this opportunity to visit bookstores in all major/ minor towns of England and Scotland, apart from the pilgrimages to William Wordsworth's Dove's Cottage and The World of Beatrix Potter bringing alive both the daffodils and Peter Rabbit in childlike enthusiasm to us. But that will be the topic of another post, another day !
Friday, April 17, 2009
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Happy Birthday Vernen
Standing on this side of the bridge, we're watching you cross, cheering you on every step of the way. You're building a life far away, but we're there with you.
Always.
Happy birthday!
Monday, March 30, 2009
Folks who helped us make it happen !
Seven years is not too long a time to be writing your memoirs ! But b4 we get too big for our boots (hopefully, we never will) - i need to acknowledge some early support.
I write here about a few ULMs
1. Verghese. He is a marketing man, mainly in telecommunications, now pretty senior travelling the globe all the time. Back in 2002, he had quit one job, had 2 offers on hand and was wondering which one to take up.
He needed a break, came to Pune, stayed with us hoping for a quiet 2 weeks - when i was completely going berserk with bookstore idea. It was 3rd wk jan when he came. Poor guy ! he had no choice ! He postponed his joining date, stayed back, taught me about glow signs, neon, signages, went to visit a few bookstores with me to chk out shelving ideas and store decor ..... he stayed back almost for a month !
It was fun, and i had a bouncing board for all my crazy ideas !
2. Ajay Dasgupta : He walked into the Store yesterday ! He has been part of our journey and then suddenly vanished for 6 years only to re-appear yesterday. It was a complete moment of joy. Ajay was our first mascot for our karadi tales event, sweating it inside a thick bhaalu costume in April heat. He did all our street plays that year. We did quite a few workshops and reading sessions - he was our first Santa too ! Thanks Ajay, for coming back !
3. Vernen : our original vernie pooh ! Through his BSc course in India, Vernen was the South African who was more Indian than some of our guys ! Though initially he walked into the Store for the "airconditioning" on a hot summer afternoon, Vernen soon became part of the tnt family ! His bday comes up in a day, heres to Vernen in Johannesberg, happy bday from tnt.
4. And of course, the original ULM - it can't be said in a blog post.
I write here about a few ULMs
1. Verghese. He is a marketing man, mainly in telecommunications, now pretty senior travelling the globe all the time. Back in 2002, he had quit one job, had 2 offers on hand and was wondering which one to take up.
He needed a break, came to Pune, stayed with us hoping for a quiet 2 weeks - when i was completely going berserk with bookstore idea. It was 3rd wk jan when he came. Poor guy ! he had no choice ! He postponed his joining date, stayed back, taught me about glow signs, neon, signages, went to visit a few bookstores with me to chk out shelving ideas and store decor ..... he stayed back almost for a month !
It was fun, and i had a bouncing board for all my crazy ideas !
2. Ajay Dasgupta : He walked into the Store yesterday ! He has been part of our journey and then suddenly vanished for 6 years only to re-appear yesterday. It was a complete moment of joy. Ajay was our first mascot for our karadi tales event, sweating it inside a thick bhaalu costume in April heat. He did all our street plays that year. We did quite a few workshops and reading sessions - he was our first Santa too ! Thanks Ajay, for coming back !
3. Vernen : our original vernie pooh ! Through his BSc course in India, Vernen was the South African who was more Indian than some of our guys ! Though initially he walked into the Store for the "airconditioning" on a hot summer afternoon, Vernen soon became part of the tnt family ! His bday comes up in a day, heres to Vernen in Johannesberg, happy bday from tnt.
4. And of course, the original ULM - it can't be said in a blog post.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
We love you guys too !
Dear tnt,
Happy 7th Birthday Tnt!
Like I always say "you changed my life".
Sumitra--
Dr Sumitra Krishnan
Thank you Sumitra, for threatening us with a black flag demonstration everytime we let our spirits down and think it is better to shut ! Your black flag threat works ! Everytime !
Birthday celebrations !
the BIG birthday card from BIG customers !
the SMALL birthday card from our SMALL fans !
What's a budday w/o balloons ?
the SMALL birthday card from our SMALL fans !
What's a budday w/o balloons ?
Saturday, March 28, 2009
i feel like a new mother answering all calls and wishes on behalf of her kid !
chk this : http://www160.123greetings.com/card/03/28/01/52/ZQK80328015246713.html
chk this : http://www160.123greetings.com/card/03/28/01/52/ZQK80328015246713.html
and this :
hey Tnt,
happy birthday
Shama
and this :
Dear Janaki
Heartiest greetings on turning 7. Hope there will be many more birthdays, each happier than the previous. There are bookstores and bookstalls but twistntales has been different. To my mind, the difference has been the personal touch (none of the "Dial 1 for History, Dial 2 for Fiction....") and the interest and investment you have created in people - your customers. This is what makes me come all the way from near the airport to Aundh to pick up books. Not only do I collect my books but I also spend some time with you and the staff and this interaction is something that cannot be quantified or measured. You are doing business all right, but there is a genuineness in the gregariousness you display, which makes twistntales so endearing. My best wishes for this birthday and each birthday. Love.
Ravi
Thanks all of you !!!
Friday, March 27, 2009
The 7-year itch: How tnt crept into our lives, our schedules and our lingo
Who said there can be too much of a good thing? We disagree strongly. There can never be too much chocolate, too many hugs, too much gossip and laughter, shoes....and tnt. Yes, it helps that we're book fiends, that we're happier wandering through literary aisles than malls. But tnt has gone from being workplace to hang-out spot to home to simply a way of life.
Tia says: Tnt pops up in the most unexpected ways. I'm sitting with a glass of hot rasam right now as I write, and my first thought as I sipped was, 'Boss puts more ghee in hers.'
Jahnavi says: My exams are coming up, and full-fledged studying is on. Or at least supposed to be on. (Tia wrote that, Boss, it wasn't me!) Most evenings, after a day of swotting at my books, I would get in the car and drive to the Store, just to spend an hour there. Just because.
Tia says: Spikeyand I are chatting online most of our working hours. Or is it waking hours, Spikey??? Her first question to me when I log on isn't 'Hi', or 'How are you?' it's 'How's the Store?' Ok, maybe sometimes, she starts off with 'What's up?' and THEN says 'how's the Store?' but that's rare.
Jahnavi says: Two days ago, my friend and I were getting Cadbee's in Aundh. Now, everyone knows that you cannot have a Cadbee just anywhere. You can't have it while walking down any old street! A Cadbee has to be had someplace with a buzz, with atmosphere. But, a sign just outside the Store (which I made myself!) says 'No food and drinks allowed inside.' So I figured, what the heck, maybe we can sit on the steps outside the Store and have our Cadbees there. We didn't, ultimately, but it was the first place I thought of!
Tia says: Whenever we want to meet up, or are uncertain about where to meet, or are just generally uncertain, we go to the Store. I don't know if I should have a quiet birthday or invite everybody I know and have a huge bash. Uncertainty - head to the Store! Should I spike my hair today or wear it flat. Uncertainty - head to the Store. In fact, heading to the Store doesn't have to have a reason. We go to look at books, look at new employees (especially if they're male!) and just to feel wanted.
Jahnavi says: There are those who envied Tia and me while we were working at the Store. Some of them managed to edge us out and get our jobs, and now they envy us because they've moved to different citites while we continue to be within driving distance of the Store. They, on the other hand have to get onto trains (sometimes without a ticket) to get here. But they still come back.
Tia says: Initially, when we met Potential Guys, it was all about humour, height and dimples, not necessarily in that order. Now, it's all about 'Ooooh, he bought The Book of Nurturing , he's my type! Of course, in some people's case, it could be all about muscular legs and management books! Or it could be, 'Awwwww, he bought The Diary of Anne Frank, he's our kind of guy!'
Tnt has, in many ways re-affirmed my faith in That Gender Which I Do Not Understand aka men! The acronym ULM was coined at tnt. It stands for Utterly Lovable Man, and we have met quite a few of these, while at the Store.
Jahnavi says: There are umpteen stories and happenings which Tia claims are Insanely Important. But I think the fact that it is 1:08 in the morning and my exams are less than a week away and that Tia has been typing with her cell-phone wedged between her ear and her shoulder for the past hour is testament to how much tnt is a part of us.
And so, from two tireless tnt-ians (with a little help from Spikey in Mumbai) to all you wonderful people who made it happen, to a small slice of joy tucked away in a little pocket in Aundh, a very happy birthday!
Tia says: Tnt pops up in the most unexpected ways. I'm sitting with a glass of hot rasam right now as I write, and my first thought as I sipped was, 'Boss puts more ghee in hers.'
Jahnavi says: My exams are coming up, and full-fledged studying is on. Or at least supposed to be on. (Tia wrote that, Boss, it wasn't me!) Most evenings, after a day of swotting at my books, I would get in the car and drive to the Store, just to spend an hour there. Just because.
Tia says: Spikeyand I are chatting online most of our working hours. Or is it waking hours, Spikey??? Her first question to me when I log on isn't 'Hi', or 'How are you?' it's 'How's the Store?' Ok, maybe sometimes, she starts off with 'What's up?' and THEN says 'how's the Store?' but that's rare.
Jahnavi says: Two days ago, my friend and I were getting Cadbee's in Aundh. Now, everyone knows that you cannot have a Cadbee just anywhere. You can't have it while walking down any old street! A Cadbee has to be had someplace with a buzz, with atmosphere. But, a sign just outside the Store (which I made myself!) says 'No food and drinks allowed inside.' So I figured, what the heck, maybe we can sit on the steps outside the Store and have our Cadbees there. We didn't, ultimately, but it was the first place I thought of!
Tia says: Whenever we want to meet up, or are uncertain about where to meet, or are just generally uncertain, we go to the Store. I don't know if I should have a quiet birthday or invite everybody I know and have a huge bash. Uncertainty - head to the Store! Should I spike my hair today or wear it flat. Uncertainty - head to the Store. In fact, heading to the Store doesn't have to have a reason. We go to look at books, look at new employees (especially if they're male!) and just to feel wanted.
Jahnavi says: There are those who envied Tia and me while we were working at the Store. Some of them managed to edge us out and get our jobs, and now they envy us because they've moved to different citites while we continue to be within driving distance of the Store. They, on the other hand have to get onto trains (sometimes without a ticket) to get here. But they still come back.
Tia says: Initially, when we met Potential Guys, it was all about humour, height and dimples, not necessarily in that order. Now, it's all about 'Ooooh, he bought The Book of Nurturing , he's my type! Of course, in some people's case, it could be all about muscular legs and management books! Or it could be, 'Awwwww, he bought The Diary of Anne Frank, he's our kind of guy!'
Tnt has, in many ways re-affirmed my faith in That Gender Which I Do Not Understand aka men! The acronym ULM was coined at tnt. It stands for Utterly Lovable Man, and we have met quite a few of these, while at the Store.
Jahnavi says: There are umpteen stories and happenings which Tia claims are Insanely Important. But I think the fact that it is 1:08 in the morning and my exams are less than a week away and that Tia has been typing with her cell-phone wedged between her ear and her shoulder for the past hour is testament to how much tnt is a part of us.
And so, from two tireless tnt-ians (with a little help from Spikey in Mumbai) to all you wonderful people who made it happen, to a small slice of joy tucked away in a little pocket in Aundh, a very happy birthday!
Much love, from far away!
When I moved back to Bangalore from Pune, I missed tnt. Like a heartbeat. I wandered into bookstores, through long corridors of dusty books in some and swanky new ones in others. I felt helpless. I pulled books out of their shelves, turned them around to read the blurbs and put them back. I stared vacuously at rows and piles of books waiting to hear J's voice, waiting for inspiration, waiting for counsel. I was spoilt. By J. By everything tnt. Like Shankar said, it's hard to tell them apart.
So, I took to calling J every Monday from the confines of my car. Thanks to tnt being closed on Monday, I actually started looking forward to Monday because it meant I could talk to J. That was a welcome transformation. Monday morning blues? No. Monday morning oranges. And reds. And yellows. And sunshine. Life. Books. Empathy. Love. I got it all.
I went back to visit tnt every year after I moved back. And was comforted. Each time. By its colourful new umbrellas, midnight Happy Potter and magic, J and the elves I wrote of.
In all my travels, every time I walked into a bookstore, I waited to hear J's voice telling me what to do. When I don't hear it, I worry that I may not like the books that I'm buying. I'm almost surprised if I do. Now, in the land of Shakespeare and with bookstores on so many street corners, I still wait. To hear J's voice. Because there's nothing jumping out saying 'read me!'.
It's an addiction. tnt. It is. A happy one. And, one I can't wait to go back to as soon as I possibly can. Happy Birthday, tnt. I love you very much.
So, I took to calling J every Monday from the confines of my car. Thanks to tnt being closed on Monday, I actually started looking forward to Monday because it meant I could talk to J. That was a welcome transformation. Monday morning blues? No. Monday morning oranges. And reds. And yellows. And sunshine. Life. Books. Empathy. Love. I got it all.
I went back to visit tnt every year after I moved back. And was comforted. Each time. By its colourful new umbrellas, midnight Happy Potter and magic, J and the elves I wrote of.
In all my travels, every time I walked into a bookstore, I waited to hear J's voice telling me what to do. When I don't hear it, I worry that I may not like the books that I'm buying. I'm almost surprised if I do. Now, in the land of Shakespeare and with bookstores on so many street corners, I still wait. To hear J's voice. Because there's nothing jumping out saying 'read me!'.
It's an addiction. tnt. It is. A happy one. And, one I can't wait to go back to as soon as I possibly can. Happy Birthday, tnt. I love you very much.
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