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The Buddha, Ashoka, Gandhi-the three greatest Indians who ever lived-were emblematic of non-violence. Yet, paradoxically, their country of origin is one of the most violent places on earth. Do 'we, the people of India' have violence in our bones? This work explores different aspects of our society to answer the question. Despite a blood-soaked Partition coupled with many other challenges that all emerging democracies have had to negotiate, India's record in upholding the democratic va

Sage Visvamitra ordered Rama to kill Tataka. 'Please accept my apologies, I do not fight or kill women,' Rama said humbly. 'Rama, as a Kshatriya, it is your bounden duty to protect the innocent and slay the wicked. You are a prince and the future king of Ayodhya; you are responsible for the welfare of your subjects. As your elder and guru, I am ordering you to kill Tataka and rid this forest of her.' Without another word, Rama strung his bow and shot an arrow, which pierced Tataka's heart and she fell down. Many must have heard of Saptarshis in passing when talking about Ursa Major. They are not just the seven stars of the kite-shaped constellation, but also refer to the seven sages in Hindu astronomy. This book, Saptarshis, offers a glimpse into how the seven sages-Vasistha, Kasyapa, Atri, Visvamitra, Gotama, Jamadagni and Bharadvaja-came to be extolled in the Vedas. The contribution of each of the seven sages have now been ingrained in Vedic literature, having a ripple effect on Hindu mythology such that it was passed on from one generation to the next, making way from the knowledge seekers of yore to the readers of modern times.

If India looks forward to its 75th year of Independence, it is also looking at 75 years of the country's partition. Perhaps the biggest human tragedy of the twentieth century, it was marked by unparalleled violence that was suppressed by interested parties for their own political and ideological reasons. In the analysis of the real factors that led to Partition lies the lesson to protect India's unity and integrity, as exemplified by the relentless but unsuccessful attempt by Veer Savarkar to prevent the birth of Pakistan. Arguably the greatest symbol of India's national integration, Savarkar's warnings on the threats to India's security have come true in the past seven decades. Veer Savarkar: The Man Who Could Have Prevented Partition uncovers Savarkar, the thinker and the father of India's national security who has shown the best possible pathway towards one nation that rises above religious, caste and regional feelings. It also proves the falsity of charges levelled against Savarkar from time to time and exposes the motives behind them. It reveals, for the first time, the manner in which the Narendra Modi-led government has implemented Savarkar's national security and diplomatic vision. This book presents a true account of the tragic story of India's partition and Savarkar's efforts to prevent it. Authors Uday Mahurkar and Chirayu Pandit present several new facets of Savarkar which are unknown to the country. They bring out how Savarkar presented the first-ever robust defence and diplomacy doctrine for independent India. It is based on deep research and offers rare lessons on fighting divisive forces for creating the ideal of united India.

Devi is always with us. Devi is always inside us. Every year, there are occasions when we celebrate her presence a little more, specially worship her and become a bit more conscious of her presence inside us, and everywhere around us. Navaratri, the nine nights with Devi, is an example. Chaitra and Sharada Navaratris are special occasions when Bharata, with all its diversity, celebrates Devi's manifestations. Rituals and rites are localized, customs are based on historical legacies and culture, but the template of worship is universal throughout India, and even outside it. Navaratri: When Devi Comes Home documents this diversity in tradition, each specific to one particular part of the country. But, taken together, they resonate with the theme-ya devi sarva-pradesheshu puja-rupena samsthita. Just like diverse manifestations of the Adi Shakti-the eternal Goddess-which Devi is worshipped as, the expression of the celebration changes as you move around the country. This is the first ever compilation of living customs, culture and conventions that make the canon of Devi Mahatmya and Devi Bhagavatam come alive and thrive through diverse expressions. From the visual of colourful and energetic Garba from the western coast of India to the warm enthusiasm of Durga Puja pandals from the eastern parts, this book explains the myriad ways of celebrating these auspicious nine days and nights. Like most things Indian, there is a common thread that runs across all Navaratri celebra tions around India that this book brings to light. Other popular versions of celebrations are more of trends that we sometimes follow and enjoy with people around us, and the not-so-popular versions remain undiscovered. This book helps uncover those versions.

In the vast sea of available knowledge on the topic that is 'Bengal', this book is a wave navigating its way through the depths. But the journey, necessarily, is a unique one. This story of Bengal glimpses into aspects of the charted routes of known history-political, social, economic, cultural-but is narrated through the prism of the author's own experiences. Familiar grounds are covered but conveyed through fresh perspectives, interpreted with original insights and infused with new views and voices-those of a gamut of experts including academics and actors, economists and environmentalists, sociologists and scholars, politicians and even psychologists. In telling and retelling bits and pieces of the life of Bengal, a plethora of gaps are plugged-chinks created by time and space-in the story. The author flashes the torchlight into these shadowy nooks and crannies and ferrets out what occurred and where it was difficult to assess what did actually go on. This book, in essence, is a factual, black and white account of selected parts of the history of Bengal, but splashed with the colour of creative storytelling.

A remarkable journey-part pilgrimage, part romantic odyssey-down India's mightiest river, the Ganga.Nishant, a young Indian writer living in Paris, is haunted by the memory of an enigmatic Parisienne who claims to be two persons-Jaya and Nadja. He decides to journey down the Ganges, from its source in the Himalayas to where it meets the sea, with a desire to write about this voyage and his memories of Jaya. On the banks of the Ganga, he meets Zehra, an irresistible dancing girl in the tradition of the great tawaiffs, who performs in a nearby brothel. Zehra resurrects the memory of Jaya.With Jaya and Zehra inhabiting his mind, Nishant undertakes an entrancing journey down the Ganga replete with unexpected encounters with sadhus, boatmen, engineers, vernacular journalists, pimps, administrators, Bollywood stars like Amitabh Bachchan, and the omnipresent pandas.When Jaya Ganga was first published in French, it created more than a stir in literary circles. It was hailed as a unique travelogue-novel which brought the author's inner and outer worlds effortlessly together.Jaya Ganga was adapted in cinema in 1995. A cult film today, Jaya Ganga, written and directed by Vijay Singh, played for a record 49 weeks in the UK and France after being screened in 40 other countries.

LOSS, DEATH AND BEREAVEMENT ARE INEVITABLE TO HUMAN LIFE.EQUALLY TRUE IS THE HUMAN CAPACITY TO GROW STRENGTH IN THE GARDEN OF SORROW AND SEEK THE PATH OF DEEP GROWTH,TRANSFORMATION AND GRACE, IN THE MIDST OF GRIEF AND PAIN.Neena Verma, an expert companion, counsellor and educator for meaning-inspired ''Grief and Growth'', and a bereaved mother herself, offers an in-depth and engaging book, that guides the way to transform grief journey into ''growth and grace'' pilgrimage. Her path setting GROWTH Mandala framework shows an evocative and practical way to affirm grief, adapt to the emergent reality with resilience, restore well-being, transform and re-emerge with meaning and grace. This book is for you, if you believe that an affirmative, resilient and meaning-centric approach to life radiates light in the dark night of pain. And this book is for you, if you are keen to facilitate deep existential growth for yourself and others, whether or not in grief. Welcome aboard the pilgrimage of faith, hope, strength, wisdom, meaning, growth, love and grace.

From being one of the earliest members of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, Vajpayee blossomed into a leading opposition MP by the late 1960s, went on to become external affairs minister in the short-lived Janata government and, finally in 1999, to head the first non-congress government to complete a full Term in Office. That it was a coalition government made the feat all the more remarkable and testifies to the fact that though wedded to a right-wing political ideology, Vajpayee did not believe in the politics of exclusion. A protege of Jana Sangh stalwarts like Syama Prasad Mukherjee and deep Dayal Upadhyaya, Vajpayee won the admiration of Jawaharlal Nehru, was consulted by his daughter Indira Gandhi - whom he never lacked the courage to criticize-and befriended by fiery trade unionists George Fernandes even before they became political allies. He thus displayed an unusual ability to carry along all shades of political opinion - An ability that came to the fore when he headed the National democratic alliance government between 1999 and 2004. And behind this public persona was an unusual personal life, conducted with such dignity as to remain free of innuendo. In this book, journalist Kingshuk Nag traces the political journey of this tall parliamentarian of over four decades, who was conferred the Bharat Ratna in December 2014. Atal Bihari Vajpayee: a man for all seasons is a definitive account of the life and times of one of India's most illustrious non-congress leaders.

How did Uday, a scion of a well-established cotton trading family, break away from theready nest-egg offered by the traditional family business to set up his eponymous KotakMahindra Bank, known for being one of the most expensive bank stocks in the world?'How Uday Kotak Built a Valuable Indian Bank' recounts the story of a young man,brought up in a family with Gandhian values and a simple middle-class ethos, whojust wanted to be a professional cricketer. With a foiled dream and a deep desire to do'something on my own', Uday started out with an MBA degree and an innate abilityto spot unseen business opportunities, to set up a company in the small office spaceprovided by his father. The company crossed various trials by fire in tandem with India'seconomy to emerge as the bank with the highest market price to book ratio in the world,a measure that indicates the efficiency of the bank in value creation as perceived byinvestors.

In The Inside Story of Indian Banking, journalist and author Sandip Sen deep dives into data and interacts with over 60 bankers, lawyers, analysts and professionals to present a thrilling account of deep-rooted corruption and path-breaking reforms in India's banking industry. He maps the trajectory of Indian banking-from its chaotic beginnings under colonial rule to bank nationalization in 1969, from banking post liberalization to the present-day mergers, and a crisis where frauds balloon as laws are tightened. The book not only highlights the deep-rooted problems, but also offers solutions from bankers themselves.

Multiple stakeholders, including bankers, bureaucrats and other government authorities helped create an Icarus- the Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services Limited, which soared higher and higher only to get burnt by its own ambitions. Its highly valued companies have gone bankrupt and are now being purchased at distress sale prices by the highest bidder.

Who is man math a Nath Dutt? This Question starts haunting bibek Debroy when he finds that name imprinted on the translations of almost all ancient texts that he too wants to translate from Sanskrit text into English. While multiple translations are not uncommon, what were the chances of two translators invariably choosing the same set of texts? It was almost like man math a Nath Dutt had left a trail for bibek Debroy to follow. And that sets off Debroy on the road to discovering more about the translator extraordinaire who had largely remained ignored so far. Gathering material and sifting through clues, following various leads and discarding some, Debroy pieces together a jigsaw puzzle to reveal a picture of the prolific translator man math a Nath duty and of nineteenth-century Calcutta.