Hiran is born in 1857: the year of Mutiny and the year his father dies. Brought to Calcutta by his widowed mother he turns out to have few talents, apart from an uncanny ability to read a man’s fate in his palm. When luck gets him a job at the auction house, Hiran finds himself embroiled in a mysterious trade, and even more deeply embroiled in the affairs of his nefarious superior, the infamous Mr. Jonathan Crabbe.
Commissioned to procure a child for Mr. Crabbe’s opium addicted wife, he stumbles upon his own future. An unlikely hero, Hiran, the opium clerk, is caught up in rebellion and war, buffeted by storms at sea, by love and intrigue, innocently implicated in fraud and dark dealings.
Archives: Books
The Tata Group Beyond Business | A Tribute to Vision, Leadership, and Legacy by Sandeep Murarka
The Tata Group Beyond Business: Impact, Encomiums, and Accolades offers a compelling tribute to Ratan Tata and the extraordinary leaders who have shaped the Group’s 150+ years of history.
Through rare photographs, inspiring anecdotes, and meticulous research, this book captures the entrepreneurial spirit, governance excellence, and bold strategic moves that have placed the Tata Group at the forefront of global business. Beyond boardrooms, it reveals the Group’s enduring contributions to communities, education, sports, and culture.
The Tata Group Beyond Business is both a valuable reference and a source of inspiration. Whether you are a business professional, student, historian, or admirer of the TATA legacy, this book will deepen your understanding of a corporate giant that continues to shape India’s destiny and inspire generations.
Munger ki Rani
Born into a world that celebrated sons and silenced dreams, Manisha Rani dared to dance to her own rhythm. From surviving a broken home and battling small-town expectations to facing rejection after rejection on her way to the stage, she turned every ‘no’ into the fuel that powered her rise.
In Munger ki Rani, India’s beloved social media star opens up about her struggles, heartbreaks and the courage it took to transform her life. Unfiltered, funny and deeply personal, this book reveals what it really takes to make it as a new-age influencer in a world obsessed with perfection.
A story of grit, grace and the unstoppable spirit of a small-town girl who became a queen in her own right—Munger ki Rani is an inspiring read for anyone who dares to dream big.
BSF and Meghalaya: Through the Lens of a Borderman | A Poetic and Visual Journey Through One of India’s Most Breathtaking Frontiers
Meghalaya, the land of cloud-kissed plateaus, cascading valleys, and vibrant traditions, is more than just a frontier. It is a meeting ground of nature, culture, and resilience, where the Border Security Force (BSF) stands steadfast in its duty while also becoming part of the fabric of the land.
In this evocative coffee table book, Shri Harbax Singh Dhillon invites readers on a journey that is at once visual, historical, and deeply personal. Through photographs, sketches, and poetry, the book mirrors the many faces of Meghalaya, its breathtaking landscapes, its diverse communities, and the timeless rhythm of life along its borders. Interwoven is the story of the BSF, guardians of sovereignty who, beyond patrolling, also share bonds of trust and kinship with the people they serve among.
Both a tribute and a record, this volume celebrates the spirit of Meghalaya and the BSF, offering readers a work of beauty, memory, and belonging.
Climate Change 2100: Survive or Thrive?
By 2050, we may cross 2°C of global warming—humanity’s point of no return. Yet the future is not fixed. In this urgent and hopeful manifesto, solar scientist and climate activist Chetan Singh Solanki, known as the Solar Man and Solar Gandhi, shares lessons from his eleven-year Energy Swaraj Yatra, living in a solar bus to spread awareness. Blending science and philosophy, he introduces the AMG (Avoid, Minimize, Generate) framework, and the TUPEE Climate Habits: Travel less, Use wisely, Purchase less, Eat carefully and Eliminate electricity waste.
A wake-up call, a blueprint, and a practical guide — Climate Change 2100 shows us how to act now so that by 2100 humanity doesn’t merely endure, but thrives.
Stories from a Kargili Kitchen
The untold story of Kargil—told not through war, but through food
Tucked between some of the most forbidding folds of the Himalayas, Kargil is a land too often seen only through the lens of war—yet its valleys hold a tenderness, resilience and faith that endure through food.
Born from years of travel, cooking and friendships, foodways researcher Yash Saxena gathers voices from mountain kitchens and firesides—of shepherds, monks, farmers and mothers who feed a world shaped by both faith and frost. From slow-simmering broths to shifting borderlines, from ancient Bon rituals to the echoes of Bofor gunfire, each story reveals how a community sustains itself through ritual, memory and the quiet grace of everyday cooking.
Blending memoir, travelogue and cultural history, this is part food book, part love letter and part act of remembrance—a tender, sensory journey through Kargili kitchens, whose flames fight to keep centuries of wisdom alive against the winds of change.
While We Wait
It’s not a choice; it’s just what happened.
It’s not a conversation; it’s shared silences.
They don’t heal each other; they just make it bearable.
And, they’re still there . . .
Two broken souls.
Together—yet alone.
Yet together.
When life takes the call for Aditi and Raghav and turns their worlds upside-down, they have no other choice but to hold on to each other; to find solace in shared pain. What emerges is a new pattern and they find a way—not just to cope but to keep that heart-shaped hole in their chests safe from further destruction.
While We Wait is a gripping story that gives love and togetherness a new emotional note.
The Magic of the Lost Earrings: A New Nooni Adventure by Sudha Murty | A Story of History, Family Bonds and Hidden Treasures | Ages 9+
When a pair of antique earrings lands in Nooni’s hands, her quiet holiday with Ajja and Ajji turns into the adventure of a lifetime. From the sacred ghats of Ujjain to the buzzing streets of Amritsar, the storied lanes of Delhi and all the way to London, Nooni follows a trail shimmering with mystery and history.
Each step brings her face to face with forgotten tales of love and loss, revealing that true treasures aren’t just beautiful—they hold memories worth keeping alive.
Told in India’s favourite storyteller’s inimitable style, The Magic of the Lost Earrings is a heart-warming tale of togetherness, courage and heritage—one that lingers
long after the last page.
The Inheritance of Loss
In a crumbling, isolated house at the foot of Mount Kanchenjunga in the Himalayas lives an embittered judge who wants only to retire in peace, when his orphaned granddaughter, Sai, arrives on his doorstep. The judge’s cook watches over her distractedly, for his thoughts are often on his son, Biju, who is hopscotching from one gritty New York restaurant to another. Kiran Desai’s brilliant novel, published to huge acclaim, is a story of joy and despair. Her characters face numerous choices that majestically illuminate the consequences of colonialism as it collides with the modern world.
Dashavatara
Vishnu, the supreme blue deity,
Is the master of time and every being’s friend.
Through his ten special avataras—mysterious and mighty,
He protects the universe and brings evil to an end.
MATSYA, KURMA and VARAHA
Bestow life upon gods and humans.
NARASIMHA, VAMANA and PARASHURAMA
Defeat ego and arrogance.
RAMA, BALARAMA and KRISHNA
Show the true meaning of brotherhood.
And last is the much-awaited KALKI,
Who shall bring back the reign of good!
Known together as the Dashavatara,
These incarnations are a perfect ten!
This is their heroic saga,
Let’s begin reading their stories, then?