In order to be able to survive, Aisha Sarwari was told, love and devoted acts of service will always light the way. These however, become the very reason of her complete unravelling.
In this large and messy voice of a memoir, Heart Tantrums artfully describes the scatter of catastrophic losses-the loss of her father in early adolescence; leaving behind her family home in East Africa; and trying to fit into a completely different culture in Lahore after marriage. In 2017, when Aisha first held her husband Yasser Latif Hamdani’s brain MRI against the light, she began to also lose the man she loved to a personality-altering brain tumour.
Oscillating between being a good woman and a bad woman, Aisha has been adamant that the hard knocks of life would not define her. But even self-respect comes at a high price. The internal life of mental health chaos is like the very disease itself-degenerative. The book rejects the idea that love and domestic servitude saves the day.
Pakistan, she never thought, could become like living in a state of self-exile for the couple that married for country-Aisha Sarwari, a proud Pakistani feminist and career professional, and Yasser Latif Hamdani, a human rights lawyer turned internationally acclaimed biographer of Pakistan’s founding father, M.A. Jinnah. Often, they both failed to play for the team, but their fight for belonging was sometimes punctuated by the warmth of parenting and the joy of extraordinary friendships.
This book is a prayer on a page, with this immigrant girl finding her way in the dark through a raw and magnificently well-told story of grief, hybrid identity, immigration woes, systemic family oppression, caregiver fatigue and, of course, what every good literature tries hard to hack-the terror of oblivion.
William returns to Hindustan after eight long years in England as the newly appointed assistant commissioner of Jalalabad in pre-Partition Punjab. He dreams of returning to his ‘home’ in the idyllic Naulakhi Kothi, the titular bungalow built by his grandfather, but an irreversible turn of events awaits him, which changes not only his destiny, but that of the land forever.
Ali Akbar Natiq’s epic saga, Naulakhi Kothi, is an insightful portrayal of the zeitgeist of the times. The sweeping narrative begins in the years leading up to Partition and goes on till the eighties.
Translated by Naima Rashid, it is one of the most important novels of the twenty-first century.
PRAISE FOR GODS AND ENDS:
‘An intriguing debut with a biting sense of humour and quirky voice.’ Jury, JCB Prize for Literature 2021
‘An absorbing and unforgettable novel.’ Jury, Tata Literature Live! 2021
‘A fulfilling, disturbing read.’ The Hindu
‘My story may end with sadness, but I want you to remember that it started with love. Mumbai has moved on now. It doesn’t think about 1992 or 1993 because it doesn’t want to. People in big cities like to think that the past is not as important as the future. But the past doesn’t just disappear.’
Mumbai, in the early 90s. The Ram Janmabhoomi movement is at its peak, and the Babri Masjid has just fallen. Decades later, in a corner of the metropolis, a retired postman living alone in a dilapidated room tries to recall those months of madness and how they changed everyone he knew.
This is the story of Rameshwar Shinde and Ravinarayan Kumar, a young woman called Janaki, and the neighbours they live with, in the shadows of towers. It is a story of families torn apart by bigotry, an unmissable retelling of the epic Ramayana set at a time when blood mixed with the grime of Mumbai’s streets. A tale more pertinent than ever, in a country once again teetering on the edge.
In Pause, Rewind, Nawaz Modi Singhania writes about the role of fitness, nutrition and good mental health in ageing well. She shares techniques she’s developed over her years as a leading fitness consultant, including facial fitness exercises, muscle work, how to build the immune system and health-promoting foods.
When it comes to lifestyle, the book talks of other factors that affect ageing, including sleep, hydration, stress, drinking, smoking, what’s in your head space and heart space, and one’s mindset-positive or negative.
She also shares how to reverse the effects of age, whether it’s weakened eyesight, reduced hearing, osteoporosis, or losing stability and balance.
Have you ever stumbled upon a piece of life-changing knowledge that made you think: Why the hell didn’t someone tell me this sooner?!
Millions of people have listened to Adam Ashton and Adam Jones on the What You Will Learn podcast, where they have spent tens of thousands of hours studying the best ideas from the greatest minds on the planet. Their most frequently asked question: What is the best lesson you’ve come across? While you’d think a simple question would have a simple answer, it hasn’t-until now! Attitude: The Sh*t They Never Taught You will take you on a journey through takeaways from over a hundred of the world’s greatest thinkers, capturing lessons in personal development, career, business, personal finance, human nature, history and philosophy. Every lesson will be useful, and one might change your life. Remember, it is your attitude, not aptitude, that determines your altitude in life.
Empire Building is a new account of the East India Company’s impact on India, focusing on how it changed the subcontinent’s built environment in the context of defence, urbanisation and infrastructural development.
Rosie Llewellyn-Jones examines these initiatives through a lens of ‘political building’ (using Indian contractors and labourers). Railways, docks, municipal buildings, Freemasons’ lodges, hotels, racecourses, barracks, cemeteries, statues and canals-everything the British erected made a political statement, even if unconsciously. Hence this book is concerned less with architectural styles, more with subtle infiltration into the minds of those who saw and used these structures. It assesses, in turn, Indian responses to the changing landscape. Indians often reacted favourably to new manufacturing technologies from Britain, such as minting and gunpowder, while the British learnt from and adapted local methods.
From military engineers and cartography to imported raw metals and steam power, Llewellyn-Jones considers the social and environmental changes wrought by colonialism. This period was marked by a shift from formerly private, Indian-controlled functions, such as education, entertainment, trading and healing, to British public institutions such as universities, theatres, chambers of commerce and hospitals.
Stepping aside from ongoing colonialism debates, this is a fascinating account of India’s physical transformation during the Company period.
Data science is a perfect blend of 10 per cent maths, 20 per cent statistics, 30 per cent common sense and 40 per cent applied knowledge. While you can learn maths and statistics, you need to accumulate certain experience for common sense to kick in and apply what you have learnt.
This introductory book on data science builds upon an individual’s innate knowledge and arms you with the tools to use this interdisciplinary academic field in everyday scenarios. With straightforward real-world examples and applications, it takes you on a path that may seem daunting but is made simple through Professor Raju’s easy manner. It endows you with a holistic and flawless understanding of the fundamental principles required to build a solid foundation in data science.
Does destiny block our path to success?
How can we make complex relationships thrive?
Discover practical answers to these questions within the pages of DHRUVA, an enthralling narrative penned by Gauranga Darshan Das, an esteemed author, educator and monk, hailing from the prestigious IISc.
Prince Dhruva’s awe-inspiring journey evokes a spectrum of emotions–love, heartbreak, revenge, passion, guilt and devotion. As you immerse yourself in this gripping tale, Gauranga Darshan artfully weaves his realizations as pearls of wisdom that are refreshingly simple yet remarkably effective.
With a seamless blend of storytelling prowess and practical wisdom, DHRUVA shall deeply resonate with your pursuit of organic success and fulfilling relationships.
A new workplace challenges you to pay attention to the aspects that drive your behaviour, attitudes, perceptions, and emotions. At the same time, recognizing the motives, needs, and emotions of others is imperative for personal leadership. This book will help you hone your collaborative instincts, embrace diversity, and engage effectively in a professional setting.
Based on the author’s experiences, and her observations over the years, Mastering Behaviour explores the main drivers of organizational behaviour. Applying popular psychology theories, the book helps in tackling difficult interpersonal and behavioural issues at work, such as personality clashes, stress, handling difficult interactions, and workplace loneliness.
With rapid technological advancement changing the way we connect, this book will provide insights to the real-world challenges of developing greater trust, engagement, and collaboration within teams and the organization.
How can the complexities of ancient India be comprehended?
This book draws on a vast array of texts, inscriptions, archaeology, archival sources and art to delve into themes such as the history of regions and religions, archaeologists and the modern histories of ancient sites, the interface between political ideas and practice, violence and resistance, and the interactions between the Indian subcontinent and the wider world. It highlights recent approaches and challenges in reconstructing South Asia’s early history, and in doing so, brings out the exciting complexities of ancient India.
Authoritative and incisive, this revised Penguin edition-with two new chapters-is essential reading for students and scholars of ancient Indian history and for all those interested in India’s past.
