On the morning of 8 December 2021, India’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat, and his wife, Madhulika, said goodbye to their daughter, Tarini, and dogs, and left their Delhi home to board a flight for Sulur in Tamil Nadu. Around 11.48 a.m., they boarded an Mi-17 V5 helicopter that took off from Sulur to Wellington, where Gen. Rawat was to deliver a lecture at the Defence Services Staff College. Just a few minutes away from its destination, the chopper crashed, and all fourteen passengers onboard eventually perished. It was a sudden and shocking end to the life of a man who had risen like a meteor in the defence forces.
Bipin: The Man behind the Uniform is the story of the NDA cadet who was relegated in the third term for not being able to do a mandatory jump into the swimming pool; of the young Second Lieutenant who was tricked into losing his ID card at the Amritsar railway station by a 5/11 Gorkha Rifles officer posing as his sahayak; of the Major with a leg in plaster who was carried up to his company post on the Pakistan border because he insisted on joining his men for Dusshera celebrations under direct enemy observation; of the Army Chief who decided India would retaliate immediately and openly to every act of cross-border terrorism; of the Chief of Defence Staff who was happiest dancing the jhamre with his Gorkha troops.
Written by bestselling author Rachna Bisht Rawat and featuring in-depth interviews with Bipin Rawat’s friends, family members and comrades, this book is a befitting tribute to one of India’s greatest and most controversial Generals.
It might sound ridiculous, but it’s true! Himavan, the lord of the mountains, indeed had glorious wings under his
grand snowy cloak. But thanks to the mischief-maker, Narada, chaos ensued and the rest, well . . . went downhill! Narayana, Narayana!
The bestselling mythology author enters the children’s chapter book landscape with his humour-packed series that is sure to have you rolling down the hill with laughter
Selling points:
1. The ideal introduction for beginners to the world of Indian mythology
2. India’s famous mythologist ventures into children’s chapter book space with this new series
3. Author is a bestselling writer of the Bahubali series, Asura: Tale of the Vanquished, Ajaya, Vanara. He’s also a well-known scriptwriter for TV series and a newspaper columnist.
4. This book features one of the funniest stories from Hindu mythology
5. An incredible addition to the Puffin Chapter Book series, which currently boasts of Sudha Murty and Ruskin Bond
6. This is a bright and full-color title that is packed with madcap illustrations
7. Perfect for kids starting to read on their own and great as a gift for mythology readers
Cyrus has a lot of Whys! They buzz like bees, they graze like goats. They are driving everyone crazy! The whys must be stopped. But how?
About the Hook Book Series
In a world where children’s books often feel cut from the same cloth, Hook Books stand out as a vibrant blend of imagination, humour, and heart. Crafted as a bridge between picture books and early chapter books, this series delivers stories that spark joy and wonder, while remaining rooted in age-appropriate learning.
Hook Books keep the fun going with:
- Short, digestible bits of text (perfect for budding readers)
- Bright colour illustrations that pull kids into the story
- Themes that speak to the everyday lives of children—plus a sprinkle of whimsy!
From fantasy tales to those that touch on more advanced ideas, Hook Books ensure that young readers are always in for a treat, no matter their reading level. Even better, these books take children on journeys through different parts of India, giving them a taste of the rich diversity of our world through local flavours, landscapes, and cultures. Whether the story takes place in bustling cities or quiet villages, Hook Books make every setting feel like home.
The Book: Coco Comma is an English language ace. She keeps interrupting and correcting the townsfolk’s English, annoying everyone. With her nose buried deep in a book, she often walks into objects and bangs into people and furniture. Along with her best friend Sunny, Coco creates ridiculous rhymes, alliterates impossible sentences, uses hilarious idioms, and even encounters a magical alphabet tree!
The Series: It’s bedtime! Time to settle down, get cosy and read some stories, with magical moments, oodles of entertainment and a little bit of learning. Meet some happy characters who love to know about . . . well, everything! Join them as they explore the world and discover fun things along the way.
Aman is to paint a mural on the new hospital when disaster strikes. Can he and Paru, the mason’s daughter, save the day? Will the townsfolk get the mural of their dreams?
About the Hook Book Series
In a world where children’s books often feel cut from the same cloth, Hook Books stand out as a vibrant blend of imagination, humour, and heart. Crafted as a bridge between picture books and early chapter books, this series delivers stories that spark joy and wonder, while remaining rooted in age-appropriate learning.
Hook Books keep the fun going with:
- Short, digestible bits of text (perfect for budding readers)
- Bright colour illustrations that pull kids into the story
- Themes that speak to the everyday lives of children—plus a sprinkle of whimsy!
From fantasy tales to those that touch on more advanced ideas, Hook Books ensure that young readers are always in for a treat, no matter their reading level. Even better, these books take children on journeys through different parts of India, giving them a taste of the rich diversity of our world through local flavours, landscapes, and cultures. Whether the story takes place in bustling cities or quiet villages, Hook Books make every setting feel like home.
Thousands of Indian kids have jumped into reading with a Duckbill hOle book!
Get all 33 books in the series in this unique Library of hOles, and make your child fall in love with books and stories. Recognizable by the hOle at the top corner of each book, these chapter books are for kids learning to read independently. They are full of fun stories, gorgeous illustrations and hOles!
God is the Guardian
of those who believe
He brings them out from
the darkness into light
Qur’an 2:257
When dapper Aslam, an aspiring writer, who is recovering from a broken relationship, accidently meets Jessica, an activist and an actor in the adult entertainment industry from Los Angeles, they fall hopelessly in love with each other. The novel is about these two unlikely characters and their journeys in the backdrop of the rise of right-wing political forces in India. It takes you to the Indian hinterlands to bring to light George Orwell’s deep connection with Motihari, a small town in the northern part of Bihar from where Gandhi Ji experimented with Satyagraha for the first time.
Mallika is a painfully shy young woman growing up in the heart of a close-knit, sometimes stifling New Delhi colony. Though she is surrounded by love, her life is complicated by secrets that she, her mother and her aunt work hard to keep.
After suffering a trauma aged nineteen, Mallika loses three days of her memory and slowly spirals into a deep depression. She must find a way out of this abyss, back to herself and those she cares about. But she must also hide her mental illness from her community.
In a narrative that unfolds elliptically from the perspectives of Mallika and the seven people closest to her, the astonishing story of these characters’ lives emerges. For Mallika’s family, childhood friends and the two men she loves are also hiding truths. As each gives voice to contending with their own struggles, secrets and silences shatter.
As India’s chief of intelligence, Amitabh has spent a lifetime battling India’s enemies, domestic and foreign. But in the winter of his career, he receives a chilling message from his top mole inside the ISI: a nuclear strike against India is imminent. Nothing is known—except that it’s coming.
At the same time, senior IAS officer Kamal investigates the theft of two priceless paintings from a government research facility. What appears to be an inside job soon reveals a terrifying connection to the looming terror strike.
Racing against time, Amitabh and Kamal must uncover a conspiracy that stretches from the blood-soaked borders of Partition to a forgotten chapter of Indian cinema and into the vaults of international art smugglers—where a long-forgotten betrayal holds the key to modern-day devastation.
From the corridors of New Delhi to the shadow games of Langley and Islamabad, Indian intelligence must outmanoeuvre both the ISI and the CIA in a battle for control over a secret that could shift the balance of global power.
In the end, only one man can decide whether the truth is revealed—or buried forever.
The Portrait of a Secret is a gripping geopolitical thriller that blends espionage, art and Partition-era history into a pulse-pounding narrative. Inspired by true events.
