In a rare attempt to understand the Indianness of Indians-among the most intelligent people in the world, but also, to a dispassionate eye, perhaps the most baffling-V. Raghunathan uses the props of game theory and behavioral economics to provide an insight into the difficult conundrum of why we are the way we are. He puts under the scanner our attitudes towards rationality and irrationality, selflessness and selfishness, competition and cooperation, and collaboration and deception. Drawing examples from the way we behave in day-to-day situations, Games Indians Play tries to show how in the long run each one of us-whether businessmen, politicians, bureaucrats, or just plain us-stand to profit more if we were to assume a little self-regulation, give fairness a chance and strive to cooperate and collaborate a little more even if self-interest were to be our main driving force.
Archives: Books
10 Judgements That Changed India
Who was Shah Bano and why was her alimony pertinent to India’s Secularism? Does the fundamental right to life include the right to livelihood and shelter? Where there is the right to live, is there also the right to die? How did Bhanwari Devi’s rape help define sexual harassment at the workplace? Here are the Supreme Court’s ten pivotal judgements that have transformed Indian democracy and redefined our daily, lives. Exploring vital themes such as custodial deaths, reservations and environmental jurisprudence, this book contextualizes the judgements, explains key concepts and maps their impacts. Written by one of India’s most respected lawyers, Ten Judgements That Changed India is an authoritative yet accessible read for anyone keen to understand India’s legal system and the foundations of our democracy.
Nehru And Bose
Had relations between the two great nationalist leaders soured to the extent that Bose had begun to view Nehru as his enemy? But then, why did he name one of the regiments of the Indian National Army after Jawaharlal? And what prompted Nehru to weep when he heard of Bose’s untimely death in 1945, and to recount soon after, ‘I used to treat him as my younger brother’? Rudrangshu Mukherjee’s fascinating book traces the contours of a friendship that did not quite blossom as political ideologies diverged, and delineates the shadow that fell between them-for, Gandhi saw Nehru as his chosen heir and Bose as a prodigal son.
Our Impossible Love
Life teaches us what ‘love’ truly is
And love gives definition to ‘life’
Aisha, a bit of a late bloomer, has to figure out what it means to be a woman and to be desired. Danish feels time is running out for him and he’s going to end up as a nobody, as opposed to his overachieving, determined younger brother.
Life takes a strange turn when Danish, the confused idiot, is appointed as the student counsellor to Aisha. Between the two of them they have to figure out love, life, friendship-most of all, themselves. And it’s not proving to be . . . easy?
Our Impossible Love presents,
Life the way it is and
Love the way it should be
Speedpost
The relationship between a mother and her children is unquestionably the most special human bond there is. In this book, best-selling author Shobhaa De writes a series of letters to her six children on the key concerns of every mother and child in the 21st century: family values and tradition; growing pains and adolescent anxieties about love, sex and friendship; religion and God; and the challenge of being a responsible parent. Rich, compassionate, witty and wise, these letters will touch the hearts of readers everywhere.
The World’s Best Boyfriend
Hate, is a four letter word.
So is love.
And sometimes, people can’t tell the difference…
Dhurv and Aranya spend a good part of their lives trying to figure out why they want to destroy each other, why they hurt each other so deeply. And, why they can’t stay away from each other.
The answer is just as difficult each time because all they’ve wanted is to do the worst, most miserable things to one another.
Yet there is something that tells them: THIS IS NOT IT.
If you want to know the answer to it all, read the book.
Can Love Happen Twice?
When Ravin first said ‘I love you . . .’ he meant it forever. The world has known this through Ravin’s bestselling novel; I Too Had a Love Story. But did Ravin’s story really end on the last page of that book?
On Valentine’s Day; a radio station in Chandigarh hosts a very special romantic chat show. Ravin and his three best friends are invited as guests to talk about Ravin’s love story. But surprisingly everyone apart from Ravin turns up. As the show goes live; there is only one question in every listener’s mind: what has happened to Ravin?
To answer this question the three friends begin reading from a handwritten copy of Ravin’s incomplete second book—the entire city listens breathlessly; unable to believe the revelations that follow.
This Love that Feels So Right…
Life would have been easier had it been possible for us to plan falling in love; more importantly, avoidfalling in love . . .
‘Love is not for you,’ she told herself. Inside-just like any girl-she desired to be loved. She had accepted her life the way it was, till one day love showed up unannounced, uninvited! That’s the thing with love. It doesn’t take permission. It’s in its very nature to gatecrash into our lives. Standing face-to-face with love, she finds herself asking, ‘Is this love right?’ The answer is not simple. It never was . . .
This intense love story will shake every belief you’ve ever had about love.
Hold My Hand
…the rest shall follow
Deep, an awkward young man obsessed with libraries and books, has his dream come true when he is sent to Hong Kong on an internship programme. Leaving behind jealous but encouraging friends, a supportive father and a hysterical, overprotective mother, Deep makes his first flight to a foreign land. And then he sees her, Ahana, a stunningly beautiful girl.
But Deep also has to come to terms with another reality: Ahana is blind. Together they explore Hong Kong, Ahana guiding them with the smells and sounds of the wondrous city and Deep bringing to life for her the delightful sights he sees.
They’re living a dream, till Aveek, her gorgeeus ex-boyfriend, comes back into her life.
Hold My Hand is a delightful young romance with a surprise ending.
Like It Happened Yesterday
Has anyone ever asked you-What were the best days of your life?
That one period of your life you always wanted to go back to?
When asked this, I closed my eyes and I thought . . . of the days when life’s most complex choices had the simple solution of Akkad Bakkad Bambey Bo! When rains meant making paper boats; when waiting at the railway crossing meant counting the bogies of the trains passing by.
When I opened my eyes, it seemed Like It Happened Yesterday; when I felt my hormones stirring inside me, as I was awaiting the results of my board exams; when I fell in love for the very first time!
The past is a journey full of adventure. It makes me laugh, it makes me cry and it is the reason I’m here today.
Come, hold my hand and take this trip with me. It will be yesterday for you, once again!