‘Everyone in the world has an opinion of me! I do not expect them to change. I accept life as it comes!’
There are few who can claim to have lived life on their own terms like the irrepressible, honest, bold and charming Ma Anand Sheela. Yet, controversy continues to follow her even today. Whether it be her portrayal in Wild Wild Country, or the Osho International Foundation’s take on the Netflix series, a wide spectrum of opinions has cloaked the real Sheela for too long. In the 1980s, she was the personal secretary of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and the manager of the Rajneesh commune in Wasco County, Oregon, USA. She was eventually sentenced to prison, where she served her time and walked out after three years. Adored and vilified at the same time by the world, she has seen it all-from rebuilding her life from scratch to being interviewed by Karan Johar on her grand return to India in 2019. More than three decades later, she is still in love with Bhagwan and his teachings. In By My Own Rules, Ma Anand Sheela bares it all-her lessons, her beliefs, her inspiration and the eighteen rules that define her life.
REVISED AND UPDATED WITH A NEW FOREWORD
A classic biography of one of the greatest spiritual teachers of our times
In 1909, when he was just fourteen, Krishnamurti was proclaimed the world teacher in whom Maitreya, the Bodhisattva of compassion, would manifest. The proclamation was made by Annie Besant, then president of the Theosophical Society, a movement that combined Western occult philosophy with Buddhist and Hindu teachings. Besant trained Krishnamurti in his role as the chosen one but twenty years later he chose to disband the order he was head of and set out alone on his endless journey.
As a contemporary of Krishnamurti and one of his closest associates, Pupul Jayakar offers an insider’s view of the fascinating life and thought of an extraordinary individual.
Being a diabetic does not mean you have to eat boring or insipid food, and here are some interesting and unusual recipes to prove it. Not only are these recipes simple to follow, they also use ingredients readily available in a regular kitchen. The end result is healthy food that is so delicious that non-diabetic members of the family will also enjoy it, thus doing away with the need to prepare `special’ food for a diabetic person. And to help monitor calorie intake, a crucial aspect of diabetic care, every recipe is supplemented with a list of the protein, fat and carbohydrate content as well as the total calories per serving. The introduction, by a dietician specialized in diabetics, clears many myths and fears concerning the disease. It explains lucidly how and why diabetes occurs, what its side effects are and what causes them, and how to control diabetes. So, if you are a diabetic or know one in search of a healthy yet adventurous diet plan, this is the perfect book for you.
`On the day of Qayamat you will be called by your names and the names of your fathers. Therefore keep good names.’—The Prophet The Complete Book of Muslim and Parsi Names is a practical guide for choosing the perfect name for your child. The result of several years of research; it is an erudite and thorough compilation of approximately 30;000 names taken from ten languages. With the actual and the construed meanings and the history or mythology associated with the name given against each entry; this is a precise and invaluable sourcebook for scholars and lay readers alike.
Anyone who took one look at Shweta could guess that she was suffering from some serious physical or mental disability. What future did the Shwetas of this world have? Shobha would raise her hands heavenwards and say, ‘Surely the same Creator who brought them to the earth will look after them? I believe they are children of God, hopefully a better God than the one who looks after us.’
When Anupurba comes back to India from the United States, reluctantly leaving behind a satisfying job as an art teacher, she does so with a sense of apprehension at this displacement from her comfortable, suburban American life. She never imagines that returning to India would turn out to be a profoundly transformational and life-changing decision. A chance meeting with an old college friend introduces her to Asha Jyoti, a school for children suffering from cerebral palsy. Overcoming her initial trepidation, she agrees to volunteer as a temporary art teacher. Anupurba teaches the children how to draw and paint but it is the children who teach her the real lessons: about suffering and survival, joyous friendship, love and laughter.
Children of a Better God is a deeply touching, tenderly written story about the agonizing challenges faced by children who have to live with lifelong disability, and the ways in which these very special children can powerfully enrich our lives with their grit, positive spirit and sheer courage.
An indisputable classic of world literature, the Kamasutra remains one of the most enjoyable texts of antiquity. A work of philosophy, psychology, sociology, Hindu dogma, scientific inquiry and sexology, it has, at the same time, both affected Indian civilization and remained an indispensable key to the understanding of it. These excerpts from Sir Richard F. Burton’s celebrated English translation highlight aspects of sexual love and marriage, and show why the Kamasutra has continued to charm readers across the centuries.
Are you or your partner having trouble conceiving?
You’re not alone. About 10–12 percent of Indians have infertility problems and this trend is increasing. Yet there is a stigma around infertility and many couples find it hard to talk openly about their problems or to get adequate information. Now Dr Firuza R. Parikh, India’s top fertility specialist and gynaecologist, gives you the seminal guide to infertility and its treatments. Simple, accessible, and completely authoritative, The Complete Guide to Becoming Pregnant tells you all that you need to know about conceiving a healthy child.
Oozing with men, money, and Maseratis, Dubai is the ultimate playground for the woman who knows her Louboutins from her Louis Vuittons.
But for some, there’s a lot more at stake than a Hermes Birkin. Leila has been in search of a wealthy husband for over a decade. Nadia moves to Dubai to support her husband’s career, only to have her sacrifices thrown in her face. Sugar escapes the UK in an attempt to escape her past. Lady Luxe, the rebellious Emirati heiress, scoffs at everything her culture holds sacred. Until the day her double life starts unravelling at the seams.
Set against a backdrop of luxury hotels and manmade islands, Desperate in Dubai tells the tale of four desperate women as they struggle to find truth, love, and themselves.
‘The body was the only truth she knew. It was the body alone that was left, even as she went beyond the body.’
Journeys form the leitmotif of these astonishing new stories by Ambai. Sometimes culminating in an unconventional love affair, some are extraordinary tales of loyalty and integrity; others touch on the almost fantastic, absurd aspect of Mumbai. Yet others explore the notion of a wholesome self, and its tragic absence at times. These stories are illuminated by vivid and unusual characters: from an eccentric, penurious singer-couple who adopt an ape as their son, to a male prostitute, who is battered by bimbos for not giving ‘full’ satisfaction.
Crucially, some of the stories, like the title one, engage uninhibitedly with a woman’s relationship to her body. For Ambai, feminist par excellence, the sensual body, experienced as a natural landscape changing with age, is at the same time, the only vehicle of life and tool for mapping the external world.
Are you a true professional? Would you like to become one? In The Professional, Subroto Bagchi showed how one can behave professionally-or otherwise-in diverse situations, and asked the key question: What does it mean to be a professional? Inspired by that game-changing book, many aspiring professionals wanted to test their mettle using Bagchi’s tools. The Professional Companion fulfils that need. In this do-it-yourself workbook that is meant as a companion volume to The Professional, Bagchi takes you through simple exercises that allow you to understand how professional your approach is in a given context, and helps you develop a wider skill set and a more committed outlook.The Professional Companion is your very own personalized guide to excelling in today’s world.
