On the Edge is a first-of-its-kind collection of short stories and extracts from novels centred on theme of same-sex desire, translated from the original Hindi. The sixteen beautiful and provocative stories featured here (published between 1927 and 2022) include classic works by Asha Sahay, Premchand, Ugra, Rajkamal Chaudhuri, Geetanjali Shree, Sara Rai and Rajendra Yadav, among others. An important anthology, On the Edge shifts the focus on stories and characters who have, for far too long, remained in the shadows and brings them (and us) into the light.
Catagory: Non Fiction
non fiction main category
Heart Tantrums
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.
The Memoirs of Valmiki Rao
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.
Pause, Rewind
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.
Attitude
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.
Data Science
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.
Dhruva
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.
Mastering Behaviour
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.
The Idea of Ancient India
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.
Unlocking Unicorn Secrets
In 2022, India, second only to the US, produced more unicorns than any other country in the world. Although ours is a vibrant ecosystem that encourages young minds to take the entrepreneurial plunge, the road ahead is full of pitfalls.
Unlocking Unicorn Secrets captures the entrepreneurial journeys of some of India’s new-age founders and looks at the challenges they faced and how they overcame them. It covers themes such as developing an idea, building out the minimum viable product (MVP), finding a co-founder, setting up the founding team, raising funds and scaling the business, among others. Through primary research and a series of interviews conducted with the founders of these billion-dollar companies, the authors weave a narrative that is both accessible and informative.
The book is a manifestation of the authors’ passion for inculcating the entrepreneurial mindset in our nation’s youth, which they do masterfully, by illustrating the success stories of India’s top unicorns.