When was the last time you faced a high-stakes communication moment?
Perhaps it was a critical client proposal, a key quarterly business review, a fund-raising pitch, a boardroom briefing, or a townhall talk to thousands of expectant employees.
In that moment, how did you do?
Did you seize the moment and engage your audience with clarity, energy, and trust? Did you inspire, influence, and lead with impact when it mattered most?
Or did your message get lost in dull statistics, technical jargon and abstract generalizations? And your audience left bored, confused, or unmoved . . .
If your answer was closer to the latter, this book is for you.
Story Rules provides 31 timeless storytelling techniques to help you:
– Be clear: Sharpen your messages, narratives, and visuals
– Be memorable: Capture attention with novelty, curiosity, relatability and vivid ‘show-don’t-tell’ examples
– Be inspiring: Connect emotionally and show relevance
– Be trusted: Establish common ground, showcase competence, and demonstrate integrity
Packed with over 300 compelling real-life examples from the world of business and beyond, this practical guide shows how successful leaders seize crucial communication moments—and win.
And now, it’s your turn. Make your story rule.
Sleep Journeys, is counted as one the finest of Urdu’s contemporary poets, Azra Abbas’s collection of verse. She is also among the first Urdu poets to contribute to the growing popularity of experimental, free verse poetry in the late twentieth century. Divided into three cantos that took the Urdu poetic world by storm when it first appeared in 1981, it is one of Azra’s most dense and complex works, a dream-like rumination that explores faith, female desire, and the subconscious mind.
When Jagat Murari, a young film student in post-war America, finds himself at the feet of one of cinema’s true giants – Orson Welles – during the making of Macbeth in 1947, the lessons he absorbs on that set will shape not only his future, but also the future of Indian cinema. Returning to a newly independent India, Jagat goes on to build the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) from the ground up.
In The Maker of Filmmakers, Radha Chadha offers an intimate and meticulously researched portrait of her father – a celebrated documentary filmmaker – and the iconic film school he built. With uncanny consistency, FTII turned out top talent – the likes of Shabana Azmi and Jaya Bachchan, Adoor Gopalakrishnan and Subhash Ghai, and other cinema legends. His alumni became the leading actors, directors, cinematographers, sound designers and editors of Bollywood and beyond. They spearheaded the Indian New Wave, kickstarted regional language cinema, and helped usher television into the country.
How did Jagat go about ‘making’ such extraordinary filmmakers? What was his secret formula? With unprecedented access to Jagat’s diaries, letters, personal papers and over 100 interviews with alumni and colleagues, Radha Chadha leads us behind the scenes, and into the mind of a visionary who reshaped Indian cinema, even as he grappled with its many challenges.
A gripping tale of ambition, adversity, and artistic brilliance – richly illustrated with rare photographs – The Maker of Filmmakers paints a vivid picture of one man’s unwavering belief in the transformative power of cinema, and how his determination helped turn Indian cinema into the global powerhouse it is today.
Set against the backdrop of some of the landmark events and characters of the last century, this is biography and cinematic history at its best.
March 1947.
A four-year-old Salima Hashmi is witness to the Sikh leader, Master Tara Singh and his many followers denouncing the demand for Pakistan.
Soon, the sub-continent is partitioned and Salima, her sister Moneeza, her English mother Alys, and her father, the renowned Urdu poet and leftist intellectual, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, are citizens of the nascent Pakistan.
Life in the newly formed nation is full of ups and downs, the lowest points being Faiz’s imprisonment in 1951 on charges of sedition and his subsequent self-exile from Pakistan in 1960. Even as the family struggles to cope, life is not without its highpoints. There are picnics and outings with her cousins, Salma, Mariam and Billoo. The family home is frequented by writers, artistes and political figures and Salima is privy to their conversations and arguments. And through it all, Salima finds her footing in art which becomes her life’s calling.
Waiting in the Wings, the first part of her two-volume memoir, is the account of the first two-and-a-half decades of Salima’s life. It is as much a portrait of a young nation as it is the account of the author’s own life.
So many of our country’s heroes from the past remain unsung. Murarirao Ghorpade is one such. He was a valiant warrior, an articulate statesman and a descendant of the Maratha clan, committed to Hindavi Swaraj.
Murarirao independently built a strong and highly efficient military force. He established his reputation on being able to break the dreaded war tactic employed by the French Army—the French Hollow Square. His support was sought by the Peshwas, neighbouring kingdoms, the French and the British. In fact, it so happened that he came to save Robert Clive from a crushing defeat at the hands of the French at Arcot. This war was a turning point in India’s history. That he has been denied attention could well be because much of documented Maratha history faces north. Murarirao’s story faces south. And it was his actions on behalf of the Marathas that drew the ire of his nemesis, Haider Ali Khan.
This is an exciting tale of military conquests, espionage, forbidden love and loyalty in eighteenth-century Deccan, and a record of how, in an era marred by treachery and expediency, Murarirao Ghorpade survived seventy-plus years by instinct, bravery, statesmanship, valour and loyalty.
A product of many years of research, this is a comprehensive compilation of Hindu names in current use. The meaning of over 20,000 names in the volume is extensively discussed and information on sources and usage also provided. The book is cross-referenced to make it easier to use. This is a completely revised and updated edition with new names, and will appeal to a wide range of readers.
Arjuna versus Karna
Duryodhan versus Bheem
Shikandin versus Bheeshma
Dhritarashtra versus himself
The war between the two sets of cousins is ready to blow up. Krishna has just finished singing the Gita to Arjuna. The war is about to start….and this is a war like no other with boons, curses, tricks, strategies and games deployed to maximise each side’s chances of victory.
The Book of Killings is the eagerly awaited third instalment of the Mahabharata trilogy, which began explosively with The Book of Vows and was then followed by The Book of Discoveries. Imagined afresh and composed in a style that captures the power, charm and ambiguity of Vyasa’s Mahabharata, this book dramatizes the 18-day epic war and its aftermath in the Mahabharata.
Grounding his telling in the original Sanskrit version, Majmudar has recreated the ancient epic for a contemporary audience. His finest work yet, this is one of the most accessible, magical and unputdownable retellings of the Mahabharata.
Robin Singh had everything he wanted and more—well-settled in the US, financial freedom, married to the love of his life—except he was not happy. It was in his pursuit of happiness that he stumbled across purpose. It eventually took giving up on happiness and pursuing purpose before he realised that he had finally found what he had been looking for.
This is a book about what happened between him exiting his tech company and starting Peepal Farm—an animal rescue centre. It is a compilation of all the answers he got along the way and the questions he asked to get those answers. He still can’t tell you what is life or why is life . . . but he can answer why to live and how to live.
Happiness Happens is ultimately an exploration of what really makes us happy. It is Robin’s journey told simply, with the hope that it will reach people who are dissatisfied with how they have been living but haven’t yet been able to answer how else to live.
‘Aphrodite! The name has always struck me as perfectly fitting for my wonderful mother.’
Aphrodite Krishnamurti’s life is a testament to resilience, love, and transformation. From the sun-drenched days of Doxato, Greece, to the bustling high streets of Kavala, her childhood was filled with laughter and imagination. Despite the upheavals of the Second World War that engulfed Greece during this period, Aphrodite faced every challenge with unwavering dignity.
Love found her in the form of a young Indian medical officer, P. V. Krishnamurti, whose arrival on Greek shores marked the beginning of a new chapter. Her life spanned three continents, and she navigated each with composure and confidence. Her deep bond with her daughter, rooted in unwavering support and encouragement, is the heart of this story. This book delves into the enduring power of a mother’s love, and a unique mother-daughter relationship that has only deepened over time.
Adolescence has always been turbulent, but today’s teens face a perfect storm: a rewired digital world, mounting academic pressures and the lingering effects of a global pandemic. Anxiety and depression are soaring, and parents are left wondering—how do I protect my child?
This groundbreaking book is your roadmap. Blending cutting-edge neuroscience, real-life stories and actionable strategies, it reveals how to:
• Harness the ‘Ferrari brain’: Understand your teen’s rapidly developing mind and turn vulnerabilities into strengths.
• Boost resilience daily: From sleep to nutrition, creativity to digital boundaries, master the habits that fortify mental health.
• Navigate social media’s pitfalls: Learn why screens are the new cigarettes and how to set life-saving limits.
• Talk—and listen—like never before: Break through the silence with communication that builds trust, not walls.
Packed with insights from psychologists, educators and teens themselves, this isn’t just a parenting guide—it’s a lifeline. Because resilient teens start with resilient parents.
Equip yourself. Empower them. The time to act is now.
