*SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2018 CROSSWORD JURY AWARD FOR NON FICTION*
More than half of India is under the age of twenty-five and the country is set to have the youngest population in the world by 2021. But India’s millennials are nothing like their counterparts in the West.
In a world that’s marked by unprecedented connectivity and technological advancement, in a country that’s increasingly characterized by ambition, political power and access, in an economy that appears to be breaking down the barriers to wealth that existed for every previous era, this is a generation that cannot – will not – be defined on anything but their own terms. They are wealth-chasers, attention-seekers, power-trappers, fame-hunters. They are the dreamers.
Snigdha Poonam’s remarkable cultural study of the unlikeliest of fortune-hawkers travels through the small towns of northern India to investigate the phenomenon that is India’s Generation Y. From dubious entrepreneurs to political aspirants, from starstruck strivers to masterly swindlers, she travels – on carts and buses, in cars and trucks – through the India’s badlands to uncover a theatre of toxic masculinity, spirited ambition and a kind of hunger for change that is bound to drive the future of our country. These young Indians aren’t just changing their world – they’re changing yours.
In this inside view of Pakistan’s nuclear programme, Hassan Abbas profiles the politicians and scientists involved in the development of the country’s nuclear bomb, and the role of China and Saudi Arabia in supporting its nuclear infrastructure. Drawing on extensive interviews, the book also examines Pakistani nuclear physicist A.Q. Khan’s involvement in nuclear proliferation in Iran, Libya and North Korea, and argues that the origins and evolution of the Khan network were tied to the domestic and international political motivations underlying Pakistan’s nuclear weapons project, and that project’s organization, oversight and management. This insightful study lays bare, for the first time, the connection between the making of the Pakistani bomb and the proliferation that ensued, establishing important guidelines for nuclear security in the future.
Finally, the book examines the prospects for nuclear safety in Pakistan in the light of the country’s nuclear control infrastructure and the threat posed by the Taliban and other extremist groups to the country’s nuclear assets.
Raseedi Ticket is Amrita Pritam’s celebrated autobiography, which tells us how she felt distressed at the influence of hate; she was traumatised by the horrors of the Partition, out of which her poem ‘Vaaris Shah’ was born. Her autobiography says that a writer should not be afraid of criticism, no matter how hostile the world might become. The time between her intimacy with Sahir and deep friendship with Imroz is described beautifully. Reading this book is like being in a fever which takes you through every truth of the writer’s life.
Monish Gujral’s On the Kebab Trail and On the Dessert Trail are the perfect reads for those who want to travel the world through their palates!
Vijayan Kannampilly’s The Essential Kerala Cookbook is a comprehensive guide to all your favourite Malayali foods.
P. Krishna Dar’s Kashmiri Cooking is a stunningly illustrated edition of a celebrated classic with over a hundred Kashmiri recipes!
Rocky Singh and Mayur Sharma’s Highway on My Plate: The Indian Guide to Roadside Eating is an indispensable companion for all your road trips!
Osho’s Yoga: The Supreme Science is a guide on how to use the inner science of yoga to dispel all of life’s anxieties.
Ruzbeh N. Bharucha’s Rabda: My Sai . . . My Sigh is a unique journey into the life and philosophy of Sai Baba of Shirdi, often in His own words.
Sadhguru’s More Than a Life is the incredible story of the making of this world-renowned spiritual guru.
Venugopal Acharya’s Are You Connected? 25 Keys to Live, Grow and Succeed with Self and Others offers deep insight into living a life of harmony, success and happiness.
Ever been dissatisfied with following ONE fitness routine, and still holding on to your love handles? Here comes a collection that focuses on the complete you-from using yoga to mould your body to the fitness level you want and keeping stress at bay while losing weight, to eating the good home-made food that your body will love. This box set is for anyone and everyone looking for a healthy lifestyle, not a crash course in fitness.
Featuring the works of K.R. Meera, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni and Anita Nair, this limited edition set is essential reading for those who love reading fiction from South Asia.
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s Oleander Girl revolves around seventeen-year-old Korobi Roy who, troubled by the silence that surrounds her parents’ death, clings to her only inheritance from them: the unfinished love note she found hidden in her mother’s book of poetry. But when her grandfather dies, she discovers a dark secret which will finally explain her past.
The bold, wry and ebullient stories of Yellow Is the Colour of Longing put on display K.R. Meera’s astonishing range of narrative techniques, as she expertly lays bare the fault lines behind the façades of everyday life, sometimes with dark humour and sometimes with astoundingly bitter sadness.
Forty-five and single, Akhila has never been allowed to live her life-she is always a daughter, a sister, an aunt and a provider first-until the day she buys a one-way train ticket to the seaside town of Kanyakumari. Anita Nair’s Ladies Coupé unfolds in an intimate atmosphere as Akhila gets to know her five fellow travellers. Riveted by their stories, she seeks an answer to the question that has haunted her all her life: can a woman stay single and be happy, or does she need a man to feel complete?
In a world obsessed with politics and pop culture, stories of substance are often side-lined. In a country where cricket and Bollywood capture media primetime and headlines, so many incredible stories of success slide into obscurity.
This book brings to light one such story of a small north-eastern state of India. The story is of Sikkim’s organic farming mission that has captured national and international attention. The lessons to be learned from this are so much deeper than fleeting media attention can ever do justice. As India’s first and only fully organic state since 2016, and apart from Cuba, boasting of the only government-driven mission for total organic farming, Sikkim offers hope for the future of sustainable agriculture.
The growth and determination of the people of this small Himalayan state should inspire and challenge the country and the world. Sikkim’s message is simple: Organic farming can heal our Earth, help our families, and offer hope for our shared future. Will anyone listen? Will anyone join us?
‘Let those who scoff at overmuch enthusiasm look at the Taj and henceforward be dumb’-Rudyard Kipling
The Taj Mahal is the Queen of architecture. Other buildings may be as famous but no other has been so consistently admired for a beauty that is seen as both feminine and regal. Imperial tomb, symbol of India, symbol of love, brand of tea-the Taj can be what you want it to be. Drawing on a huge range of sources from Mughal court histories to Bollywood movies, this superb book gives us a history of the Taj and its many meanings.
Giles Tillotson recounts the human drama behind the building, particularly the relationship between Shah Jahan and his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal, who lie there. He explores its reputation through history as a Wonder of the World, its representation in art, and analyses the secrets of its architectural success. He describes the troubled story of its conservation and records the recent disputes about its ownership, treatment and exploitation.
The Taj holds a secure place in the world’s collective consciousness; Taj Mahal is a rigorous and vivid account of how this came to be.
Guru Nanak’s Japji contains the quintessence of Sikh religious thought and philosophy. This analysis weaves Japji into an integrated essay to make a more explicit understanding of the theme. The appendices also contain translations of Rahiras, Sohila and Ardas.
