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Catagory: Non Fiction

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Poor Economics

Imagine you have a few million dollars. You want to spend it on the poor. How do you go about it? Billions of government dollars, and thousands of charitable organizations and NGOs, are dedicated to helping the world’s poor. But much of their work is based on assumptions about the poor and the world that are untested generalizations at best, harmful misperceptions at worst.

Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo have pioneered the use of randomized control trials in development economics through their award-winning Poverty Action Lab. They argue that by using randomized control trials, and more generally, by paying careful attention to the evidence, it is possible to make accurate—and often startling assessments—on what really impacts the poor and what doesn’t.

Why would a man in Morocco who doesn’t have enough to eat buy a television? Why is it so hard for children in poor areas to learn even when they attend school? Why do the poorest people in Maharashtra spend 5 percent of their total budget on sugar? Does having lots of children actually make you poorer? Drawing on their research at the Poverty Action Lab and their fifteen years of fieldwork in India and across the world, the two economists ask many such questions and show why the poor, despite having the same desires and abilities as anyone else, end up with entirely different lives.

Revelatory and impassioned, Poor Economics is a pathbreaking book that will help you to understand the real causes of poverty and how to end it.

Healer

At the age of fifty, when most people start planning for retirement, Dr Prathap Chandra Reddy decided that he was going to revolutionize healthcare in India. In 1983, the renowned cardiologist launched the country’s first professionally run private sector hospital system. Thirty years later, Apollo Hospitals has become one of the world’s largest providers of high-technology healthcare. In the areas of heart, liver and bone marrow transplants, as also in knee and hip replacement surgery and robotic surgery, Apollo is an industry pioneer and a world leader. More than 32 million men and women have been treated at Apollo’s fifty hospitals, where over 70,000 professionals work. How did Dr Reddy, who grew up in the small village of Aragonda in Andhra Pradesh, actualize his dream? How did he overcome the seemingly insurmountable odds and transform the sustainable development space? How did he become one of India’s enduring icons? Full of delightful anecdotes and dramatic twists and turns, The Healer tells Dr Reddy’s inspirational story like it has never been told before.

Everyday Ayurveda

Everyday Ayurveda is the perfect lifestyle guide designed to maximize health, longevity, and happiness the natural way.

Do you sometimes feel tired, lethargic and spiritless? How can Ayurveda help in a simple, practisable manner?

Time is scarce and precious in today’s world, and we seek solutions that are quick. While allopathic medicine tends to focus on the management of disease, the ancient study of dinacharya provides us with holistic knowledge of preventing disease and eliminating its root cause.

Taking us through a day in the life of Ayurveda living, Dr Bhaswati Bhattacharya illustrates the core principles of Ayurveda and shows us how to incorporate these in our routine. She explains the logic behind the changes she recommends and how they benefit us. Informative and accessible, Everyday Ayurveda is the perfect lifestyle guide designed to maximize health, longevity and happiness the natural way.

Praise for Everyday Ayurveda

‘Dr Bhaswati has written a book that will help resurrect the knowledge I grew up on, using scientific logic for modern scientists, and slokas for ancient scientists and observers. Her writing will appeal to the intelligent seeker dedicated to achieving a good life using conscious self-care, attention to healthy habits and respect for the wisdom of the ancients.’ – Shashi Tharoor, member of parliament

‘Bhaswati combines her talents as a healer with passion for sharing truly healing medicine. She has written from the song in her heart that celebrates light, sound and connection with nature.’ – Pandits Rajan and Sajan Misra, Padma Bhushan recipients and classical Hindustani vocalists of the Banaras Gharana

‘Bhaswati is uniquely able to diagnose like good medical doctors of the past, watching the patient rather than the test result. With a person-centered approach, this book is a tribute to Ayurveda and explains why we should pay more attention to the signals our bodies give us.’ – Ashok H. Advani, founder publisher, The Business India Group

‘Bhaswati has preserved the Sanskrit from which dinacharya emanates. Through her unending curiosity and dedication as a well-trained physician, scientist and professor, she has brought basic concepts of Ayurveda to light. She has toiled and delved deeply with engaging clarity, a fine mind and an extraordinarily connected soul. She teaches Ayurveda authentically because it is in her heart.’ – Dr Vd. Chandrabhushan Jha, former dean, faculty of Ayurveda, Banaras Hindu University and professor emeritus of Rasa Shastra

‘Ancient Ayurvedic rishis developed dinacharya, a way of maintaining normal body rhythms and staying healthy. Assisted by logic and personal accounts, Dr Bhaswati brings dinacharya alive in this book and reinforces its importance and necessity, especially in busy lives.’ – Vd. Partap Chauhan, founder of Jiva Ayurveda

‘Dr Bhaswati unlocks the age-old tenets of Ayurveda contained in cryptic Sanskrit verses. Her strong roots in tradition and willingness to branch out to the modern world make this book precious, like any true vidya.’ – Dr. PR Krishnakumar, Padma Shree recipient and managing director, Arya Vaidya Pharmacy (Coimbatore)

‘As a fellow Fulbright Scholar, I have witnessed Dr Bhaswati devote her life to researching and preserving Ayurveda, and bringing it back to the hands and hearts of people.’ – Gautam Gandhi, former head of new business development, Google India

The Inspiring Journey of A Hero

O.P. Munjal started Hero Cycles in 1956, fuelled by meagre resources and an insatiable ambition. His vision was to create an inexpensive and effective mode of transportation for a post-Independence nation on the move. The rest, as they say, is history: Hero Cycles went on to become the world’s largest bicycle manufacturer.This book chronicles the life of O.P. Munjal through anecdotes from his professional and personal life. He proved that a people-focused management style could be superior to the process-driven systems of the West. The book is a result of extensive conversations with O.P. Munjal, Hero employees, dealers and family members. Join bestselling author Priya Kumar as she takes you on a roller-coaster ride.

Is Your Child Ready to Face the World?

Being a good parent is a skill that is acquired over time, one that requires constantly adapting to the rapidly changing times. In today’s world, where academics, extra-curricular activities and distractions in the shape of numerous gadgets make heavy demands on children’s time, it is tough to communicate with them.
Dr Anupam Sibal, through his experience as father, paediatrician and Group Medical Director of Apollo Hospitals Group, outlines his approach to effectively getting through to children and mastering the art of parenthood. Focusing on the different values and qualities that make a good person, Dr Sibal has a hands-on approach to instil each of these in a child. Exploring the crux of parenting, this book asks and answers whether your child is ready to face the world.

Karmayogi

Karmayogi is the dramatic and inspiring story of E. Sreedharan, the much-admired engineer and technocrat who won accolades for finishing the Delhi Metro project within budget and on time, in the face of severe constraints. Known for his efficiency and discipline and regarded the world over for his productivity standards, Sreedharan has, surprisingly, never spent more than the eight-hour workday in office.
This fascinating book looks back on an extraordinary career full of sterling achievements-Sreedharan’s years with the Railways, the building of the Kolkata Metro and the Konkan Railway, followed by the Delhi Metro, and the many metro projects he is involved with now.
Translated from a bestselling biography in Malayalam, this is the uplifting story of a very private person who has become an icon of modern India because of his uncompromising work ethic.

India’s Most Fearless 2

Untold accounts of the biggest recent anti-terror operations

First-hand reports of the most riveting anti-terror encounters in the wake of the 2016 surgical strikes, the men who hunted terrorists in a magical Kashmir forest where day turns to night, a pair of young Navy men who gave their all to save their entire submarine crew, the Air Force commando who wouldn’t sleep until he had avenged his buddies, the tax babu who found his soul in a terrifying Special Forces assault on Pakistani terrorists, and many more.

Their own stories, in their own words. Or of those who were with them in their final moments.
The highly anticipated sequel to India‘s Most Fearless brings you fourteen more stories of astonishing fearlessness,and gets you closer than ever before to the personal braverythat Indian military men display in the line of duty.

The Verdict

What are the key factors that win or lose elections in India? What does, or does not, make India’s democracy tick? Is this the end of anti-incumbency? Are opinion polls and exit polls reliable? How pervasive is the ‘fear factor’? Does the Indian woman’s vote matter? Does the selection of candidates impact results? Are elections becoming more democratic or less so? Can electronic voting machines (EVMs) be fiddled with? Can Indian
elections be called ‘a jugaad system’?
Published on the eve of India’s next general elections, The Verdict uses rigorous psephology, original research and as-yet-undisclosed facts to talk about the entire span of India’s electoral history from the first elections in 1952. Crucially, for 2019, it provides pointers to look out for, to see if the incumbent government will win or lose.
Written by Prannoy Roy, renowned for his knack of demystifying electoral politics, and Dorab R. Sopariwala, this book is compulsory reading for anyone interested in politics and elections in India.

Bihar Diaries

Bihar Diaries narrates the thrilling account of how Amit Lodha arrested Samant Pratap, one of Bihar’s most feared ganglords, notorious for extortion, kidnapping and the massacre of scores of people. The book follows the adrenaline-fuelled chase that took place across three states during Amit’s tenure as superintendent of police of Shekhpura, a sleepy mofussil town in Bihar.
How does Amit navigate between his many professional challenges and conquer his demons? What does he do when the ganglord comes after his family? Bihar Diaries captures vividly the battle of nerves between a dreaded outlaw and a young, urbane IPS officer.

Mrs Funnybones

Good morning, it’s 6 a.m. and I am wide awake because the man of the house has decided that he needs to perform a series of complex manoeuvres that involve him balancing on his left elbow. When I fell asleep last night, there was a baby lying next to me. Her smelly diaper is still wedged on my head but aside from this rather damp clue, I can’t seem to find her anywhere. I could ask my mother-in-law if she has seen the baby, but she may just tell me that I need to fast on alternate Mondays, and God will deliver the baby back to me . . .

Full of wit and delicious observations, Mrs Funnybones captures the life of the modern Indian woman-a woman who organizes dinner each evening, even as she goes to work all day, who runs her own life but has to listen to her Mummyji, who worries about her weight and the state of the country. Based on Twinkle Khanna’s super-hit column, Mrs Funnybones marks the debut of one of our funniest, most original voices.

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