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Down the Memory Vine with Author Jane De Suza

Posted on by Penguin India

Children’s Day is a part of every Indian kid’s childhood. Do you have any fond memories of it, from back in school?

As any child, I lived from one holiday to the next. For Children’s Day, the school put up a skit about Chacha Nehru, while we waited for our box of sweets with a particularly sticky pink barfi that I adored. Ever since, when I see a picture of Pundit Nehru, I think fondly of the pink barfi, which I’d convinced myself for years, he’d sent specially for us.

 

What kind of stories did you enjoy as a kid?

My favourite stories were those around animals. The Call of the Wild, The Black Stallion, Jago, Lassie, Black Beauty. Somewhere in those pages, a lifelong compassion was born. And this is what I wish adults today would understand. You don’t have to stuff a non-fiction book or a science manual into your child’s hands. All stories leave behind a footprint, they leave behind values that waft over a lifetime.

 

Did these stories influence the kind of stories you write? Or, do you draw from your own childhood adventures when writing?

I was a daydreaming tomboyish kid, who loved animals, books, outdoor sports like gilli-danda…I found myself in The William series by Richmal Crompton, in the antics of a rough, diplomatically incorrect school boy. I’ve always had a special place in my heart for the outsiders, the untamed children. These characters unerringly find their way to star in my books. From my first books for kids, the SuperZero series with its funny, brave, bumbling hero to the latest Flyaway Boy, a strong testimony to the imperfect among us. And I’m happy to see so many readers find their own echoes in this book.

 

Since Children’s Day is around the corner, what message would you like to give to your young readers?

Read the fun, wild books you want to. Books are like people. You hang out with those you love to spend time with. And when you get that buzz for reading – congratulations! You’d be making sure you have friends for life, for whenever you’re sad or exhausted or alone. In fact, if you love books, you’ll never be alone again.

 

 

The Belief of Oneness in Sikhism, Savayye: An Excerpt from ‘Hymns of the Sikh Gurus’

Posted on by Penguin India

The vision of Guru Nanak, the fifteenth-century founder of the Sikh faith, celebrated the oneness of the Divine that both dwells within and transcends the endless diversity of life. Guru Nanak’s immaculate vision inspired the rich and inclusive philosophy of Sikhism, which is reflected in this exquisite and highly acclaimed translation of poems,Hymns of the Sikh Gurus, from the religion’s most sacred texts: the Guru Granth Sahib, the principal sacred text of the Sikh religion, which consists of poems and hymns by Guru Nanak, his successors and Hindu and Islamic saints; and the Dasam Granth, a collection of devotional verses composed by the tenth Sikh Guru.

Read an excerpt from this book this Gurpurab:

 

MORNING AND INITIATION
Savayye

SAVAYYE means quatrains. The ten Savayye that have been included in the Sikhs’ morning prayers are from Guru Gobind Singh’s Dasam Granth (see p. 1). They underscore devotion as the essence of religion. They reject all forms of external worship and cast Guru Nanak’s message of internal love in beautiful undulating rhythm. These Savayye are also recited during the administration of amrita, the initiation ceremony of the Khalsa (the Sikh order).

There is One Being. Victory to the wonderful Guru.

The composition of the Tenth Guru.

My wonderful Guru, I recite the Savayye by Your grace.

I have seen hosts of purists and ascetics,
I have visited the homes of yogis and celibates.
Heroes and demons, practitioners of purity
and drinkers of ambrosia, hosts of saints
from countless religions, I have seen them all.
I have seen religions from all countries,
but I have yet to see followers of the Creator.
Without love for the Almighty,
without grace from the Almighty,
all practices are without a grain of worth.

 

Drunken elephants draped in gold,
first among giants in blazing colours,
Herds of horses, sprinting like gazelles,
swifter than the wind,
The people bow their heads to strong-armed rulers,
But what if they be such mighty owners;
at the last, they depart barefoot from the world.

 

Conquerors of the world march triumphant
to the beat of kettledrums.
Their herds of handsome elephants trumpet,
their royal steeds lustily neigh.

These rulers of past, future and present
can never be counted.
Without worshipping the supreme Sovereign,
all end in the house of death.

Pilgrimage, ablutions and charities, self-restraint
and countless rituals,
Study of Vedas, Puranas, Kateb and Qur’an,
of all scriptures from all times and places,
Ascetics subsisting on air, practising celibacy;
countless such have I seen and considered.
Without remembering the One, without love for the One,
all rulers and actions go to naught.

 

Inured and invincible warriors in shining armour,
determined to crush the enemy,
Proudly think, mountains may grow wings and fly away,
but never us.
They can shatter their enemy, they can wring their foe,
they can crush legions of drunken elephants,
But without the grace of the One,
they too must depart this world.

 

Countless heroes and doughty warriors
who stand fast against the blows of iron,
Who conquer lands and enemies,
who crush the pride of drunken elephants,
Who raze sturdy castles, who gain the world by words,
They are all beggars at the divine Portal,
the almighty Ruler is the only Giver.

 

Gods, demons, serpents, and ghosts contemplate
Your Name in all time—past, present, and future.

All creatures of land and sea,
You instantly create and destroy.
Their virtuous deeds are heartily celebrated,
their piles of misdeeds utterly eradicated.
The devout go happily in this world,
their enemies sink in shame.

Rulers of mortals and mighty elephants,
leaders of the three worlds,
Performers of endless rituals and charities,
winners of brides in countless swayamvara rites,
Like Brahma, Shiva, Vishnu and Sachi’s husband,
they all end at last in death.
They who touch the feet of the Transcendent One,
they alone are freed from the cycle of birth and death.

 

How futile to sit in contemplation,
like a stork with both eyes closed.
While trying to bathe in the seven seas,
we lose this world and the next.
How futile to sink in misdeeds,
we only waste away our life.
I tell the truth, do listen to me,
they alone who love, find the Beloved.

 

Some worship stones, some bear them on their heads;
some wear phalluses around their necks.
Some claim to see the One in the south;
some bow their heads to the west.
Some worship idols, some images of animals;
some run to worship the dead and their graves.
The entire world is lost in false ritual;
none knows the mystery of the Almighty One.

Poetry from these highly revered texts is heard daily and at rites of passage and celebration in Sikh homes and gurudwaras, carrying forward the Sikh belief in the oneness and equality of all humanity.Read Hymns of the Sikh Gurus to know more about these.

The Bard of Ballimaran- Mirza Ghalib

Posted on by Penguin India

Emerging from the narrow lanes of Old Delhi, Mirza Ghalib’s couplets took wing on the hallowed reverence of millions of dreamers and became entrenched in public imagination. His words breathed fervour into many ardent professions of love and added depth to sombre musings on life.

Hidden behind the dazzling effulgence of his poetry was a man burnished by adversity. Reflecting the ironic duality that marked his life, Ghalib luxuriated in poetic verse and yet languished in material indigence.

‘Ghalib’s self-presentation was of one who lived a life of affluence and leisure, where he was respected as a thinker and honoured by the powerful. In reality, his poetic prowess was relatively unacknowledged in his own time, and his existence was marked by deep and constant financial insecurity exacerbated by the fact that he all too often backed the wrong horse in the context of a constantly shifting field of power.’ writes Raza Mir.

In Ghalib- A Thousand Desires, Raza Mir presents an illuminating account of Mirza Mohammad Asadullah Khan ‘Ghalib’s life and work. Read on for a glimpse-

 

    1. Born in 1797 in Agra to Mirza Abdullah Baig, Mirza Asadullah Khan belonged to a family of soldiers of Turkish ancestry. Losing his father in the early years of life left the young Khan and the Baig family in dire financial straits. Riling up contemporaries and benefactors with his sharp wit and cantankerous temper, the comfort of companionship and material rewards eluded Mirza for most of his life.

 

    1. At the young age of 9, Asadullah Khan began writing poetry in Persian with the pen name ‘Asad’ (lion). He later adopted the name ‘Ghalib’ (dominant) which went on to become synonymous with poetic genius. Lauded for his talent by the incomparable poet Mir, one of the few whom Ghalib admired, he went on to become the poet laureate of the court of Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar.

 

    1. Asadullah Khan- a young thirteen year old- married Umrao Begum who was eleven at the time. Setting course in an orbit of separation, the couple experienced the loss of their seven beloved children even as Ghalib gravitated towards the pinnacle of poetic fame. In Delhi, the couple shared their life with Umrao Begum’s family before moving into a house, gifted by Umrao’s cousin, in the charmingly chaotic Gali Qasim Jan of the Ballimaran neighbourhood.

 

    1. Divaan-e Ghalib, a collection of Ghalib’s poetry, was first published by Syed-ul Akhbar Press in Delhi and saw more re-prints than perhaps any other book of Urdu literature. He went on to write an account of the rebellion of 1857 in Ghalib’s Urdu letters are published in a book titled Ud-e Hindi (Indian Perfume)

 

  1. After his death in 1869, Altaf Husain Hali published Yaadgaar-e Ghalib (In the Memory of Ghalib), the first definitive biography of Mirza Ghalib. Such was the stature of the great poet that the Indian government issued a ‘Mirza Ghalib’ stamp in his honour while Ghalib’s grave was turned into a memorial and is still a place of reverence in the lanes of Ballimaran.

Mirza Ghalib, the most illustrious Urdu poet in English, continues to delight and inspire as the magic of his poetic genius lifts his words out of the yellowed pages of history to shine like a beam of luminous moonlight onto the harried hordes of our generation.

Read Raza Mir’s Ghalib: A Thousand Desires to capture the essence of Mirza Ghalib!

Your Daily Dose of Motivation: Get Inspired with Marie Forleo!

Posted on by Penguin India

Inspired by a line uttered by her mother, Marie Forleo’s Everything is Figureoutable is all that it promises to be and more! It makes self help and motivation fun by inserting anecdotes, personal stories and humour in its pages.

We share with you some quick quotes and stories from the book to that continue to inspire us and hope they will give you your daily dose of motivation too!

Oprah’s Story

‘When Oprah Winfrey was sixteen, she saw Barbara Walters on television. She was so deeply moved and inspired that she said to herself, “Maybe I could do that.” Oprah went on to share, “There’s no other woman that deserves more in terms of opening the door for my career.” In that statement, Oprah is not talking about Barbara Walters “opening doors” by recommending her for broadcasting jobs. She’s talking about the fact that merely witnessing another woman on televeision cracked open a possibility within Oprah’s consciousness about what was possible for her. It’s hard to become what you don’t see.’

~

Judging Failures

‘[…]When I bombed [the] Missy Elliott audition years earlier, Nike Elite Dance Athletes didn’t exist yet. There’s no way I could have dreamed to reach that specific goal, because no one had done it before! It simply had not been created.

But my Missy failure spurred a necessary shift in my focus, pushing me to spend the next few years unknowingly training in the exact mix of hip-hop, dance and fitness that prepared me to win that Nike position when it appeared!

Don’t be so quick to judge your supposed failure. A flop might be a cosmic redirect, guiding you to a better, bigger purpose.”

~

On Opinions and Criticism

“Let’s say you love chocolate, but you have a friend who despises chocolate. Does that mean chocolate sucks? No. It means one person doesn’t like chocolate. Chocolate makers don’t lose sleep over that. They’re not campaigning to convert the haters. They focus all their attention on chocolate lovers.”

~

Be You.

“Consider all the things that have brought you value, joy, or growth throughout your lifetime. Every song that’s made your head bop. Every movie that’s made you laugh, cry, or expand your point of view. Every athlete or artist who’s inspired you to reach for more. Every invention that’s made your life easier. Every restaurant that’s served a dish that made you moan with delight. […]

Imagine if all those beautiful people never followed the call of their soul – never “figured out” their dreams and created and contributed and shared. I say this at the end of eve MarieTV episode and I’ll say it to you now:

The world needs that special gift that only you have.”

~

Share the Shame

‘Most high achievers struggle with feeling like a fake, but never talk about it. It’s like a dirty little secret everyone’s afraid to admit. I’ll tell you right now – I still feel this way at times and I’ve been doing this work for almost two decades. Brene Brown says, “As a shame researcher, I know that the very best thing to do in the midst of a shame attack is totally counterintuitive. Practice courage and reach out!”

Bronte is on point. You know why? Because shame shrivels when you share it out loud.’

To make life a little more figureoutable, get your copy today!

Lessons on Friendship and Courage from ‘The Incredible Adventures of Mr. Cheeks’

Posted on by Penguin India

The Incredible Adventures of Mr. Cheeks by Tazmeen Amna, is an exciting journey of three friends seeking to break away from the set roles enforced by the village of Hastings on each of its residents. Mr. Cheeks, a fabulous tap-dancing Chihuahua; Mr. Grey, a tabby cat who loves painting; and Hopper, a rabbit who sings the most melodious songs; wish to portray their talents at the Annual Carnival of Hastings. However, the roles of each animal at the carnival is rigidly divided which poses a problem for the three friends.

The book maps the struggles which they face together highlighting their cherished friendship. Here we give you a few instances of friendship and courage shared by them:

  1. Despite their different appearances, Mr. Cheeks, a Chihuahua “dogue” and Mr. Grey, a big tabby cat; were great friends. Although they were dubbed as an unusual pair of friends, their friendship grew beyond their physical differences and they set an example for others.

 

“And this was unheard of! Even in Hastings! But the two made it work like a charm.”

 

  1. Since Hopper, the rabbit was anxious about not being able to fit into the new community of Hastings and about the skills that he possessed which were thought to be a little odd for a rabbit; Mr. Cheeks and Mr. Grey helped him get comfortable and welcomed him into their circle. They also encouraged him to be confident about his unique talent.

 

“Hopper smiled. Maybe there was room for a different rabbit in Hastings after all!”

 

  1. When Mr. Grey decided to put up and exhibition of his paintings, his comrades, Mr. Cheeks and Hopper volunteered to help and support him in this endeavour. The trio worked together to make the exhibition a success.

 

“The trio took a moment to admire their work. The sun shone bright upon them, as though expressing joy, making the colours of the garden seem more vibrant and the pictures more lifelike.”

 

  1. After coming back defeated from the Carnival Management Bureau of Hastings, Mr. Cheeks had lost all hopes of tap-dancing and his friend Hopper singing at the carnival. But Mr. Grey, seeing how sad his friend was, came up with a bright plan to help his friends showcase their talents!

 

“It is now my life’s mission to make sure you both get the opportunity you deserve”

 

  1. By going beyond their stereotypical roles of what a dog, cat and a rabbit ought to do; Mr. Grey, Mr. Cheeks and Hopper also inspired other animals of Hastings to follow their hearts and not be tied down by those constructs.

 

“Finally, change had arrived in Hastings.”

 

Follow this exciting journey in The Incredible Adventures of Mr Cheeks, where three friends face the challenge of following their heart -even when it isn’t the easiest thing to do.

An Excerpt from the Newest Jack Reacher Novel ‘Blue Moon’

Posted on by Penguin India

Lee Child’s Jack Reacher is back in Blue Moon!

Reacher is trained to notice things. He’s on a greyhound bus, watching an elderly man sleeping in his seat, with a fat envelope of cash hanging out of his pocket. Another passenger is watching too… Obviously hoping to get rich quick. As the mugger makes his move, Reacher steps in. The old man is grateful, yet he turns down Reacher’s offer to help him home. He’s vulnerable, scared, and clearly in big, big trouble. Will Reacher sit back and let things happen?

Read an excerpt from the book below:

The city looked small on a map of America.  It was just a tiny polite dot, near a red threadlike road that ran across an otherwise empty half inch of paper.  But up close and on the ground it had half a million people.  It covered more than a hundred square miles.  It had nearly a hundred and fifty thousand households.  It had more than two thousand acres of parkland.  It spent half a billion dollars a year, and raised almost as much through taxes and fees and charges.  It was big enough that the police department was twelve hundred strong.

And it was big enough that organized crime was split two separate ways.  The west of the city was run by Ukrainians.  The east was run by Albanians.  The demarcation line between them was gerrymandered as tight as a congressional district.  Nominally it followed Center Street, which ran north to south and divided the city in half, but it zigged and zagged and ducked in and out to include or exclude specific blocks and parts of specific neighborhoods, wherever it was felt historic precedents justified special circumstances.  Negotiations had been tense.  There had been minor turf wars.  There had been some unpleasantness.  But eventually an agreement had been reached.  The arrangement seemed to work.  Each side kept out of the other’s way.  For a long time there had been no significant contact between them.

Until one morning in May.  The Ukrainian boss parked in a garage on Center Street, and walked east into Albanian territory.  Alone.  He was fifty years old and built like a bronze statue of an old hero, tall, hard, and solid.  He called himself Gregory, which was as close as Americans could get to pronouncing his given name.  He was unarmed, and he was wearing tight pants and a tight T shirt to prove it.  Nothing in his pockets.  Nothing concealed.  He turned left and right, burrowing deep, heading for a backstreet block, where he knew the Albanians ran their businesses out of a suite of offices in back of a lumber yard.

He was followed all the way, from his first step across the line.  Calls were made ahead, so that when he arrived he was faced by six silent figures, all standing still in the half circle between the sidewalk and the lumber yard’s gate.  Like chess pieces in a defensive formation.  He stopped and held his arms out from his sides.  He turned around slowly, a full 360, his arms still held wide.  Tight pants, tight T shirt.  No lumps.  No bulges.  No knife.  No gun.  Unarmed, in front of six guys who undoubtedly weren’t.  But he wasn’t worried.  To attack him unprovoked was a step the Albanians wouldn’t take.  He knew that.  Courtesies had to be observed.  Manners were manners.

One of the six silent figures stepped up.  Partly a blocking maneuver, partly ready to listen.

Gregory said, “I need to speak with Dino.”

Dino was the Albanian boss.

The guy said, “Why?”

“I have information.”

“About what?”

“Something he needs to know.”

“I could give you a phone number.”

“This is a thing that needs to be said face to face.”

“Does it need to be said right now?”

“Yes, it does.”

The guy said nothing for a spell, and then he turned and ducked through a personnel door set low in a metal roll-up gate.  The other five guys formed up tighter, to replace his missing presence.  Gregory waited.  The five guys watched him, part wary, part fascinated.  It was a unique occasion.  Once in a lifetime.  Like seeing a unicorn.  The other side’s boss.  Right there.  Previous negotiations had been held on neutral ground, on a golf course way out of town, on the other side of the highway.

Gregory waited.  Five long minutes later the guy came back out through the personnel door.  He left it open.  He gestured.  Gregory walked forward and ducked and stepped inside.  He smelled fresh pine and heard the whine of a saw.

The guy said, “We need to search you for a wire.”

Gregory nodded and stripped off his T shirt.  His torso was thick and hard and matted with hair.  No wire.  The guy checked the seams in his T shirt and handed it back.  Gregory put it on and ran his fingers through his hair.

The guy said, “This way.”

Two rival criminal gangs are competing for control in Blue Moon. Will Jack Reacher be able to stop bad things from happening? Read to find out!

5 Specific Weaknesses that Have Prevented India from Realizing its Full Potential from ‘India: Still a Shackled Giant’

Posted on by Penguin India

India is one of the largest economies in the world today and it has been predicted that it would become the third largest economy by 2030. Yet, an average Indian is worse off than his counterpart in other developing nations like Algeria, Indonesia, Mongolia and Morocco. The tethers of corruption and fragility have prevented it from becoming an Asian Tiger.

In India: Still A Shackled Giant, Dev Kar, a former senior economist at the International Monetary Fund shines light on why India is still, even after 70 years of independence, unable to reach its full potential to join democratic giants like the United States, Germany, and Japan.

 

Fragility

Fragility is a state of affairs, consisting of many economic, social, demographic, political, environmental, and security-related pressure points that either strengthen or weaken a nation state. If fragility is left unchecked, the nation can slide towards civil war and break up. The overall fragile states index (FSI) is derived from twelve sub- indices which are: demographic pressures, economic inequality, economy, external intervention, factionalized elites, group grievance, human flight and brain drain, human rights, public services, security apparatus, state legitimacy, and refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs). (page 15)

India’s overall fragility increased from the ninety-third rank in 2006 to the seventy-second rank in 2018. India’s slide by twenty-one ranks over this period was mainly driven by uneven development (such as rising income inequality), human flight and brain drain, state legitimacy, demographic pressures and security apparatus.

Dirty Politics

There is no doubt that the source of corruption in India is its rotten politics. If politicians can use black money to get elected, criminals can contest elections and win, and if they can all play vote bank politics, what kind of example do they set for the rest of the country? These days, it seems every political party needs criminals to intimidate the opposition, suppress dissent, and extract rent in order to ensure its hold over power. Under the circumstances, there can be neither raj (rule) nor neeti (ethics) left in rajneeti (politics).

Another way of looking at this sad state of affairs is that many voters perceive the criminal politicians to be more effective in delivering government services. I think, either way, from the supply of criminal politicians to the demand for them, they pose a huge problem for any democracy and its governance.

A Taxing Problem

Ever since Independence, India has had two main problems with taxation—a narrow tax base and significant tax evasion. A narrow tax base means only a small portion of India’s population is paying income taxes. Out of a population of some 1.3 billion people, only about 4 per cent file pay income taxes, which make up the largest part of direct taxes. (page 141)

A country trying to raise adequate tax revenues from a narrow base ends up running large fiscal deficits given increasing government expenditures to meet multiple development objectives. Fiscal deficits in turn hamper economic growth and lead to economic instability through rampant inflation, higher interest rates, or increasing foreign debt. It is the poor who suffer disproportionately.

According to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), nearly thirty-one million Indians are unemployed and looking for jobs. While economic growth has been humming along around 7–8 per cent per annum recently, the pace of job creation has been poor. While unemployment is naturally an emotive issue in a country of 1.3 billion people with a young workforce, the capacity to generate jobs is not in the hands of any politician, regardless of their promises. The bottom line is that for unemployment to come down during any period, the number of new jobs created must be greater than the number of people entering the labour market during that period. The problem of employment in India is twofold. First, India needs to invest in more education, vocational training and health. Second, there is a need to shrink the size of the informal sector by helping more workers to switch to jobs in the formal sector.

No Care about Healthcare

Healthcare in India still has a long way to go in terms of access to good facilities and reliable doctors, particularly in smaller towns and villages. While the rich in India can afford to get reasonable treatment at a price they can afford, the poor can’t. The quality of public hospitals is extremely poor and they pose serious risks to the life and well-being of patients. Moreover, the credentials of many doctors are suspect. To make matters worse, there are no independent regulatory bodies to accredit, monitor and disseminate reviews of medical providers.

Grab your copy of this book today to know learn about these barriers in detail and discover how India can find the road to redemption.

To Eat or Not to Eat- N for Nourish Sets the Record Straight

Posted on by Penguin India

In N for Nourish, celebrity nutritionist Pooja Makhija demystifies the misleading theories about food that float around in a market driven by commercial interests of corporate giants. Her book draws attention to the inherent relationship our bodies have with food so that what we eat determines the quality of life we enjoy.

‘You will never not need food. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks—these will be part of your life for the rest of your life. When you’re feeling sick, food can heal you. When you’re feeling tired, food can pick you right back up. By eating right and eating well, food will always be your BFF.’ writes Pooja.

 

Here are 6 food myths from her new nutrition book for children above the age of 10, N for Nourish, that are finally being busted-

 

Myth 1: Dieting and fasting help you lose weight

Skipping meals counters your weight-loss plans as it puts your body in a state of panic and consequently, change gears to crisis management mode. Expecting lack of nourishment in the future, the body begins to store fat to supply energy over a longer period.

‘[Pooja Makhija] finds that a lot of older children skip breakfast or have just a small meal because they think that it will make them lose weight. In fact, skipping breakfast or any meal increases fat storage and decreases fat burning. And leads to weight gain. In other words, the more you starve, the more weight you gain.’

 Myth 2: If you feel hungry, you are hungry

Hunger and thirst trigger off similar signals in the brain and this can make us feel hungry when, actually, the body needs water to rehydrate.

‘There is a special centre in your brain that tells you how hungry you are. Similarly, there’s another part of your brain that tells you how thirsty you are. But, here’s the catch: both the thirst and hunger centres are located very close to each other. In fact, they are so close to each other that they are almost like neighbours. This becomes a problem when you are dehydrated as your confused brain cannot make up its mind about whether you are hungry or thirsty. And in this chaos, it makes you feel like eating when you should be drinking.’

Myth 3: All carbs are made equal

Complex carbs are better for your health than simple carbs.

‘When you eat simple, sugary carbs, your body does not have to do much to     convert the sugar in the food into blood sugar. Your sugar levels shoot up, which is why you suddenly feel energized. But it is also why you feel tired later—because your levels crash as quickly as they rise. But complex carbs, with all their fibre and starch, take more time to be converted into energy. And even though it takes longer, the glucose also stays in your body longer, to give you just the right amount of energy you need with none of the side effects.’

Myth 4: Fats make you fat    

An age-old vendetta against Fats is laid to rest here as Pooja Makhija clarifies    how Fats, in the right proportion, form an essential component of a balanced diet.

‘Your body needs fat. Fat is what protects your organs, including your brain. About 60–70 per cent of your brain is made up of fat. In other words, if your brain cells don’t have enough fat, they will not be able to do their job.’

Myth 5: Choose Sugar-free foods for weight loss

Artificial sweeteners imitate the taste of sugar and play on the fragile sensibilities of weight watchers. They dupe consumers into thinking that sugar-free means less calories, which tends to increase consumption and eventually lead to weight gain. This, in addition to the various side effects, makes these a bad gimmick to fall prey to.

 

‘One of the worst offenders is HFCS or High Fructose Corn Syrup. HFCS has many horrible side effects including the possible development of heart disease, cancer, cholesterol and diabetes, as you may get older. And, to top it all, it leads to quick weight gain.’

Myth 6: Only exercise can burn calories

 

Eating at regular intervals offers fuel to the body in the form of calories which it burns to aid digestion. The external exercise we do is additional to this ongoing process.

 

‘Digestion, like eating, breathing or even sleeping, burns calories. So, if you eat every two hours, you can burn calories even without running, jumping, playing or exercising. It’s almost like going to the gym!

Keeping the fun in food alive, N for Nourish shines a light on the hidden devils of the food world. Perfect for kids ages 10+ .Get your child a copy today!

An Excerpt from Bibek Debroy’s Translation of ‘The Bhagavad Gita’

Posted on by Penguin India

As far as traditional Indian stories and lore go, The Bhagavad Gita is an enduring and nuanced reflection of the relationship between action and consequence, agency and choice. Bibek Debroy’s translation of the book is highly relevant and now accessible to a whole new generation of readers.

Here’s an excerpt that presents a glimpse into the insights this book has to offer!

 

‘Without performing action, man is not freed from the
bondage of action. And resorting to sannyasa does not
result in liberation.’

~

‘No one can ever exist, even for a short while, without
performing action. Because the qualities of nature force
everyone to perform action.’

~

‘The ignorant person who exists by controlling his organs of
action, while his mind remembers the senses, is said to be
deluded and is a hypocrite.’

~

‘O Arjuna! But he who restrains the senses through his mind
and starts the yoga of action with the organs of action, while
remaining unattached, he is superior.

~

‘Therefore, do the prescribed action. Because action is
superior to not performing action. And without action, even
survival of the body is not possible.’

~

‘O son of Kunti! All action other than that for sacrifices
shackles people to the bondage of action. Therefore, do
action for that purpose, without attachment.

~

‘Earlier, Prajapati created beings, accompanied by a
sacrifice and said, “With this, may you increase, and may
this grant you all objects you desire.’

~

‘Through this, cherish the gods and those gods will
cherish you. By cherishing each other, you will obtain that
which is most desired.’

~

‘Because, cherished by the sacrifice, the gods will give you all
desired objects. He who enjoys these without giving them
their share is certainly a thief.’

~

‘Righteous people who enjoy the leftovers  of sacrifices
are freed from all sins. But those sinners who cook only for
themselves live on sin.’

~

‘Beings are created from food and food is created from rain
clouds. Rain clouds are created from sacrifices and sacrifices
are created from action.’

Full of life-lessons and thought-provoking debates on morals, Bibek Debroy’s Bhagavad Gita is more relevant than ever.

5 Things ‘Listen to the Whispers’ will Teach your Little One

Posted on by Penguin India

‘You are more than you think you are.
More than a girl or a boy. More than your name.
More than the number of years you have lived.’

 

Author Trishla Jain writes books for children that bring families together to explore spirituality in a light, magical way. Here’s why you should read her book Listen to the Whispers to your little one to enlighten them with a deep mindful living.

This book allows you to have a beautiful conversation about their individuality and their full potential through simple words.

This beautifully realized picture book offers answers to questions such as ‘Who am I?’ and ‘Why am I here?’

 

With easy-to-follow prose, teach your young ones to never stop reaching for the stars

.

As the kids run with the tigers and dance with the wolves in Listen to the Whispers, let them explore the majesty of the earth and recognize how magnificent they are!

 

Teaches them to always listen to the whispers within, their consciousness, and let love light the way.

Grab your copy of Listen to The Whispers today!

 

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