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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!

 

Battling Bullies with the Heroes of the 1857 Uprising

Posted on by Penguin India

Deftly weaving the everyday battles of siblings Rattu and Poorie into those of the famed heroes of the past such as Rani Lakshmi bai of Jhansi and Nana Sahib of Kanput to the last Mughal Emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar, Parvati Sharma brings history home to her young readers.  Her soldiers don’t come charging onto the pages of her new book, Rattu & Poorie’s Adventures in History; instead they gently pat their horses goodnight and eat ice cream cones with their young friends. And yet, they tell stories of legendary battles where they took extraordinary decisions in a crisis, stood up for what they believed in and refused to be cowed into submission.

Here are the heroes who took Rattu and Poorie on their adventures and the lessons they teach the children:

LAKSHMI BAI AND JHALKARI BAI

Like two sides of a coin, victory and defeat come to each one of us. It is important to celebrate one and learn from the other. Having fought many wars, the courageous Lakshmi bai and Jhalkari bai share this wisdom with the children-

As the horses carried the soldiers, the two sisters and Damodar Rao, back home, Rattu said, ‘Did you fight many wars?’

‘Yes,’ said Lakshmi Bai, ‘lots.’

 ‘Did you win all of them?’ asked Poorie.

 ‘Nobody can win all wars,’ said Jhalkari Bai.

NANA SAHIB AND AZIMULLAH KHAN

Azimullah Khan emphasizes the need to stand up to bullies with courage and to never give up without trying –

‘Another way,’ said Azimullah Khan, ‘would be to say we tried.’

‘Trying is not the same as winning,’ said Poorie.

‘Maybe not,’ said Azimullah Khan. ‘But if some big bullies took your ice-cream, wouldn’t you want to try and get it back?’

Poorie thought about it. ‘I suppose so,’ she said.

BAHADUR SHAH ZAFAR

Grampa Ajju and Mughal badshah Zafar reflect on how anger makes us take bad decisions that we tend to regret later-

‘Poor cook,’ said Poorie.

‘Yes,’ said Zafar.

‘It wasn’t really his fault,’ said Rattu.

 ‘Babur was angry,’ said Ajju. ‘Anger makes you take bad decisions.’

‘Once I stomped on Poorie’s bed,’ said Rattu.

‘Oh, I see,’ said Zafar. ‘Did you take your shoes off?’

 ‘No,’ said Rattu. ‘I made a muddy mess.’

‘Well,’ said Zafar, ‘better stomp on beds than heads!’

‘Did you make bad decisions?’ said Poorie.

‘I suppose I did,’ said Zafar. ‘And I certainly had my share of foes!’

Vividly illustrated and peppered with engaging dialogues, Parvati Sharma presents to children a slice of history along with a lesson in life. Read Rattu and Poorie’s Adventures in History.

Words of the Sage: Excerpt from ‘The Markandeya Purana’

Posted on by Penguin India

Celebrated author and scholar Bibek Debroy’s masterful translation allows a whole new generation of readers to discover Sage Markandeya’s wisdom. His narrative unfolds as a series of conversations with Markandeya that explore the deep, fundamental questions raised by the Mahabharata.

Join in the conversation through this excerpt:

“The Indra among men must not succumb to desire. The lord of the earth must first control himself, then the ministers, servants and citizens. It is only after he knows this has been done that he acts against the enemy. If a king tries to conquer the enemy without conquering these, he is conquered by advisers who have not conquered themselves. He is then bound down by arrays of the enemy. O son! Therefore, a lord of the earth must first conquer desire and the other vices. When he has conquered them, the king conquers. If he has not conquered them, he is destroyed. A wicked king is destroyed by enemies like desire, anger, avarice, insolence, pride and delight. It is remembered that Pandu was brought down because he was addicted to desire. Since he could not control his anger, Anuhlada killed his own son. Aila was killed because he was greedy. Because of his insolence, Vena was killed by brahmanas. The son of Anayusha was killed because of his pride. Puranjaya was destroyed because of delight. Having conquered these enemies, the great-souled Marutta  conquered everything. Remembering this, a lord of the earth must cast aside the six vices. A king must learn from the conduct of a crow, a cuckoo, a bee, a crane, a snake, a peacock, a swan, a cock and iron. Towards the enemy, a lord of men must behave like an owl. At the right time, the lord of the earth must act like an ant. His acts will be known as much as fire in kindling or seeds in silk-cotton. Like the sun and the moon, he must protect the earth through his policy. He must learn from a courtesan, a lotus, a sharabha, a shulika and a woman with heavy breasts. The lord of the earth must formulate policy on the basis of sama, dana, danda and bheda and protect the earth. Like a chandala woman, he must use his wisdom and serve. If he wishes to protect the earth, the lord of the earth must follow the conduct of the five—Shakra, Surya, Yama, Soma and Vayu. For four months, Indra sustains the earth through his showers. Like that, the lord of the earth must nurture the world through his generosity. For eight months, Surya draws up the water through his rays. In that way, the king must collect taxes through subtle means. When it is the right time, Yama acts against both friend and foe. Like that, the king must be impartial in his treatment of the virtuous and the wicked, regardless of whether he likes them or dislikes them. The sight of the full moon fills a man with delight. Like that, when all the subjects are satisfied, the king has followed auspicious conduct.”

Full of wit and enlightenment about life, Bibek Debroy’s The Markandeya Purana is a must-read for adults and children alike.

For the Love of Coffee: Excerpt from ‘Extreme Love of Coffee’

Posted on by Penguin India

In a lush green plantation in Coorg lurks a friendly ghost with a pocket watch, a mop of grey hair and a large, white mug of steaming hot black coffee. The apparition breathes in the deliciously deep aromas of medium roasted robusta coffee wafting from his mug as he waits, in anticipation, for a conversation with one who loves coffee as much as he did.

Read on for a whiff of the magic that transports Rahul and Neha to a world of dark brews and darker grudges!

The coffee was softly sweet and refreshing. And then, slowly, they sensed the nutty aroma—of walnuts, mild but deliciously bitter. Rahul knew from his readings about coffee that such a delicate sweetness could only come from a fully ripened coffee berry that had been carefully picked and pulped on the ground under bright, clean summer sunshine. Because then the richness of the raw soil would mingle with the golden heat of the sand and soak in the sun to create this rare, luxurious and nutty taste.

The myriad tastes of coffee continued to amaze him, each one so different from the previous and each teasing the senses so delicately. He decided to use this opportunity to educate Neha, who sat nice and close by his side.

‘How do you like the old lady’s coffee, Neha? Isn’t it so beautiful? Can you taste the walnuts?’

There was no response. So, he asked her again. He turned to find Neha sprawled across the cane sofa in deep slumber. She was awake a few minutes ago. When had she fallen asleep, that too so deeply? He shook her, but she was like a log, muscles locked and eyes shut.

Then, without any warning, he felt sleep overcome him too. From far away, it penetrated his body through his eyes, swimming in like a gentle cloud. It narrowed his eyes when it came in and brought a general sense of growing calm that wasn’t there seconds ago. There was a tender but overpowering silence that it cast on him, which was impossible to counter with words, hands or legs, because they were going dead too. In this twilight zone before deep sleep, the mind has no thoughts because it goes pleasantly numb in anticipation of the rest ahead. We love sleep, don’t we?

Rahul could feel himself levitating. He saw the coffee cup on the cane table going farther and farther away, initially a sharp image, but hazy after a few seconds. It then looked like the cup was being taken away by Pooviah or by someone else with a red and white turban; it did not really matter because within a few seconds he too was deep in sleep.

He woke up almost immediately, not in Cottabetta Bungalow or his familiar room in Mumbai, but in some place that looked like a very small café. There were people around him who looked like they were Japanese, seated on low wooden tables, speaking in Japanese and drinking coffee. The entire place smelt of coffee. Neha was there too, sitting by his side, her left hand resting softly on his lap. On the wall was a beautiful painting of a monkey on a horse, with Mount Fuji in the background. A lady in a red and golden kimono came around with white coffee mugs on a lovely looking oval wooden tray.

As the bright red of her dress approached them, she spoke in highly accented English. ‘Welcome back, Rahul-san and Neha-san. Will you have your usual coffee today?’ She then bowed before them. Are we in Japan? Rahul thought.

 

‘This story has its roots in my long-time love for coffee and a somewhat recent fascination for storytelling and magic realism.’ writes Harish Bhat, author of the bestselling book Tatalog and chairman of Tata Coffee Ltd.

Will Rahul and Neha’s intense love for the aromatic brew help them find their way on their bewildering quest? Read An Extreme Love of Coffee to find out!

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