| WINNER OF THE GAJA CAPITAL BUSINESS BOOK PRIZE 2019 |The nineteenth century was an exciting time of initiative and enterprise around the world. If John D. Rockefeller was creating unimagined wealth in the United States that he would put to the service of the nation, a Parsi family with humble roots was doing the same in India.In 1822, a boy was born in a priestly household in Gujarat's Navsari village. Young Nusserwanji knew early on that his des...

What makes a balm feel like a mother's touch?How did a packet of noodles become India's comfort food?How did a brand name become synonymous with a cure for a cold?And why do some brands create categories while others merely compete?Desi Disruptors is not a book about marketing jargon, boardroom presentations or boring management classroom lessons. This is a lively, insight-driven ac...

'The epic text of Ranjit Desai's Shriman Yogi finds new voice in Vikrant Pande's nuanced translation, an immersive narrative of the foundations of the Maratha empire and the saga of its charismatic founder.' - Namita Gokhale. Young Shivaji reaches Pune, a dying fort city, with his mother Jijabai and lights the first lamp within its ruins. While his father Shahaji Bhosle is away on deputation by the Adil Shah sultanate after having failed in a revolt against it, Shivaji learns how an empire...

'To harness the ether for those who dwell upon the earth is one of the loveliest services that the modern age can render to humanity-Upward Radio!'-Sarojini Naidu's note in the AIR visitors' bookFor decades, All India Radio or Akashvani, India's national broadcaster, has been 'the sound of India'. Be it Jawaharlal Nehru's iconic 'Tryst with Destiny' speech, shows such as Binaca Geetmala, cricket matches, movies or, more recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Mann ki ...

Vikrant Pande and Neelesh Kulkarni's quest to retrace the trail of Rama's fabled travels during his years in exile began with their trying to locate Chitrakoot on the map and realizing that they had little idea where it might be. Curious about the places mentioned in the Ramayana, they set off on a journey of their own, following Rama's route from Ayodhya to the Dandakaranya forest and Panchavati (near Nashik) and on to Kishkindhya (close to Hampi), Rameshwaram and Sri Lanka. Along the way...

Aurangzeb must rebel against his father, and compete with his brothers, especially Darashikoh who is Emperor Shah Jahan's favoured son, to become the shahenshah of India and sit on the Peacock Throne. In politics, after all, trust and betrayal are two edges of the same sword. Meanwhile, in his zenankhana, the begums, constantly worrying about inheritance and bloodlines, grow jittery at the arrival of Hira, a mere concubine, who seems to have all of Aurangzeb's heart. Shahenshah: The Life o...

Vikrant Pande and Neelesh Kulkarni's quest to retrace the trail of Rama's fabled travels during his years in exile began with their trying to locate Chitrakoot on the map and realizing that they had little idea where it might be. Curious about the places mentioned in the Ramayana, they set off on a journey of their own, following Rama's route from Ayodhya to the Dandakaranya forest and Panchavati (near Nashik) and on to Kishkindhya (close to Hampi), Rameshwaram and Sri Lanka.Along ...

A boy who can predict the exact date a person will die... An elderly woman who knows that death is close, but learns how to cheat it... A child with a dangerous friend who happens to be invisible... A ghost who can't stop reliving his suicide over and over again...People you'll wish you never have to meet, and stories you'll never forget.Skilfully translated into English for the very first time, these chilling tales from master storyteller Ratnakar Matkari are bound to keep readers of all ...

'Who am I?' It was a question that had troubled him all his life. His whole life had seemed entangled in the answer. His dignity, his destination, his ambitions -- they all seemed linked to that entanglement. The irony was that the truth, instead of liberating him, had made him rudderless. In the Mahabharata, Karna is known to be the only warrior who could match Arjuna. Born of a god and a mother who abandons him at birth, Karna is mistreated from birth. Rejected by Drona, taunted by Draup...

You who stand in a queue, who try to board a running local, who tolerate your boss's snide remarks and the trials and tribulations of marital life - you still manage to discuss politics with enthusiasm, to finish a game of cards, to laugh and to make others laugh ... You are a true karmachari.A collection of unforgettable short stories about ordinary people, Karmachari is a mirror held up to society. Set in suburban Mumbai of the 1970s, yet universal, it is peopled by characters we might m...

Mukund Joshi is fourteen and newly in love. He attends the same private tuitions as his classmate, Shirodkar, just for a glimpse of her, and follows her back home every day. Sadly, she has not a clue that he is pining away for her, because in their society, boys and girls don't interact freely, much less talk about love. When he's not negotiating the tricky alleys of love, Mukund sits around the school field or loafs about town with his close friends, Surya, Chitre and Phawdya, railing aga...

The story of the Marathas starts with Shivaji for most of us. The action happened in what is called the Deccan and its geography and politics plays an important role. We must understand what the Deccan means, who ruled there and what was the condition of the Deccan part of India before, and when, Shivaji was born.