Bollywood, a combination of ‘Bombay’ and ‘Hollywood’ is one of the world’s largest film producing centers in the world, having even overtaken America. Some complain, the term that finds a place in the Oxford Dictionary makes it sound like a poor cousin of Hollywood. Its movies are unabashedly escapist, with the formulaic dancing around trees, and are unapologetically inspired by classics the world over, and even by those at home. I have collected some of the most remarkable movies of moder...

An immensely desirable bachelor and an irresistible, married woman working together in a sports management company that deals with cricketers' careers vanish suspiciously at the same hour.The broader view is that the two, tired of their humdrum lives have eloped.Crime investigations by a bumbling threesome of an ace detective, her elfish husband and the fat baby in tow point towards a murky cricket-betting underworld where insatiable greed, seduction, match fixing, mob tortur...

Aarav Acharya, a licentious, middle-aged professor teaching at a private college, locked out of the warm embrace of his enchanting but celibate wife, preys upon the female students on his watch by plying them with  drink-sodden good times. On a field trip to Punjab he succeeds in his lustful plans, when drinks are had and inhibitions are shed. Once done, he cools off, but the girls have other designs. Having tasted blood, they plan to extract favors in return for services rendered. Re...

The investigating officer, Padhy gives Kaysar a chance to prove his innocence when he is blamed for rape.Kaysar embarks on a journey that sees him wading through crocodile infested swamps, hobnobbing with Aghoris and getting into gunfights.Along the way he makes friends with people tottering on the edge of sanity: the oppressed yet lively Kasturi, the equivocating CEO, the failed-romantic Senapati, the alcoholic but loyal Padhy with his eunuch whores, the cross-dressing contr...

‘The Proof Diaries’ is set in present times- at a remote, beachside colony pounded by tidal waves, on the Odisha coastline in the Bay of Bengal.The novel is about Kaysar Singh, an explosives consultant working in the sea-based firing range. He develops illicit relations with a local tribal girl, Kasturi; and gets falsely implicated in her rape, when he stalls an import contract involving defect-prone ammunition, earning the ire of people who have a stake in it. Kasturi meanwhile, h...

Anyone reading the business section of a newspaper lately knows that the financial exchanges--stock, bonds, FX, commodities, and so forth--are undergoing tremendous transformations. Fund managers, market makers, traders, exchange professionals, marekt data providers and analyzers, investors--anyone involved with the financial exchanges needs to understand the major forces pushing this transformation in order to position themselves and their institutions to the best advantage.In this book, ...

Genome editing offers a powerful tool to significantly accelerate crop-breeding programs in order to develop new and improved varieties. It allows precise modification of an organism's DNA sequence, often by creating targeted double-strand breaks at specific locations. The CRISPR-Cas system has emerged as the preferred method of gene editing and offers a powerful technology for crop improvement. The use of CRISPR in plant research has led to significant improvements in crop performance in ...

INSIGNIA VOL. 6. includes 8 short stories with Asian characters, settings, and magical creatures.In this volume you'll find an array of animal-shifters, magical creatures, gods, and spirits. Story settings include: India, Japan, Cambodia, China, and outer-space!CONTENTS'Reborn' by Nidhi Singh'The Star Ball' by Amy Fontaine'Raising Words' by Stewart C. Baker'Apsaras' Dance' by Kelly Matsuura'We, the Ravens...

INSIGNIA VOL. 5 includes 8 science fiction stories with Asian characters and/or settings.CONTENTS'Stars Bright as Light' by Joyce Chng'Islets of the Blest' by Nidhi Singh'Uncle Ping's Evening Farewell' by Ray Daley'Connecting Through the Cosmos' by Holly Schofield'The Galaxy's Cube' by Jeremy Szal'Kill / Switch' by L. Chan'The Drowning Pool' by Vonnie W. Crist'Love and Relativity' by S...

This book is a collection of the second 4 volumes in The Insignia Series (released between 2018 and 2020).The anthologies are:ASIAN SCIENCE FICTIONINSIGNIA VOL.5. includes 8 science fiction stories with Asian characters and/or settings.Contributors: Joyce Chng, Nidhi Singh, Ray Daley, Holly Schofield, Jeremy Szal, L. Chan, Vonnie Winslow Crist, Stewart C. Baker.ASIAN BIRDS & BEASTSINSIGNIA VOL.6. includes 8 shor...

This book is a collection of the first 4 volumes in The Insignia Series (released between 2013 and 2017).The anthologies are:JAPANESE FANTASY STORIES:INSIGNIA Vol.1. includes 9 Japanese fantasy stories with a mix of urban, literary, contemporary, myth-based, and historical fantasy pieces.Contributors: Heather Ewings, Joyce Chng, Holly Kench, Kelly Matsuura, Aislinn Batstone, Chris Ward, and Chris White.CHINESE FANTASY STORIES:

INSIGNIA Vol.4 includes 9 Asian fantasy stories with a mix of literary, contemporary, myth-based, and historical fantasy pieces. Countries included are Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Japan, China, India, and Nepal.PART I: Adventure / Folktales'Four Claws' by Allison Thai'I Found Love in an Urn Full of Ashes' by Joyce Chng'Jentayu's Tear' by Anna Tan'Ribbons & Bones' by Kelly MatsuuraPART ...