Letters from Gaza is an intimate collection of personal writings that bears witness to one of the most devastating humanitarian crises of our time. This one-of-a-kind compilation comprises real-time reflections that uniquely capture the voice of people living through the conflict as a vital record of resilience in the face of adversity. Compiled by acclaimed Gaza-based writers Mahmoud Alshaer and Mohammed Zaqzooq, this book is an unflinching account of war told through the words of those living it—offering a deeply personal, urgent, and essential perspective that gets often lost in global headlines. Read an exclusive excerpt below.
Letters From Gaza || Mohammed Al-Zaqzooq || Mahmoud Alshaer
Unable to Convey the Sound of the Explosion by Husam Marouf
Translated by Soha El-Sebaie
Every evening, she would come with her face pale, her features
almost disappearing because of frowning, and throw her body on
the sofa I was sitting on as if she was throwing a bag of wheat.
After the sound of the collision passed, she would advance towards
my left thigh, and lean her head on it without a word between us,
as if telling me I still love you, I still choose to rest in your embrace.
I could hear the sound of a devastated waterfall pouring from her
head onto my thigh to the point that one time I felt the dampness
on my skin.
The one with delicate, tender features, eyes the colour of green
grapes, and a vibrant spirit that seeped into every cell of my skin.
She dreamed of becoming an interior designer—a dream the city
of Gaza could not accommodate. So, she sought an opportunity to
travel to Europe to work there. But the war came, and her family’s
house was bombed over their heads. Her father, mother, and little
brother, whom she adored, died. Perhaps, it’s for his sake she was
Dhruv was torn by guilt for leaving the man to die at the hands of the unknown, angry inhuman-looking figure, yet driven by his mission given by Ajaa to deliver the message to the chief Mathadhish. He fully understood that the message he carried was more important than his own life, and confronting his attacker could have jeopardized his resolve to reach the chief Mathadhish alive. He knew that if he died before reaching his destination, he would not only be the cause of the death of the stranger who emerged from nowhere to defend him in the snow, but also the countless lives following Dharma hopelessly waiting in the plains for their protectors to intervene. It was ironic that he had to escape for his life, not die in the snow, to save countless lives in the plains below. Walking tirelessly, Dhruv reached a point where he saw a massive structure atop the next mountain.
The Naga Warriors || Akshat Gupta
Maybe I am just a cliff away from my search and if I am right, it won’t take me more than three days to knock on the doors of that megalith structure, Dhruv thought. Just by the sight of the structure, hoping it was the abode of Mathadhish, he felt blessed and an aura of antiquity infused in him. Dhruv sought to reach it as quickly as possible. But before he could even take a step towards it, the ground beneath him quivered. He looked around for the source of the unexpected disturbance and found an enormous figure, larger than a lion in both strength and ferocity, greater than an elephant in sheer bulk. It rose before him and roared, trembling Dhruv’s soul. It was an enormous eight-legged being, that was half-bird, half-lion and seemed more powerful than any beast on Earth. Its long tail was strong enough to throw somebody like Dhruv off his stand. He had never imagined a creature so immense, larger than any animal, and as ferocious as a mad beast. With eyes that burn like coals, the creature charged at Dhruv with the intention to kill.
Despite Dhruv’s unwavering determination, it was difficult for him to overcome the being’s enormous strength. However, Dhruv’s fear was working as his strength. He knew that a single opportunity for the beast would mean his last moment on Earth. A vicious chase ensued, with Dhruv evading the attacker’s beast-like movements. The conflict of will and valour was palpable in the air. Dhruv was weak, worn out and hungry. He kept dodging, but how long could he keep it up? He tried to leap past the beast’s tail but failed to notice the claws closing in on him.
Free men fight wars, slaves only follow orders. We will do whatever best we can as the protectors of the Dharma. Your practices are prohibited and as the chief Mathadhish, I cannot endorse or support your war tactics. You may go now. Anger was the only visible emotion on Kaaldhwaj’s face as he looked at all our faces, including the chief, and then turned back to leave. Kaaldhwaj! called the chief again, and he turned with a glimmer of hope amidst the sea of hopelessness in his eyes. Do not ever come back. You are welcomed only when you set all your slave souls free, said the chief, this time turning back to order us. I am the last Naga in the world who possesses this knowledge and power to capture souls, and I will never let my army and knowledge go waste, replied Kaaldhwaj before leaving.
Dhruv climbed a tree close to him and saw hundreds of corpses slowly rising from the ground and aligning in rows behind Zoravar, Sarfaraz and Sardar Khan. Their chests brutally caved and insects crawling out from the open wounds. Their hands clutched weapons. Meanwhile, the princess got on her horse and rode forward to check and evaluate the danger. As she covered a little distance, she saw a group of soldiers standing at a distance, not far from the fire, giving them a ghostly glow. Few faces were eaten away entirely, fingers twitching and eyes sunken deep into the skull that looked at the princess for a moment before they vanished in the thick smoke.
Let’s understand the common mistakes made by stock traders and investors, read the excerpt below.
To start with, let us understand two basic fundamental pointers to be kept in mind before buying any stock. These are the bare minimum requirements.
EPS Growth Rate: EPS is the single most important criteria while selecting a winning stock. We should look for an EPS growth rate of over 18 per cent quarter on quarter and year on year. A company can generate earnings in various ways, some not so honourable. I prefer high-quality earnings. In other words, where do the earnings come from? Did the company post better results because of stronger sales? If sales were strong, was it only because of a single product or one major customer? In that case, the growth is vulnerable. Or are the surprisingly strong results due to an industry-wide phenomenon or an influx of orders from numerous buyers? Maybe the company is slashing costs and cutting back. Earnings improvement from cost-cutting, plant closures and other so-called productivity enhancements walks on short legs. Such improvements can show up from time to time, but sustainable earnings growth requires revenue growth. So along with the EPS growth rate, we need to check the quality of the earnings as well to ensure that it is sustainable over time.
The Indian Stock Market Simplified || Anant Ladha || Pankaj Lady
Beware of management communications as they have learnt how to manage expectations. One gimmick is to warn the public of a potential earnings problem, which will cause analysts to lower their earnings estimates. Then the company reports earnings that are better than the lowered estimate. This will result in an earnings surprise; however, it will be a surprise in the context of a lower consensus comparison. So beware of what is happening around and don’t take anything at face value. Also, beware—the company may be increasing its profits by reducing the expenses. A company can increase profits by cutting jobs, closing plants or shedding its losing operations. However, these measures have a limited lifespan. Eventually, a company will have to do something else to grow its business and increase its top line. Therefore, check the story behind the earnings growth. The ideal situation is when a company has higher sales volume with new or current products in new and existing markets as well as higher prices and reduced costs. That’s a winning combination of a winner stock.
For example, let me show you the ten biggest wealth creators from 2018 to 2023. Just check the PAT CAGR and Return on Equity (ROE) of the majority of these stocks. ROE is the measure of a company’s net income divided by its shareholders’ equity. ROE is a gauge of a corporation’s profitability and how efficiently it generates those profits.
Sales Growth Rate: The EPS growth rate is sustainable if it is combined with the sales growth rate. We look for 18 per cent CAGR sales growth rate, quarter on quarter and year on year
too. For beginners, these two can be the initial filters to look out for while selecting any stock. Stock trading is not an easy task. We all want to earn a lot of money from it but it takes a disciplined approach to do so. It is easier said than done as historically we have seen that even the best investors cannot avoid making mistakes while trading.
In this section, we will talk about the most common mistakes which are part of the trading approach of a large number of traders and investors.
1. Trying to catch the falling knife: This is probably the most common mistake. Most traders and investors are obsessed with the so-called all-time high price of a particular stock. This is why when a particular stock falls, some investors keep buying it without analysing the reasons for the fall. This generally works as a trap for investors; they keep buying at lower prices and the stock keeps falling. Investors must strictly avoid this approach and always analyse the reason why the stock is falling. Always remember, only a loser buys a losing stock. If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.
Always set yourself a rule of maximum loss of 8 per cent in one stock position. Also, when you average down, you forget the principle of portfolio sizing and end up having 25–30 per cent++ in a single portfolio because of which now your portfolio returns will be completely dependent on the performance of a single stock.
Also, if your stock falls 20 per cent, it has to rise 25 per cent to reach its cost. If the stock falls 25 per cent, it has to rise 33 per cent to reach its cost. If a stock falls 50 per cent, you need 100 per cent returns to reach your cost. Hence, never try to catch a falling knife.
2. Not cutting your losses: As a part of the portfolio, an investor must always keep track of where he is losing and earning. Getting back to your paid price is sometimes just a game of hope; this is why most investors don’t want to cut their losses, even if they are very small. They need to understand that the capital which is stuck in the loss-making trade can be utilized for some other trade to earn better returns. Many people think that presently they just have a loss in the books and that as soon as they book it, it will be their booked loss. Our mind treats booked loss versus loss in books differently, but in reality, we need to understand that both are mathematically the same and hence should be treated in the same way.
3. Afraid of buying at a higher price: If you study the charts well, you will understand that there is something called a breakout. Sometimes, a stock performs well and goes up with huge volumes because it is about to give a breakout which will take it even higher. Investors don’t understand this properly and think that the stock is going to fall soon. But actually the opposite happens. As the stock has given a breakout, it will continue to rise and the investor will lose an opportunity. The biggest psychological reason for the same is recency bias. We feel that a stock which was available at Rs 300 is now available at Rs 330, so there is no use buying it and we keep waiting for the price to come back to Rs 300. Usually if it’s a good breakout, it will never reach that level. And when it does, then probably the trend has reversed already and the juice in the fruit is drained.
4. Selecting stock due to lower valuations: In a universe of more than 4000 stocks listed in India, you will find at least 200 stocks which are trading at less than 10 Price to Earnings Ratio (PE) which makes them very attractive to invest in theoretically. Before putting any money in those stocks, we need to understand why these stocks are trading at lower valuations. The reason is simple: it is because of the company’s performance. The company does not have the potential to perform well in future. The market is not ready to give a better valuation to them. Ask yourself: Is a particular stock available at a cheap PE or is it a cheap stock in itself? If you pay too much heed to the PE of a stock, you can never be a growth investor or trader. Although it may come as a surprise to you, historical analyses of superperformance stocks suggest that by themselves, P/E ratios rank among the most useless statistics. The standard P/E ratio reflects historical results and does not take into account the most important element for stock price appreciation: the future. Sure, it’s possible to use earnings estimates to calculate a forward-looking P/E ratio, but if you do, you’re relying on estimates that are opinions that often turn out to be wrong. If a company reports disappointing earnings that fail to meet or beat the estimates, analysts will revise their earnings projections downward. As a result, the forward- looking denominator—the E in P/E—will shrink and, assuming the P remains constant, the ratio will rise.
This is why it is important to concentrate on companies that are reporting strong earnings, which then trigger upward revisions in earnings estimates. Strong earnings growth will make a stock a better value.
Read an exclusive excerpt on how the humble tamarind tree carries centuries of myth, medicine, and magic—rooted in ancient legends and rich with modern-day benefits.
Sacred || Vasudha Rai
The tamarind tree is the subject of myth and folklore. Some consider it to be the abode of spirits, while for others, it is related to stories of the Ramayana. There are also stories about this tree and its association to Lord Shiva. In Indian mythology, all stories point to the fact that earlier, the tamarind tree used to have big, well-formed leaves. It is believed that Lord Rama took shelter under a tamarind tree when he was banished from his kingdom and was in exile. Since the tree had large leaves, he felt like he wasn’t doing his penance correctly. So he asked his brother, Lakshmana, to shoot an arrow at the leaves fragmenting them into the small leaves they are today. In the other story relating to Shiva, it is suggested that the lord himself fragmented these leaves into smaller pieces as a demon was hiding behind its large leaves. Shiva opened his third eye to kill this demon, and the leaves disintegrated into the smaller size as we see today. A tamarind tree has a lifespan of about 200 years, but there are some that can even go as far back as 400 years. The tree is believed to have originated in India and the word ‘tamarind’ comes from the Persian phrase ‘tamar-ihind’, which basically means the ‘date of India’.
However, new evidence shows that the tree may have been initially cultivated in Egypt or Madagascar. Before the Spanish brought tomatoes to India, tamarind was used to add a sour taste to Indian dishes. Tamarind is worshipped to this day as a deity by people in rural India and tribal folk and is in fact a huge part of their medical protocol. Tamarind is also used in traditional medicine in western and eastern Africa. As a hardy, multipurpose, drought-resistant tree, it is worthy of worship and a valuable addition to parks and gardens.
The Science Tamarind is a huge part of India’s culinary heritage. It is used to add a tangy flavour to our chutneys and curries. It’s a nutritional powerhouse, rich in magnesium, B vitamins, calcium, phosphorus and potassium, as well as all essential amino acids, except tryptophan. The tamarind fruit contains tartaric acid, malic acid, potassium and the soluble fibre pectin, all of which contribute to digestive health and provide mild laxative benefits. The fruit also causes relaxation of smooth muscles, for instance, stomach, intestines, GI sphincters, gall bladder and blood vessels, some on which are also responsible for its laxative effect. But it’s not just the fruit but also the leaves of this wonderful tree that have immense benefits. They work as fodder for cattle and in humans the leaves show a liver-protective effect by stabilizing the membranes and decreasing glutathione consumption.
The extract from the fruit also decreases fluoride in the plasma and inhibits fluoride-induced liver and kidney damage. Fluoride is found in drinking water and has been linked to several health problems. The evergreen tree is extremely hardy and grows very well in desert-like areas that are prone to drought. In Africa, it is valuable for wildlife, as it provides shade to animals such as elephants, who can lean against its strong, wind-resistant trunks and branches that can hold the weight of this mighty animal. Locals in Ghana claim that to be safe from an elephant attack one can climb atop a tamarind tree. All in all, the tamarind tree is very beneficial because every part of this tree can be utilized for culinary, nutritional and medicinal benefits. Moreover, it is a hardy tree that has a long life and helps cool the environment in hot, desert-like areas.
Application Tamarind is best eaten with gur/jaggery, as it takes away the erosive nature of this sour fruit. People who have joint pains may find that their aches and pains get worse when they consume raw tamarind. However, when consumed with gur, it doesn’t have this effect, as the sweetness of the gur takes away the pungency of tamarind.
Tamarind Sherbet
Ingredients
1 tsp of deseeded tamarind pulp soaked in water
Jaggery (to taste)
A glass of water
A pinch of pink salt
½ tsp of roasted, crushed cumin
Method
• Crush the tamarind with clean hands into the water that it is soaked in.
• Strain the pulp into the glass of water.
• Add the condiments and jaggery as per taste.
• (This drink is great to enhance digestive fire, cool the body and give a sense of satisfaction, especially during summer.)
From Luxury to Necessity- How Prepaid and Celebs Drove India’s Mobile Revolution. Read Below!
Hong Kong-based Hutchison was an ideal partner for an Indian telecom company. It was at close quarters to India making travel, time zone and general liaison easy. Its management was aware of Asian cultures, but since Hong Kong was still a British colony, Hutchison’s best practices reflected European openness and social structure.
Analjit Singh’s team, led by Ashwini Windlass and Sandip Das, designated head of cellular from heading the pager business, had proven their efficacy as they began to run the Mumbai operations in competition with BPL Mobile. Their logical partners for the equipment were Motorola and Ericsson. Singh considered the venture a success even though, from its inception, he believed it was cash-crunched, especially in contrast with the competition. Singh’s Hutch Max spent Rs 15 crore on marketing. In Singh’s opinion, BPL was spending several times that amount and therefore captured a larger chunk of the market share.
To compete with a moneyed opponent, Singh and Windlass decided to take a different path to network planning. Max launched the cellular service in Mumbai with around 65 base stations or points of signal emission and reception (Delhi’s Airtel started with 108 and ramped up quickly). The network covered only the posh South Mumbai up to a fairly central suburb, Santacruz.
Telecom Wars || Deepali Gupta
Hutch Max, the joint venture between Analjit Singh and Hong Kong-based Hutchison, launched a service under the brand Max Touch in a campaign titled “Hello Bombay”. From there, instead of focusing on expanded coverage, the company brought its attention to indoor coverage.
The move was designed to attract more high-paying corporate users. They required network inside the building in fixed locations rather than long distances in the outdoors. The capital expenditure on it was higher to cover a smaller footprint compared with outdoor coverage. Hutch charged a premium for the service. It was successful in capturing its target market but later came under pressure when competitors started adopting predatory pricing, meaning they were offering customers call rates below the cost of carrying one to stem the cash deficit from licence payments rather than aim for profitability.
The uptake from the urban rich peaked within a couple of years, and the middle class was still too conservative to spend on mobile phones. Airtel in Delhi, for instance, had a static customer base of around 1,00,000 for a year with no additions and high churn. The back debts, too, ballooned because people would not pay. In Mumbai, Hutch Max was watching the growing trend with trepidation even though it enjoyed a significantly higher per-customer revenue each month than its competitors. Singh felt the company was falling behind the competition from BPL Mobile. Hutch Max saw the need to unlock a bigger market.
As the team discussed the country’s advantages, it awakened to the micro economy of India’s mega population. This was a market for shampoo sachets and single cigarette sticks sold by the corner store to daily wagers at a price of Re 1, much like the chocolate eclair toffee, for which there were many takers. How could Hutch unlock this segment of subscribers?
Hutch Max decided to launch a service called prepaid, which would be sold for a nominal charge, but receive cash up front, and when the amount ran out, while its owner could not make or receive calls, a ring would land on the instrument – a missed call. There were scant studies to suggest the use of the prepaid internationally; none that had sustainably or successfully worked. The Indian market proved unlike others.
The early adopters of prepaid mobile technology were small and medium companies with large field staff. The offering capped bill shocks and still delivered the connectivity. This was the turning point of mobile connection sales to the fast-moving consumer goods model.
The operator faced a dilemma: What would offering the phone service to a low-income group mean for the premium customers who saw social status in their mobile phones? Moreover, the cost structure of a high-end marketing organisation would never justify a low-revenue product.
Windlass and Das elected to distinguish the services in both brand and technology back-end. Hutch Max prided itself in its Motorola and Ericsson network, but the company bought a system from Nokia for prepaid. At the time, Nokia’s representative for Hutch Max was Rajeev Suri, who later ascended to the global CEO position of the Finnish equipment maker. Nokia agreed to a low-cost, per-customer billing structure so that Hutch Max paid a revenue share from the subscribers using the system instead of an upfront capital cost. Its concern now was how to lure the customers.
The company created a twin structure with a parallel marketing outfit. It rented a new office in Prabhadevi, Mumbai. It was close to the existing one, but not in the same building. “We didn’t want the cultures to mix at all,” Das recalls. No high-end marketing budgets, no high-profile hires, and staff in the new office comprised largely of an on-ground sales force with the ability to get its hands dirty. Salaries that were rich and fixed for the Hutch Max post-paid service offering were commission-based for the new team onboarded for prepaid card selling. Nearly three-fourths of the wage bill here was success-based with very low fixed salaries. For the team selling post-paid connections, this would have been blasphemous because the industry was already stagnating, and sales for some months ran in the hundreds and not more.
The new sales team was selling a distinctly different product under a new brand name – “Ace”. It was intentionally designed to avoid any correlation between the premium post-paid service. Hutch Max, the post-paid service, bore an orange-and-black logo, while Ace had a green one.
The eight metro city operators had formed a cosy group, knowing that none was truly competing with the other and joining forces made them stronger as part of an industry voice when dealing with the regulator. It had become common for founders to exchange ideas, and good relations between Sunil Mittal and Analjit Singh pre-dated even the licence applications.
When Bharti Airtel realised Hutch had already launched a prepaid service, Bharti Airtel’s Sanjay Kapoor along with his colleague Deepak Gulati travelled to the Mumbai headquarters of Hutch Max to learn from its prepaid strategy and experience. Then, Bharti replicated a similar model for Delhi under the brand name “Magic”.
With low-budget billboard advertising, Ace SIM cards were distributed in a van that would set out from the southern end of Mumbai and drop them off point by point as it travelled northward. Hutch offered credit to distributors to stock and push the SIM cards, and soon stockists began to see the value. If they were able to sell the SIMs before the next stocking, they could create a cash flow and profit without putting any of their own money on the line. A new market opened and brought a fresh boost to mobile sales.
Hutch Max then elected to use the distributors of Cadbury, India’s most popular chocolate brand by multinational Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) company Unilever, called Hindustan Unilever at the time. They also onboarded the Colgate Toothpaste distribution channel. Sellers of these products were well penetrated in every corner of India, and their supply chain was already in place. Since SIM cards were low-volume items, tagging them along with the remaining goods being moved was a win-win for all parties involved. It helped the telecom company that sellers of these goods were typically respected and had personal connections with the local clientele.
***
Get your copy of Telecom Wars on Amazon or wherever books are sold.
Penguin presents a dynamic collection of books that journey across borders, explore the depths of history, nature, war, and identity, and reimagine mythology, leadership, and legacy. Whether you’re looking to reflect, escape, or be inspired, there’s a book waiting to meet you.
Missions, Mantras, Migrants and Microchips by Leonard A. Gordon An epic chronicle of the Indo-US relationship from the 18th century to the tech-powered present, this deeply researched work offers a fresh perspective on a bond that shapes global politics and pop culture alike. Gordon brings to light both celebrated and unsung figures who have shaped this powerful connection.
Missions, Mantras, Migrants and Microchips || Leonard A. Gordon
Sacred by Vasudha Rai A gorgeously curated compendium of 52 sacred plants from across India, Sacred blends ecology, mysticism, and wellness into a single volume. From the spiritual aura of the rudraksha to the healing essence of jasmine, this book invites readers to reconnect with nature through rituals, recipes, and reverence.
Sacred || Vasudha Rai
Letters From Gaza A hauntingly beautiful anthology that captures the lived reality of war through poetry, letters, and monologues. Thirty voices from Gaza give shape to loss, love, fear, and resilience—making this a necessary and urgent read that humanizes headlines and brings heart to global tragedy.
Letters From Gaza || Various Authors
Sing, Dance and Lead by Hindol Sengupta A unique blend of spiritual philosophy and modern leadership strategy, this book revisits the teachings of ISKCON founder Srila Prabhupada to offer timeless lessons in inspiration, integrity, and influence. A must-read for professionals and seekers alike.
Sing, Dance And Lead || Hindol Sengupta
Telecom Wars by Deepali Gupta Go behind the scenes of India’s telecom revolution in this fast-paced account of ambition, innovation, and corporate conflict. Deepali Gupta brings to life the billion-voice battle that redefined communication and transformed the Indian economy.
Telecom Wars || Deepali Gupta
Mahabharata 2025 by Divyansh Mundra What if the ancient war wasn’t a myth, but a prophecy? In this high-octane fantasy thriller, a social media influencer discovers he holds the key to an epic battle foretold by the gods. A gripping reimagination of mythology for the digital age.
Mahabharat 2025 || Divyansh Mundra
What’s Your Price, Mr. Shivaswamy? by M.R. Dattathri Retirement was supposed to be peaceful—until Shivaswamy finds himself caught between crooked builders and moral dilemmas. A sharp, satirical, and heartfelt novel set in Bengaluru, this story asks: how much would you sacrifice for peace of mind?
What’s Your Price, Mr. Shivaswamy || M.R. Dattathri
Honest John by Bakhtiar K. Dadabhoy The forgotten architect of India’s economic institutions returns to the spotlight in this detailed biography of John Matthai. A statesman, scholar, and reformer, Matthai’s story is essential reading for anyone interested in the making of modern India.
Honest John || Bakhtiar Dadabhoy
Delhi Disco by Shikhar Goyal Love, nightlife, and a touch of noir collide in this quirky, pulsing debut about a DJ, a Delhi club, and a spiraling mystery. Delhi Disco is a genre-blending romp through music, heartbreak, and millennial chaos.
Delhi Disco || Shikhar Goyal
This American Woman by Zarna Garg Comedian Zarna Garg reflects on her journey from India to the US with warmth, wit, and sharp insight. For anyone who’s ever straddled two worlds or chased a dream with their whole heart—this one’s for you.
This American Woman || Zarna Garg
Heart Lamp by Banu Mushtaq A Booker-shortlisted collection of 12 stories spotlighting the lives of Muslim and Dalit women in South India. Deeply empathetic, richly metaphorical, and rooted in oral tradition.
Heart Lamp || Banu Mushtaq
Songs Our Bodies Sing by Lindsay Pereira Stories set at the intersection of East and West—from Bombay to London to Toronto—revealing how music, memory, and identity travel across continents.
Songs Our Bodies Sing || Lindsay Pereira
Turning Point by Wasantha Karannagoda A firsthand account of the naval strategies that led to the defeat of the LTTE. A powerful narrative of war, leadership, and transformation from a key military commander.
The Turning Point || Wasantha Karannagoda
Gandhi: And the End of Nonviolence by Manash Firaq Bhattacharjee
An intellectual exploration of Gandhi’s philosophy during the Partition years. Urgent, rigorous, and deeply relevant to today’s political discourse.
Gandhi- The End of Non-Violence
A Glimpse of My Life by Ram Prasad Bismil
The jail-written memoir of a revolutionary icon—fierce, poetic, and surprisingly progressive in its reflections on caste, gender, and nationalism.
A Glimpse of My Life || Ram Prasad Bismil, Awadhesh Tripathi
The Dead Know Nothing by Kishore Ram
Murder disturbs the peace on a remote island in Kerala. Atmospheric and sharply written, this literary whodunit blends suspense with social insight.
Let’s dive into the $500 Billion creators economy. Read the excerpt below!
As per a Goldman Sachs Report, the Creator Economy could reach half a trillion dollars by 2027.
As of 2023, the Total Addressable Market (TAM) of the Creator Economy is worth $250 billion, with 303 million creators present in the Creator Economy already.
(Note: A report by Adobe states that there are 303 million creators in nine markets comprising the United States, Australia, United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, France, Spain, South Korea and Brazil. You can only imagine how this number extrapolates to the entire world!)
The Goldman Sachs Report goes on to say:
The analysts expect spending on influencer marketing and platform payouts fuelled by the monetisation of short-form video platforms via advertising to be the primary growth drivers of the Creator Economy.
Global marketer and bestselling author Gary Vaynerchuk puts it this way:
If you are not crushing it and focusing on the content that you put out on the most important social platforms, you’re going to become mute and obsolete in the modern day of doing business.
That’s why organic reach (through a creator or an influencer) is so important because the impression you get when someone comes directly to your page is a much more qualified lead and potentially a more valuable customer than someone you got through an ad buy.
Pixels to Profits || Ankur Mehra
The how of creator and influencer marketing
I know what you are thinking. Facts are good. What would be helpful to you is to understand how it happens.
Let’s take a deep dive:
The fundamental rule of marketing states that every customer, before becoming a customer, needs to be aware of the product and made familiar with it at least seven times before they become a customer.
We will understand this further by the Attention Interest Desire Action (AIDA) model and the 95:5 rule, and what they mean for creators, collaborators and customers.
In 1898, E St Elmo Lewis developed something called the purchase funnel, which describes the customer’s journey from the time they are made aware of the product till the time they eventually make a purchase.
The purchase funnel10 is very valid in modern day marketing as well, and is often referred to as the AIDA model, which stands for:
A: Attention or Awareness I: Interest
D: Desire A: Action
A customer needs to go from capturing attention, sparking interest and invoking desire to have the product in their journey, that will finally lead them to taking action or making a purchase decision.
As per the 95:5 Rule, Professor John Dawes of Ehrenberg- Bass Institute argues that at any point of time only 5 per cent of buyers in the market are ready to buy in the market, while 95 per cent will either buy it later or still need to be convinced over a period of time.
Combine both these models, and here is what it means for the Creator Economy.
Every collaborator (brand) needs to leverage the power of creators, to take care of infusing attention, interest and desire in their 95 per cent customers and new prospects, so that the influencers can provoke “action” from the 5 per cent.
It is also important that collaborators leverage both creators and influencers, and not only influencers. Like we spoke before, creators and influencers are merely the same person living in the same house, just walking across different rooms (from influencer to creator or creator to influencer), based on what the situation demands.
As per a study by Harvard Business Review:
“It may be tempting to turn to influencers when promoting a new product launch…(however the) ROI for influencer posts announcing new products was 30.5 per cent lower than for equivalent posts that were not about new product launches… While short-term ROI can guide short-term decisions, brands should also consider the potential long-term effects of associating with a particular influencer (read: creator). These effects (whether positive or negative) may take time to materialize but can have a substantial impact on a brand’s identity.”
The best part is that there’s no friction between any of these. A creator can effortlessly choose to become an influencer. An influencer can choose to be a creator. It is fluid. A brand can choose to work with the same person, in a different capacity, either as a creator or an influencer.
Everyone works together to serve the consumer, which is how the Creator Economy functions at its best – keeping all its moving parts together, where everyone wins.
Key takeaways:
The Creator Economy is going to be worth half a trillion dollars by 2027.
The Attention, Interest, Desire, Action (AIDA) purchase funnel describes the customer’s journey from the time they are aware of the product till the time they eventually make a purchase. A customer needs to go from capturing attention, sparking interest, invoking desire to have the product in their journey, that will finally lead them to taking action.
As per the 95:5 Rule, at any point in time, only 5 per cent of buyers in the market are ready to buy in the market, while 95 per cent will either buy it later, or still need to be convinced over a period of time.
Combining both these models, every collaborator (brand) needs to leverage the power of creators to take care of infusing attention, interest and desire in their 95 per cent customers and new prospects, so that the influencers can provoke “action” from the 5 per cent.
The best part is: A brand can choose to work with the same person in a different capacity, either as a creator or an influencer.
An exciting recount of a Christmas spent backpacking. Read Below!
Today’s plan was simple and sorted: hike to Paradise Beach, pitch my tent there and spend Christmas Eve camping solo!
Anyone who has been to Gokarna cannot stop going gaga over Paradise Beach. They say it is so secluded that at night glowing phytoplankton make the shore look exactly like the starry sky. Covered with forested hills on all three sides, Paradise Beach is cut off from the nearby villages, Gokarna and Belekan, by dense shrubs. This makes the beach inaccessible by vehicles, and the only way to get there is to either hike all the way through the woods over the hills or take a boat from any of the adjoining beaches.
Solo || Indrajeet More
Hiring a boat was out of question as it would eat up a good chunk of my given budget, so the only option left was to hike. Buckling up my backpack with high enthusiasm, I filled my water bottle and stocked up on four bananas for dinner. I first hitchhiked my way to Om Beach and then started hiking at around 5 pm. My aim was to reach there before it got dark. Acting all cool, I would occasionally track my route on Google Maps as the trail appeared to have faded in some parts. Slowly, the trail started to fade for a few metres and eventually vanished completely. I realised that it was taking a bit longer than I had calculated to reach my destination. Dubiously, I pulled out my phone to check the GPS and realised that I had been hiking in the wrong direction the whole time! The bloody GPS had lost its signal 500 metres back! “NOT AGAIN!” an instant bout of panic rushed through my body. I could see the sun going down, which made me even more anxious. I had no time to process any of this. I was in no mood to die in a forest without ever having sex or tasting baklava or even seeing a whale, just because I had lost the damned GPS signal!
My brain was whizzing away, trying to find a way out: “What options do I have? I could cry for help, but it was probably going to be futile because there was absolutely nobody around. Maybe I could camp in the forest? No way! Or…could I go back to the point where I lost the signal and start from there? Yes!”
I started running back as fast as I could, but the GPS still couldn’t latch onto a signal. By this point, I had totally forgotten about filming the vlog. I needed to find a way out of this mess urgently. Compelling my brain to not assume extreme scenarios, I started to think of a way out of the forest. Mindlessly, I started following the sound of the waves and began descending from the woods onto the rocks, hoping to find a path that parallelly ran to the rocky shore. It was a tough walk, especially with the heavy backpack on. There were times when the rocks were so steep that I had to ascend, fixing my toes and fingers in the cracks, while the gigantic waves crashed just a few feet apart. I didn’t know if that was the right way or the wrong one, but at that moment, I was operating solely on instinct. The red wash of the sky melting down into the ocean at the horizon strangely helped calm my racing heart.
There it finally was! Not more than 100 metres away, in the dark, this fine patch of sand nestled in a nook between the mountains. A grove of coconut trees swayed between the beach and the cliff. It would have made the perfect spot for hanging up a hammock and listening to some light Hindustani melodies. There were no shops or cafes here, but just one man, setting up some fruit on a tiny table. Paradise Beach was just like its name – nirvana, totally cut off from the rest of the world. How could anything be so perfect?
My wonderment was instantly ruined when I heard someone yell, “Abey chutiye, apna tent yahaan hain!” (Our tent is over here, you asshole!) a few metres away, to which another voice replied, “Susu karne ja raha hu! Aaega?” (I am going to take a leak; want to join?) It was a group of IT engineers from Bengaluru, occupying the coconut grove with twenty to thirty tents! My idea of solace broke into pieces. This was the last place I wished to see an engineer, and there they were in abundance, calling each other in slang, flashing torches, playing Bollywood music and peeing in corners.
There is no recreational activity left unexploited by the IT people as compensation to their presumably miserable jobs. I had seen the worst of them when I used to volunteer as a trek leader in 2016. You suppress a kid for years and leave them in a new city with a decent package. What else are they going to do? I really wanted to empathise with them, but when you trek for three hours carrying a heavy tent on your back, cross forests and climb rocks and see this, it becomes really hard to do that.
I walked to the other end of the beach, as far from the crowd as possible, at an elevated part of the cliff. As I started to unpack, the lamplight attracted many moths. To make matters worse, the bananas I had carried all this way had turned soggy. Sweaty and irritated, I managed to set up my campsite in whatever minimal light my head torch provided.
“Are you with them?” a guy asked as he collected dry wood a few feet apart, near his tent.
“Nope, camping solo,” I replied, as I pitched mine.
“Amazing, I am travelling solo too. I am from Kerala,” he said, and we shook hands. “Where are you from?”
“Mumbai,” I replied.
“Cool, let me know if you need anything, bro,” he said, as he continued collecting dry wood. We had the same tents – Quechua Arpenaz 100.
As I sat by the bonfire with the Kerala guy, we bonded over our shared disdain for the IT crowd who earned twice our salaries – myself with none. I recalled being taught that “man is a social animal” but the more I observed, the more I was puzzled by what happens when people gather. Individually, people are sharp and full of independent thought, but together, their collective intelligence seems to dilute into a less insightful version of itself. Their actions become something none of them would choose alone. It makes me wonder about the nature of group dynamics that blurs individual clarity—be it society meetings, religious gatherings, commuters, politicians, college reunions, kitty parties, corporate conventions or the neighbouring IT squad.
The Kerala guy pulled out his pouch and rolled a joint. We sat in silence, each on our own journey. It was 25 December. Merry Christmas to us.
We are thrilled to announce that five out of the six shortlisted titles for The International Booker Prize 2025 are published or distributed by Penguin Random House. This impressive lineup showcases the diversity and excellence of our publishing list and we are honoured to share this news with our readers and authors.
The shortlisted titles include:
Heart Lamp by Banu Mushtaq
In Heart Lamp, Banu Mushtaq exquisitely captures the everyday lives of women and girls in Muslim communities in southern India. Published originally in the Kannada, these portraits of family and community tensions testify to Mushtaq’s years as a journalist and lawyer, in which she tirelessly championed women’s rights and protested all forms of caste and religious oppression. Written in a style at once witty, vivid, colloquial, moving and excoriating, it’s in her characters – the sparky children, the audacious grandmothers, the buffoonish maulvis and thug brothers, the oft-hapless husbands, and the mothers above all, surviving their feelings at great cost – that Mushtaq emerges as an astonishing writer and observer of human nature, building disconcerting emotional heights out of a rich spoken style. Her opus has garnered both censure from conservative quarters as well India’s most prestigious literary awards; this is a collection sure to be read for years to come.
Heart Lamp || Banu Mushtaq
A Leopard-Skin Hat by Anne Serre
A Leopard-Skin Hat may be Anne Serre’s most moving novel yet. A masterpiece of simplicity, emotion and elegance, it is the story of an intense friendship between the Narrator and his close childhood friend, Fanny, who suffers from profound psychological disorders. A series of short scenes paints the portrait of a strong-willed and tormented young woman battling many demons, and of the Narrator’s loving and anguished attachment to her. Serre poignantly depicts the bewildering back and forth between hope and despair involved in such a relationship, while playfully calling into question the very form of the novel. Written in the aftermath of the death of the author’s little sister, A Leopard-Skin Hat is both the celebration of a tragically foreshortened life and a valedictory farewell.
A Leopard-Skin Hat || Anne Serre
On the Calculation of Volume by Solvej Balle
On the Calculation of VolumeBalle is hypnotic and masterful in her remixing of the endless recursive day, creating curious little folds of time and foreshadowings: her flashbacks light up inside the text like old flash bulbs.The first volume’s gravitational pull—a force inverse to its constriction—has the effect of a strong tranquilizer, but a drug under which your powers of observation only grow sharper and more acute. Give in to the book’s logic (its minute movements, its thrilling shifts, its slant wit, its slowing of time) and its spell is utterly intoxicating.writing that listens.
On The Calculation of Volume || Solvej Balle
Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico
Anna and Tom, an expat couple, have fashioned a dream life for themselves in Berlin. They are young digital “creatives” exploring the excitements of the city, freelancers without too many constraints, who spend their free time cultivating house plants and their images online. At first, they reasonably deduce that they’ve turned their passion for aesthetics into a viable, even enviable career, but the years go by, and Anna and Tom grow bored. As their friends move back home or move on, so their own work and sex life—and the life of Berlin itself—begin to lose their luster. An attempt to put their politics into action fizzles in embarrassed self-doubt. Edging closer to forty, they try living as digital nomads only to discover that, wherever they go, “the brand of oat milk in their flat whites was the same.”
Perfection—Vincenzo Latronico’s first book to be translated into English—is a scathing novel about contemporary existence, a tale of two people gradually waking up to find themselves in various traps, wondering how it all came to be. Was it a lack of foresight, or were they just born too late?
Perfection || Vincenzo Latronico
Under the Eye of the Big Bird by Hiromi Kawakami
In the distant future, humans are on the verge of extinction and have settled in small tribes across the planet under the observation and care of “Mothers.” Some children are made in factories, from cells of rabbits and dolphins; some live by getting nutrients from water and light, like plants. The survival of the race depends on the interbreeding of these and other alien beings–but it is far from certain that connection, love, reproduction, and evolution will persist among the inhabitants of this faltering new world.
Unfolding over fourteen interconnected episodes spanning geological eons, at once technical and pastoral, mournful and utopic, Under the Eye of the Big Bird presents an astonishing vision of the end of our species as we know it.
Under The Eye of The Big Bird || Hiromi Kawakami
These titles represent some of the best in contemporary fiction, exploring themes that range from identity and culture to philosophy and human relationships. We are proud to bring these stories to readers in India and around the world and we look forward to seeing which title will take home the prize.
Books. They are like time machines that can take us to places we have never been, make us think about things we never considered, and open our eyes to stories that stay with us long after the last page is turned. Some books are easy to forget, but the ones we’re talking about here? They will make you pause, reflect, and maybe even change the way you see the world. From memoirs that explore the heart of human experience to histories that give voice to those often left in the shadows, these books don’t just entertain—they challenge us to think deeper, question more, and, most importantly, feel.
GeoTechnography: Mapping Our Digital Societies
In an era defined by rapid technological change, a seismic shift is underway. From the rise of digital platforms that mediate our interactions—with markets, with governments, and perhaps most importantly, with each other as citizens—to the growing tension between our online personas and our real-world identities, the forces of technology, geography, and society are colliding in ways we are only beginning to understand.
Even as technology opens up new opportunities for civic engagement, it simultaneously disrupts the very foundations of societal cohesion. The digital age has given rise to a new stage for global drama—one where surveillance, the weaponization of information, and the erosion of trust in national and multilateral institutions are playing out in real time. But as these forces evolve, so too must our understanding of how individuals and societies can navigate them.
Will digital societies endure, or are they doomed to collapse under the weight of their own contradictions? Can democracy as we know it survive in a world where power is increasingly concentrated in the hands of a few tech giants? And as nations grapple with the changing dynamics of governance, how will international norms, laws, and institutions adapt?
In GeoTechnoGraphy, Samir Saran and Anirban Sarma offer a compelling analysis of the forces reshaping the modern world. Drawing on groundbreaking research and incisive insights, they examine how the convergence of geography and technology—geotechnography—is redefining power and writing new rules for its exercise.
GeoTechnoGrapgy || Samir Sarani, Anirban Sarma
Solo
Barely a year into college, Indrajeet More is offered to host a travel show on budget backpacking across India. As he undertakes a year-long journey across thirteen cities, what unfolds is a string of surreal life experiences—from getting lost in the forests of coastal Karnataka to camping amid the snowy peaks of the Himalayas, from hunting for the best toddy shop in rural Kerala to dancing to the beats of Naga folk songs. Through this journey, Indrajeet discovers novelty and relatability in diverse cultures by reflecting on his upbringing in a Maharashtrian household. He navigates the inevitable boredom of solo travel and the anxiety of uncertainty, ultimately seeking belongingness in the most unfamiliar of places. Solo is a raw, unfiltered backpacker’s gaze at contemporary India, about learning to read people beyond language, understanding food beyond ingredients, hearing stories beyond regions and, most importantly, finding a sense of home away from home.
Solo || Indrajeet More
The Indian Stock Market Simplified
There are three ways in which people can make money through the stock market: by investing, by trading or both. However, whether one invests, trades or does both, a fundamental understanding of how the stock market works is critical. Clichéd as it may sound, this book provides a fresh perspective on how the Indian stock market works. Offering a bird’s eye view of the Indian capital market, it succinctly and incisively analyses its history and discusses the role of its various participants. More importantly, the book offers proven strategies, supplemented by accessible case studies, to beginners to invest and trade in stocks. Lucidly written by two of the most sought-after finance-related content creators with years of experience in investing and trading, The Indian Stock Market Simplified is a must-read for everyone looking to navigate the complexities of the stock market and achieve their financial goals.
The Indian Stock Market Simplified || Pankaj Ladha, Anant Ladha
Can We be Strangers Again?
In the electric haze of college life, three friends are bound by laughter, late-night talks and unspoken promises. But when two of them cross the line from friendship into love, everything changes. Betrayal shatters their world, leaving one friend to pick up the pieces while navigating her own complicated feelings. As friendships fracture and love grows tangled, hearts are broken, and choices become irreversible. Caught between the ache of lost friendship and the bittersweet pull of love, Dev must decide if he’s willing to risk everything—again.
Can We Be Strangers Again || Shrijeet Shandilya
Hedgewar
Hedgewar chronicles the untold story of the enigmatic founder of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), whose vision for India’s cultural revival continues to shape the nation’s socio-political landscape. Through meticulous research and vivid storytelling, this biography traces Hedgewar’s journey from an orphaned child in colonial India to the mastermind behind one of the world’s most secretive organizations.
Set against the backdrop of a country grappling with colonial rule, rising communal tensions, and the complexities of modernity, this book opens a window to Hedgewar’s philosophy of cultural nationalism, his challenges with contemporaries like Gandhi, Nehru and Savarkar, and his transformative leadership. More than a biography, this work is a window into the labyrinth of India’s civilizational ethos, offering a nuanced perspective on the RSS’s origins and its impact on India today. Hedgewar: A Definitive Biography is a must-read for those seeking to understand modern India’s complexities through the life of one controversial, yet extraordinary man.
Hedgewar || Sachin Nandha
Pixels to Profits
The Creator Economy is estimated to be valued at a staggering half-a-trillion dollars by 2027. Packed with actionable insights, Pixels to Profits aims to help businesses to make the best use of the creator marketplace, help creators better monetize their talent, reach new audiences and inspire you to embark on your content creation journey. With a remarkable journey managing over 120,000 creators across YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook, the author has meticulously deconstructed the intricacies of the Creator Economy in a manner that is both comprehensive and accessible. Whether you’re an executive, an entrepreneur or an aspiring creator in the creator economy, this book will guide you in your steps to success.
Pixels to Profits || Ankur Mehra
You Become What You Think
This book isn’t just about reading—it’s about tangible change. With actionable insights, it’ll reshape your thinking and empower you to unlock the best version of yourself.
Are you searching for a way to improve your life, increase your happiness and achieve your full potential? Then this is just the book for you. You Become What You Think is a practical guide to personal growth. Within its pages lie actionable insights that will transform your perspective on life and the world around you. Author Shubham Kumar Singh has carefully crafted this book from his own journey through countless volumes, distilling the most impactful lessons from diverse topics. Each insight is presented in a clear, accessible format, designed for effortless application to your own life. The primary aim? To enhance your self-awareness and nurture personal growth. It will gift you with a fresh outlook on life and a deeper understanding of your true self.
