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Category: Excerpts

Get Ready to Transform Your Life with these 10 Indian Laws of Happiness

Posted on by prathod

What if the secret to happiness was hidden in ancient wisdom? In The Four Purusharthas by Héctor García and Francesc Miralles, you’ll find just that! This exclusive excerpt reveals the 10 Indian Laws of Happiness, blending timeless principles with modern living. Discover how prosperity, virtue, love, and freedom can guide you to a life brimming with joy and fulfillment.

Let the journey to your happiest self begin!

 

The Four Purusharthas
The Four Purusharthas || Héctor García, Francesc Miralles

In order to live in accordance with purushartha and to have a fulfilling life, there are four areas – known as the four purusharthas – that we need to cultivate:

 

ARTHA (PROSPERITY)
is what you need to do to sustain your life. It is about bringing prosperity to yourself, your family and your community. In a modern sense it is about your job, your career, your financial security and wealth in general.

 

You can ask yourself:
What do I need to sustain my life?
What can bring wealth to me
and my loved ones?

 

DHARMA (VIRTUE)
is a word that has many meanings. It includes the moral values, duties, rights, and virtues that each individual pursues in order for harmony to prevail in the world and in order to realize one’s true nature.

 

You can ask yourself:
What does the world need from me?
Why do I exist?

 

KAMA (LOVE)
refers to the pleasures of the senses and the enjoyment of what is beautiful in life. It is also about desires, emotions, and love.

 

You can ask yourself:
What do I love doing? What do I want?

 

MOKSHA (FREEDOM)
means self-realisation, liberation and freedom. In some schools of thought we reach a state of moksha when we are free from death and rebirth. In others it means simply being in a state in which you have the freedom to work on actualising your true self.

 

You can ask yourself:
Who am I? Who am I in the truest sense?

 

You might already know what your purpose in life is, or you might not yet know. If you already know, this book provides a blueprint for living in accordance with your purushartha. If you don’t yet know, it will give you the tools to start the adventure of knowing yourself better and discovering your purpose.

 

THE TEN INDIAN LAWS OF HAPPINESS

1. LIVE ACCORDING TO THE FOUR PURUSHARTHAS
When in doubt, in times of trouble or when you are feeling lost, come back to review your lifestyle through the lenses of the four purusharthas, or goals of human life: kama (love), dharma (virtue), artha (prosperity) and moksha (freedom).

 

2. LEARN FROM THOSE WHO KNOW
It can be a teacher, a guru, a book, anything that inspires you and takes you beyond yourself. Human beings may have a beginning, but they have no end. Your horizon ends wherever you set your sights.

 

3. LET GO OF EVERYTHING YOU DON’T NEED
Follow the example of the sadhus (the holiest people on Earth, according to Hinduism) and dare to travel light, knowing that there is nothing important that you could lose. Wherever you go, you are with yourself. What more could you need?

 

4. CREATE YOUR OWN ASHRAM
Your life project needs an inner circle that will empower you, especially when hard times come and hope wanes. Choose your fellow travellers well.

 

5. LIVE MINDFULLY
Whether through meditation, yoga or flow, live whatever you are doing fully. Eliminate distractions. Dare to be present with a single thing that contains the whole Universe.

 

6. KNOW YOURSELF
‘Who am I?’ This is the question that Ramana Maharshi, a guru venerated all over India and the West, made his disciples ask themselves to cultivate their fourth purushartha (moksha). Are you bold enough to explore yourself?

 

7. PUT AN END TO VICIOUS CYCLES
Cultivating the first purushartha (dharma) will allow you to stop repeating the errors holding you back. Do what is right and be generous with the world and with yourself, and good karma will flood your life with light.

 

8. BREATHE!
Your energy, your serenity, and the days given to you to enjoy all depend on the air that enters and leaves your lungs. Practice pranayama, the area of yoga dedicated to breathing and breath control. Your life literally depends on it!

 

9. FEED YOUR BODY, MIND AND SPIRIT
Everything is connected, so none of these should be neglected. Nourish yourself with Ayurveda, the system of traditional Indian medicine focused on balancing energy in the body to prevent illness, practice tantra and yoga, calm your mind – and set out on a path to paradise.

 

10. LIVE IN THE MOMENT
We spend 80 percent of our time thinking about the past and the future. Invest your energy in the present, which is the home of happiness.

 

***

Get your copy of The Four Purusharthas by Héctor García and Francesc Miralles wherever books are sold.

You Won’t Believe What Lies Beneath The Somnath Temple – Revealed!

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Step into the heart-pounding adventure of The Somnath Cipher by Priyanka Pathak Narain, where journalist Pia Jani and her childhood friend Aditya Narayan are drawn into a high-stakes quest. As they race against time to decode ancient mysteries linked to the legendary Somnath Temple, they must stay ahead of a dangerous enemy who will do anything to keep the secret hidden.

 

Read this exclusive excerpt and experience the excitement of Da Vinci Code meets Indiana Jones first-hand!

The Somnath Cipher
The Somnath Cipher || Priyanka Pathak Narain

***

31 December 2020, 8.40 a.m.
Somnath, India

 

Eighty-seven hours to go

 

 

Nila Shukla examined the eager faces of her art restoration students— all of them brandishing the Somnath tweet and short report written by Pia Jani last night.

 

How on earth had that girl got a hold of the story so fast?

 

‘Professor, what structure lies under there?’ one demanded. The premonition of danger that had settled in her since she saw the GPR investigation results on the computers was growing with each passing hour, taking a deeper hold.

 

‘Do you think it was this temple that Mahmud of Ghazni looted?’ asked another.

 

‘Will you be involved with the ASI dig?’ shouted someone in the back.

 

‘What do you think is there under Site-4?’ yelled another. ‘What does targeted objects mean?’

 

Nila winced. Site-4 again. The presence of non-linear, localized, targeted objects.

 

What had Ved been thinking, trying to obfuscate his report with such inanity? For those who knew anything, such an attempt would only draw attention. Still, it was done. And the time to avoid attention was over. The spotlight was on it and now everything depended on what she chose to do.

 

For the first time in her life, it had come down to action. What she chose to do.

 

Raising her palm overhead, Nila smiled, as though delighted by their interest in the find. ‘Tell me, can any of you tell me the exact number of times this Somnath temple has been razed in the hopes of finding its treasure?’

 

‘Seven!’

 

‘More! Ghazni alone raided it seventeen times!’

 

Six!’

 

‘Four!’

 

The class was laughing along with her.

 

‘All wrong! Ghazni raided India seventeen times—not Somnath. That’s a misconception. Let’s count and get our history right. There are three temples of antiquity at Somnath mentioned in texts: a golden temple built by Somraj in Satyug, which is the first Age of the World, the silver one made by Ravana in the Second Age of the World called Tretayug, and the sandalwood one made by Krishna during Third Age of the World—the Dwaparyug.

 

‘Then we come to the fourth and last age of Kalyug. In the last 2000 years, we have had six recorded reconstructions of this temple. The first of these was when the Pashupati cult was headquartered in Somnath at the beginning of the Christian era. Six hundred years later, Raja Maitre rebuilt the crumbling temple. Then came the Islamic invasions into the Deccan when Governor Al-Junayd attacked it. Nag Bhat II reconstructed it using red stone not much later than AD 800. This was the third reconstruction of the Christian era and also the building that would face the fateful attack of Ghazni, the ferocious Islamic plunderer.

 

‘On 6 January 1026, Mahmud of Ghazni arrived in Prabhas region and pillaged the Somnath shrine. Fifty thousand men—armies gathered from many small kingdoms—died defending it.’

 

‘Did he loot the treasure?’

 

‘Yes. He had already looted Mathura before this in AD 1018. He knew all about the fabulous wealth of the temples,’ replied Nila.

 

‘He had attacked Mathura?’

 

‘Yes. One of his seventeen attacks on India. During that raid, Mahmud wrote of the Vasudeva temple that “If anyone wished to construct a building like this, it would take 200 years with the most experienced and able workmen and cost hundred thousand thousand red dinars.”

 

‘And how much is that in modern times?’

 

‘Thirty billion dollars,’ replied Nila to gasps and a sudden hush. In the silence, she continued speaking softly.

 

‘Mahmud grudgingly admired the Vasudeva temple and then ordered the temple to be burnt with naphtha and fire—levelled to the ground. The work of an estimated two centuries was reduced to smoke and ashes.

 

No one spoke for a long while. Finally, a young woman in the back asked softly. ‘Is it true that he broke the Somnath idol too?’

 

‘Yes. Four pieces,’ she said.

 

‘It is true he took the pieces to Ghazni?’

 

‘Yes.’

 

‘He put the pieces of the idol on the steps leading to the mosque?’

 

‘Yes. One on the doorway to the mosque, one on the doorway to his palace and two were sent to Mecca and Medina.’

 

Gasps in the back of the classroom. ‘What a savage!’

 

‘He’s been called that and many other things for those actions,’ said Nila.

 

‘Is it true he was cursed for it?’ asked a thoughtful student in the front. Nila, who had a long memory for faces, struggled to remember names belonging to those faces.

 

‘Well, after the sacking of Somnath, he reached the Gujarat– Rajasthan border. There, he was told that two kings, Govindaraja Chauhan and Raja Parmar Bhoja, were moving to intercept him. The alliance of these two kings had once defeated him in an earlier invasion, so Ghazni was eager to avoid them.’

 

‘Did he?’

 

‘Did he what?’

 

‘Succeed in avoiding them?’

 

‘Yes. Yes, he did. He marched home through the Thar desert—a march that nearly killed him and wiped out most of his army.’

 

‘That’s good to know,’ chimed one.

***

Get your copy of The Somnath Cipher by Priyanka Pathak Narain on Amazon or wherever books are sold.

Top 6 Sneaky Signs of ‘Corporate Fekus’ at Your Workplace

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Ever felt like your MBA classes were preparing you more for a trivia night than the boardroom? Enter The Practical MBA by Sandeep Das — the book that bridges the gap between textbook theory and real-world hustle. From decoding the characters known as ‘Corporate Fekus’ to mastering the skills that truly count in the real business world, this book is your crash course in surviving (and thriving) in today’s cutthroat corporate jungle.

 

Read this exclusive excerpt to learn how to outwit the office ‘Fekus’ and turn your career into a blockbuster!

The Practical MBA
The Practical MBA || Sandeep Das

***

Raghavan, a senior professional, seems to be successful at work but poke a level down—there seems to be distrust in his team with consistent underperformance, stress and a deep sense of misery at his place of work. However, his bosses absolutely love him.

 

Welcome to the age of the Corporate Feku.

 

It is never easy to work with someone who is always building a narrative, either to hide his underperformance or put someone down or to overcome a deep sense of personality complex. The associated stress, shame, guilt and general misery can be overwhelming for most people. However, such people tend to be successful at their place of work. They are blessed with deep political acumen along with the right blend of sociopathic and narcissistic attributes. Following are some key traits of the Corporate Feku.

 

1. Always Builds a Narrative, Often a Fake One
The Corporate Feku barely performs on most business metrics. However, what they are good at is elevating their role and positioning it as something very big. They will often associate their roles with words including radical, industry defining, path breaking, transformative, undoing years of poor work. In addition, before every critical board meeting, they are capable of building a fake narrative of a beautiful future to take people’s attention away from the existing gloom and doom.

 

2. Always Creates the Right Impression
In addition to building a fake narrative, a tactic that is often employed by the Corporate Feku is to carefully manage his own impression. The age-old adage of coming five minutes before your boss and leaving five minutes after your boss is carefully implemented. In addition, there is a conscious display of rigour when very senior professionals are involved. When his bosses are around, the day starts at 7 am and goes well until midnight. When nobody seems to be around, Pooja Hegde’s pictures on Instagram are consciously devoured over.

 

.3. No Respect for Diversity
The Corporate Feku will drive to ascertain domination in the area of thought leadership. Whatever idea or efficiency improvement his team or his peers might come up with, he will always retort with a ‘I had already thought of it earlier’. It is an altogether different problem that very little seems to have been done by him to take care of that idea. An associated corollary employed by the Corporate Feku is the lack of respect for women. Although they will proclaim themselves to be champions of gender diversity, they will often pass snide comments about their make-up, facial expressions, lack of seriousness, dressing sense, waistlines.

 

4. Psychologically Manipulates His Team Every Day
The Corporate Feku, blessed with a high emotional quotient and sociopathic skills, is immensely competent at manipulating his people to work for him without question. A combination of shaming, humiliation, putting people down along with an occasional praise is generously employed to make his people always seek validation for themselves. The classical behavioural psychology that is often employed is the Stockholm syndrome, where the victim tends to sympathize and cheer on his/her perpetrator. One of the most common ways to shame people is to ask them to do a job which is 2–3 levels below their hired level. Another way to drive requisite behaviour is to reward people who blindly support you even if they are underperformers.

 

5. No Respect for Anybody’s Personal Life
A narrative that elevates the Corporate Feku’s job is built on making his team work brutal hours. Most of the Corporate Feku’s team would be working very long hours with limited personal downtime. Such a conscious creation of work and never-ending reviews is carefully crafted to create a perception of industry defining work to everybody else. The focus is often on quantity of work rather than an element of quality or efficiency. In case of any grievance aired, the retort
is immediate, ‘when I was your age, I would only work and do nothing else.’

 

6. Creates Interpersonal Tension in His Team
The way to build incredible loyalty among disgruntled emotionally manipulated workers is to create interpersonal tension within them. In case a direct subordinate doesn’t agree to your targets allocated, call up the subordinate’s subordinate and get him to say yes. Then force the subordinate to agree and give him feedback on his people management skills that people under him are extremely unhappy and have complained against him. An additional way is to say something controversial about a team member in someone else’s presence and if he diplomatically avoids it, consciously play that comment in that teammate’s name on other public forums.

 

In behavioural psychology, such animalistic behaviour stems from deep-rooted inferiority complex, either due to a lack of formal education or a ghastly firing from the previous job. The ruckus at work is carefully crafted as a conscious display of power. This behaviour can go on for decades without any check or balance. It is difficult for companies to diagnose or counsel such behaviour especially in countries like India where upward feedback is largely symbolic. However, the best course of action for any company is to relieve such characters once they have been suspected of such behaviour.

 

In case you are stuck working with someone who resembles the above character sketch, may God bless you. The Corporate Feku is singlehandedly responsible to build a work culture which is bland at best and toxic at worst.

***

Get your copy of The Practical MBA by Sandeep Das on Amazon or wherever books are sold.

Fans Are Freaking Out Over Novoneel Chakraborty’s New Rom-Com!

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Novoneel Chakraborty, known for his nail-biting thrillers with intricate twists, dark plots, and strong female protagonists, has often been dubbed the Sidney Sheldon of India. In an unexpected yet delightful shift, he surprises his fans by venturing into a romantic comedy with Remember Me As Yours. Combining the suspenseful mastery of Sheldon with the romantic flair of Jane Austen, this new book offers a unique blend of love and excitement.

 

Read this exclusive excerpt to experience Chakraborty like never before as he brings laughter and love to his storytelling.

 

Remember Me As Yours
Remember Me As Yours || Novoneel Chakraborty

***

‘Let’s meet at an OYO room,’ he had said over the phone. Nityami swallowed a lump in her throat. She knew what the connotation of an OYO room was. Though she was actually a virgin, she had told Raghav a lie that she had a boyfriend with whom she had been intimate. Nityami realized by now that it was all right to tell a guy about one boyfriend, or else she would run the risk of being interpreted as boring. More than one, and the boy would run the risk of feeling threatened
and also judge her character. Thus, she had told Raghav only about one imaginary boyfriend. The truth was, she never had a boyfriend. From the time she felt her hormones handholding her into puberty, she had a crush on one boy in school. The crush eventually turned into such an intense fixation that Nityami thought she would just remain in love with him, and he would never know it. The power of unreciprocated love. It can numb the sensible part of your brain for quite some time. For Nityami, it remained so until she turned twenty-three.

 

Looking around, she realized she too deserved a boyfriend. She knew someone must have been made for her; it was just that she didn’t think seeking him out would be such heartachingly hard work that even by twenty-seven, she wouldn’t be successful in finding THE man for her. There were plenty of options for the trending NATO (NotAttached-To-Outcome) dating amongst youngsters, but Nityami wasn’t exactly looking for that. That was till she met Raghav via Bumble a month ago. Their connection seemed to run at top gear. They met, they conversed, they liked each other; he told his parents first, then she told her parents and now, a month after their first date at a café, the families had locked a date for the engagement in the coming week and the wedding seven months later. It all happened so fast that Nityami didn’t know how to react. Perhaps that’s how life operates, she told herself. A long dry spell and then so much rain that you didn’t know whether to enjoy it or run for cover.

 

Standing in front of her bedroom mirror, Nityami knew she didn’t want to screw this up. If Raghav had called her to an OYO room, she knew he probably wanted to check their sexual compatibility. And rightly so. Though she wasn’t experienced enough to even understand what sexual compatibility was, going by what she heard from her experienced friends, all she knew was if the guy could go for more than half an hour, then it was a green light. One final look at her eyebrows and she convinced herself that nothing could be done now. Instead of him discovering it, Nityami thought, she would point out the faux pas herself when she met him in an hour. He probably wouldn’t mind it so much then.

 

Nityami was dressed casually but that was going to change. She always used to dress casually to go out of her house because she didn’t want her parents to know she was going out on a date. On date-days, she used to reach a nearby mall well before time, change, put on some make-up and then visit the café or restaurant to meet her date. And before coming back home, she would pretend in front of the guy that she was waiting for her Uber. When he left, she would invariably go back to the mall, change and finally head home. It would spare her all the unnecessary questions her parents would have asked otherwise. Even though they were involved in Raghav’s case, she still couldn’t tell her parents she was going to an OYO room with him. Nityami left the house saying she was going to meet a college friend.

 

That too triggered a set of questions from her mother:

Which college friend?

What is she doing now?

Is she married?

Kids?

How is her marriage going?

Is she settled here or abroad?

 

Nityami knew if the answers were negative, her mother would still be filled with a weird positivity. She would be convinced that her daughter wasn’t the only one suffering in the world. This time, before her mother could even ask who the friend was, Nityami left, saying her Uber had arrived.

 

During her Uber auto ride from the mall to the OYO hotel, Nityami suddenly started feeling nervous. She had never been naked in front of a man. And she didn’t have the perfect figure. She was slightly plump but thankfully, she had a good basal metabolic rate (BMR) so the fat was well distributed. She could feel gooseflesh thinking about what would happen in the room from the time she would enter it. Until that time, she had found Raghav very comfortable to be around. He never asked any awkward questions like the other guys she’d dated, nor did he have a condescending sense of humour where he belittled her and her attempts to be a working professional. Raghav didn’t have any problem with her working after marriage. Thinking about Raghav, she started fantasizing about what they would do. Would they simply begin smooching, strip each other and talk only after they were done? Like she had seen in so many Hollywood
films? Or would they converse a little, have some food and drink . . . Nityami remembered she had lied to him that she had never drunk alcohol. She did drink socially but the pressure of a ‘correct’ girl was something she started feeling when she entered the dating scene with marriage in mind. Casual dating didn’t have those pressures, but the guys who were in the dating scene for marriage wanted a ‘correct’ girl. And a correct girl meant she shouldn’t have any bad habits. Bad habits as defined by men, of course.

 

Nityami reached the OYO hotel.
‘Are you inside?’ she WhatsApped him on entering the lobby. Raghav was supposed to message her after he reached. He hadn’t.

 

‘Yes,’ the response came. It was a three-star hotel. Nothing fancy. Nityami walked up to the reception, gave them her Aadhaar card, which they photocopied and gave the original back to her. Nityami looked around for the elevator. She took it and stepped out on to the first floor. Next, she looked for room number 106. As she stood in front of the door, she took a deep breath. Something unprecedented would have happened by the time she came out of the room.

 

***

Want to know what happens next?

Get your copy of Remember Me As Yours by Novoneel Chakraborty on Amazon or wherever books are sold.

Here’s Why Following Your Passion Can Be the Best Decision You Ever Make!

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In today’s world, choosing a career can be confusing with so many options, but fear not! Pavan Soni’s Design Your Career offers helpful advice from his experience leading over 550 workshops in five countries. Soni aims to help you understand your talents, encourage you to follow your dreams, and find fulfillment in your career.

 

Read this excerpt to discover how pursuing your passion can be the best decision you ever make.

Design Your Career
Design Your Career || Pavan Soni

***

Till about a few years back, talking of ‘following your passion’ in an Indian context would have been futile, for you really didn’t have much of an outlet for what you liked doing. But that’s no longer true. The market has truly opened; people are willing to back you, especially in tier-1 cities, and your mistakes can be overlooked, at least by others. But all this still demands excellence. And excellence, my friend, is in doing the boring stuff well.

 

Following your passion starts by knowing your passion and as Robin Sharma quips, ‘People who study others are wise but those who study themselves are enlightened.’ So, let’s delve deeper into this seven-letter word.

 

Here’s my definition: Passion is anything that you do without any external motivation. Put differently, passion is something that you don’t get tired doing. It doesn’t have to be profound or noble. Watching movies, gossiping, cleaning your house, chatting with friends, window shopping—any of that could be a passion. The interesting thing, however, is that ‘passion is blind’. While it can drive you, it can also quickly exhaust you.

 

Passion without reason can certainly waste you. A teacher is passionate and so is a murderer, but for entirely different causes. Said Khalil Gibran, ‘Your reason and your passion are the rudder and the sails of your seafaring soul.’ While your passion propels you, your reason directs you. Passion comes from heart, reason from mind. We need both, especially a true, internally inspired passion. ‘Passion that is not the result of some commitment or attachment, passion that is not lust,’ suggested Krishnamurti.

 

Your passion can be infectious—for your team, organization and even customers. Identifying himself as someone who is excited by ideas and grounded by empathy, Satya Nadella is passionate about putting empathy at the centre of everything he pursues.16 As he took on the leadership at the struggling Microsoft in February 2014, the company was deeply fragmented, characterized by a ‘know-it-all’ culture. But over the years, Nadella turned around the once-pioneer into a technological magnate and into a ‘learn-it-all’ culture.

 

Nadella deems a company as a vehicle to channelize individual passion for the larger good, and in the case of Microsoft, it’s about building products that empower others. So, you see, passion is not just a private affair; it can rally troops, provided you display it viscerally.

 

Kalanithi was passionate about writing, for he always contemplated between excelling in neurosurgery-neuroscience or becoming a full-time writer. But the diagnosis of cancer at age thirty-six changed his calculus, and what he produced in his last few months is arguably one of the finest pieces on spirituality. His memoir, When Breath Becomes Air, left Bill Gates in tears. It’s almost of the same gravitas as Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning.

 

But let’s see what passion looks like towards the end of your otherwise very promising career. On Kalanithi’s writing regime, Lucy, his estranged wife, remembers:

 

Paul wrote relentlessly, fueled by purpose, motivated by a ticking clock. He started with midnight bursts when he was still a neurosurgery chief resident, softly tapping away on his laptop as he lay next to me in bed; later he spent afternoons in his recliner, drafted paragraphs in his oncologist’s waiting room, took phone calls from his editor while chemotherapy dripped into his veins, carried his silver laptop everywhere he went. When his fingertips developed painful fissures because of his chemotherapy, we found seamless, silver-lined gloves that allowed use of a trackpad and keyboard. Strategies for retaining the mental focus needed to write, despite the punishing fatigue of progressive cancer, were the focus of his palliative-care appointments. He was determined to keep writing.

 

Only passion can take you through the most difficult phases of your life. Passion gives you a sense of joy, a drive to pursue something bigger than yourself. And this joy is very much personal. Others may wonder at your enthusiasm as unwarranted, but don’t bother; you don’t owe anything to most others. While I play my guitar at street corners for it delights me, most passers-by don’t bother with a first look. Perhaps that’s how I developed a thick skin.

 

Here’s a real testimony of passion. Twelve North American writers have won the Nobel Prize in Literature between 1901 and 2015, and yet none of them had an MFA (Master of Fine Arts). Four of them never even got past high school. Neither Quentin Tarantino nor Christopher Nolan, two of the finest directors of our generation, ever went to a movie school. Maybe that’s why. ‘I’m a self-taught filmmaker. I never went to film school. I never studied filmmaking,’ admits Nolan. ‘I started making films when I was seven years old. Making films using my dad’s super 8 camera and action figures doing stop-motion films. A little bit of animation and a certain amount of live-action and I just carried on making films as I grew up and, over the years, they got bigger, hopefully better.’

 

Acknowledge that passion drives the purpose, and not the other way around. If you are driven, then you will find the means, including expertise, if necessary.

***

Get your copy of Design Your Career by Pavan Soni on Amazon or wherever books are sold.

What Really Drove The Naga Warriors to Gokul? Find Out Here!

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National bestselling author, Akshat Gupta returns with another gripping series, The Naga Warriors: The Battle of Gokul Volume 1, where legends come to life and heroes are forged. Journey deep into the heart of Gokul, where the echoes of Krishna’s miracles still ring, and the Naga warriors stand as the guardians of Dharma against the forces of darkness.

Read this exclusive excerpt to embark on an adventure like no other!

The Naga Warriors 1
The Naga Warriors || Akshat Gupta

***

 

‘Was Gokul a special place, then?’ asked the hiker, Thomas.

 

‘Gokul is still a special place and will remain so till the end of the world,’ replied the nameless Naga with a smile on his face.

 

‘What’s so special about this place Gokul?’

 

The nameless Naga continued: A place that earned its salvation by Lord Krishna’s hands himself will always be special. In the ancient town of Gokul, there lived a cruel king named Kans. His rule was marked by fear and suffering as he imposed heavy taxes and subjected the people to his ruthless whims. Yet, little did Kans know that his reign of terror was destined to meet its end.

 

A prophecy had foretold the birth of a child who would be his demise. That child was none other than Lord Krishna, the divine avatar of Vishnu. Krishna’ s parents, Devaki and Vasudeva, were locked away in a prison cell by Kans, as it was prophesied that their eighth child would bring about his downfall. Each time Devaki gave birth, Kans mercilessly took the child and ended its life. However, when Krishna was born, a divine intervention occurred. Miraculously, the prison doors opened, and Vasudeva was able to carry the newborn Krishna to safety across the raging Yamuna River to the village of Gokul. There, he exchanged Krishna with a baby girl, Yashoda’ s daughter, and returned to the prison without arousing suspicion. Later, when Kans came to kill the baby girl, she flew from his hand, revealed herself as Maya and vanished after telling Kans that his death was inevitable.

 

Krishna grew up in Gokul as a cowherd, endearing himself to everyone with his charm, mischief and divine exploits. As he matured, his extraordinary powers became evident and his reputation as the embodiment of grace and righteousness spread far and wide. When Kans learn t of Krishna’s existence and the prophecy, he unleashed a series of demons and wicked schemes to eliminate the divine child. Krishna fearlessly faced each challenge, defeating demons like Putana, Trinavarta and Keshi. Finally, the day of reckoning arrived. Krishna, having come-of-age, confronted Kans in a mighty showdown. With his divine strength and cunning, Krishna overpowered Kans and cast him from his throne. The prophecy had come true, and Gokul was freed from Kans’s oppressive rule.

 

Krishna’s birth and his victory over Kans became a symbol of hope and divine intervention for all, a reminder that righteousness and courage would always triumph over tyranny. Krishna’s legacy endured, and his teachings on love, morality and devotion continue to inspire countless souls to this day. Even in the 1750s, this divine connection was evident in every aspect of Gokul Houses made of mud and straw lined the narrow, unpaved streets, their walls often adorned with colourful murals depicting scenes from Krishna’s childhood. As one walked the complicated pathways, the aroma of incense and freshly cooked meals wafted out from windows, creating a heady mix of scents. The centre of Gokul was dominated by majestic havelis and temples, each more intricate and richly decorated than the last. The temples were characterized by their towering shikharas and bore the fine craftsmanship of the region, with intricate carvings and delicate work. The continuous tolling of temple bells added to the rhythmic chanting of prayers and the soulful melodies of devotional songs were a constant backdrop to the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Thanks to the nourishing Yamuna, the town was wrapped in an emerald quilt of fertile farmland. Many residents were engaged in farming and animal husbandry, with herds of cattle being a common sight. The daily life of Gokul in the 1750s was naturally tied to the rhythm of nature. Despite being a small town, Gokul was a melting pot of cultures. The music of birds chirping and cows mooing and the vibrant colours of the textiles created a lively atmosphere, as if Krishna still lived there.

 

The region’ s local traditions were harmoniously interwoven with influences from across the country, brought in by the many pilgrims and travellers who visited this holy town. Festivals, especially those related to Lord Krishna, were grand affairs celebrated enthusiastically, transforming the village into a spectacle of lights, colours and joyous revelry. Life in Gokul in the 1750s was humble and simple, yet imbued with a profound sense of spirituality and community. Amid the rhythm of daily chores and routines, a sense of calm and peace prevailed, underpinned by the town’s unshakeable faith in the divine.

***

Get your copy of The Naga Warriors by Akshat Gupta on Amazon or wherever books are sold.

Banaras: The Spiritual Oasis You Need to Experience Today

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Uncover the timeless charm of Banaras with Vertul Singh. From its sacred ghats and vibrant temples to its rich history and culture, Singh’s vivid storytelling paints an unforgettable portrait of Banaras, making it a must-read for anyone seeking the soul of India. Read this exclusive excerpt and embark on a journey through the heart of Banaras today!

Banaras
Banaras || Vertul Singh

***

The crescent-shaped layout of Banaras city on the western banks of the river Ganga is truly unique in the world. It stretches from the Samne ghat in the south to Namo ghat in the north—a total of eighty-four ghats over a linear distance of about 6.4 km. The original city was on the northern side on the elevated plateau of Rajghat, near the Varuna–Rajghat confluence, which served as the hub for the ancient river trade. The city’s expansion towards the southwestern side started with its growing importance as a pilgrimage site. Alongside the sacred kunds, the ghats gained prominence, too, for religious ablutions and sacramental rites. These ghats are the cultural and religious identity of Kashi. Built mainly from sandstone, sourced from the Chunar quarry in the nearby Mirzapur, each ghat has a history and a purpose. Every ritual performed on a ghat is followed by merry-making and indulgence. This sensualist aspect of Hinduism is what makes Banaras a city pulsating with life. A disjunction between the sombre and existentialist questions of the great crematorium and the epicurean delights it lays out. It is here that the difference between Shiva, the lord, and Shav, the corpse, is completely wiped out. The ghats are the spiritual and cultural ambience of the city, and the centre of traditional scriptural erudition. They are not just structures but the muse of the city—the very soul of the city is encapsulated here. The holy Ganga, flowing in a crescent shape, lends its shape to the layout of these ghats. For some reason, though, Ghalib, in his Masnavi, has compared the beauty of Banaras with China to describe the crescent shape of the Ganga.

 

Someone once compared the beauty
of Banaras to China,
And since that day its brow is wrinkled
With the bend of the Ganga

 

Most of the important Hindu temples are located along these ghats. These sonatas set in stone are of recent origin, when we consider the antiquity of this city.

 

It is irresistible for me to not quote James Prinsep here. When it comes to his description of the ghats of Banaras, he is more of a poet than a member of the Viceroys’ government. In a letter to his sister, he described his first tryst with Banaras as:

 

This is glorious sight to see the ghats of Benares covered with a moving sea of heads, studded at small distances with temples of red and white stone, all minutely covered and adorned with flowers, while from a hundred places, cymbals and drums peel forth their strains of adoration. The time too is generally favourable to the exhibition, namely, at an eclipse of the sun or at the rising of the full moon. As soon as the signal is given by Brahmins, plunge all the bathers and ripple the holy waters for a mile and a half along the shore.

 

These ghats, over the years, may have undergone a change of name, although travellers like Ralph Fitch and Jean-Baptiste Tavernier were not able to pinpoint and name these obscure ghats. All the same, in the medieval literature on Kashi, a few unfamiliar names of the ghats do appear. This aspect is important for tracing the changing paradigm of Hinduism, whenever it was threatened. This has mostly happened in the last 300 years. During the British Raj, every Hindu ruler wanted to have a slice of this sanctum pilgrimage pie, by purchasing and renaming a ghat or two after his dynasty or the name of his principality. Even the Muslim rulers, most notably Aurangzeb, attempted and were largely successful, in altering the skyline of the sacred crescent ridge of Banaras forever. Thus, we now have ghats that are named Scindia, Darbhanga, Panchkote, Mysore, Vizianagaram, etc. However, the two most prominent and important ghats for Hindus remain the Dashashwamedha ghat and the Manikarnika ghat, both of which record a heavy pilgrim footfall throughout the year. These two most ancient ghats have also been the places where most of the Puranic stories on Kashi are set. Based on lores, particularly in the Kashi Khand, five such ancient ghats are noteworthy: the Asisamved teerth on the Asi–Ganga confluence, the Varuna–Ganga confluence as described in the Linga Purana, the Dashashwamedha ghat, the Panchnanda ghat or the Dharmnad, at the confluence called of five mythical rivers: Ganga, Yamuna, Saraswati, Kirna and Dhootpapa. At Panchnad and at Varuna–Ganga confluence ‘the Padoka’, it is important to note that Vishnu is the chief pilgrimage deity. The last ancient one being the Manikarnika, we have already mentioned about the well that was filled with the sweat of Vishnu.

 

***

Get your copy of Banaras by Vertul Singh on Amazon or wherever books are sold.

The Controversial Project that Could Change Everything in ‘The Ancestors’

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Experience the exciting world of The Ancestors by Laksh Maheshwari and Ashish Kavi, where the Somvanshi family deals with the changes brought by a mysterious black element. Follow Karan and Shantanu Somvanshi as they uncover surprising secrets and face new challenges. In this exclusive excerpt, see how Karan takes control at Vantra and learns about the powerful but risky Super Soldier Project.

The Ancestors
The Ancestors || Laksh Maheshwari, Ashish Kavi

***

11 December 2020 | 1.15 p.m.

 

While some were still trying to get used to Jay’s disappearance, Karan displayed quite a healthy demeanour when it came to dealing with the loss of one of his oldest friends. Perhaps, it was their falling out or the speculation that he was the one responsible for Dhruv’s death. Perhaps, it was both. But now, Karan could claim what truly belonged to him, and that was his place in Vantra. That’s why he did not feel an ounce of guilt when he occupied Jay’s office and removed every single element that was a part of his personality. He discarded the prototypes of all the projects Jay had kept as souvenirs from the ventures he had built in his career. The wall of fame which once displayed Jay’s accolades was now decked with certificates, awards and degrees that belonged to Karan. Even the direction of the furniture in the room had been changed completely. The desk, which used to be diagonally aligned in the corner of the room, was now placed in the centre. And in that corner, Karan now sat on his white mat, deep in meditation. While his body remained still as a statue, his closed eyelids fluttered ever so slightly as his trance took him places he could hardly recognize.

 

In front of him was a panel of six army generals occupying a round table, discussing a highly confidential matter—the Super Soldier Project.

 

One of the older generals spoke. ‘By the end of the vote,it appears that the majority—that is, the four of us—is against investing in the Super Soldier Project on the grounds that it has already failed the previous test, thus making it completely unreliable.’

 

A younger general, sitting at the other end of the table, said, ‘I believe we must give another chance to this collaboration, because Vantra Technologies is interested in taking it over. The Vantra CEO, Mr Karan, would be leading it and Major Devansh will be supporting it.’ He then whipped out a file and turned to the page that listed the key characteristics of the super soldier.

 

a. Regenerating dead soldiers in the golden hour.

b. Soldiers will be controlled centrally by an AI that can access their location, physical movements and brain activity.

c. The AI will be connected to them by a strap on their neck.

d. This will grant them high endurance, healing power and flight, and multiply their speed and strength.

 

Upon reading these points, one of the generals who had already voted against the project, said, ‘I believe that this is still too irrelevant for the nation. Moreover, the fact that it’s headed by Major Devansh’s father’s company would paint the army as capitalist and merely trying to accumulate profits.’

 

One of the two generals who were in favour of the super soldier countered, ‘Let’s not forget that Vantra has been nothing but respectful towards the defence forces and they have gifted the nation with some of the best technologies. With their intent, I don’t think there would be any questions on the army’s character.’

 

The entire room erupted in incomprehensible arguments. After a short while, when everyone refused to quiet themselves, the general sitting at the head of the table yelled, ‘Gentlemen! Please!’ Everyone settled down instantly, giving apologetic looks to the general. ‘We must definitely look at every aspect of this deal before arriving at a decision. However, the most significant factor is that even if we choose to invest, would Vantra be able to succeed in thisproject which has been a failure in the past?’

 

Silence engulfed the room as the generals exchanged thoughtful glances. A distant and impatient tapping was the only sound that remained. Karan tried to look around the room to see where it was coming from and what it meant. Slowly, it all started to dissolve as Karan’s trance became weaker. He returned to the darkness behind his closed eyes. When he opened them, he saw Devansh standing in front of him, engrossed in a book that was kept on Karan’s desk, tapping his foot on the ground.

 

‘The army is sceptical,’ Karan said and Devansh turned to him.

 

‘What?’

 

‘We need to pick up the pace, the army is in two minds,’

 

Karan said, immediately getting up from the mat and opening his laptop on the desk.

 

Oh, don’t you worry about that. I just got back from the training sessions. It’s far more optimized now. They’ll be blown away.’ Devansh’s voice had conviction, but Karan was still concerned.

 

Before Karan could say anything else, one of the super soldiers walked into the office on cue. Karan looked at Devansh, who gestured to him to go ahead and test him out. Karan walked towards the super soldier and said, ‘D, activate SS1.’

 

***

Get your copy of The Ancestors by Laksh Maheshwari and Ashish Kavi on Amazon or wherever books are sold.

What’s the Most Valuable Asset to Build Wealth? Hint: It’s You!

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Can you guess what the best asset is for building wealth? It’s not money, gold, or property—it’s you! In The Book of Wealth, Mark Mobius reveals the secrets to true prosperity by emphasizing the importance of investing in your skills, education, and attitude. By focusing on personal development, you can unlock boundless potential and set the stage for lasting success. Ready to transform your future and achieve greatness? Start by investing in yourself!

 

 

The Book of Wealth
The Book of Wealth || Mark Mobius

***

In order to be wealthy, you need to have assets. Assets can be money, gold and other precious metals, property, stocks, bonds, art, jewellery and many other things. But many people forget the most important asset: themselves.

 

So, the first step towards fortune begins with investing in your best asset—you. Your earning power will depend on how well you have trained and educated yourself. If you want to earn money as a health trainer, it is vital for you to develop your own body so you can demonstrate to others how good you look, which will attract customers to you. If you want to earn money as a carpenter, you must try your best to learn from the most skilled experts so you can demand the highest appreciation and income.

 

When you realize that you are your best investment, you will begin to make conscious decisions to focus on your development and well-being. You will begin to see that your success in becoming wealthy will depend on the foundation you have built in your own education, experience, social status and influence.

 

You, like others, are a unique individual, and you, like others, have boundless potential that can be unlocked by investing in your skills, education and health. A critical aspect of this is self-empowerment, where you control your destiny and become less reliant on external factors. You become more self-sufficient, which boosts your confidence and resilience.

 

An important aspect of this is gaining knowledge and expanding your horizons, beyond your current community and into the ever-changing world. This will enhance your ability to innovate and find new paths to success. A key item of self-development is setting high goals. You must dream of great things and aspire to what you normally would not imagine you can achieve. This way, you will both consciously and unconsciously take proactive steps towards reaching your dreams. Amazon’s growth is an example of this.

 

When you are considered for a job or have been hired to do a job, the people you work for and with will evaluate you and consider what you bring to the task at hand. In addition to your education and experience, people will consider your attitude. If you have a bad attitude, it can pull energy out of the workplace. That bad attitude will be like a poison pill and damage the work environment and the group objectives. A good and positive attitude can penetrate a group and organization, leading to success for all concerned and contributing to your individual success too. Always remember what Zig Ziglar said: ‘Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.’ It is about your positivity: How do you react when things get challenging or tough?

 

What will contribute to and create a good attitude for you? First, you need to be grateful for the opportunities you get for success. Second, you must be optimistic in the face of risks and danger. Someone once said, ‘The world belongs to optimists.’

 

***

Get your copy of The Book of Wealth by Mark Mobius on Amazon or wherever books are sold.

Will Janardan Maity Solve the Photographer’s Deadly Secret in ‘Aperture’?

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What happens when a struggling photographer’s secret hobby turns into a dangerous game? In Bhaskar Chattopadhyay‘s latest book, Aperture a photographer becomes obsessed with spying on people in a shady hotel through a hidden window in his apartment. When he witnesses a murder, he turns to detective Janardan Maity for help, but there is more than they have bargained for!

 

Read this exclusive excerpt and join them on a thrilling investigation.

Aperture
Aperture || Bhaskar Chattopadhyay

 

For several seconds, there was a heavy and distinctly uncomfortable silence in Maity’s sprawling drawing room. Maity’s expression was calm but serious. Sayantan Kundu had sunk back in his chair, clearly exhausted after letting the burden of his truth out. I, on the other hand, was wondering what was going on in Maity’s head presently. Was he excited at the prospect of having to deal with such a bizarre set of events? Or was he disgusted by the young photographer’s heinous acts? I figured it was a bit of both.

 

‘I suppose,’ Sayantan finally said, ‘you would want the specifics.’

 

‘You suppose correctly,’ came Maity’s response. Sayantan took a few seconds to find the words. Then he said: ‘It happened exactly a week ago. On Tuesday,  the nineteenth of June. It was a hot day, but a brief spell of rain in the afternoon had cooled things down a little. A young couple had checked into one of the rooms on the third floor—the same level as I live in my own building. Seemed like a honeymoon couple. The woman was pretty, but a— how shall I say—coarse sort of pretty. Long straight hair. Poorly-done henna on her palm. Glass bangles. Overdone makeup. The young chap was rugged and good-looking.

 

 

It seemed to me that they . . . they weren’t very well off. I mean why would they be in that hotel otherwise? But . . . they did seem to be in love. Deeply. They were having a good time and not just in a sexual way. They would talk for hours on end. Sometimes, I would get bored. But as you can imagine, Mr Maity, in this profession, we are not allowed to get bored. I waited for my chance. Sometimes, it seemed it would come. They would cuddle, kiss, get cosy. I’d get some good shots. But then they would break off. As if . . .as if something was stopping them, as if there was a barrier between them.’

 

 

Maity and I were listening with such rapt attention that I had not even noticed when Mahadev had come and taken the empty cups away.
‘They would seem . . . sad. But then it was the woman mostly who would cheer up, throw her arms around her husband and embrace him. They would go to bed. That was when I would get the . . . the real shots.’

 

‘From your room,’ Maity said. ‘Are you ever able to hear anything that happened in the rooms of that hotel? Any sound of any kind?’

 

‘No. After I got into this . . . business, I invested in a tinted glass, had it installed on the ventilator opening. I can see everything clearly from my side of the window. But no one would be able to see me from the other side. Plus, I chose the colour of the glass in such a way that it would camouflage my window. One disadvantage of doing all this, though, was that I would hear absolutely nothing, no sound from the other side.’

 

‘I see,’ nodded Maity. ‘Interesting, very interesting!’

 

 

‘Anyway, I got some really good shots of the couple. In . . . in the act, you know? Shots that would suffice for my purpose. The best shots are the ones that show the faces clearly. I’m sorry you are having to hear all these details, but . . .’

 

‘As despicable as your crimes are, Mr Kundu,’ Maity interrupted, ‘I’m afraid the details are important. That’s usually where the devil resides.’

 

‘I understand,’ Sayantan nodded. ‘Like I said, I got some good shots. But that night, while they were in the . . . you know . . . the height of their act, something else caught my attention through the lens. At first, it seemed quite funny to me. In fact, I remember having chuckled behind my camera. The room exactly below them was occupied by a middle-aged couple. Perhaps in their late forties or early fifties. They had checked in a day before, on the eighteenth. When the younger couple were having sex, I could see the middle-aged couple look up at the ceiling of their room. They could obviously hear the noises coming from the room above. And they were clearly not amused. The wife said something to the husband, the husband replied angrily. There was a brief quarrel between the two. It was amusing, to be honest . . . this . . . this contrast between what was going on in those two rooms. One on top of the other.’

 

‘What happened then?’

 

 

‘The quarrel stopped after some time. The woman went to bed, held a pillow over her ear. That didn’t seem to work, because she flung the pillow across the room, and it almost hit her husband. The husband yelled at her—she yelled back. That’s when the real quarrel started. It all came to blows. The wife seemed furious.’

 

 

‘And this young couple in the room above . . .’ Maity interjected with a suggestion of a question.

 

‘Yes,’ nodded Sayantan, ‘they had . . . finished by then. They were exhausted. The couple below were now in a bitter fight. The woman had started slapping her husband left, right and centre. She was screaming and sobbing. The husband was taking all the hits. But after a while, he punched his wife right across the face. Sent her flying across the room and on to the bed.’

 

‘He . . . he killed her?’ I asked, apprehensively.

***

Get your copy of Aperture by Bhaskar Chattopadhyay on Amazon or wherever books are sold.

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