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

Posted on by prathod

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.

7 Audiobooks to Cure Your Rainy Day Blues!

Posted on by prathod

Stuck in traffic during the rainy July days? Audiobooks are your perfect companion! As the monsoon showers pour down and traffic slows to a crawl, there’s no better way to pass the time than getting lost in a great story. So whether you’re cozy at home listening to the rain or navigating through the wet streets, these 7 audiobooks will keep you entertained and make the time fly by.

 

World's Best Girlfriend
World’s Best Girlfriend || Durjoy Datta

‘When he turns, I see his eyes. There’s a sense of surety in them, a sense of danger, a sense of entitlement and definitely, arrogance.’

Daksh and Aanchal meet under improbable circumstances in the most unlikely of places—a posh resort in the Andamans. While Aanchal is fighting hard to escape the shackles of a lower middle-class existence, Daksh is aimless and unsure of what his future holds. Strangely, they are drawn to each other.

‘My gaze drifts to her exposed back, and the tiny knot that secures her shimmering choli in place. Emotions of anger mix with a strange desire in me.’

Four years later, when they meet again, Daksh’s world has crumbled around him. The burden of caring for his sick father and six-year-old sister has left him with little time for anything else. Yet, despite their diverging paths, Daksh and Aanchal find themselves reconnecting in unexpected ways. Their mutual attraction deepens.

Till now, fate has been pushing them together, but what will happen when they decide to take matters into their own hands? Will life be as they’ve imagined, or will destiny take even that away from them?

 

Mrityunjay
Mrityunjay || Parakh Om Bhatt

PRESENT DAY, BHARAT

Renowned archaeologist Sudhir Arya dies mysteriously the night before Diwali. His grandson, Vivaan, comes to his hometown to perform the last rites. Here, he gets a phone call that sets him off on a puzzling journey as he discovers thousand-year-old secrets and shocking facts about his identity.

1026 CE, PRABHAS KSHETRA

Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi has attacked the first jyotirlinga of Lord Mahadev: Somnath. Did he seek the temple’s treasures? Or was he looking for a Puranic heirloom of Sanatan Dharma, the mystery of which has been buried under layers of time?

470 CE, ARAB LAND

Yogi Matsyendranath awakens the kundalini energy of his army through the ritual of Aatma Jaagran as it takes on terrifying, evil entities tasked with protecting the greatest mystery of the Kaliyuga.

SATYUGA, ARYAVARTA

Through yagnas, bloody sacrifices and mantras prohibited in the Vedas, Devi Anishtatri, the goddess of malevolence, is invoked. She appears in her most ferocious form and grants a boon so potent it could change the fate of the universe.

What is the link between Aryavarta, Arab Land and Prabhas Kshetra?

What is the vicious boon that threatens to change the fate of the cosmos?

The ultimate battle of Kaliyuga is about to begin . . .

 

 

A Bird On My Windowsill
A Bird On My Windowsill || Manav Kaul

In Manav’s world, memories are like little birds perched upon the windowsill of time. In his world there are no boundaries between thoughts and reality. In his world the past and the present form a mirror that disintegrates into the memory of a single day…

Known for writing silences and articulating dreams, in this book Manav sifts through the past, delves into the present and talks about all the creative impulses, writing, directing theatre and acting that have made him who he is. Through his poetry and prose, he creates vignettes of his life, a long-lost love, his interactions with people as he travels, his favourite authors and their writings, almost as if he’s trying to weave a world for the audience as well.

Beautifully symbolic, this book is a rich tapestry of thoughts and feelings, of todays and tomorrows, of being alone and seeking loneliness.

 

 

The Naga Warriors 1
The Naga Warriors 1 || Akshat Gupta

To prepare for the future, our ancestors created the Naga sadhus―a clan of warriors for the protection of Dharma, as proclaimed by Adi Guru Shankaracharya in the eighth century. This sect of Shiva devotees has stood firm, living selflessly and fighting fearlessly. For centuries, they have died the death of heroes, serving and saving Dharma and the temples.

In the year 1757, 111 Naga sadhus borrowed the majestic weapons of the idols of their gods. Fueled by their belief in Lord Shiva, they gathered an invincible courage to protect the temples of Gokul. They stood as an indestructible wall, led by Ajaa, a fearless Naga warrior, against the Afghan army of 4000 men, a cavalry of 200 horses and 100 camels, and 20 cannons. The brutal Afghan army was led by Sardar Khan, the most ruthless commander of Emperor Ahmed Shah Abdali, ill-famed for the demolition of temples and building a history of genocide in Bharat.

The fight continues. This is the Naga warrior’s commitment to courage and determination. This is the clash of Shiva devotees against the devils that lie under men’s skin. This is the Battle of Gokul.

 

 

The Roof Beneath their Feet
The Roof Beneath their Feet || Geetanjali Shree

In this beautifully crafted novel, roofs have a special place; they are meant for wild things, for romance and for play, they are places to dry pickles and grains while exchanging gossip about quiet caresses. But above all, they are realms of freedom.

In The Roof Beneath their Feet, Chachcho and Lalna use their roofs to build a friendship that transcends time and memory. Suddenly one day, Lalna has to leave, to return only after Chachcho’s passing. Amidst rumors and gossip in the neighborhood, Chachcho’s nephew tries to piece together his memories of the two women, one of whom is his mother. The truth he is searching for could destroy him forever, but to not find out is no longer an option. A story of twists and turns, The Roof Beneath Their Feet, translated from the original Hindi by Rahul Soni, is easily one of the best contemporary novels you have found in a long time.

 

 

The Descendants
The Descendants || Laksh Maheshwari, Ashish Kavi

When a fiery meteor lands on the Somvanshi estate, Jay and his mentor Kaka are the first to find it, and Jay is mesmerized by the element he finds in the orb. Using his family-owned Vantra Labs, of which he is the CEO, Jay carries out extensive research into the material, along with his team of brilliant scientists. He names the material, the black element.

Little does he know the chain of events that he is about to set off. Directed by the strings of fate, Jay is heading towards the truth concealed in family legend and a prophecy that can be traced back to the times of the Mahabharata war.

When Jay realizes the supernatural possibilities that the black element is capable of, he is determined to use it for the greater good. But, as history has shown, when there is power in the wrong hands, greed takes prominence and compassion takes a back seat.

Amid a succession of heists, ploys, twists, tragedies and discoveries, will Jay be able to see the true picture? Will he understand the balance between fate and free will and how they can amalgamate to fulfil his purpose? Will he realize the prophecy? And is all of this simply history repeating itself?

 

 

All That Sizzles
All That Sizzles || Sakshama Puri Dhaliwal

A spicy meet-cute that will delight your rom-com palate!

Wedding planner Tanvi Bedi is all fired up about her latest project, the $100 million wedding of a media heiress. The only hitch is her high-profile client’s wishlist chef, Nik Shankar. Weddings are a complete no-no for Nik, but there must be something—or someone—he can’t resist.

Nik Shankar’s lifelong dream of inheriting his ancestral home is in jeopardy due to his estranged grandfather’s absurd caveat—Nik must get married to claim the property. When Tanvi storms into his office, an inconceivable solution presents itself: Nik will craft the wedding if Tanvi pretends to be his fiancée.

What starts as a recipe for disaster whips up into a delectable feast of simmering chemistry and fiery passion. But as the line between fake and real blurs, Tanvi and Nik must confront their inner demons before their charade goes up in smoke.

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

Posted on by prathod

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!

Posted on by prathod

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

Posted on by prathod

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’

Posted on by prathod

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!

Posted on by prathod

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’?

Posted on by prathod

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.

Is Failure the Ultimate Path to Success? These Outliers Say Yes!

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Here’s your chance to defy the ordinary with Against the Grain by Pankaj Mishra, a book that celebrates those who dare to be different. Through engaging conversations with notable outliers like A.R. Rahman, Uday Kotak, and Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma, the book shares real stories of success, failure, and the pursuit of dreams.

Read this exclusive excerpt to discover how the Chandrayaan-2 mission turned setbacks into breakthroughs, capturing the true essence of resilience and innovation.

 

Against the Grain
Against the Grain || Pankaj Mishra

***

The concept of ‘successful failure’ resonates deeply in the story of India’s Chandrayaan-2 mission. It was a bold leap, aiming to explore the uncharted south pole of the moon. Despite the setback in the landing phase, the mission wasn’t a loss. The orbiter continues to gather valuable data, contributing significantly to our understanding of the moon. More importantly, with lessons learned from Chandrayaan-2’s challenges, Chandrayaan-3 could land successfully on the moon.

 

This journey transcends the bounds of space; it’s a metaphor for outliers—to find poetry in problems and to reach for the moon, quite literally, even when the first leap falters. And that’s what I love about these conversations. These outliers talk about their failures with the same pride they have for their wins. Because, let’s face it, owning your failures is a kind of success.

 

When you sit with someone like Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma, you can’t help but feel the gravity—no pun intended—of his experiences. Here’s a man who’s been to space, but what’s more fascinating is his down-to-earth wisdom on failure.

 

‘If you can be yourself and not feel that you have to measure up to some image somebody else has of you, that’s liberating; it frees up a lot of energy for you to do
other things.’ —Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian in space.

 

Rakesh’s words resonate deeply with me. The freedom to be yourself, to not be confined by others’ expectations, is liberating. It’s a lesson I’ve carried with me throughout my journey.

 

How has life’s unpredictability played a role in your journey, Rakesh?

 

Rakesh Sharma: ‘I must tell you that I am blessed and extremely lucky, because I got a chance to do everything in life. I was barely twenty-two, and the air force decided to run an experiment. We had just got the MiG-21 supersonic aircraft—they wanted to catch young guys, and I got a chance. I joined the air force young, and before my twenty-third birthday, I had flown twenty-one operational missions in the 1971 war. Then, I got selected for the test pilot course, and despite not being all good in academics, I managed to become a test pilot. A fighter pilot and a test pilot—fit and young—and I then got a chance to go to space. Things have happened to me.’

 

Rakesh, how do you view failures in your life?

 

‘As far as failures are concerned, it depends on how you are looking at them. For example, most people think that when they set the bar for themselves and do not achieve it, that is a failure. But when you have constantly striven to get what you set [out to achieve] for yourself, and even then if you fall short, you will, in the process, improve yourself, right?’

 

Indeed, striving itself is a form of success. This is a perspective I’ve often found comforting.

 

‘So, I made mistakes during combat, and that’s part of the learning—I wouldn’t really put that down as a failure. That is just a learning experience. As a test pilot, I have had the chance to eject from an airplane because the engine backed up, and I would call it learning, not a failure. The important thing you need to ask yourself is: How do you remain invested? Do you have the passion for the job you are doing?’

 

Passion is a recurring theme in our conversations. Rakesh, how did you deal with the daunting tasks in your career?

 

‘In my case, whenever I looked at a daunting, challenging task, my first reaction was, “Hey, I will not be able to do this.” At each stage during my flying career,
when I went from slow to medium to faster to supersonic aircraft, at each stage, I felt, “Oh my god, this is too fast. There is no way I can hack it.” But when you actually get into it, you find that things are not half as difficult as you imagined them to be!’

 

You know, this idea of passion being the driving force, it’s something that has come up time and again in the conversations I’ve had. But hearing it from a guy who has been to space and back just hits differently. It’s like all those talks I’ve had over the years suddenly get this extra layer of, well, gravity. Rakesh, you echo something we all know deep down but sometimes need a nudge to feel. It’s fascinating how we often overestimate challenges.

 

‘So, when opportunities come your way, don’t get intimidated. Of course, be prepared that you might not hack it, but no need to get intimidated. Either it will
happen or it will not happen. After all, when I went for the selection as a kid, there was no pilot aptitude test. Now, there’s a pilot aptitude test, and if you fail it once, you will never become a pilot in the Indian Air Force, so there is tremendous pressure on you. If you have it, you have it; if you don’t have it, you approach it like that—you can’t prepare for something like that!

 

Indeed, some aspects of life and career are beyond meticulous preparation.

 

‘Similarly, when you are doing test flying, the best you can do is your best. You can read up all there is to read. You can de-risk, but you signed up for it. You are honourbound to go and do it. Even if you are scared, you go and do it as best you can. If it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t work out—that’s part of the landscape you have chosen to be in.’

 

Choosing our landscape, our path, comes with its own set of challenges and rewards.

 

‘So, this is one life lesson we really need: never back off! Failure is not the end of the world. Pressure is something that we bring upon ourselves. We should give it a bash. Just be yourself!’

 

So there you have it—wisdom from a man who has seen the earth from a point most of us can only dream of reaching. But what strikes me most is how grounded his insights are. ‘Just be yourself,’ he says.

 

Simple, yet profoundly liberating.

***

Get your copy of Against the Grain by Pankaj Mishra on Amazon wherever books are sold.

This Our Paradise: Stories of Longing and Belonging in Kashmir

Posted on by prathod

Stories from Kashmir always tug at the heartstrings, and we have something truly exceptional for you! In This Our Paradise by Karan Mujoo, follow the lives of a Hindu and Muslim family from Kashmir as they navigate the storm of political unrest. Through the innocent eyes of an eight-year-old boy and the challenging journey of a young man named Shahid, this novel reveals how their worlds are forever changed by the forces beyond their control. ​

 

This Our Paradise
This Our Paradise || Karan Mujoo

***

Clocks ticked. Hairs sprouted. Voices deepened. Harvests passed. Calendars changed.

 

And Shahid leapt from adolescence to teenage. He sat for his twelfth standard exams in 1985 and barely passed. There was only one government college in Kupwara, and admission there followed a certain pattern. You would get a seat if you were a brilliant student with exceptional marks. You would get a seat if an influential politician made a phone call on your behalf. You would get a seat if you greased the palms of the education department officials.

 

Shahid and his family failed to meet these criteria. Corruption had seeped into the cracks and now was running riot in the Valley. Every government official, whether senior or junior, asked for bribes unabashedly. This culture was born during the reign of Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad. Having taken over from the Sheikh as the prime minister in 1953, he had opened industries, provided subsidies, improved healthcare and made education accessible. But he had also turned a blind eye to the greed and malpractices of those close to him.

 

Once he set this precedent, it was gleefully followed by everyone else.

 

It became clear to Shahid that there was no room for people like him in Kashmir. Every door he knocked on was rudely shut in his face. The few jobs available in Zogam involved manual labour or farming. But Shahid was clear he did not want to stoop so low. He wanted a life of dignity. A life independent of the mood swings of weather gods.

 

Since there was no work or college to go to, Shahid began whiling his hours away at Rajeshji’s shop. Every morning, after breakfast, he would leave his house and head over there.

 

After ordering a cup of tea, he would sit on a stool and read the newspapers. He was not the only aimless, unemployed boy searching for succour at the shop. Scores of boys from Zogam and Kupwara, who had been shunted out by the system, came there to smoke and gossip.

 

Rashid was one of them. Shahid often heard him talking to his entourage, among other things, about the Quran and Hadiths. His eyes shone passionately as he discussed the various ayats. While giving these mini-sermons Rashid smoked like a steamer ship. He lit up Capstan after Capstan, often mid-sentence. Due to the relentless smoking, his incisors bore brown tobacco stains. Some of the boys jokingly called him the smoking prophet, which both offended and pleased Rashid. One day, he asked Shahid to pass a matchbox and the two became, at first acquaintances, and then friends. When they started talking, they discovered they had much in common. Both of them were frustrated by the corruption in society, both were unemployed, both were dismissive of menial jobs. For the first time in his life.

 

Shahid could call someone a friend. Over long sessions of tea and cigarettes (Shahid started smoking under the influence of his new friend), their bond thickened. They confided their fears and dreams to each other. They tried to come up with ways to jumpstart their stagnated lives. Rashid was certain the society needed an overhaul. The privileged and corrupt had to be shaken up. The playing field had to be leveled.

 

One day, a boy from Kupwara came to the shop to smoke a cigarette. He was carrying a few files, which indicated he had a government job. It was unclear what sparked the confrontation—a grazing of the shoulders, a challenging stare—but for some reason Rashid started slapping the boy, accusing him of stealing jobs and paying bribes. Unaccustomed to violence, Shahid froze for a moment. But then he too saw red. He lunged out with his leg and caught the boy squarely in
his ribs. The boy groaned and collapsed on the ground. Rajeshji ran out of the shop to help him. Rashid and Shahid, their hearts pounding, their veins surging with adrenaline, ran away towards the fields.

 

‘The bhatta deserved it,’ Rashid said breathlessly. Shahid had not noticed the narywun which had marked out the boy. But it did not matter. The system had to be dismantled. Even if it was one kick at a time.

 

Brawls, abuses and loutish behaviour were frowned upon in Zogam. A small council of elders, both Muslims and Pandits, turned up at Shahid’s house and requested his father to reign him in. Such incidents were not good for the village, they said. Shahid’s father and Zun were shocked by their son’s  involvement in the fracas. They convinced the group that Shahid would never indulge in such behaviour again. After they left, Zun crumpled and sobbed quietly. When Shahid came home later that night, his father admonished him.

 

‘You have humiliated us in front of the whole village. I had to bow my head and ask for forgiveness on your behalf.’ Zun, teary-eyed, said, ‘Shahid, you have always been such a gentle boy. From where did this fire erupt in your chest? It must be those scoundrels you keep hanging around with at the shop. Swear by me that you’ll stop meeting them. Swear by me!’

 

Shahid heard their complaints quietly. He had nothing to say. He went to his room and lay down on the hard bed. Deep in his heart, he knew he had done no wrong.

***

Get your copy of This Our Paradise by Karan Mujoo on Amazon or wherever books are sold.

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