Bloomsbury India – förlag

Millennia have passed since the dharma yudhha of the cousins shook the land of Bharata. But this history of our ancestors continues to fascinate us. Even today, we have passionate discussions about the people and their actions in the epic, fervidly defending our favourites and denouncing others. The number of works on the Mahabharata—adaptations, retellings and fiction—that still get written is a testimony to its enduring relevance. While the general storyline is largely known, a lot of questions and myths prevail, such as—What was the geographical extent of the war? Did Drona actually refuse to take on Karna as his disciple? What were Draupadi’s responsibilities as the queen of Indraprastha? Did she ever mock Duryodhana? Were the women in the time of the Mahabharata meek and submissive? What were the names of the war formations during the time? What role did the sons of the Pandavas play? Does the south of India feature at all in the Mahabharata? What happened after the war? These and many other intriguing questions continue to mystify the contemporary reader. Author Ami Ganatra debunks myths, quashes popular notions and offers insights into such aspects not commonly known or erroneously known, based solely on facts as narrated in Vyasa’s Mahabharata from generally accepted authentic sources. For a history of such prominence and influence as the Mahabharata, it is important to get the story right. So pick this book up, sit back and unveil the lesser-known facts and truths about the great epic.

The first volume of Mahabharata Unravelled covered the itihasa of our ancestors true to the narration of Rishi Veda Vyasa. But the Mahabharata is more than a story of the past. It has extensive discourses on ethics, personal and social interaction, administration, jurisprudence and related topics, in the form of conversations. For instance, the Shanti Parva, the largest of the 18 parvas, is a treatise on Raja Dharma. Advice on the responsibilities and duties of leaders and administrators is imparted to Yudhishthira by Bhishma from his bed of arrows on the field of war. Then there is a profound dialogue between Dhritarashtra and the erudite Vidura that appears in Udyoga Parva, popularly known as Vidura Neeti. Likewise, there is a thought-provoking story narrated by Rishi Markandeya to the Pandavas of a meat-seller who teaches dharma to a Brahmin named Kaushika. In this book, Ami Ganatra highlights the most important lessons from the Dharma discourses found in the Mahabharata. Their teachings hold true even in current times, perhaps more so than ever.

No epic has moved the consciousness of millions like the Ramayana. The appeal of the story of Rama is such that it has inspired the imagination of countless storytellers over the centuries, across the length and breadth of the subcontinent. From Jain poets to Bhavabhuti, from Kamban to Goswami Tulsidas, many have retold the Ramayana in their own language, infusing their own unique flavour. Though the story of Rama is much loved and well-known, questions prevail. Ramayana Unravelled attempts to address some key concerns: How did his childhood and youth shape Rama? Why did Rama agree to go on vanvas – was it only to obey his father or was there more to it? How was the relationship of Rama and Seeta? Is the Ramayana inherently misogynist, considering the characterisation of Seeta, Shurpanakha, Kaikeyi and Tara? What led to the downfall of Ravan? Ami Ganatra takes the reader through the events of the Ramayana, resolving conundrums and underlining the reasons the epic continues to be cherished to this day.

Divided into six clear and easy to follow sections focusing on topics such as liver, Own Your Body bridges the gap between medical jargon and everyday life. Whether you're facing a health scare or just striving for a better lifestyle, Dr. Sarin's wisdom shines through, empowering readers to take charge of their health.

Like a frog in water slowly set to boil, the Indian citizen remains unaware of the creeping erosion of justice. Like the frog, the citizen adapts to an ever-increasing sense of helplessness and frustration. It has led to a crisis of public morality, where obeying the law is seen as optional, and dishonesty as delivering greater rewards. Soon it could be too late, for the citizen as with the frog.A bold manifesto for legal reform in India, Unshackling the Elephant exposes the deep flaws in the justice system—its colonial legacy, inefficiency and disconnect from Indian values. Anand Prasad proposes sweeping changes: judicial accountability, AI-powered courts, changes to usher in ease in doing business, stronger victim rights and a shift towards culturally rooted legal principles. He offers a visionary and occasionally disruptive roadmap to restore justice, transparency and public trust. Grounded in the ethos of Ram Rajya and Dharma, it’s a call to reimagine the law as a force for modern day fairness and progress.

ONCE UPON A TIME, there was a family whose very name connoted wealth. The Vanderbilts had a vast empire built on freight through steamboats and railroads. Over a few generations, the wealth—worth billions in today’s money—had been frittered away and the business itself faded as new options came up in the freight business. Their story remains an enduring example of what happens when business leaders fail to embrace the future and transform.BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION is a live subject, one that authors R. Gopalakrishnan and Hrishi Bhattacharyya have between them a hundred-plus years of leading in their companies. Their learnings, supported by numerous examples, make for riveting reading. One chief lesson why such transformations succeed or fail has to do withcombining the art and science of the change – the heart and the mind – and getting the balance of the two right. In life as in business, to effect a transformation, one needs a compelling narrative, one that inspires the organisation. Important too is to see transformation as a continuous endeavour and made a part of work culture rather than to consider it an exercise undertaken only in a crisis. Embrace the Future is a major book by two business leaders that will appeal to anyone who has faced change—in today’s fluid business environment, most of us. As Gopalakrishnan and Bhattacharyya emphasise, companies that fail to adapt are destined to perish. One needs to learn from the past, manage the present and prepare for the future. We must imagine the future we desire and then fold it into the present.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, justly venerated as a Mahatma, dismantled the mightiest empire in world history through the inspirational power of three pivotal mass campaigns across two decades. In 1920 Gandhi liberated Indians from fear through the unprecedented mass mobilization of the non-cooperation movement. In 1930 he turned a pinch of salt into a metaphor for the punitive, heartless colonial exploitation of the impoverished. The 1942 call to ‘Quit India’ sent a final, unambiguous message to foreign overlords: Indians would prefer to die rather than live in British fetters. Once Gandhi had unchained India, history could no longer remain dormant. Akbar draws on historical archives and contemporary narratives to vividly depict the mass ferment and individual protest that swept across the subcontinent. The combination of meticulous scholarship with riveting storytelling, make Gandhi in Three Campaigns an unmissable fresh portrait of an icon and a time.

The woman of today is independent, career-oriented and an active contributor to the family income. But in a society still largely designed by and for men, are women truly in control of their financial decisions? When it comes to big financial choices, like buying a home or investing savings, who really calls the shots?Drawing on years of research and candid interviews with women from diverse backgrounds, author Jyoti Kappal uncovers the complex emotional and psychological factors that shape women’s financial behaviour. She examines inherent biases, such as parental influence, mental accounting and a tendency toward risk aversion, and how they can hinder confident investing. She also breaks down the various types of women investors, identifying the unique strengths and strategies they bring to the table.How Women Invest in a Man’s World is both a wake-up call and a practical guide, offering insight into what holds women back and, more importantly, how they can take control, build wealth and shape a financially secure future on their own terms.

A person with a positive attitude cannot be stopped and a person with a negative attitude cannot be helped. Both success and failure have a limited lifespan. Success is neither a miracle nor a mystery. It does not depend upon special skills, formal education or superior intelligence. It is the natural outcome of consistently applying certain principles on an ongoing basis. The ultimate goal is to sustain success and eliminate failure. Acquiring facts is knowledge, understanding facts is comprehension, and the proper application of facts is wisdom. The principles in this book can help you to: 1. Live by design, not by default 2. Gain confidence and optimize your potential 3. Become proactive and develop a winning attitude 4. Balance your health, wealth and relationships 5. Overcome day-to-day problems and make better decisions 6. Make positive choices and avoid pitfalls The secret to a meaningful life is in your hands. Through inspiring ideas and basic values, this book will help empower you to Achieve More and become unstoppable.

Riya’s fortieth birthday is the perfect excuse for a reunion. It’s been ten years since Maya, Riya, Sameera and Naina were all together. What the friends don’t anticipate is a storm leaving them stranded in a Gurgaon penthouse for the weekend. Hardly a problem, one would think, when there is a chef, a housekeeper and a full bar. Between sips of Dom Pérignon and icy shots of Belvedere, Maya realises that there is more to this reunion than meets the eye. Tensions mount and deep-buried secrets slowly unravel—old rivalries, marriage trouble, envy, money woes. So when one of the girls suddenly dies, Maya is left questioning whether it’s merely an accident or cold-blooded murder. Trapped in the apartment, her own life at stake, can she solve the mystery before someone else drops dead?

When she was four, novelist and columnist Sreemoyee Piu Kundu’s father died by suicide. In her memoir Everything Changes, she embarks on a path of self-discovery by recognising the scars of her childhoodlived under the shadow of his death. In a poignant act of piecing together her early life, Sreemoyee describes being bullied in school, suffering brutal romantic rejection as a teenager, undergoing her first gynaecological surgery at the age of 19 and later being pronounced infertile. Her gnawing abandonment trauma that most survivors of suicide grapple with and an abusive first love see her leave Kolkata and land in Delhi, finding her feet as a journalist. Sreemoyee meets success in the many roles she chooses thereon, but at the heartof each triumph rests the seed of loss and change.After decades of inner conflict, in the year she turns forty, in an act of surrender, Sreemoyee performs the last rites for her biological father, finally acknowledging his simultaneous presence and absence in her life. It is an act of forgiveness and faith. Will it help her relinquish her sense of betrayal and grief over a man she never trulyknew, but whose death haunted her life? Candid and moving, fluent and unflinching, Everything Changes tells the arduous story of rebuilding one’s life over and over again.

Journalist Nayanima Basu had a ringside view of the total collapse of the republic of Afghanistan at the hands of the Taliban. From 8 to 17 August 2021, based in Kabul but travelling outside and talking to Afghans across the political spectrum, she sent despatches of the Taliban sweeping through the country, with provinces falling one after another. Covering a hostile war zone, a woman all alone, she saw the fall of Kabul in real time and managed to get out on the last flight by negotiating with Taliban bosses. Basu transports us to the heart of the action with her vivid narration and precise descriptions of what was happening in Afghanistan at large and Kabul in particular. Through her astonishing account of how she did her reporting – from asking gun-toting civilians for help to find her way back to her hotel and being chided by the hotel employees to stay safe in an iron room to being the only Indian journalist to ever interview the ‘Butcher of Kabul’ – Basu tells the story of not just the wreckage of the country’s present but also of the contentious past that lead to it.