He appears out of nowhere in a sleepy little neighbourhood in suburban Kerala. He calls himself Shunya, the zero. Who is he? A lunatic? A dark magician? A fraud? Or an avadhuta, an enlightened soul? Saami, as they call him, settles into a small cottage in the backyard of the local toddy shop. Here he spins parables, blesses, curses, drinks endless glasses of black tea and lives in total freedom. On rare occasions, he plays soul-stirring melodies on his old bamboo-reed flute. Then, just as mysteriously as he arrived, Shunya vanishes, setting the path for a new avadhuta, a new era.

In a city graveyard, a resident unrolls a threadbare Persian carpet between two graves. On a concrete sidewalk, a baby appears quite suddenly, a little after midnight, in a crib of litter. In a snowy valley, a father writes to his five-year-old daughter about the number of people who attended her funeral. And in the Jannat Guest House, two people who've known each other all their lives sleep with their arms wrapped around one another as though they have only just met.

Aavarana: The Veil by S. L. Bhyrappa is a story of a free-spirited and rebellious young woman, Lakshmi, who marries the man she is deeply in love with. Amir, her husband, requests she convert to Islam, and she reluctantly agrees. Despite her father being completely against the marriage, she breaks ties with him and changes her name to Razia. However, things change for the worse, and she discovers a different side to Amir. He is not the progressive and liberal person she thought he was.

The 39 short stories in this book will blow you away. Starting with a ghost story by Rabindranath Tagore, Indias most famous writer, and ending with a fable by Kanishk Tharoor, a writer who has come of age in the 21st century, these literary masterpieces showcase the extraordinary range and diversity of our storytelling tradition.

It is the 18th century, and despite the dominant Mughal rule, the Maratha Confederacy has established itself as a force to be reckoned with in the Indian Subcontinent. The fragile peace between the two powers is threatened when Balaji Vishvanath Bhat, Peshwa of the Confederacy, foils the plans of Nizam Ul Mulk of the Mughal Empire and asserts the power of the Marathas. However, little does the Peshwa know that he has dealt the Nizam an unintended wound - one with roots in his mysterious past.

The book is a complete package defining love, friendship, betrayal and hatred that exists between the main characters of the story, Dhurv and Aranya. The story revolves around them. Both hate each other and could cross any limit to hurt each other, but still they cannot stay away from each other...

Life would have been easier had it been possible for us to plan falling in love; More importantly, avoid falling in love... ‘Love is not for you,’ she told herself. Inside, just like any girl, she desired to be loved. She had accepted her life the way it was, till one day love showed up...

A new job beckons Shanaya to Bangalore. Her bags are packed, and she is all set for the new life. But she wants to pamper herself and enjoy, coz it’s her last day in Delhi, where she has spent some really good times. She is out exploring when she bumps into a stranger; he sweeps her off her feet with his magnetic charm, way with words and a well-chiseled body. What’s the harm of having a good time, she wonders! After all, she’d be gone the next day - no strings attached. While she gets adventurous, she barely knows what life is planning to throw at her.

The best thing happened to her . . . but in the worst way possible . . . Prisha Srivastav turned eighteen two months back. Hailing from Faridabad, shestudies mass communication in Bengaluru. She meets a mysterious man,double her age, who goes by the name 'the mean monster' in the Bengaluru party...

It’s the week before New Year’s Eve, and Shanaya’s boyfriend is away for an official conference. She doesn’t want to waste a chance to have a harmless fling while he is away. While looking for a date for her New Year’s party, she meets a mystery man on Tinder - a young, charming and dapper gentleman who has no hidden agendas. He just wants to show Shanaya a good time at the party...and in the bed.

Karan Johar is synonymous with success, panache, quick wit, and outspokenness, which sometimes inadvertently creates controversy and makes headlines. KJo, as he is popularly called, has been a much-loved Bollywood film director, producer, actor, and discoverer of new talent. With his flagship...

Darkness engulfs the Indian subcontinent. The 17th century is destined to be an era of brutal wars, incessant oppression and physical and spiritual carnage in the name of religion. Shivaji, a warrior and thinker far ahead of his times, rises and renders a rousing dream - respect and dignity for human life, economic equity and empowerment. Destiny does not favour him; he faces terribile odds - a fallen and defeated populace, the might of the Mughal Empire, and naval supremacy of the Western powers.

Currently ranked world number one in women's doubles, Sania Mirza became an instant sensation when she won the Wimbledon Championships girls' doubles title at the age of 16. From 2003 until her retirement from the singles circuit in 2012, she was ranked by the Women's Tennis Association as India's top player, both in singles and doubles. A six-time Grand Slam champion, she notched up an incredible 41 consecutive wins with her doubles partner, Martina Hingis, between August 2015 and February 2016.

Few actors in Hindi cinema have had Rishi Kapoor's sort of a career arc: from the gawky adolescent pining for his schoolteacher ( Mera Naam Joker, 1970) to the naughty 90-year-old ( Kapoor & Sons, 2016), Rishi Kapoor has regaled audiences for close to 50 years. He won a National Award for his debut, became an overnight sensation with his first film as a leading man ( Bobby, 1973), and carved a niche for himself with a string of romantic musical blockbusters.

Born to parents who were landless agricultural labour in the state of Manipur in Northeast India, Mary's story is one of relentless struggle and unflagging passion for the sport of boxing. A childhood of hard labour prepared her body for the sport just as well as any fitness training might have. Her own will and aggression carried her through the minefield of politics that any sport in India is. Nimble of foot and pulling no punches, the boxing ring was Mary's dominion.

In his first non-fiction foray, best-selling author Ashwin Sanghi explores that critical, much-longed for element called luck. Through entertaining and informative anecdotes, narrations of personal experiences and vignettes of homespun wisdom, Ashwin gives us a whole new insight into how people can work towards being lucky. It seems that luck isn't entirely the twist of fate that it is made out to be!

What do sporting champions do, what makes winning teams, who is a good leader, why do only some teams keep winning while others win only for a while and then lose? Two IIMA alumni, Sports commentator and writer Harsha Bhogle and advertising and communication consultant Anita Bhogle, dig into examples from sport to see how they can benefit managers.