BOOKS OF THE WEEK

IQBAL : THE LIFE OF A POET, PHILOSOPHER AND POLITICIAN
BY - ZAFAR ANJUM 

About the Book
Allama Mohammad Iqbal, whom Sarojini Naidu called the Poet laureate of Asia, remains a controversial figure in the history of the Indian subcontinent. On the one hand, he is considered the Spiritual Father of Pakistan. On the other, his message of eastern revivalism places him in the ranks of the twentieth centurys major intellectuals. Iqbals tragedy was that after his death, he was made the national poet of Pakistan and largely ignored in India. In his time, he was lauded as much as Tagore, but today India celebrates Tagore while Iqbal has been banished from her consciousness.
This meticulously researched biography will redress that erasure. This is the story of Iqbals evolution as a poet, philosopher and politician. While his role in the struggle for Indias freedom and the Pakistan movement are well known, not much is known about his personal life. This book highlights some of the least known facets of the poets life-how did a nationalist poet transform into a poet of Islamic revivalism and global revolution? How did three years in Europe change Iqbals political and philosophical outlook? Why did he start writing in Persian during his stay in Europe? Why did his first marriage fail and how did his romantic relationships affect him? What exactly was the poets role in bringing about Partition? Written with the passion of an ardent devotee, Zafar Anjums Iqbal answers all of these questions-and many more-in this carefully told biography.

About the Author :
Singapore-based journalist, writer and filmmaker Zafar Anjum has been published in India, the US, the UK, Singapore and other countries. His most recent works include a work of non-fiction, The Resurgence of Satyam (Random House India, 2012) and a collection of short stories, The Singapore Decalogue - Episodes in the Life of a Foreign Talent (Red Wheelbarrow Books, Singapore, 2012).
ISBN : 9788184005868 PRICE  Rs. 499/-

BOOKS OF THE WEEK

Making Dreams Come True
The Story of the Tech Mahindra Foundation
By -  Vinod C. Khanna

About the Book :
In just over five years of its existence, the Tech Mahindra Foundation (TMF) has helped bring about a significant change for the better in the lives of thousands of underprivileged children and youth. Funded entirely by Tech Mahindra, the well-known IT company belonging to the Mahindra Group, it has risen to the Herculean challenge of providing them educational opportunities from primary schooling to vocational training. In this endeavour, it lays special emphasis on those who are more vulnerable: the girl child, the physically challenged and religious minorities. And with each passing year, its philanthropic operations and its successes continue to grow, bringing hope to an ever increasing number of disadvantaged young people. 
Making Dreams Come True provides valuable insights into how a medium-sized private foundation has become a significant contributor to some of the country s most important developmental goals. Moreover, it is a testament to the passion and hard work of not only the TMF and its personnel but also the others involved in this important project of building a more inclusive India for the future the NGOs, the teachers, the technicians and the determined young children who dare to dream big.

About the Author :
Vinod C. Khanna was educated in St. Xavier s College, Bombay, and the Queen s College, Oxford. A former diplomat, he served as India s Ambassador in Cuba, Indonesia and Bhutan. For the last fifteen years he has been in the development sector with special interest in the education of the underprivileged. He is the founder-trustee of Pratham Delhi Education Inititiative. He was the head of Tech Mahindra Foundation from 2007 to 2012.
ISBN No. : 978 0670087631    PRICE : Rs. 599.00

BOOKS OF THE WEEK

The Ramayana: Love and Valour in India's 
By -  J. P. Losty

About the Book :
The Indian epic "Ramayana" is one of the world's greatest and most enduring stories. Prince Rama was exiled with his beloved wife Sita for 14 years through the plotting of his stepmother. Sita was carried off by the demon Ravana, King of Lanka, and Rama gathered an army of monkeys to search for her. The allies attacked Lanka, killed Ravana and rescued Sita. In order to prove her chastity, Sita entered fire, but was vindicated by the gods and restored to her husband. The illustrated "Ramayana" commissioned by Rana Jagat Singh of Mewar in Rajasthan between 1649 and 1653 and now mostly in the British Library is among the greatest of seventeenth-century Indian manuscripts. The huge scale of the project, with over 400 paintings, allowed the artists to focus on telling the epic story on the grandest scale. Nearly 130 of the paintings are here presented in book form for the first time, allowing the reader to follow the story through the paintings, while the detailed introduction puts this epic manuscript into its historical and cultural context.

About the Author :
JP Losty retired in 2005 after 34 years as a curator of Indian Visual Materials in the Asian Department of the British Library. He has published extensively on illustrated Indian manuscripts and painting in India.
ISBN No. : 9788189738341    PRICE : Rs. 895/- 

BOOKS OF THE WEEK

The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher
By - Hilary Mante

About the Book :
In these ten bracingly subversive tales, all her gifts of characterisation and observation are fully engaged, summoning forth the horrors so often concealed behind everyday façades. Childhood cruelty is played out behind the bushes in ‘Comma’; nurses clash in ‘Harley Street’ over something more than professional differences; and in the title story, staying in for the plumber turns into an ambiguous and potentially deadly waiting game. Whether set in a claustrophobic Saudi Arabian flat or on a precarious mountain road in Greece, these stories share an insight into the darkest recesses of the spirit. Displaying all of Mantel’s unmistakable style and wit, they reveal a great writer at the peak of her powers. 

About the Author :
Hilary Mantel is the author of thirteen books , including A PLACE OF GREATER SAFETY, BEYOND BLACK, and the memoir GIVING UP THE GHOST. Her two most recent novels, WOLF HALL and its sequel BRING UP THE BODIES, have both been awarded The Man Booker Prize – an unprecedented achievement.
  ISBN No. : 9780007583089            PRICE : Rs. 499/-