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Title - A Broken Man Author - Akash Verma Genre - Fiction Publishers - Srishti Publishers and Distributors ISBN - 978-93-82665-69-4 Have you ever imagined that there is a untold sorrow and misery on the renowned lyricist and writer - KK? The story opens with KK travelling in a luxury sedan to a upscale apartment. While the entire world celebrated his success, he was still reeling with melancholy. He had a flashback. The flashback had a beautiful and unadulterated love in the name of Chhavi. KK hailed from Bihar and belonged to a lower caste while Chhavi's father was none other than Pandit Radhey Shankar Mishra who held an important position in Lok Shakthi Party. Krishna(KK) and Chhavi were in college then and initially KK was pitted against Chhavi who was promoting LWSI to dethrone Gope who was backed by Bharatiya Samaj Party(BSP) in the local elections. An event turns the hostile Krishna to become close to Chhavi and they both fall in love with each other...

Pic Credit - USA Today Roger Federer, the Swiss National created the history yesterday by winning his 18th SLAM when he defeated Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open Finals,2017. Why is it so important and what makes it special? Here are some of the anecdotes. 1) After Ken Roswell who had won Australian Open in 1972 at the age of 37, Roger Federer is the second oldest to lift a trophy at the age of 35 Years, 5 months and 21 days old.  2) Federer became the first man in tennis to win 5 titles at 3 different slams. The other two being US Open and Wimbledon. 3) Federer became the first man in tennis to cross USD100 Mn in prize money earnings. He has amassed USD 102,530,825 as on date (30/1/17). This is exclusive of his brand endorsements and deals which is worth few hundred million dollars. 4) This is the 100th match which Roger Federer has played in Australian Open. 5) Federer will move from World No.17 to World No.14 6) His close friend and ano...

Title - Those were the days Author - N.S.Ravi Genre - Non Fiction Publications - Frog Books ISBN - 978-93-52013-05-0 This book is surely one of its kind. Unlike other non-fiction, this book would very much appeal to you as a reader because the author has captured the real essence of our past. I was born in 1980 and hence I could relate most of the contents being mentioned in the book, if not all. The author has literally covered all the day to day aspects which we have used and that seen a drastic change over a period of time which ranges from Buses, Rickshaws, Autos, Bicycles, Scooters, Cars, Post, Telephones, Mobiles, Teachers, Schools, Pens, Pencils, Ball Pens, Radios, Televisions, Music Systems. Calculators, Typewriters, Magazines, Comics, Novels, DL among lot of other thing. I still remember getting my first landline connection with the recommendation letter from the then M.P. and also could recollect going to school in rickshaw. As clearly mentioned by t...

Title - The Bogus Read Author - Divyamaan Genre - Fiction Publisher - Frog Books ISBN - 978-93-52017-44-7 This is the first time ever I laughed right from the beginning of the book till the end. The book is an excellent attempt by Divyamaan where he has used his imagination to bring out the utmost irony that is prevailing in various sectors like Politics, International Relations to name a few. The story revolves around the group of friends Ravi,Param,Rohit,Prakhar and Karan who gave more importance to Counter Strike(CS) game rather than their studies. Despite their not so good attempt in exam preparations, they were surprised to see their names being featured in Top 10 when one of the semester results were announced. On the other hand, the Indian Army which included Major Das, Brigadier Suryakant, Colonel Chauhan and Mehta were worried about the impending threat of take over of Indian Territories by Pakistan Army. Surprisingly The Times of Bharat never car...

It is not everyday that a venerable historian of William Dalrymple’s ilk and erudition is available for an interaction. Naturally, Crossword Bookstores at Kemps Corner was buzzing with excited fans  on Tuesday  evening who had come to interact with acclaimed writer William Dalrymple and BBC journalist Anita Anand on their latest book Kohinoor: The Story of the World’s Most Infamous Diamond published by juggernaut books In their talk Dalrymple and Anand spoke about their new discoveries around the diamond and bust many of the myths and legends surrounding the world’s most ‘infamous’ diamond.  “ We realized that the Kohinoor story is about passion, nationalism and pride and very little about facts, historical evidence and proof. That's why we decided to write a book that will not take sides on this debate but excavate the facts, ” said Dalrymple. " The irony is that we have the hardest substance in the world which is surrounded by insubst...

Title - The Unpredictable Heart Author - Moksh Publisher - Partridge,A Penguin Random House Company ISBN - 978-1-4828-5756-6              978-1-4828-5755-9 Genre - Fiction This is a simple story but with  great emotional connect. Moksh has made me travel to my past. When I say this, I am sure that even you would be travelling to your past for sure to rewind your memories. Mrinav is the protagonist and despite being surrounded by some good friends, he always had this complex of not looking great. He falls in love with few girls in the so called journey of life but never emerges successful. He was almost about to lose his hope when he finds some one special. Who is this person and how she had come into his life is the story. Moksh has used events that would sound so realistic and it seems that this is an actual combination of reel and real life incidents. The book has surely made me connect with my past which I would say ...

Crossword Bookstore presents an opportunity to meet  bestselling writer and historian   William Dalrymple  and  Anita Anand, co-authors of    Kohinoor:  The Story of the World’s Most Infamous Diamond.  BOOK READING & INTERACTIVE SESSION ON 24TH JAN AT CROSSWORD KEMPS CORNER MUMBAI, 6PM. About the book:  ​​  Kohinoor:  The Story of the World’s Most Infamous Diamond unearths fascinating new information and is a gripping historical saga of loot, murder, torture, deceit and colonial greed. Using previously untranslated Sanskrit, Persian and Urdu sources, and the discoveries of modern gemologists, William Dalrymple and Anita Anand blow away the legends to reveal the Kohinoor’s true history – stranger, and more violent, than any fiction.  The story sweeps from the century the Kohinoor spent embedded in the Mughals’ fabulous Peacock Throne to the months it spent hidden in a prison cell in a remote Afghan for...

Image Credit - Google Jallikattu as it is popularly called is a traditional sport of Tamilnadu. This has been in practice or few hundreds of years. The actual name of the sport is " Sallikattu " where Salli or Sallikaasu were the pennies and Kattu is a bag or pouch. The bag which contains these pennies were tied on the horns of the bull and the person who stops the raging bull can claim this bag as a reward.  The game has been followed in the nearby States in different names. Even in Tamilnadu it is played in another name called " Manju Virattu ". The references to this sport has found a mention in ancient Tamil Epics.  Jallikattu is not the sport that inflict or has the intention to inflict wound either to the Bull or the Human Beings who are involved in the sport. Even until recently, it became a nation wide issue when protesters staged their demands across entire Tamilnadu and most prominently from Marina Beach,Chennai - I was not aware of why ...

Title - The Rich Labourer Authors - Parthajeet Sarma and Sibani Sarma Publication - iDream ISBN - 9781542333771 Genre - Fiction Have you ever wondered whether you could teach management through a present day story? I have not read one until recently and never thought that it would be possible until I stumbled upon The Rich Labourer. The book revolves around few characters like Ravi,Riya, Vinod, Jagdish,Nikita, Seema,Rohit,Ramesh, Saee and had beautifully placed forth in front of us as to how  project idea can be conceived and implemented. The team decides to venture into a project of creating a self-sustained housing model which they code name it as " Powerhouse "  Whether they managed to successfully built one is the story. I can say this is something similar to a management book which implies the importance of a unique concept called The 3P Method where P - Probe, Ponder and Prove What has to be done during these stages has been well ex...

Bringing the Rainbow is not just an autobiography. It is the legacy that was build over a period spanning more than five decades by the leader in sanitary-ware products in India Mr. R. K. Somany . When I read the book, I could clearly understand that business runs in their blood. Having the Marwari background, this is no surprise. Mr Somany begins the book with how his grandfather Mr. Ram Prasad starts off from Chiwara despite having thriving money lending business to make it even bigger. Little did he knew by then that he would be setting a business empire. Born as 9th kid among 11 on 10th November, 1937 Mr Somany lost his father when he was just 7. His elder brother Mr. Hiralall and his wife Kamla Bhabi became his foster parents. He fondly recollects an incident which happened in school which made him not to compromise what he thought was right. This came in handy later when he took the helm of managing HSIL ( Hindustan Sanitaryware India Limited ). He also became ...

Title - The God Factor - For Success and Contentment Author - Nitin Srivastava Publisher - Pothi ISBN-13 -  978-1632271419 The book is a simple guide as to how one can live a contended life. Author has explained it nicely with good examples as to what makes a person really happy. It is not money or fame that makes one live a real happy life. Then what it is which makes a person happy? We live in the world of illusion - MAYA. How to come out of it? Read this 70 page book which will make you understand the simple basics. A real good attempt by the author.

Did you know that Sydney's Opera House, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, almost didn't come to be? Or that the locals refer to the Harbour Bridge as 'Coat hanger' thanks to its shape? How many metros offer you the chance to get up close and personal with nature? Sydney dishes out surprises at every corner making the marathon flight to the Land Down Under totally worth it. Here are 10 surprising facts about Sydney you probably didn’t know… 1) On top of the world- The Sydney Harbour Bridge is the largest and tallest steel arch-bridge in the World. No small feat considering it was built in the 1930's! Today the bridge carries eight traffic lanes, two rail tracks, a walkway and a bicycle path… As well as a set of stairs to the centre of the arc! At the summit, there's no sound save for the howling of the wind, and you are greeted by 360 degree views of one of the most beautiful cities in the world. 2) A walk to remember - Sydney is a city set in...

The first monthly meet of Lions Club of Chennai Centennial Heroes for the year 2017 took place yesterday - 11th January at Ln Jayaraman's residence in Shanthi Colony,Chennai. The program began with Lions Prayer and Flag Salutation. The President, Secretary and Treasurer presided the meeting. A minute silence for observed for the Treasurer's Father who passed away recently. Few points were discussed in the meeting after the speech by The President, Secretary followed by the Accounts Report by the Treasurer. The points includes: 1. Each One Get One - Getting more Lion Members to the club to strengthen so that projects can be done without any burden on the finances. To start with, the target has been set to 30. 2. Collection of pending dues from the members which would help in paying the District and International Dues. 3. Opening of Bank Account which would be operated jointly by PST and the same would be followed in the years which mea...

The preparatory meeting for Lions Club Centennial Celebrations was held yesterday. It gives me great pleasure in covering the insights here. The event is for DC's, RC's and PST's Where DC stands for District Chairperson RC stands for Regional Chairperson and PST stands for President, Secretary and Treasurer. I was asked to attend the event by the President of my club - Centennial Heroes by Lion K Baskar. Thank You so much sir for this opportunity as I witnessed the sheer brilliance and grandeur of a meeting which is actually a preparatory meeting. When and Where? Hotel Savera on 10/1/17 from 7PM at Samavesh Hall. We took a mandatory selfie prior to the commencement of the event. We were greeted with light music to start with. The event saw the who's who of Chennai which included PMJF Lion L K Syed Ahmed, PMJF Ln T.A.S.Ramamurthy who both were past District Governors and the presiding members of the present term 2016-17 wh...