The thoughts and ideas of Indian diplomats who have collectively put in
more than 1,150 years in the Indian Foreign Service, understanding the
ins and out of wealth creation, a story of a Parsi man and an exciting
tale about the battle between man and nature: this is what IANS has to
offer to its readers this weekend. Take a look.
1. Book: India
and the World: Through the Eyes of Indian Diplomats; Edited by Surendra
Kumar; Publisher: Wisdom Tree; Pages: 460; Price: Rs.1,095.
If
there is anything constant in the world, it is change, especially in
today's globalised world. Thirty mandarins of South Block look at the
current changes in different parts of the world, try to connect them
with developments of the recent past, analyse and dissect them with
experience and understanding spanning decades and strive to foresee what
is likely to happen and weigh how that could impact India's relations
with the rest of the world.
This book is a unique treasure of the
thoughts and ideas of Indian diplomats who have collectively put in
more than 1,150 years in the Indian Foreign Service, representing three
generations: those who joined in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. While some
have shared reflections and reminiscences of their roller coaster
journey diplomatic career, others have focussed on India's relations
with different countries and regions.
A few have set out on a
rather philosophical note, wondering whether it is hard power or the
soft power or the soul power that serves national interests best and
whether the days of quiet diplomacy are numbered. All in all, it is a
heady cocktail of reflections and reminiscences, hard-nosed analysis and
dispassionate interpretation and, of course, some crystal ball-gazing.
2.
Book: The Value Elephant: The Head and Tail of Wealth Creation; Author:
Sanjay Kulkarni; Publisher: Portfolio; Pages: 313; Price: Rs.799.
If
six sightless men were asked to describe "value", they had probably
touched an elephant and described it in parts, without getting a sense
of the whole. But to build lasting wealth, you must perceive the entire
"value elephant".
Great fortunes are made and lost in financial
markets. The author's approach, called V-GRO, enables identification of
fundamentally strong businesses which are available at a discount,
debunks a number of myths like "price is always right" and "earrings are
everything", and creates positive results for investors.
That is
not all. The same fundamentals, Kulkarni argues, can be applied to a
business to create value. He demonstrates how CEOs, professional
managers and owners of businesses can ride the "value elephant" to make
businesses more valuable, regardless of ownership and industry segment.
3. Book: Rustom and the Last Storyteller of Almora; Author: Gaurav Parab; Publisher: Hachette; Pages: 270; Price: Rs.399
Rustom Iraqiwalla, a once-rich, green-eyed Parsi, is all set to blow his brains out at his best friend's wedding.
Debt-ridden
and marked by the mafia, this is the only way he can secure his
family's future and atone for all the rotten choices he has made in his
life. This extraordinary situation comes by way of his grandfather
Fali's will that states Rustom shall inherit the family fortune if he
kills himself in a public place with the former's eponymous gun.
Before
he has a chance to shoot himself, his best friend Mani persuades him to
meet an unlikely saviour in the Himalayan town of Almora - a
drugged-out godman belting out strange visions through cryptic stories
of love, power and loyalty.
Will the last story-teller give
Rustom a reason to live, or will his tales push Rustom further into an
abyss of unimaginable loss?
4. Book: Ambushed; Author: Nayanika Mathani; Publisher: Penguin; Pages: 168; Price: Rs.199.
This is a wildly exciting tale about the battle between man and nature.
"That's
it," thought Tara, with a sinking feeling in her stomach. "My end is
here". She fervently hoped it wouldn't be as brutal as that of the poor
tigers. Gadget geek Tara braces herself for the dullest summer ever when
her banker-turned-photographer father whisks her off to a sleepy tiger
reserve in the Himalayan foothills, where nothing ever happens.
She
couldn't have been more wrong. A stroll through the woods sends Tara on
an adventure of a lifetime, as she stumbles upon an international gang
of poachers. A tigress and her cubs must be saved and Tara's only
accomplice is her mysterious new friend, Satya. But can this unlikely
pair save the day?
The author tackles the glaring issue of tiger poaching while spinning a compelling man versus nature story.
