BOOKS TO LOOK OUT FOR THIS WEEK

The Snow Leopard Adventure

Dalal Deepak

Penguin, Rs 250

Vikram and Aditya are back in magnificent Ladakh. Having finally freed their young friend Tsering from the hands of dangerous men, they’ve set themselves up for an even great challenge: To locate the grey ghost of the Himalayas, the snow leopard. The boys join a team of ecologists and explorers in their search for this immensely rare and beautiful creature of the wild. But high up in the Himalayas, amidst daunting mountains and dark valleys, everyone has just one question on their mind: How do you study an animal you cannot find?

The Politician

Devesh Verma

Penguin, Rs 599

Ram Mohan is an intrepid and ambitious young man in newly independent India, who refuses to be held down by his humble origins. Spurred on by his diehard optimism, he aims for things usually inaccessible to people of his extraction. However, he soon realises that without political or bureaucratic power, the idea of a respectable life in India is nothing but pretence, Ram Mohan becomes persuaded of the efficacy of violence in certain situations. The Politician is an enthralling, evocative view of provincial northern India, and the ebb and flow of the fortunes of its protagonists.

BY MANY A HAPPY ACCIDENT: Recollections of a Life

Mohammad Hamid Ansari

Rupa, Rs 795

It’s an account of a life of unplanned happenings that took M. Hamid Ansari away from his preferred fancy for academia to professional diplomacy and then be co-opted in public life and catapulted to the second highest office in the land for two consecutive terms. None of his predecessors, except Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, had experienced this honour. Besides chairing the Rajya Sabha and shedding interesting light on some of its functional aspects, Ansari used the vice presidency as a formidable pulpit to express himself candidly on a range of issues.

GUIDE TO INNER WELLNESS

Atul Sehgal

Rupa, Rs 195

Technology has undeniably brought us much respite, comfort and convenience. It is almost unfathomable to imagine a world devoid of technology. From the tiny paper clip to massive nuclear reactors, the influence of science and technology is all-pervasive. But as we seek easier and faster ways of ‘getting our work done’ and even faster means of accessing information, are we missing something? Guide to Inner Wellness addresses these questions by drawing upon the Shanti Karanam mantras from the Vedas to guide the reader on the way to attaining inner peace and harmony.

BY MANY A HAPPY ACCIDENT: Recollections of a Life

Mohammad Hamid Ansari

Rupa, Rs 795

It’s an account of a life of unplanned happenings that took M. Hamid Ansari away from his preferred fancy for academia to professional diplomacy and then be co-opted in public life and catapulted to the second highest office in the land for two consecutive terms. None of his predecessors, except Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, had experienced this honour. Besides chairing the Rajya Sabha and shedding interesting light on some of its functional aspects, Ansari used the vice presidency as a formidable pulpit to express himself candidly on a range of issues.

GUIDE TO INNER WELLNESS

Atul Sehgal

Rupa, Rs 195

Technology has undeniably brought us much respite, comfort and convenience. It is almost unfathomable to imagine a world devoid of technology. From the tiny paper clip to massive nuclear reactors, the influence of science and technology is all-pervasive. But as we seek easier and faster ways of ‘getting our work done’ and even faster means of accessing information, are we missing something? Guide to Inner Wellness addresses these questions by drawing upon the Shanti Karanam mantras from the Vedas to guide the reader on the way to attaining inner peace and harmony.