Lighten up with tomes on Nehru, SRK and Mumbai (IANS Books This Week)

NEW DELHI - This weekend, break off from the hectic festival schedule with a bunch of engaging books.

1. Book: “Jawaharlal Nehru: Civilising a Savage World”; Written by Nayantara Sahgal; Published by Penguin-India; Priced at Rs.350

The book presents an intimate view of the influences, encounters and defining historical moments that forged the vision of India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

Drawing from Nehru’s and Vijayalakshmi Pandit’s papers and from Nehru’s letters to Sahgal, his niece, the book combines history with personal recollections to show how Nehru helped navigate India’s transition from a colony to an influential modern civilisation.

2. Book: “K-K-Krazy about Khan”; Written by Shonali Ghosh-Sen; Published by Rupa & Co; Priced at Rs.146

Kriti, a young urban girl, is so enamoured of Shah Rukh Khan and deeply fascinated by his dimpled-lover boy image that worshipping her hero becomes her parallel profession. Adding to this saga of obsession are her hilarious misadventures that constantly leave her in waters way above her head. She is convinced that Shah Rukh is the only man she can ever love, until she meets the gorgeous Kabir Oberoi and realises that he is gradually taking over the charm that only Shah Rukh holds for her.

3. Book: “When The Tiger was King”; Edited and Compiled by Ruskin Bond; Published by Rupa & Co; Priced at Rs.95

It is a book about tigers that pays tribute to their fierce splendour and beauty. In this Rupa anthology, Ruskin Bond brings together some of the most adventurous and engaging tiger stories by master storytellers with a couple of charming tiger folktales from Asia.

4. Book: “Hacking Work Breaking Stupid Rules for Smart Results”; Written by Bill Jensen & Josh Klein; Published by Penguin India Ltd; Priced at Rs.399

The book blows the lid off the biggest open secret in the working world. Today’s top performers are taking matters into their own hands by bypassing sacred structures, using forbidden tools, and ignoring silly rules to increase their productivity and job satisfaction.

The book reveals a multitude of powerful technological and social hacks, and shows readers how bringing these methods out into the open can help them maximize their efficiency and satisfaction with work.

5. Book: “Mumbai Fables”; Written by Gyan Prakash; Published by HarperCollins-India; Priced at Rs.599

Both spectacle and ruin, Mumbai exemplifies the cosmopolitan metropolis. It is not just a big city but also a soaring vision of modern urban life. Millions from India and beyond, of different ethnicities, languages and religions, have washed up on its shores, bringing with them their desires and ambitions. ‘Mumbai Fables’ explores the mythic inner life of this legendary city as visualised by its inhabitants, journalists, planners, writers, artists, film-makers and political activists.