India After Gandhi: The History Of The World's Largest Democracy

Book Summary of India After Gandhi: The History Of The World's Largest Democracy

India is a story of hope and despair, darkness and light, chaos and glory. Ramachandra Guha tells the story of modern India, its creation and its progress with a well researched elegance. The story of India has always been a captivating one, but Guha gives it fresh insight by the sheer volume of details he provides, not just on India's longest serving prime ministers, Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi, but also about the lesser known and marginalized people of India – the peasants, workers and tribals.

The compelling book focuses on the conflicts as well as the triumphs that India has seen since its inception. The bloodshed of the Partition, the humiliating defeat against the Chinese, the miracle of the Indian elections, the dark days of Emergency, the triumph of the Bangladesh liberation are all chronicled in detail in this book.

General Reception of the Book


The book was an instant critical success once it was published, and it was hailed as 'Book of the Year' by Outlook, The Wall Street Journal and The Economist. It even won the Sahitya Akademi award for English in the year 2011.

About the Author
Ramachandra Guha can best be described as a multi-faceted personality. His interests include cricket, history, environment and politics. He also writes columns for well known Indian newspapers.

The author is an alumnus of the Doon School, St Stephens College in Delhi and IIM Kolkatta. He has taught at several universities including Stanford, Oslo, Yale and the Indian Institute of Science.

Other Popular Books by Ramachandra Guha


The author is well known for writing other popular books, some of which include The Fissured Land: An Ecological History of India, Wickets in the East, Spin and other Turns, The Picador Book of Cricket, The Last Liberal and other essays

Awards and Recognition


Ramachandra Guha has also been bestowed with many awards through the course of his career, like the Leopold-Hidy Prize by the American Society for Environmental History in 2001, R K Narayan Prize in 2003, Padma Bushan in 2009 and Sahitya Akademi Award in 2011.

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The Fountainhead

Book Summary of The Fountainhead

'The Fountainhead' by Ayn Rand represents the struggle of the human spirit to triumph in its fight against collectivism. Regarded as her breakthrough novel, the book that soon came to be regarded as a masterpiece was rejected by 12 publishers, before finally seeing the light of the day. Read the book to find out what made it such a huge success and why it has remained a top-of-the-mind literary effort even after all these years.

When Ayn Rand started to write The Fountainhead, she wanted to steer clear of making any overt political statement. But as she began to spell out the story of the proudly individualistic Howard Roark, an architect who struggles to survive in a world ruled by traditions, she realized that there was no escaping the political or philosophical undertones. In spite of that, The Fountainhead still continues to be seen as a novel that describes one man's fight against the system.

The characters in the novel are memorable. The protagonist is Howard Roark, an architect who believes that only an individual's vision can produce genuine art. He decries committees and councils as he feels that their interference could result in mediocrity being passed off as art. The upright Roark is often quoted as the embodiment of the ideal man. Another main character in the novel is Peter Keating, Roark's rival who is motivated more by material considerations rather than creative ones. Ayn Rand's heroine Dominique Francon is a strong woman who. during the course of the book, learns to live life on her own terms. She gives in to her passion and emerges stronger and more creative because of it.

The novel goes on to answer the final question - will Roark survive his war against the system, or will he be forced to come to terms with it?

The Fountainhead got off to a moderate start. Reviews were mixed and initial sales were depressing. But the book picked up on the strength of word-of-mouth reviews and it has sold over 6 million copies and been translated into several languages. Two years after it was published, it entered the New York Times bestseller list.

In 1945, Ayn Rand worked on a condensed and illustrated version of the novel. It was syndicated in several newspapers. A film based on the book, starring Gary Cooper and Patricia Neal was produced by Warner Brothers in 1949.

About The Author
A Russian-American, Ayn Rand was a philosopher, author and screenwriter. Her other books include Atlas Shrugged ? often referred to as her best work. She's also known for her book We the Living, and for her other works For The New Intellectual, Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal, The Romantic Manifesto and Philosophy: Who Needs It.

Ayn Rand's philosophy was based on rationalism and she rejected all forms of religion. An intensely political person, she rejected the concept of collectivism too. Her distinct philosophy, which often came through in her work, was termed as Objectivism.

After an unsuccessful stint at Petrograd State University in Russia, she started writing and later visited the United States to meet her relatives. Her appreciation of the American lifestyle led her to settle in New York and pursue a career as a screenwriter. While working as a screenplay writer in Hollywood, Ayn Rand also produced a Broadway play. A cancer survivor, Ayn Rand died of a cardiac failure on March 6, 1982.

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Dongri To Dubai: Six Decades of The Mumbai Mafia

Book Summary of Dongri To Dubai: Six Decades of The Mumbai Mafia

Dongri to Dubai is the first ever attempt to chronicle the history of the Mumbai mafia. It is the story of notorious gangsters like Haji Mastan, Karim Lala, Varadarajan Mudaliar, Chhota Rajan, Abu Salem, but above all, it is the story of a young man who went astray despite having a father in the police force. Dawood Ibrahim was initiated into crime as a pawn in the hands of the Mumbai police and went on to wipe out the competition and eventually became the Mumbai police’s own nemesis.

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The Secret

Book Summary of The Secret

A self-help book, 'The Secret' by Rhonda Byrne was a successful albeit controversial book. Published in 2006, the book propagates the presence of a natural law that governs everything in the universe, including your ability to be happy and successful. So if there is a natural law that decides your destiny, how do you take control of your life? Read the book to know more about your power to steer your life in the right direction.

Summary of the Book

Rhonda Byrne was inspired to write The Secret after reading The Science of Getting Rich. The latter was written by Wallace Wattles. Rhonda Byrne read it during a difficult time in her life. Deeply influenced, she conducted an in-depth study of what modern thinkers had to say about how the universe is governed. In her book, she concludes that there is a natural Law of Attraction. The book claims that everybody and everything in the universe has a certain frequency. The law of attraction ensures that an individual automatically attracts events, situations and other people who come within the same frequency range.

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Stay Hungry Stay Foolish

Book Summary of Stay Hungry Stay Foolish

'Stay Hungry Stay Foolish' is a collection of the inspiring stories of 25 IIM Ahmedabad graduates who dared to venture on the path of entrepreneurship. The book provides people with a lot of practical knowledge. A must read!

Summary of the Book

'Stay Hungry Stay Foolish' were the last words spoken by Steve Jobs during his commencement speech at Stanford in the year 2005. Rashmi Bansal uses this title to send across an apt message that at times in our lives, there come moments when we need to do something unexpected and crazy in a bid to realize our dreams.

Stay Hungry Stay Foolish is the collection of 25 stories of IIM Ahmedabad graduates who chose to opt out of the corporate race and take the entrepreneurial path. This book starts off with the interesting story of Sanjeev Bhikchandani, who belonged to the batch of 1989 who founded Naukri.com. The book also has stories of R. Subramanian, who owns the Subhiksha group, Sunil Handa who is the founder of Ekalavya Educational Foundation and many more. The book has a lot of educative and practical wisdom, which is an inspiring read for aspiring entrepreneurs and also those who want to achieve something in life.

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Life Is What You Make It

Book Summary of Life Is What You Make It

'Life is What You Make It' is the story of Ankita Sharma, an ambitious and full of life youngster who has everything that anyone of her age would dream of. But, when life does a U-Turn on her, how does she cope up with it? Read this inspiring tale of the daunting human spirit.

Summary of the Book

How would you react if destiny shook the entire world around you and set you on a new path? What if it would put you in a place, which would change your entire course of life? The question is, would you run, fight or would you gladly accept life?

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Messi: The Inside Story of the Boy Who Became a Legend

Messi: The Inside Story of the Boy Who Became a Legend

Book Summary of Messi: The Inside Story of the Boy Who Became a Legend

Still only 24, Lionel Messi is on course to become the greatest soccer player of all time. The 2009 and 2010 FIFA Player of the Year, he is fast, elusive, and mesmerizing. Nominated by Maradona as successor to his No. 10 Argentina shirt, he is already set for football divinity.


Luca Caioli draws on numerous exclusive testimonies to tell Messi's story: his parents and extended family; his coaches at Grandoli and Newell's Old Boys; Rjikaard and Zambrotta from Barcelona; Jorge Valdano and many others from Argentina, Manchester City's Pablo Zabaleta and ex-Chelsea defender Asier del Horno. In the final chapter Messi himself sizes up his life so far.

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It's Not About The Bike: My Journey Back to Life

Book Summary of It's Not About The Bike: My Journey Back to Life

This story of how Lance Armstrong came back from a fight against cancer to win the sporting world's most physically and mentally demanding event - the Tour de France won the William Hill Sports Book of the Year

'If you read just one sports book this year, this is the one' Express on SundayLance Armstrong was one of the most precocious talents the world of cycling had ever seen. Within a year of turning professional in 1992 he was World Champion. In 1994 he won two stages of the Tour de France and in 1996 consolidated his position amongst cycling's elite by winning ten consecutive races. By this time, however, and unknown to him, he was battling against cancer as well as 200 fellow competitors. 

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Poor Little Rich Slum

Book Summary of Poor Little Rich Slum

One little two little three little Indians, four little five little six little Indians, seven little eight little nine little Indians... One million little Indian entrepreneurs.

These are the stories of the little people who make up the Big Idea of Dharavi.

A slum of energy, enterprise and hope.
Where every hand is busy, every head held high.
Where people could be miserable but choose to be happy.
A choice each of us can make.

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" Revolution 2020 "

Book Summary of Revolution 2020

Revolution 2020 is a gripping and fast paced novel about love, corruption and ambition. The story delves into the underbelly of a small town, Varanasi, and explores the various hues in the characters of the protagonists in it. Bhagat unearths the darker side of the education system, and for that matter, love too.

Summary of Revolution 2020

In the small and historic town of Varanasi in India, two boys Raghav and Gopal fall in love with the same girl, Aarti. Both of them are intelligent, ambitious and are the best of friends, but destiny has something else in store for them. One of them wants to use his intelligence to make a lot of money and the other wants to create a revolution; but again, their plans are disrupted by their love.

Gopal hails from a poor family and fails to get an admission to the best engineering colleges in the country. Heartbroken, he moves to Kota for a year to prepare for the exams. Raghav comes from a well-to-do family and achieves a good rank in JEE. Delighted, he joins IIT-BHU, one of the premier institutes of India, and embarks on his ambition to become a journalist. Aarti hails from a powerful bureaucratic family, and her aim is to become an airhostess. Aarti falls in love with Raghav while Gopal is at Kota.

The story starts when Gopal rises as the director of a new engineering college opened in Varanasi, with the power of MLA Shukla, a corrupt politician. He uses the legally strangled land of his uncle to manipulate and build the college. Raghav, on the other hand, completes his engineering and joins the largest selling newspaper Dainik as an intern. He starts shedding light on all the wrongdoings of Shukla and exposes him in public.

Things take a different turn when Aarti starts developing a soft corner for Gopal.

Who will win her love towards the end?

Will Raghav's crusade against the corrupt system fail?

Revolution 2020 is a gripping story of love, the corrupt educational system and clashing ambitions.

Revolution 2020 got mixed reviews from critics and readers. The book turned out to be yet another bestseller from the Chetan Bhagat stable.

About Chetan Bhagat

Chetan Bhagat is an Indian speaker, columnist and author. He quit his international investment banking career in the year 2009 to devote his entire time to writing.

Other popular Chetan Bhagat books are:

One Night @ the Call Centre

Five Point Someone

Three Mistakes of My Life

2 States

All of Bhagat's books have been bestsellers since their release. He has a very light-hearted and simple way of writing. Though his books and columns have drawn sharp reviews from critics, he still enjoys a large fan base.

Chetan Bhagat is a graduate from IIT in New Delhi and a post graduate from IIM Ahmedabad; both institutes of high repute and distinction. He married his sweetheart Anusha Suryanarayan, whom he met at IIM-A, in the year 1999. Their love story was the inspiration for the book 2 States.

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Steve Jobs: The Man Who Thought Different

Book Summary of Steve Jobs: The Man Who Thought Different

Inventor. Visionary. Genius. Dropout. Adopted. Steve Jobs was the founder of Apple and he was all of these things. 

Steve Jobs has been described as a showman, artist, tyrant, genius, jerk. Through his life he was loved, hated, admired and dismissed, yet he was a living legend; the genius who founded Apple in his parent's garage when he was just 20 years old, revolutionising the music world. He single-handedly introduced the first computer that could sit on your desk and founded and nurtured a company called Pixar bringing to life Oscar wining animations Toy Story and Finding Nemo.

So how did the man, who was neither engineer nor computer geek change the world we live in, making us want every product he touched?

On graduation day in 2005, a fifty-year-old Steve Jobs said: ‘Today I want to tell you three stories from my life, That's it. Just three stories'. The first story is about connecting the dots. My second story is about love and loss. My third story is about death.

This is his story...
Critically acclaimed author Karen Blumenthal takes us to the core of this complicated and legendary man, from his adoption and early years through to the pinnacles of his career, his dismissal from his duties at Apple (for being too disruptive and difficult) to the graduation where he gave the commencement speech just 6 years before his death, giving life to what were soon to become some of most famous quotes of his career, ending with the message: “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.”

“Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life.”

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Gandhi: My Experiments With Truth

Book Summary of Gandhi: My Experiments With Truth

At the instance of some of my nearest co-workers, I agreed to write my autobiography. If I had only to discuss academic principles, I should clearly not attempt an autobiography. But my purpose being to give an account of various practical applications of these principles, I have given the chapters I propose to write the title of The story of My Experiments with Truth. These will of course include experiments with non-violence, celibacy and other principles of conduct believed to be distinct from truth. But for me, truth is the sovereign principle, which includes numerous other principles.

If anything that I write in these pages should strike the reader as being touched with pride, then he must take it that there is something wrong with my quest, and that my glimpses are no more than mirage. Let hundreds like me perish, but let truth prevail. Let us not reduce the standard of truth even by a hair's breadth for judging erring mortals like myself.

The experiments narrated should be regarded as illustrations, in the light of which everyone may carry on his own experiments according to his own inclinations and capacity. I trust that to this limited extent the illustration will be really helpful; because I am not going either to conceal or understate any ugly things that must be told.

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Wings of fire: An Autobiography

Book Summary of Wings of fire: an autobiography

Wings of Fire traces the life and times of India’s former president APJ Abdul Kalam. It gives a glimpse of his childhood as well as his growth as India’s missile man.

Summary of the Book
Wings of Fire: An Autobiography is co-written by APJ Abdul Kalam and Arun Tiwari. The book traces his life from the obscure, poverty-stricken little village in Rameswaram to the imposing Rashtrapati Bhavan in the grand avenues of Lutyens Delhi.

In Wings of Fire: An Autobiography, ABJ Abdul Kalam’s life – both personal and professional – is unraveled through four sections titled Orientation, Creation, Propitiation and Contemplation. In Orientation, we get an understanding of his early life. From the sea shores of Rameswaram to a training program in NASA, the journey is a truly remarkable one and the book traces it in detail.

In `Creation,’ Abdul Kalam reminiscences on the beginning of his professional life. There are a lot of details about his work in NASA and other facilities in the US. The section focuses on the happenings in his life until 1980.

`Propitiation’ traces his evolution into the `Missile Man of India’ and focuses on the period between 1981 and 1991. `Contemplation’ gives us an insight into the thinking and philosophy of this legendary technocrat and an amazing human being.

The book is also visually interesting with several photographs.

General Reception and Other Adaptations
The book has been translated into 13 Indian languages. A Chinese and French version has been published.

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" The Leader Who Had No Title "

Book Summary of The Leader Who Had No Title

FOR MORE THAN FIFTEEN YEARS, Robin Sharma has been quietly sharing with Fortune 500 companies and many of the super-rich a success formula that has made him one of the most sought-after leadership advisers in the world. Now, for the first time, Sharma makes his proprietary process available to you, so that you can get to your absolute best while helping your organization break through to a dramatically new level of winning in these wildly uncertain times.

In The Leader Who Had No Title, you will learn:

• How to work with and influence people like a superstar, regardless of your position
• A method to recognize and then seize opportunities in times of deep change
• An instant strategy to build a great team and become a “merchant of wow” with your customers
• The real secrets of intense innovation
• Hard-hitting tactics to become mentally strong and physically tough enough to lead your field
• Real-world ways to defeat stress, build an unbeatable mind-set, unleash energy, and balance your personal life

Regardless of what you do within your organization and the current circumstances of your life, the single most important fact is that you have the power to show leadership. Wherever you are in your career or life, you should always play to your peak abilities. This book shows you how to claim that staggering power, as well as transform your life – and the world around you – in the process.

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" I Have a Dream "

Book Summary of I Have A Dream

I Have a Dream is the collection of 20 engaging and inspiring stories of idealists who made the world a better place to live in. The book puts for the heart and soul of 20 brave individuals who are entrepreneurs but with a more social aim. An absolute must read; the book might just change your life…

Summary of the Book

The most cherished feeling in this entire world is just dream about your entire life. Having previously penned down bestsellers on the domain of entrepreneurship, Connect the Dots and Stay Hungry Stay Foolish, Rashmi Bansal has penned down her third book I have a Dream on the same lines. The context in which this book differs from the others is that it is centered on the topic of Social Entrepreneurship.

These books has the inspiring and interesting stories of 20 idealists who act and think like entrepreneurs, but have dedicated their lives to various causes that do good to mankind in one way or the other.

I Have A Dream is divided into three parts: Rainmakers, Changemakers and Spiritual Capitalists. The first section, Rainmakers has stores of 11 entrepreneurs whose organizations make profits but for them profit making is not the sole driving force.

The next section belongs to the Changemakers, genuine and inspirational change agents who have started movements that would have a positive impact on the society we live in. These areas range from topics ranging from education to RTI activism.

The third section, Spiritual Capitalists is about those people who have imbibed the art of spiritualism and common good.

The book covers entrepreneurial figures like Dhruv Lakra, Mirakle Couriers, Arvind Kejriwal, Parivartan and more.

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