Rajaraja Chola of the Chola dynasty was one of the greatest Kings of India. His reign started in 985 AD and he ruled for the next 29 years. At the peak of his reign, the Chola kingdom was spread over most of South India. This book details his life and his achievements.
Every once in a while a piece of art comes along which transports you to another place, another era, another mood. Be it a movie, a music track, a song or a book. ‘The Ornament of the world’ is one such book. The last time a non fiction book had such an impact on me was when I read William Dalrymple’s ‘City of Djinns’.
How does the brain learn new things? What is the best way to learn? And what is the best way to remeber that info? These are some of the questions, the author Benedict Carey tries to answer in this book.
When Covid19 hit the world in 2020, the general public spent the first few months thinking that it was going to pass quickly but it wasn’t to be. Few months later all the talk was about vaccines. How soon can they be developed and how it was the only hope mankind had before deaths peaked again next winter. This book chronicles the journey of the development of these vaccines.
This book is about the history of Spain, from prehistoric times to today. Starting with the mythological figure of Hercules, the author quickly takes us to Al Andalus by the third chapter and then journeying through the blood thirsty conquistadores we cross into the 16th century and later. In 300 pages the author gives a snapshot of the history of Spain and how it got shaped into what it is today.
Homi Bhabha. The father of the Indian Nuclear Program. I grew up watching his photo in our school. Having studied at an Atomic Energy Central School and being a part of the Department of Atomic Energy family, Bhabha’s presence was everywhere. His photo was displayed at a prominent point in the school where we used to attend the morning pledge. Its one of the core memories of our school days. So when my friend Suyog recommended I watch the TV Show ‘Rocket Boys’ which is about the two giants of Indian science, Homi Bhabha and Vikram Sarabhai I was excited and had it on my watch list.
Slowly, almost imperceptibly at first, it started snowing. At one point I stopped in the middle of a cluster of trees and looked up. The snow was falling, it seemed, as if in slow motion. Some of the snowflakes fell on my face, immediately melting and mildly numbing the skin. Except my group of friends there was nobody around and it was all quiet and still. It felt so peaceful. As Faiz, my friend, remarked later, its for this sense of detachment from the mundane everyday life, that makes hiking so refreshing!
On a bright sunny February afternoon three of us did the Abby grind hike near Abbotsford. As you can guess from the name, this is the Abbotsford’s grouse grind.
My first hike of the year turned out to be a pretty good one. Back in February me and a group of friends hiked the …
This book talks about the factors which can make or break a project, be it a small project like a Kitchen Renovation or a mega project like building a new terminal of an airport. The author, who is an expert on troubleshooting projects which are delayed, over budget or are just in any kind of trouble, talks about why big projects routinely go over budget or over time and suggests ways those can be avoided.
