Journeys And Insights

This combo product is bundled in India but the publishing origin of this title may vary.Publication date of this bundle is the creation date of this bundle; the actual publication date of child items may vary.Born in an affluent family Jawaharlal grew up as a pampered child. A keen observer of news he was deeply interested in Indian nationalism even while he was studying at Cambridge. Slowly he got involved in the Indian freedom struggle. While Jawaharlals speeches reflected his anger Gandhi adopted non-violent means. Though there was a difference of opinion between the two on many issues Nehru did not break away from Gandhi at any point of time. After India got independence he became the first Prime Minister of the nation.A brilliantly woven biographical account of Gandhi – the book traces Gandhi’s life from his childhood days in Porbandar his education in England his awakening to social injustice through painful experiences in South Africa to his relentless struggle in leading India to freedom from the British through non-violent means. A saint a revolutionary a politician a social reformer an economist an educationist and a satyagrahi – Gandhi dedicated his life to the service of humanity.A renowned freedom fighter sarijini Naidu was born in Hyderabad in a hindu brahmin family. She has many firsts to her credit including-the first indian woman to become the president of the indian National congress and the first woman to become the governor of an indian state. One of the great orators of her time she was also a distinguished poet and was famously known as Bharatiya Kokils.Antonio a merchant in the city of Venice decides to be a guarantor to his friend Bassanio who borrows 3000 ducats from shylock a greedy moneylender to travel and meet his lady love Portia. Shylock seeks revenge for the comments Antonio has made about his greed in the past and lays a gruesome condition. Portias fathers will states she must marry the man who correctly chooses one of three caskets. Bassanio picks the correct one. Meanwhile Antonio loses his ships and must give Shylock his pound of flesh. Disguised as a young man of law Portia saves Antonio and the story ends on a happy note for him and the young lovers.A historical tragedy antony and cleopatra portrays actual and person from roman history. The play follows the relationship between cleopatra and mark antony from the time of the parthian war to cleopatras suicide.The Romeo-Juliet love story is a wonderful piece of literature that captured the hearts of millions because of the dramatic turn of events in its climax. It is the ill-will between the families of Romeo and Juliet that comes in the way of true love between the two.Meaningless encounters unnecessary quarrels and fierce fights take the family feud further killing members of both the Capulets and Montagues. Romeo gets involved in one such murder and runs for cover. Friar Laurence a priest of the Franciscan Order tries to help Romeo marry Juliet in the hope that it might put an end to the animosity between the two families. Though Romeo and Juliet’s love for each other ends on a tragic note it brings the Capulet and Montague families together ending their enmity.Twelfth Night or As You Will is a tale of love trickery and mistaken identities. A young noble woman Viola is shipwrecked in a violent storm off the coast of Illyria. Separated from her twin brother Sebastian Viola disguises herself as a boy and assumes the name of Cesario. She becomes a page boy in the service of Orsino the Duke who is madly in love with Lady Olivia. Viola falls in love with the Duke and Lady Olivia falls in love with Viola disguised as Cesario. Complications arise and everyone is drawn into a hilarious confusion…The Tempest is a comedy by William Shakespeare believed to be the last play written by him.The story begins with Prospero rightful Duke of Milan and his daughter Miranda being stranded for twelve years on an island. How Prospero uses magic to regain his lost dukedom and his lovely daughter a secure and happy future with the help of the spirit Ariel is the subject of this delightful story of right prevailing over might in the end.The story of Macbeth revolves around the prophecy of three witches that changes the destiny of this brave warrior by making him ambitious in his goals towards attaining power. After much dilemma and the constant persuasion of his wife he kills Duncan the King of Scotland in his sleep in a cowardly act. His hands are soaked in blood and he is constantly haunted by the murderous crime. Find out if the witches’ prophecy stands true till the end and how Duncan’s son Malcolm avenges the king’s death.A historical tragedy antony and cleopatra portrays actual and person from roman history. The play follows the relationship between cleopatra and mark antony from the time of the parthian war to cleopatras suicide.One of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies of love vanity and relationships told in simple prose.King Lear’s vanity blinds him and he banishes his beloved daughter Cordelia from his Kingdom. Goneril and Regan his other daughters between whom he has divided his country have ungratefully turned him out of their houses. Meanwhile Edmund the illegitimate son of Gloucester tries to usurp his brother Edgar and ends up reaching for the crown.Time magazine called him the Man of the 20th Century. His enormous contributions to physics made him one of the greatest scientists of all time. A German born theoretical physicist Albert Einstein is best known for his theory of relativity and his famous equation E=mc2. He received the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics for his services to Theoretical Physics and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect.Apart from his scientific genius Einstein spent his life trying to teach people the value of peace. His dream was to have a theory of everything. Todays scientists are definitely proceeding towards that goal. Here is the story of an outstanding scientist and wonderful human being.The South African struggle for freedom.Nelson Mandela winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 was among the great leaders of what is today an equal South Africa. Read about his life his struggles against the government years spent at prison and the final push for freedom in simple prose.“The Lady with the Lamp”. One of the most famous women of the 19th Century Florence Nightingale’s story is one of courage and charity. Born into a rich and influential family in Florence she trained 38 women to be nurses in the Crimean War and helped nurse wounded soldiers in the British Camp in Crimea. A short biography of ‘The Lady with the Lamp’ in simple proseThe life and inventions of one of the greatest inventors the world has ever known.Thomas Alva Edison was handicapped by Scarlet Fever. He was hard of hearing and was diagnosed with ADHD. Though his teachers claimed he was doomed with ignorance Edison went on to become one of the greatest inventors and entrepreneurs the world has ever seen. His biography in simple prose.The Iliad and the Odyssey are the great epics of ancient Greece written by Homer. While the Iliad like the Mahabharata sings of a great war in which almost all the kingdoms of that time took part the Odyssey compared by scholars to the Ramayana relates the story of Odysseus. After the war of Troy told in the Iliad Odysseus wants to return home to his family and kingdom as quickly as possible. Blessed by Athena the goddess of wisdom and cursed by Poseidon the god of the sea Odysseus finds himself forced by his destiny to travel to many islands before he is allowed to go home. The Odyssey is the story of his many adventures along the way.Three thousand years after it was written Homers iliad remains one of the most popular and widely read stories. The poem narrates the events during the final years of the war between the Trojans and the Greeks at Troy. its huge cast of characters includes human and heavenly beings who are judged by their bravery on the battlefield. At the same time the poet bemoans the futility of war. In the Iliad even the mightiest of warriors fear in the face of death.Life is fascinating but when did life on our earth begin? The story begins with a simple microbe. To understand how life exists on earth we have to delve into the world of atoms microbes DNA and genes. What differentiates plant life and animal life? How do we inherit traits from our parents and how do we pass on our traits to our offspring? How did multiple species develop from a few simple species? Most important how did life of any kind come about in the first place? In this book we try to understand all this through a scientific method.Our earth is getting hotter and hotter. As a result the polar ice caps are melting the water levels in the oceans are rising soon low-lying small islands will vanish there will be less and less rainfall so crops will die and we humans will face shortage of food and drinking water. Animals and birds will soon start disappearing.If you thought this was the script of some new sci-fi movie you are mistaken.All this is already happening as a result of Global Warming–the new threat Planet Earth is facing. This book is all about this scary natural phenomenon which is worrying scientists and countries around the world.Our earth is getting hotter and hotter. As a result the polar ice caps are melting the water levels in the oceans are rising soon low-lying small islands will vanish there will be less and less rainfall so crops will die and we humans will face shortage of food and drinking water. Animals and birds will soon start disappearing.If you thought this was the script of some new sci-fi movie you are mistaken.All this is already happening as a result of Global WarmingDinosaurs. Who can forget those amazing animals we saw in the Hollywood movie Jurassic Park? Where did they come from? For how long did they live? What led to their disappearance? Discover more about this species which ruled the earth millions of years ago.Planet Earth has been a wonderful home for us. A planet that has within it seas and oceans icy plains and sandy deserts and many many interesting places and features.But how did the Earth become like this?When was it born?What could happen to Earth in the future?Why are we humans living on planet Earth and not on Mars or Venus?Want to know more about it all? Read on.The biography of a biologist inventor and visionary—Jagdish Chandra Bose who discovered amazing facts about plant intelligence pioneered the investigation of radio and microwave optics invented many devices to help him in his research was the first from the Indian subcontinent to get a US patent is considered the father of Bengali science fiction.The human brain is unique that it has the capacity for art language making moral judgments having rational thoughts and most important of all for the ability to wonder. Can you think of one precision instrument which can do all this? You are right there is none; the human brain is matchless in power and precision. Want to know how the brain does all this? In this book we shall see each aspect of the brain’s structure and functions and what it is that makes the human brain so marvellous a machine that it is. Vishnu is one of the principal hindu Gods forming the trinity along with Brahma and siva. Vishnu is worshipped as the protector and preserver of the world and restorer of dharma. He appears in different avatars on this earth to uphold righteousness and destroy evil. Even through his appearances are innumerable ten major incarnations are most well known.Considered to be the oldest epic the story of Rama the prince of Ayodhya has been a favourite of people from time immemorial. It is also the story of the challenges faced by Rama arising out of decisions made by his near and dear as well as his enemies. It presents a portrait of a man who lived an honest courageous and compassionate life even as he overcame the various challenges he faced.This book presents a simple easy to read abridged story of the Ramayana for children of all ages. It is sure to be enjoyed by all.Silapathikaram is arguably one of the best gems of ancient Tamil literature. It is at once an epic poem and a tragic love story that centers around an anklet. Composed by Ilango Adigal probably around the 5th or 6th century CE Silapathikaram is the earliest Tamil Jaina text known to us so far. With an intention of taking the epic poem across wider readership the story is narrated here in simple prose. Rediscover love music drama. magic mythology and many more interesting facets of ancient Tamil life.Traditionally attributed to author Vyasa the Mahabharata is the longest Indian epic which is of immense cultural importance to Indians. The story revolves around Dhritharashtra’s hundred sons the Kauravas and the five virtuous sons of King Pandu the Pandavas and their struggle for the throne of Hastinapura the kingdom ruled by the Kuru clan. The struggle culminates in the great Kurukshetra War in which the Pandavas ultimately emerge victorious.Besides being philosophical and religious the epic unfolds the complexity of human relationships and teaches youngsters several lessons in life. Whether it is an abridged version or the epic itself it is a must-read for one and all and a must-keep for one’s own personal library.‘Communication’ – the key word to success in today’s world is examined from every aspect of it.The author traces the necessity of communication through body language as in the days of Adam the tactics of communication evident in the speech of Mark Antony and the power of communication as in the speech of Churchill. Through these he examines the essentials of effective communication – some important tips for those who aspire to communicate effectively.The author rightly says that the ‘Growth in communication is really the growth of innovative thinking and the growth of civilization.’ This book is a great guide and confidence builder for everyone on the road to success.Each and every problem has a solution. In fact any problem has more than one solution. Whenever you are thinking creatively and critically when a decision or a problem that needs to be solved then you are actively involved in problem solving. An effective problem solving approach includes understanding the dynamicsof the problem indentifying the root cause of the problem developing an action plan for the root cause and executing until the problem is solved while making modification as needed throughput the problem solving process. following these basic guidenlines will transform you into a champion problem solver.Creative thinking helps students look beyond their personal experience. It enables students to explore all possible alternatives together with their consequences.As the author rightly says “Creative thinking becomes an integral part of our thinking process when we incorporate it in our lives. The more we practice the art of thinking creatively the more predominant it becomes in our brain as a means of thought when we attempt to solve problems.”A renowned freedom fighter sarijini Naidu was born in Hyderabad in a hindu brahmin family. She has many firsts to her credit including-the first indian woman to become the president of the indian National congress and the first woman to become the governor of an indian state. One of the great orators of her time she was also a distinguished poet and was famously known as Bharatiya Kokils.A man who redefined the nation.A bright child and the top of his class Naren was famous for asking questions. He always had to know the truth. Little did he know that his quest for the truth would lead to something else–saving mankind. Naren grew up to be Swami Vivekananda the disciple of Sri Ramakrishna travelled extensively and preached about humanity. His life and workings in simple prose.Popularly known as ‘The Grand Old Man of India’ Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya or Sir MV an engineer by profession was a strategist and a visionary who incessantly worked towards the advancement of the nation. He kick-started India’s technological and financial development through an endless struggle and gave our nation some of the finest engineering solutions.Oliver Twist is an unfortunate young noy who orphaned immediately after his birth. He is sent to a workhouse and labours all day with very little to eat. He runs aways to Landon and joins a household of boys who are trained to steal for their master. In the end manges to final his long lost family. In oliver twist dickens portrays the social ill issues inearly inieteenth century england like the workhouse child labour and the recruitment of children by criminals.‘I have never forgotten my mother’s advice; I knew she was a wise old horse and our master thought a great deal of her.’ These are the words with which Black Beauty begins the narration of his autobiography— one of the most moving horse stories of all time. Black Beauty tells the story of the horse’s long and varied life—as a young colt he is surrounded by gentle care and comfort but is sold to a series of owners including a squire an earl and a cab driver. Throughout his life he meets all types of people—some kind and caring and others cruel and indifferent. But nothing breaks Black Beauty’s spirit. Anna Sewell wrote her only novel near the end of her life and for over one hundred years since it has been counted among the classics of children’s literature.Twelfth Night or As You Will is a tale of love trickery and mistaken identities. A young noble woman Viola is shipwrecked in a violent storm off the coast of Illyria. Separated from her twin brother Sebastian Viola disguises herself as a boy and assumes the name of Cesario. She becomes a page boy in the service of Orsino the Duke who is madly in love with Lady Olivia. Viola falls in love with the Duke and Lady Olivia falls in love with Viola disguised as Cesario. Complications arise and everyone is drawn into a hilarious confusion…The Tempest is a comedy by William Shakespeare believed to be the last play written by him.The story begins with Prospero rightful Duke of Milan and his daughter Miranda being stranded for twelve years on an island. How Prospero uses magic to regain his lost dukedom and his lovely daughter a secure and happy future with the help of the spirit Ariel is the subject of this delightful story of right prevailing over might in the end.Mahakavi Subramanya Bharati (1882-1921) is remembered for his simple but poignant often fiery Tamil poetry which inspired a whole generation of Indians with its fearlessness and beauty.Passionately involved in the freedom movement he longed for IndiaThe story of Macbeth revolves around the prophecy of three witches that changes the destiny of this brave warrior by making him ambitious in his goals towards attaining power. After much dilemma and the constant persuasion of his wife he kills Duncan the King of Scotland in his sleep in a cowardly act. His hands are soaked in blood and he is constantly haunted by the murderous crime. Find out if the witches’ prophecy stands true till the end and how Duncan’s son Malcolm avenges the king’s death.The Romeo-Juliet love story is a wonderful piece of literature that captured the hearts of millions because of the dramatic turn of events in its climax. It is the ill-will between the families of Romeo and Juliet that comes in the way of true love between the two.Meaningless encounters unnecessary quarrels and fierce fights take the family feud further killing members of both the Capulets and Montagues. Romeo gets involved in one such murder and runs for cover. Friar Laurence a priest of the Franciscan Order tries to help Romeo marry Juliet in the hope that it might put an end to the animosity between the two families. Though Romeo and Juliet’s love for each other ends on a tragic note it brings the Capulet and Montague families together ending their enmity.Antonio a merchant in the city of Venice decides to be a guarantor to his friend Bassanio who borrows 3000 ducats from shylock a greedy moneylender to travel and meet his lady love Portia. Shylock seeks revenge for the comments Antonio has made about his greed in the past and lays a gruesome condition. Portias fathers will states she must marry the man who correctly chooses one of three caskets. Bassanio picks the correct one. Meanwhile Antonio loses his ships and must give Shylock his pound of flesh. Disguised as a young man of law Portia saves Antonio and the story ends on a happy note for him and the young lovers.A historical tragedy antony and cleopatra portrays actual and person from roman history. The play follows the relationship between cleopatra and mark antony from the time of the parthian war to cleopatras suicide.One of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies of love vanity and relationships told in simple prose.King Lear’s vanity blinds him and he banishes his beloved daughter Cordelia from his Kingdom. Goneril and Regan his other daughters between whom he has divided his country have ungratefully turned him out of their houses. Meanwhile Edmund the illegitimate son of Gloucester tries to usurp his brother Edgar and ends up reaching for the crown.Explorers of yore travelled the seas in search of new land for the sole purpose of commercial gain. These ancient explorers were the ones who discovered many of the present day countries and continents. Perhaps the most significant of these discoveries was that of the American continents by a daring explorer and navigator named Christopher Columbus. He was an Italian navigator who sailed west across the Atlantic Ocean in search of a route to Asia but landed in the ‘new world’ of the Americas and gaining lasting fame.This is the story of Microsoft as much as that of Bill Gates and the daring decision by him and his friend Paul Allen to strike out on their own turning their backs on college education. It tells us the story of the small beginnings of Microsoft and its giant strides thereafter. He may be one of the richest men in the world but Bill Gates is also one of the greatest achievers in the world of information technology a daring entrepreneur who grew to head Microsoft one of the largest organizations of its kind.Mankind has developed through the ages by the fundamental principle of learning. The word learning might lead one to thinks immediately of education and acquisition of knowledge. But have you ever wondered that learning could also mean discovering oneself? Everyday we get a chance to know ourselves through our actions and decisions. But many of us continue to go with the flow without pausing to consider how we are affecting our lives ourselves. self-awareness is the path that each one of us can undertake to make the journey of life easier and happier. besides the ultimate goals of happiness and success self-awareness rewards us with amny benefitd in life.The world came to know of Rabindranath Tagore in 1913 when Gitanjali a collection of devotional lyrics won him the Nobel Prize for Literature. This magnificent poet laureate’s journey began in 1861. By the end of his life he was a poet unparalleled a dramatist of many genres and a political and social essayist. During his lifetime he composed around 2000 songs and painted hundreds of paintings. His music has been recognised as Rabindra Sangeet which is today a unique genre of Bengali music.Tagore has the unique distinction of having composed the National Anthem for two countries – India and Bangladesh.The great American film maker Walt Disney holds the record for the most Oscar awards won. His honours include the Legion dHonneur in France a special medal in 1935 from the League of Nations for creating Mickey Mouse the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1964 and an honoured place in the California Hall of Fame. He even had a minor planet named after him 4017 Disneya! Read the exciting story of the man who created Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck and many unforgettable movies based on fairytales.Bhagat Singh was a revolutionary and martyr who sacrificed his life fighting for India’s freedom. He was Sikh by birth but a Marxist by conviction. A young man of extraordinary vision and energy he was a revolutionary ahead of his times. At the age of 24 he was hanged for shooting a police officer in response to the killing of veteran freedom fighter Lala Lajpat Rai.Born in an affluent family Jawaharlal grew up as a pampered child. A keen observer of news he was deeply interested in Indian nationalism even while he was studying at Cambridge. Slowly he got involved in the Indian freedom struggle. While Jawaharlals speeches reflected his anger Gandhi adopted non-violent means. Though there was a difference of opinion between the two on many issues Nehru did not break away from Gandhi at any point of time. After India got independence he became the first Prime Minister of the nation.Alexander is considered by far as the greatest military genius of all time. His empire stretched from the Adriatic Sea in the west to what is Pakistan in the east and from Egypt in Africa in the south to modern Uzbekistan in Central Asia in the north. He led his army across mountains deserts rivers and seas and won victory after victory against impossible odds—all in a little more than ten years. His life is an amazing tale of honour power scandal and bravery.A sensitives stubborn self-willed child from a poor tamil family srinivasa ramanujan grew up to be one of indias greatest mathematicians whose discoveries continue to puzzle experts the world over . This eccentric genius who found spriritual meaning in mathematics formulated a theory of reality around zero and infinity. This is the story of a clerk in the madras port trustwho eventually become a fellow of trinity college cambridge and his english mentors.Scientists have called him a genius a prophet a visionary. He transformed the study of optics and established the principles of celestial workings. His universal laws of gravity gave us an insight into the mysterious forces exerted by the Earth. It was he who for the first time explained the nature of tides. He discovered the differential and integral Calculus. A new system of chronology was invented by him. He created a system of the universe of force and inertia and mass of action and reaction that still remains reliable and efficient. Stephen Hawking and Werner Israel have stated that Newtons theories will never be outmoded.Macro polos biography is synonymous with the story of his travels. He embarked on his expedditions at a very young age which lasted 24years. He journeyed through asia and reached further beyond mongolia. he reached china and became a condifdant of kublai khan. He travelled the whole of china and returned to tell the tale which became the greatest travelogue. Incredible through these stories seem to be most of his accounts are so detailed and accurate that the tales overall seem true.Butterball the cat of many lives has brought manu and his sister ammu to the threshold of the history of india as an independent nation by sharing with them his memories of the past from the sultans to independence. Its time now to listen to some first hand account of the many trials and tribulations that the infant nation faced and the many successes and trirumphs it achieved in its growing up years. The childrens grandparents and parents delve into their memories to tell them about the stirring days just after indenpendence the challenges of working out a system of nationhood the political fortunes of the worlds largest democaracy the hurdles that came in the way of survival and how they were overcome. As india gains momentum in the twenty-first century manu and ammu dare to dream...India is the land of kings and emperors full of gold and precious stones the land that attracted the Moghuls the Portuguese the Dutch the French and of course the English. It has a fascinating past full of excitement and adventure. Join Butterball the cat of many lives as he takes young Manu and his sister Ammu back into his vivid memories of palaces and battlefields bustling bazaars and remote villages to give them glimpses of India’s thrilling history from the time of the Sultans to the Sepoy Mutiny.This is the first book of a three part series which brings India’s glorious past alive and makes you see history as a story that never ends full of plots and plans twists and turns the true story of real people who lived in this great country and helped make it what it is today. Watch out for the other two books which will take you from the Mutiny to Independence and from 1947 to the twenty first century.The years between 1857 and 1947 were perhaps the most eventful in the history of the indian sub-continent. After the failure of the Sepoy Mutiny a new band of leaders emerged who aimed to unite the various regions classes and communities and inspire them to stand together and demand freedom from British rule. The man who gave a unique direction to this endeavour was of curse Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Manu and Ammu relive the excitement and heartbreaks of the freedom movement with Butterball their cat of many lives who lets them slip into his memories of those dramatic days. Centuries ago a Chinese traveller Hsuan Tsang set out on a spectacular journey in search of the true teachings of the Buddha. Travelling through the central Asiatic regions he trudged over countless deserts and mountains braving untold perils to arrive in India. He studied at Nalanda the most celebrated center of Buddhist learning in India. In his 16 years’ stay he visited over 130 Indian kingdoms on foot including Kashmir Kapilavasthu Mathura Ayodhya Bodhgaya Benares Sarnath. He also travelled down south visiting Amaravati and Nagarjunakonda in Andhradesha as well as Kanchi in Tamil Nadu. His profound learning and brilliant oratory earned him the admiration of many a powerful ruler most notably King Harshavardhana. In fact his memoirs contain valuable insights into life and culture as it existed in early medieval India.Macro polos biography is synonymous with the story of his travels. He embarked on his expedditions at a very young age which lasted 24years. He journeyed through asia and reached further beyond mongolia. he reached china and became a condifdant of kublai khan. He travelled the whole of china and returned to tell the tale which became the greatest travelogue. Incredible through these stories seem to be most of his accounts are so detailed and accurate that the tales overall seem true.