Penguin India

Arun Shourie on his book Preparing For Death, and the possibility of meeting our end with equanimity

If we think about death all the time, we won't do any living at all, said Arun Shourie, discussing his new book 'Preparing For Death' at Tata Literature Live! The Mumbai Litfest.

As Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi turns 20, a look at how it shaped Star India's profile, and that of Hindi TV

Sometime in February or March of 2000 Ekta Kapoor pitched the idea of a daily prime-time soap, Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. The idea: examine what happens when a daughter-in-law becomes a mother-in-law.

Breath of Gold: Sathya Saran examines flautist Hariprasad Chaurasia's life and music through a fluid, intriguing narrative

Sathya Saran's free-flowing style makes disconnected incidents from Hariprasad Chaurasia's life come together to make the ride more intriguing.

Veeru Devgan's inspiring story is chronicled in Pinki Virani's book, Once Was Bombay: Read an excerpt

Pinki Virani's Once Was Bombay is made up of a number of other stories, and among them is that of Veerendra aka Veeru Devgan. One of Hindi cinema's best known stunt men, Devgan turned to action choreography and film direction during a prolific career in Bollywood.

Firstpost Editor's Picks: Mamata Banerjee's brazenness, ghost villages of Uttarakhand, Nandini Krishnan row; today's must-read stories

In his zest or nervousness, Kolkata Police commissioner Rajeev Kumar, it appears has shifted his loyalty to West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee

Nandini Krishnan's Invisible Men does many of us a personal and political disservice, writes interviewee featured in the book

Three of the many criticisms of Nandini Krishnan's book Invisible Men are that she maintains a voyeuristic curiosity about the bodies of transmen, that she consistently misgenders them, and that she sets herself up as the judge of whether people pass as the gender they identify with

Asaram Bapu's rise and downfall: Journalist Ushinor Majumdar on his book God of Sin, why god-men hold sway in India

Speaking about Asaram Bapu's influence, Ushinor Majumdar said that many godmen have a symbiotic relationship with powerful political leaders, where both feed off each other’s clout. He says this is where the line needs to be drawn, especially since politicians may not know what the godman is up to behind closed doors

Anand Neelakantan's novel Vanara - The Legend of Baali, Sugreeva and Tara set to release this Dussehra

Vanara is the fifth work by Neelakantan who is known for his novel The Rise of Sivagami, the first of the trilogy, Baahubali — Before the Beginning

Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi on The Rabbit & the Squirrel, writing about friendships and love

Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi speaks about how a wrote for a friend turned into an illustrated book, his writing and his affinity for the sea

Devdutt Pattanaik narrates Krishna's story in his latest work, Shyam: An Illustrated Retelling of the Bhagavata

In Shyam, Devdutt Pattanaik narrates Krishna's "descent to the butter-smeared world of happy women and his ascent from the blood-soaked world of angry men"