In My Hands Today…

The Taj Conspiracy – Manreet Sodhi Someshwar

15422137

Mughal scholar Mehrunisa Khosa stumbles on a conspiracy to destroy the Taj Mahal when she discovers the murder of the Taj supervisor, and the Quranic calligraphy on the tomb of Queen Mumtaz altered to suggest a Hindu origin of the Taj Mahal….

That urban legend had always existed. Now, though, someone was conspiring to make it come true. In the case of the famed marble monument, all was not on the surface. A vast labyrinth ran underneath closed to visitors where Mehrunisa was trapped once.

In a series of suspenseful twists and turns, the action traverses from the serene splendour of Taj Mahal to the virulent warrens of Taj Ganj, from intrigue-laden corridors of Delhi to snowy Himalayan hideouts….

As a right-wing Hindu party ratchets up its communal agenda and Islamic militants plot a terror attack, in the dark corners of his devious mind a behrupiya, a shapeshifter, is conniving to divide the nation in two. To save the Taj Mahal, Mehrunisa must overcome a prejudiced police and battle her inner demons as she sifts the multiple strands that lead to the conspirator.

In My Hands Today…

Ignited Minds: Unleashing the Power Within India – A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

693771

Authored by the most influential Indian President yet, this book delves into the obstacles that are preventing India from rising up to the challenge of development. India has unmatched talent and ambition with an inherent tendency to work hard, then what is it that keeps India from overtaking the world. Why does India as a nation settle for the ordinary when the extraordinary is well within the reach?

Dr. Kalam shares his dream of a nation that is unrivaled, he discusses how he has, from his experience, met such skilled people whose visions can transform the nation. It is imperative that one searches for own solutions and find role-models in countrymen instead of looking towards the other nations. India must not strive to be the next America or Japan but has to be the strong nation that she is capable of becoming. For this, all the trapped energies and initiatives need to be freed instead of suppressing them.

In the book, we are introduced to numerous role models that are hiding amongst us. Words of wisdom from saints and seers that the author encountered through his life have been quoted. The book proceeds to address the issues at hand and mentions some reforms that have to be incorporated in politics and policies. The policy making procedure of the nation requires major reforms. The youth has to be given a stage and the reins of the nation need to be passed on. The book motivates the young minds and forces the positive auras together to build the face of a new nation.

In My Hands Today…

Dark Road to Darjeeling – Deanna Raybourn

7870272

After eight idyllic months in the Mediterranean, Lady Julia Grey and her detective husband are ready to put their investigative talents to work once more. At the urging of Julia’s eccentric family, they hurry to India to aid an old friend, the newly widowed Jane Cavendish. Living on the Cavendish tea plantation with the remnants of her husband’s family, Jane is consumed with the impending birth of her child—and with discovering the truth about her husband’s death. Was he murdered for his estate? And if he was, could Jane and her unborn child be next?

Amid the lush foothills of the Himalayas, dark deeds are buried and malicious thoughts flourish. The Brisbanes uncover secrets and scandal, illicit affairs and twisted legacies. In this remote and exotic place, exploration is perilous and discovery, deadly. The danger is palpable and, if they are not careful, Julia and Nicholas will not live to celebrate their first anniversary.

In My Hands Today…

Fistful of Colours – Suchen Christine Lim

2925120

Fistful of Colours is an elegant, multi-layered reflection on Singapore as experienced through one day in the life of Ong Suwen, a young teacher in search of her identity as a woman and an artist.

Peering into the rich history of her stepfather’s family, Suwen uncovers and reveals the hopes and struggles of Singapore’s first generation of immigrants and residents – from Chinese collies, Indian doctors and Malay waiters. It tells the story of the protagonist Suwen against the backdrop of Singapore culture at different times while interweaving the lives and histories of her family members and friends.

Readers are drawn into the rich culture of the different races; Baba, Chinese, Malay, Indian and the Westerners, while empathizing with the characters in the novel as they either suppress themselves or try to break social forces within the fixed social construct.

Nica goes against her father’s wish for her to be a doctor, choosing rather pursue her passion as an artist. Janice faces objection from her family as she decides to marry a Malay journalist. The novel shows how Suwen and her friends deal with external expectations, and at the end of the day, makes choices that lead to self-discovery.

In My Hands Today…

Floating on a Malayan Breeze: Travels in Malaysia and Singapore – Sudhir Thomas Vadaketh

16041097

What happens when a country splits apart?

Forty-five years ago, Singapore separated from Malaysia. Since then, the two countries have developed along their own paths.

Malaysia has given preference to the majority of Malay Muslims – the Bumiputera, or sons of the soil.

Singapore, meanwhile, has tried to build a meritocracy – ostensibly color-blind, yet more encouraging perhaps to some Singaporeans than to others.

How have these policies affected ordinary people? How do these two divergent nations and their peoples now see each other and the world around them?