Diamonds Are Forever, So Are Morals: Autobiography of Govind Dholakia

BORN into a poor agricultural family in a Gujarat village, Govind Dholakia went on to set up India’s leading diamond crafting company. How could a school dropout receive an honorary doctorate? How did a diamond polisher, who earned Rs 103 when he started out, become a billionaire employing 5,000 people? With endorsements from big names, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the book tells Dholakia’s story of struggles, the role of family system in his growth, his many philosophies, his insights into how the world works, his successes and the public service initiatives he took along the course of his life, transparency being the hallmark of his dealings.

TEN minutes, 1,650 rounds. The massacre of innocent Indians at Jallianwala Bagh was a watershed moment in India’s freedom struggle, marking the beginning of the end of the British empire and laying the democratic and secular foundation on which our freedom was achieved. In this book, published by Pragatisheel Lekhak Sangh, scholars look at the various facets of the incident — its genesis, understanding British reaction to the political unrest in India, its place in literature, the lessons to learn and martial law, among others. It brings together a host of scholars from universities spread far and wide, including KL Tuteja, Nonica Datta and Chaman Lal.

WRAPPED in the garb of a novel, MJ Akbar’s ‘Doolally Sahib and the Black Zamindar’ lays bare the history of racial relations between Indians and their foreign invaders. Based on the memoirs and journals of traders, travellers, bureaucrats and military officers — the bibliography itself running into 22 pages — the book unveils the prejudice arising from a deeply engrained conviction of white superiority. Akbar’s sharp prose is peppered with verses by Indian greats, making it an intense read. Author of several books, including ‘India: The Siege Within’ and ‘Nehru: The Making of India’, Akbar has also written ‘Blood Brothers’, a novel.

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