Of Sindhis, patriarchy, mythology and love (IANS Books This Weekend)

Take a close look at the Sindhi way of doing business; know the stories of women resisting the patriarchal rules of the society; go through an illustrated retelling of the Mahabharata that is sure to enthrall the new generation of readers; and flick through a modern love story, full of bumps and hurdles.

These are the reads, IANS bookshelf has on offer for this weekend.

1. Book: Paiso: How Sindhis Do Business; Author: Maya Bathija; Publisher: Penguin; Pages: 216; Price: Rs 250

Guided by their sharp business acumen and adaptability, Sindhis have braved Partition, fled from one nation to another and weathered ups and downs in the economy to set up some of the biggest companies in the world.

In "Paiso", Maya Bathija, former head of content at The Sindhian quarterly, brings to you the extraordinary stories of five Sindhi families and the empires they have built over the years through Gary and David Harilela of the Hong Kong-based Harilela Group, renowned for their hotels; Ramola Motwani, chairwoman and CEO of the realestate investment and development company Merrimac Ventures; India's first individual angel investor and chairman of Americorp Ventures and India Land Properties, Harish Fabiani; Dilip Kumar V. Lakhi, head of Lakhi Group-one of the biggest diamond suppliers in the country; and Jitu Virwani, real estate kingpin and CMD of the Embassy Group.

Through the journeys of these incredibly successful companies, built painstakingly by many generations, this book takes a close look at the Sindhi way of doing business.

2. Book: Ten Dollar Bride; Author: Sanya Runwal; Publisher: The Write Place; Pages: 99; Price: Rs 199

In this world of female empowerment, Ten Dollar Bride gives you an unflinching account of the reality of many young girls living in shadow lines of this country. There are dreams and desires and an attempt at resisting the patriarchy within which they live. Yet, some battles are perhaps not meant for victory. These are the stories we need to know.

3. Book: The Boys Who Fought; Author: Devdutt Pattanaik; Publisher: Penguin; Pages: 106; Price: Rs 199

"When you can fight for the meek without hating the mighty, you follow dharma."

In the forest, the mighty eat the meek. In human society, the mighty should take care of the meek. This is dharma.

A hundred princes should look after their five orphaned cousins. Instead, they burnt their house, abused their wife and stole their kingdom. The five fought back, not for revenge but, for dharma. What came of the hundred's fight against the five?

India's favourite mythologist brings to you this charmingly illustrated retelling of the Mahabharata that is sure to illuminate and enthrall a new generation of readers.

4. Book: You Never Know; Author: Akash Verma; Publisher: Penguin; Pages: 216; Price: Rs 175

There will be times when you feel you have the best relationship, ever. There will be times when it will be the worst that has happened to you. There will be times when you know you are getting into something terrible; something that will not stop till it destroys you and yet you will be pulled into it so inextricably, unstoppably.

Dhruv knew Anuradha was his true love. So, despite being married with kids, he still went ahead with their affair. He hid it from his wife and his colleagues. He told lies so he could be with her-it was that amazing! But he couldn't save himself from the dark secret she was keeping. It pulled him into a vortex of danger so deep that he lost all he had.

It happened to him and if you think it can't happen to you-think again.

--IANS

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