Our society is deeply structured with sex and gender. The categorisation of people as ‘male’ or ‘female’ permeates our society on every level. The rights of transgenders have been reaffirmed to be at par with the rights of heterosexual people, as enshrined under the Constitution of India. With the growing economy, question emerges as to whether the transgender community is enjoying the equal employement opportunities in this democratic nation. According to the 2021 Census, there are more than 4.8 lac transgender people in India, whereas only 30,000 are registered with the Election Commission. Experts suggest that there could be a total of 60 lakh transgender people, however, the majority prefer keeping it a secret. Why? The brutal answer is DISCRIMINATION and dichotomous attitude of the society exhibited towards them. They choose to hide the fact of their lives, their gender...

Which is that one story that you thought could only happen in a movie? The story of Dr. Jaswant Modi. A boy who grows up in a lower-middle class family without the basic necessities of life, goes on to do well in his studies, marries the girl his parents choose for him. The girl is a strong-headed and independent one! Their careers had just started when they got married. But they soon become leading medical experts in Los Angeles. In between came their share of ups and downs for them, their families - they faced it all, worked hard without compromise. The exclusive family book, The Renaissance - The Life & Times of the Modis, which is being digitally released on 11 April 2021, showcases Indian values, the importance of simple living and staying connected with family and friends despite...

Jagmohan Humar. An unheard name in India. A lesser-known name in Canada. An Indo-Canadian with an amazing list of achievements behind him. The author of a highly recommended and appreciated book on structural  ynamics, yet Rajasthanis in the USA don’t know him to be a Rajasthani. Here’s sharing with you the untold story of Jagmohan L Humar, often known as Jag Humar. Born in a Jain family of Udaipur, Humar has been last month appointed to the Order of Canada, one of the highest civilian honors by the government of Canada, “for his contributions to structural engineering, for his commitment to education, and for his long-standing service as a community leader” (as quoted on the website). Like the motto of this recognition, DESIDERANTES MELIOREM PATRIAM ("They desire a better country"), Humar truly desires to serve his countries toward betterment. When...

Padma Bhushan recipient (2010), Sant Singh Chatwal, an invincible Indian-American hotelier, has donned many hats. From flying jets to one of the biggest hoteliers of the world, he has been there and done it all. The world knows he realizes what ‘efforts’, ‘consistency’, ‘determination’ mean having climbed up from the bottom to the top. What the world doesn’t know, however, is that he values ‘values’ all the more. And hopes for the younger generation too to know learn the values. The hotel tycoon has pledged to support the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee for the development of International Center for Sikh Studies at Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib (New Delhi). The project was estimated to be around US$ 6-7 million of which Chatwal alone has contributed $1 million. The idea behind is to spread the enlightenment of the Holy Scripture, Guru...

This is our week… the week of India’s independence. There is no sure shot survey for this, yet, we as a nation can definitely feel a surge in loyalty to our nation. However, every 26 January and 15 August, it hurts to see several small-sized Indian flags lying in waste. I have a win-win suggestion for you. Buy online coffee table books themed on India to gift it to your kids and kin and food packets for the hawkers selling tri-color flags on the streets. This way kids and kin get to know something new about the nation, while the sellers get something to eat. Which coffee-table books, you wonder? Well, let me list out to you some: 1. India: Coffee Table Photography Travel Picture Book A book of pictures from entire India, especially Mumbai and Delhi, the two major...

When Maneesh Media was started 20 years back, it was started with the idea of writing about the unheard of success stories of the Indian diaspora. We never knew these stories that amazed us could inspire others. We started with publishing coffee-table books, gradually getting head-on with personalized books as well. Getting to do personalized books for individual families of extreme name and fame was new to us, an aspect we didn’t think of. As we gradually got to know several among the Indian diaspora, some of them accomplishing some unimaginable things, and often started referring back to them in our drawing-room conversations, our guests went back smiling and would thank us later. Why? Little did we know what inspiration and motivation we were unleashing! Did we ever think lives of a handful of Indian diaspora could be so motivational?...

A different species is always an excitement to study. For me, books too have different species; people call it different genres. Among all the genres, I find reading coffee table books the easiest. They are big and beautiful; they have a lot of pictures. They are a complete show-off thing. Place a few in your living room and you are set to make a mark. These books of beauty indicate of your personality. The coffee-table books that you have talk about you, your thoughts, your aspirations, your inspirations. Any guest at your home, workplace, restaurant lounge, hotel lobby, or your shop is sure to pick up the book. They might not read it but simply flip the pages and form an impression of your’s in their head. The conversation hence on will a different essence to it. It would now...

With the current situation, do we imagine getting back into the same world that we were in? All these days of lockdown have taught us to lead a minimalistic lifestyle. And as we live minimalistically, it is wonderful how the nature has revived itself. Conscious, careful, cautious are the new buzz words for human lives, while rebirth, rejuvenation etc are for nature. As nature rejuvenates, human lives rejuvenate as well. How about learning about making the most of the less we have? Here we talk about some coffee table books available online as well that we found meaningful especially for these difficult times. This is Home – The Art of Simple Living (Natalie Walton) A coffee table book online about interior design but with the idea of basic principles of happy living incorporated into homes is a well-researched book. It...

Scenario 1: Last minute panic at work. Boss wants you to stay longer, you want to rush out. You try to hurriedly finish it up, but once again… you stay back! You are at work the next morning trying to finish all your tasks. You somehow manage to, though a bit late. You drive, or may be take a cab, to your favourite bookstore, but the traffic delays you and the bookstore is closed by the time you reach. Anxiety on day 3 is at its peak and you just want to buy the new book. Will you buy it today? Will you sneak out? Anyhow, it has to be today! It has already been three days since the release of the new book. Scenario 2: A new book by your favourite author is released and you want to read...

Ever since the Corona Lockdown came into force across the country, the weather has turned out to be an absolute charmer, although true to its natural temperament of caprice, impulse and uncertainty. Yes, uncertainty is usually a key factor in the way weather tends to behave. But since the last two-three months, we’ve been experiencing equal doses of sun and rain, which follows a predictable pattern on a daily basis. Harsh glare and searing temperatures during the day, by late afternoon the skies are heavily overcast invariably followed by dust or thunderstorms and eventually sharp showers with an appreciable drop in temperatures. book publishers secretly will be very happy about this change: the better the climate, the more the reading. I am sure they’d love this predictable climate to continue till long after the lockdown! But experts are unable to...