The Arte do Lingoa Canarim was perhaps based on an earlier work already being undertaken at Rachol and documented as having been in use at the College of St. Paul, Old Goa. His manuscript of the Arte remained unpublished and is believed to be in the possession of the School of Oriental and African Studies, SOAS, London. It was enlarged by Fr. Diogo Ribeiro who, according to Manoharrai Sardessai in his book "A History of Konkani Literature: From 1500 to 1992", is said to have added to it "the fruits of his fifty years' study of Indian languages". But neither Fr. Stephens nor Fr. Ribeiro lived to see it in print, for it was only in 1640 that it was issued from the Press of what was then called the St. Ignatius College of Rachol.This book is a facsimile reprint of this edition, along with an introduction by Fr Ivo Coelho S.J.

Born at Clyffe Pipard, Bushton, Wiltshire, England in 1549, Thomas Stephens fled to Lisbon to escape religious persecution wrought by Henry VIII against the Catholics. In 1575, he joined the Society of Jesus and opted for the Indian mission, arriving in Goa in October 1579. He seems to have fallen in love with the land of Goa, writing extensively about the land and life here. In one letter, he wrote that "the tall coconut trees in Goa were completely different from anything he had seen before". Thomas Stephens is primarily known for three works of literature: The Krista Purana, a re-telling of the Bible in Puranic form, which today is still considered one of the finest specimens of Marathi penmanship, Doutrina Christam em Lingoa Bramana Canarim and The Arte de Lingoa Canarim.

A hillock, adorned by a rivulet, stretch of golden sands , River Princess idling away at a distance ,a honeymoon pair meditating on the rocks - it's Baga Beach. It's a place of encounter, where the author meets in a photo flash chance with Jose and Nirmala , a mixed marriage couple. Nirmala sees behind this accidental meeting with the author the hand of the Goddess of Peace.

Jose ,the main character in the novel is obsessed with the problem of world order. He gets a sequence of dreams, which unravel to him the concepts of the past, so that he may find solutions to the problem of the present. The dreams are part of a promise by a beautiful lady, the Queen of Dreams. Niramala who believes in the guiding hand of destiny refers to her as the Goddess of Peace. Jose receives the visits in his dreams of several personalities, who take him through a guided tour of history.

The Queen of Dreams asks Jose to undertake a Yatra of India as to understand human experiences. As a coincidence their family friend Ram is devising marketing concept for tourist visiting India. He comes to invite Jose and Nirmala to join him in the tour. Nirmala sees in it the hand of the Goddess of Peace. So they undertake a Yatra which includes destinations like Tirumala, Mahabalipuram, Auroville Asharam, City of Joy and so on.

The last chapter is a discussion on a design for a world order amidst four prominent tourists who had come for the release of Ram's Yatra brochure. That night the Goddess appears to Nirmala and gives the much-awaited sign that the book is to be released.

Goan born Canadian Lino Leitao, an eminent author and novelist in the Foreword writes:

"The brutalities of the past that man inflicted on man haven't been abandoned at the present. Instead, man has armed himself with better weapons of mass destruction than before to kill his own kind, polluting the human spirit.

Jose's Dream - New World Order, is a novel that cries out to remake this world not on the dreams of imperialistic greed, but on Peace and Love - the heritage of the human spirit.

Obsession!! What is it and why do ordinary citizens, young and old, feel this way for a total stranger?

Masala Down Under is a hen lit comedy about a middle-aged woman who suffers 'fan obsession' that takes her on an irresponsible but hilarious journey, both inward and out, to meet the film star of her obsession.

Celia Kelly, a happily married teacher and mother living in Sydney, Australia sees a Bollywood film and falls madly in love with its superstar hero, the actor Tariq Ali Khan. Thus begins a journey of personal discovery narrated by Celia in her utterly original mix of cheeky Aussie wit seasoned with Kolkata-born Indian spice.

To begin with, Celia's husband, Wayne, is amused and tolerant of her newfound passion. But as time wears on, he along with their son Jesse and Celia's trio of best friends all worry that she's lost her mind. Celia is saddened to discover that society is so intolerant when women of a certain age express unconventional passions even as she pursues her internationally famous star with tireless zeal.

Her chase takes her from a film shoot in Sydney to the gates of his mansion in Bombay and involves soulful taxi-drivers, South Indian filmstars and a visit back to her birthplace in Kolkata. Sadly, however, she returns to Australia with her quest unfulfilled. Racial tensions seethe in her beloved home town and she finds herself drifting towards a full blown midlife crisis that not even her handsome superstar can save her from.

But a healing visit to Uluru (Ayers Rock to the rest of us) in the company of Wayne and an unscheduled dingo bring the novel to a very satisfying happy ending.

Sharon Newell was born in Calcutta, India in 1953. When she was 17, she left India to live in Australia, and then New Zealand, before returning to Australia. Sharon now lives in Sydney, is married and has one son. Sharon has visited India each year for the past seven years for an Indian rendezvous.

To bring peace into the world she traveled several places. She got caught up in physical distractions and ambitions. A transformation took place when God took over. The spiritual and physical had to come together to become peaceful and bring peace.

She has become Indian and lives in the Aravali mountains in Mount Abu in Rajasthan. The gift of the soul is for all who wish to see and understand the secrets of the Universe. The spiritual wisdom and methods to create a better self and a better world are available to all. You are loved from the beginning.
Ina Jasodra Bhoelai

At a bachelorette party, a teenager of ravishing beauty considers it an exciting opportunity to shake hands with a nude man of impeccable poise. Another young lady helplessly chases a peddler of narcotic substances. The wife of an affluent and high-flying professional dislikes becoming pregnant and engages the services of a surrogate mother to deliver her baby. Unmindful of the scary goings-on around the world, some elders doggedly try to stick to their old traditions and practices, putting at stake the future of their children.

This book reflects, through ten short stories, these and other gut-wrenching changes in an imaginary society which is on a trajectory of high economic growth. While the book accurately captures the undercurrents of a society which justifies the means utilized to achieve its selfish ends, the reader is introduced to the strange and the bizarre ways of a humankind that throws caution to the winds while single-mindedly pursuing its goals.

Mr. Subbaram Danda is a freelance journalist and a blogger. His hobbies include English writing, photography and travel. In his blog "Reflections in Tranquillity" he writes two series "Humour Unleashed" and "Marvels of the World" He is the author of "The Heights of Humour" and "Marvels very Majestic".

This book is written to emphasize the importance of having a purpose in one's life. Life, after all, must be led happily and having a purposeful life can ensure happiness. The current unrest and gloom in society are a result of people not having a definite goal in life. The mind, by nature, is negative and requires conscious efforts to turn positive. A strong purpose in life engages the mind constructively and turns it positive, thus bringing plenty of joy and happiness in one's life. This book talks in detail about the benefits of finding a purpose in life.

This book narrates the success stories of various ordinary individuals who had extraordinary dreams and became successful despite all odds. These anecdotes illustrate how people did not become successful by accident, rather did so because they worked hard and persevered to achieve their goal. With 20 years of experience within the corporate world, Krishna Ganesh's passion has been to inspire and motivate people to dream big and work towards realizing their dreams. He believes that life has to be led fully, with joy, and that this can happen only when we do things that we are passionate about. He gives motivational talks and conducts workshops to help people develop an aspiration in life and work towards attaining it. He does this because he believes that the joy we experience after having accomplished something far outweighs any comfort we may superficially get from various other sources. When we read the biographies of successful people, one thing that stands out is the intense fire in their bellies - their desire to achieve success in their respective fields of work. This intensity coupled with hard work and perseverance has helped them succeed in life. The key to success is therefore to start with a fire in our belly. Krishna Ganesh can be contacted at mybook.krishna@yahoo.com.

Gaurav Kale is back in his hometown Vadodara. It has been three years since he was last here - but old memories continue to haunt him. He recollects the time when he joined a struggling club, Vadodara United Football Club(VUFC); his enmity with the club's captain, Bali; his one-sided attraction towards the hottest girl in college, Shreya; and his best friends Golu, who desperately wants to lose his virginity, and John, the crackpot - all of whom cause havoc in his young adult life. If all this wasn't enough, the impossible struggles of getting a misfit team to gel and work together as the biggest tournament of the year approaches just add to his troubles. As Gaurav reminisces and explores the past, he has to now decide whether to go back to a life he has loved (and possibly, lost) or forget the past and start anew once again.

When football - the world's most popular sport - and love - the world's favourite subject - come together, it can lead to nothing but a magical atmosphere.

Kiran Vijayan has a B.A. (Honours) in Economics and a Masters in Human Resource Management from The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda. He works as a human resource professional, and besides reading and writing, he also enjoys sports and music. He is also a member of the Baroda United Football Club (BUFC) and continues to play football every Sunday at the Reliance Complex. Offside is his first book.

L'Abate leads the reader - passing through the many dilemmas social research comes up against - to four methods of analysis, four basic paradigms: causality, structuralism, functionalism and process analysis.

Many others have followed this path but they inclined to favour strongly one against the others. For L'Abate's level of mature reflection this type of polarization, well-known in studies on conflict, violence and peace, leads nowhere. All four have merits and demerits, but "if we can see them as particular methods that enrich each other, then we can take considerable steps forward". Just as in a conflict a little probing will bring out some legitimacy in the positions of all parties, there is some validity in all four of the methods if they are accommodated in a broader, creative methodology. And L'Abate guides us beyond the favorite intellectual pursuit - pointing out the errors and what's missing - to new and richer horizons.
(from the Foreword to this book by Johan Galtung)

Alberto L'Abate, born in Brindisi (Puglia. It.) in 1931, lives in Florence (Italy). He graduated in Social and Political Sciences at Florence University (Italy). He specialised in methods of social research and the relationships between social action, nonviolence and social change at the College Cooperative and the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes in Paris, at the Tavistock Clinic in London, and with Gene Sharp, the so-called Machiavelli of Nonviolence, at Harvard University, Cambridge, U.S.A.. His commitment to better understanding various aspects of nonviolence has not been limited to study and writings, but also put into practice in struggles against nuclear power stations in Tuscany, which contributed to the rejection of the project, and against a missile base in Comiso (Sicily), which was subsequently converted into a civilian airport. He has also been active abroad in an attempt to prevent armed conflicts in the first Gulf War, in Iraq, and as a Peace Ambassador in Kosovo. Though these attempts failed they were very instructive as regards the reasons for war and the possibilities of preventing them. In Italy he has published various books on these subjects and numerous articles, some of which have also been translated into eight languages. The author is on the teaching staff of the "Transcend Peace University" and collaborates with the recently founded Institute in Basel (www.galtung-institut.de). For his writings and engagement in active nonviolence, Alberto has received various awards, both in Italy and abroad.

This book looks under the hood of the apparel export industry and examines the real work of merchandisers' within it. It follows the lifecycle of a product from development to shipping. Along the way, it explores the processes, people and paperwork required to do the job well. As merchandisers, you will find helpful hints and reminders to help you avoid common merchandising mistakes. The book is based in merchandising principles and methods currently applied in business. Along with the accompanying website www.smartmerchantbook.com, it is full of materials that will help you maintain a successful and fulfilling merchandising career!

Padma Reddy has been working in the apparel industry for the last 20 years heading quality and technical departments, managing production and operations. At present she is heading her own buying agency. She is involved in consulting, training and developing teams, implementing systems and in apparel and allied factories. A mathematics graduate from Delhi University, she is from the first batch of Garment Manufacturing Technology from NIFT, New Delhi. She is currently involved with the design and development of academic programs at the Triburg Center for Learning.

Yasmin Kaura has a degree in international business and a background in apparel marketing and merchandising. Over the years she has developed an interest in writing and has written articles for a variety of websites. At present she is involved in the research and writing of course material for the Triburg Center for Learning.

Why read this book? A very reasonable question for which there are no reasonable answers. Why write this book? An attempt to explain follows.

We are a group of five friends who recently completed a Bangalore-Leh-Bangalore eighteen-day road trip covering about half of India and were clearly overwhelmed by what we saw. Any great experiences generally remain etched in our memories. However, we felt the need to describe our own experiences the way we saw it and see if we retain the same emotions over a period of time. Even if we do not retain them, we thought we should do it for the nostalgic value that it will evoke within us as we probably grow even older and go farther in our own ways. Everyone loves a bit of nostalgia.

We also felt that sharing this may help many break their shackles, perceptions and discover the beauty that this great place called Leh has to offer to anyone who passes by it. It may, just may, help one embark on the journey of never ending self-discovery and have absolute fun in the process. While the above may serve as a reasonable explanation to why we wrote, what we wrote, please be warned that we are rank amateurs in writing, photography and many associated things. This is a photographic journal of our eighteen-day road trip as we experienced it and it is our hope that reading this might just give you the smile and the 'aha' moments that you probably would have got in many other journeys that you would have made or prepare you for those moments in upcoming journeys.

Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.
~ The Shawshank Redemption

If the above sounds reasonable enough, please do get inside to enjoy the experience. You will not regret it.
Zunder Lekshmanan