Cast in the backdrop of the Mughal era during the reigns of Aurangzeb and his successors, Pratirodh is a saga of the relentless resistance by a few brave men against a seemingly invincible Empire to protect their honour and way of life. In response to the rather partisan policies of Mughal emperors, a number of personalities came forward in different parts of Hindustan, to lead people in resisting the tyranny. Though the geographical dispersion precluded any visible unified approach, they were indirectly benefitted by each other. When Aurangzeb got cowed down in Rajputana against the unified resistance of Marwar and Mewar, it provided much needed succour to the great Shivaji and Guru Govind Singh to regroup and consolidate forces in their respective areas. The credit for tying down the Mughals for the longest period in history goes to the Marathas; this also acted as a lifeline to the Sikhs, Rajputs, Bundelas and Jats. Rajputs and Sikhs repaid their debt to Marathas by keeping the Mughals, post Aurangzeb, completely embroiled in Punjab and Rajputana, and indirectly paving the way for an almost unchallenged rise of the Marathas. The prolonged resistance witnessed the supreme sacrifices of numerous unsung heroes of medieval history. Through unmatched grit and determination, they succeeded in bringing down the mighty Empire to its knees, eventually leading to its demise.

This book focuses on the widely used experimental techniques available for the structural, morphological, and spectroscopic characterization of materials. Recent developments in a wide range of experimental techniques and their application to the quantification of materials properties are an essential side of this book. Moreover, it provides concise but thorough coverage of the practical and theoretical aspects of the analytical techniques used to characterize a wide variety of functional nanomaterials. The book provides an overview of widely used characterization techniques for a broad audience: from beginners and graduate students, to advanced specialists in both academia and industry.

‘I was a common man and a common man isn’t allowed to dream big . . . but then, there are those rare moments when one of these ill-fated lives manages to rise from mediocrity like a phoenix from the ashes’ His formative years were nothing if not full of turbulence. From leaving his school to working as a daily-wage labourer, Dalip Singh Rana had done it all at a very young age. He was often the subject of ridicule and was poked fun at due to his extraordinary size. However, a determined Dalip relentlessly pursued his goal of wrestling and such was his passion that he did what no Indian had done so far—enter the internationally acclaimed WWE arena! The Man Who Became Khali is an inspirational, emotional and a no-holds-barred account of a man who not only went on to win the World Heavyweight Championship but also conquered his inner demons and physical anomalies. This is the story of how Dalip Singh Rana became the international icon—The Great Khali!

Based on historical sources as well as Mewari oral traditions, this is a compelling, accessibly written biography of one of India's greatest heroes.

A gripping royal saga of charmed lives in a changing world. The Jaipurs were India's mid-century golden couple; its answer to the Kennedys, or Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. Jai and Ayesha, as they were known to friends like Frank Sinatra, Truman Capote and 'Dickie' Mountbatten, entertained lavishly at their magnificent palaces and hunting lodges in Rajasthan--and in the nightclubs of London, Paris and New York. But as the Raj gave way to the new India, Jaipur--the most glamorous and romantic of the princely states--had to find its place. The House of Jaipur charts a dynasty's determination to remain relevant in a democracy set on crushing its privileges. Against the odds, they secured their place at the height of Indian society; but Ayesha would pay for her criticism of Indira Gandhi during the Emergency. From the polo field and politics to imprisonment and personal tragedy, the Jaipurs' extraordinary journey of transformation mirrors the story of a rapidly changing country.

In 1526, when the nomadic Timurid warrior-scholar Babur rode into Hindustan, his wives, sisters, daughters, aunts and distant female relatives travelled with him. These women would help establish a dynasty and empire that would rule India for the next 200 years and become a byword for opulence and grandeur. By the second half of the seventeenth century, the Mughal empire was one of the largest and richest in the world. The Mughal women-unmarried daughters, eccentric sisters, fiery milk mothers and powerful wives-often worked behind the scenes and from within the zenana, but there were some notable exceptions among them who rode into battle with their men, built stunning monuments, engaged in diplomacy, traded with foreigners and minted coins in their own names. Others wrote biographies and patronised the arts. In Daughters of the Sun, we meet remarkable characters like Khanzada Begum who, at sixty-five, rode on horseback through 750 kilometres of icy passes and unforgiving terrain to parley on behalf of her nephew, Humayun; Gulbadan Begum, who gave us the only document written by a woman of the Mughal royal court, a rare glimpse into the harem, as well as a chronicle of the trials and tribulations of three emperors-Babur, Humayun and Akbar-her father, brother and nephew; Akbar's milk mothers or foster-mothers, Jiji Anaga and Maham Anaga, who shielded and guided the thirteen-year-old emperor until he came of age; Noor Jahan, 'Light of the World', a widow and mother who would become Jahangir's last and favourite wife, acquiring an imperial legacy of her own; and the fabulously wealthy Begum Sahib (Princess of Princesses) Jahanara, Shah Jahan's favourite child, owner of the most lucrative port in medieval India and patron of one of its finest cities, Shahjahanabad. The very first attempt to chronicle the women who played a vital role in building the Mughal empire, Daughters of the Sun is an illuminating and gripping history of a little known aspect of the most magnificent dynasty the world has ever known.

In this brilliantly researched book, Manu S. Pillai uncovers a picture of the Indian princes far removed from the existing cliches and reminds us that the maharajahs were serious political actors - essential to knowing modern India.