Want to know what books Amit Paranjape recommends on their reading list? We've researched interviews, social media posts, podcasts, and articles to build a comprehensive list of Amit Paranjape's favorite book recommendations of all time.
1
Sunny Days is the fascinating record of the growth of India's greatest batsman; one whose astonishing feats on the cricket field have had innumerable records rewritten, and yet more difficult targets set.
How did Sunil Manohar Gavaskar begin and what were the early days like? It is not merely out of curiosity that one may ask the question; the knowledge of the shaping up of the process of greatness is essential for a true understanding of the greatness. Before we can ask the Little Master to tell us about the dizzying heights of his career we need to know the beginning. And Sunny... more Sunny Days is the fascinating record of the growth of India's greatest batsman; one whose astonishing feats on the cricket field have had innumerable records rewritten, and yet more difficult targets set.
How did Sunil Manohar Gavaskar begin and what were the early days like? It is not merely out of curiosity that one may ask the question; the knowledge of the shaping up of the process of greatness is essential for a true understanding of the greatness. Before we can ask the Little Master to tell us about the dizzying heights of his career we need to know the beginning. And Sunny Days is all about it.
The baby is switched after birth, luckily restored by an eagle-eyed uncle; he grows up and almost breaks his mother's nose with a mighty hit (a childhood habit persisting in later life); plays good cricket in school and college; graduates inevitably through university and Trophy cricket; is at times booed by the crowd as his uncle happens to be a Selector - in fact all that could happen does happen to make him reach the age of twenty-one, when at Port of Spain Gavaskar bursts upon the cricket scene with his Test debut.
The year is 1971, Gavaskar's year, and sunny days have truly begun for Indian cricket. By the end of the 1975-76 season Gavaskar has played 147 first class matches, amassed 11574 runs and 38 hundreds. He has played in 24 matches in 8 Tests, with 2123 runs and 8 hundreds. Still eight years to go for the great days of the Kotla and the Chidambaram Stadium; but as it is said, in the beginning is the end.
Fluently written, self-effacing modesty imparting a rare grace to the pages, Sunny Days is great to read. less 
Amit ParanjapeI was too young to watch Ajit Wadekar play. My earliest cricket memories started with Sunil Gavaskar's batting.
Gavaskar's great book, 'Sunny Days' provided my generation a great view of the historic 1971 series, and of Ajit Wadekar - the player, the captain, and the leader. (Source)
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2
The riveting story of a spymaster…history doesn't come more riveting than this. The research and analysis wing (r&aw), India's foreign intelligence organisation, is one of the most respected institutions in the world of espionage and Foreign intelligence today. It has played a vital role in almost all of the landmark events in India's recent history—from the 1971 war to the merger of Sikkim, from discovering Pakistan's nuclear programme to the recent balakot operation. Yet, as befits its role, very little is known about the organisation. Equally little is known about its founder,... more The riveting story of a spymaster…history doesn't come more riveting than this. The research and analysis wing (r&aw), India's foreign intelligence organisation, is one of the most respected institutions in the world of espionage and Foreign intelligence today. It has played a vital role in almost all of the landmark events in India's recent history—from the 1971 war to the merger of Sikkim, from discovering Pakistan's nuclear programme to the recent balakot operation. Yet, as befits its role, very little is known about the organisation. Equally little is known about its founder, rameshwar Nath Kao or rnk. An intensely private man, rnk was the classical spymaster who operated in the shadows but built enduring institutions. A ruthless professional who believed in putting National interest above his personal preferences, rnk was also the creator of the secretive aviation research centre, India's premier technical intelligence agency. His finest hour was the role played by r&aw in the creation of Bangladesh. less See more recommendations for this book...
3
Amit ParanjapeInteresting @PuneIntCentre event coming up next Monday (5 pm, Jan 13) -
#Pune launch of this excellent book by Dr. Vijay Kelkar and Ajay Shah:
"In Service Of The Republic - The Art And Science Of Economic Policy".
Details, registration: See below. https://t.co/xDF4KvAbps (Source)
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4
At nineteen, Michael Dell started his company as a freshman at the University of Texas with $1,000 and has since built an industry powerhouse. As Dell journeys through his childhood adventures, ups and downs, and mistakes made along the way, he reflects on invaluable lessons learned.
Michael Dell's revolutionary insight has allowed him to persevere against all odds, and Direct from Dell contains valuable information for any business leader. His strategies will show you effective ways to grow your business and will help you save time on costly mistakes by following his direct model... more At nineteen, Michael Dell started his company as a freshman at the University of Texas with $1,000 and has since built an industry powerhouse. As Dell journeys through his childhood adventures, ups and downs, and mistakes made along the way, he reflects on invaluable lessons learned.
Michael Dell's revolutionary insight has allowed him to persevere against all odds, and Direct from Dell contains valuable information for any business leader. His strategies will show you effective ways to grow your business and will help you save time on costly mistakes by following his direct model for success. less Amit ParanjapeWhat an amazing story! Do read @MichaelDell's book: 'Direct from Dell'
https://t.co/pXArtnByOI https://t.co/r8xLLQcMX6 (Source)
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5
As the intellectual fountainhead of the ideology of Hindutva, which is in political ascendancy in India today, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar is undoubtedly one of the most contentious political thinkers and leaders of the twentieth century. Accounts of his eventful and stormy life have oscillated from eulogizing hagiographies to disparaging demonization. The truth, as always, lies somewhere in between and has unfortunately never been brought to light. Savarkar and his ideology stood as one of the strongest and most virulent opponents of Gandhi, his pacifist philosophy and the Indian National... more As the intellectual fountainhead of the ideology of Hindutva, which is in political ascendancy in India today, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar is undoubtedly one of the most contentious political thinkers and leaders of the twentieth century. Accounts of his eventful and stormy life have oscillated from eulogizing hagiographies to disparaging demonization. The truth, as always, lies somewhere in between and has unfortunately never been brought to light. Savarkar and his ideology stood as one of the strongest and most virulent opponents of Gandhi, his pacifist philosophy and the Indian National Congress.
An alleged atheist and a staunch rationalist who opposed orthodox Hindu beliefs, encouraged inter-caste marriage and dining, and dismissed cow worship as mere superstition, Savarkar was, arguably, the most vocal political voice for the Hindu community through the entire course of India's freedom struggle. From the heady days of revolution and generating international support for the cause of India's freedom as a law student in London, Savarkar found himself arrested, unfairly tried for sedition, transported and incarcerated at the Cellular Jail, in the Andamans, for over a decade, where he underwent unimaginable torture.
From being an optimistic advocate of Hindu-Muslim unity in his treatise on the 1857 War of Independence, what was it that transformed him in the Cellular Jail to a proponent of 'Hindutva', which viewed Muslims with suspicion?
Drawing from a vast range of original archival documents across India and abroad, this biography in two parts-the first focusing on the years leading up to his incarceration and eventual release from the Kalapani-puts Savarkar, his life and philosophy in a new perspective and looks at the man with all his achievements and failings. less 
Narendra ModiThis morning in Bengaluru I met the bright @vikramsampath. I am glad that he has devoted significant time and research towards studying Veer Savarkar.
His book adds fresh dimensions towards understanding the life and thoughts of the great Savarkar. https://t.co/JpnBj94tED (Source)
Bibek Debroy@vikramsampath. What a fantastic book on Savarkar!! Eagerly waiting for the next volume. A template for writing biographies. Please do not fail to read this. Penguin /Viking. (Source)
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6
Read about the extraordinary experiences of a batch of 1983, and in particular the residents of Hostel 4 or H4, at IIT Bombay, who are today well-known politicians, international strategists, IT czars and successful entrepreneurs... more Read about the extraordinary experiences of a batch of 1983, and in particular the residents of Hostel 4 or H4, at IIT Bombay, who are today well-known politicians, international strategists, IT czars and successful entrepreneurs... less Amit Paranjape@nitingokhale Some very interesting anecdotes about him from his @iitbombay days shared by his batchmates. Will forward this in the groups. Also the book https://t.co/tXUd7Z7bpY (stories compiled by students of Hostel 4 (from 70s and 80s) has some good ones too.
Will send you the book. (Source)
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7
La historia de cómo hemos descifrado el código fuente que nos hace humanos abarca todo el planeta y varios siglos -y probablemente defina el futuro que nos espera.
Entrelazando ciencia, historia y vivencias personales, Mukherjee hace un recorrido por el nacimiento, el crecimiento, la influencia y el futuro de una de las ideas más poderosas y peligrosas de la historia de la ciencia: el gen, la unidad fundamental de la herencia, y la unidad básica de toda la información biológica. Desde Aristóteles y Pitágoras, pasando por los descubrimientos relegados de Mendel, la revolución de... more La historia de cómo hemos descifrado el código fuente que nos hace humanos abarca todo el planeta y varios siglos -y probablemente defina el futuro que nos espera.
Entrelazando ciencia, historia y vivencias personales, Mukherjee hace un recorrido por el nacimiento, el crecimiento, la influencia y el futuro de una de las ideas más poderosas y peligrosas de la historia de la ciencia: el gen, la unidad fundamental de la herencia, y la unidad básica de toda la información biológica. Desde Aristóteles y Pitágoras, pasando por los descubrimientos relegados de Mendel, la revolución de Darwin, Watson y Franklin, hasta los avances más innovadores llevados a cabo en nuestro siglo, este libro nos recuerda cómo la genética nos afecta a todos cada día. less 
Bill Gates"Mukherjee wrote this book for a lay audience, because he knows that the new genome technologies are at the cusp of affecting us all in profound ways," Gates wrote. Mukherjee is what Gates calls a "quadruple threat." He's a practicing physician, teacher, researcher, and author. (Source)
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8
A Nobel Prize-winning biologist tells the riveting story of his race to discover the inner workings of biology's most important molecule
Everyone has heard of DNA. But by itself, DNA is just an inert blueprint for life. It is the ribosome--an enormous molecular machine made up of a million atoms--that makes DNA come to life, turning our genetic code into proteins and therefore into us. Gene Machine is an insider account of the race for the structure of the ribosome, a fundamental discovery that both advances our knowledge of all life and could lead to the... more A Nobel Prize-winning biologist tells the riveting story of his race to discover the inner workings of biology's most important molecule
Everyone has heard of DNA. But by itself, DNA is just an inert blueprint for life. It is the ribosome--an enormous molecular machine made up of a million atoms--that makes DNA come to life, turning our genetic code into proteins and therefore into us. Gene Machine is an insider account of the race for the structure of the ribosome, a fundamental discovery that both advances our knowledge of all life and could lead to the development of better antibiotics against life-threatening diseases. But this is also a human story of Ramakrishnan's unlikely journey, from his first fumbling experiments in a biology lab to being the dark horse in a fierce competition with some of the world's best scientists. In the end, Gene Machine is a frank insider's account of the pursuit of high-stakes science.
less Amit ParanjapeRead an interesting book: 'Gene Machine: The Race to Decipher the Secrets of the Ribosome' by Nobel Laureate Venki Ramakrishnan.
The book discusses the author's early years of work, the race to decode the ribosome ('gene reading molecule'), the politics of awards and more. https://t.co/zPiiYfghWO (Source)
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