A Colonel Destined to Lead is the fascinating story of Indian cricket’s first superstar – Col. CK Nayudu. CK, as he was popularly known as, started playing cricket at a time when the game was still in its nascent stages in the country. In fact, it was his innings of 153 runs for the Hindus against the visiting Marylebone Cricket (MCC) at the Bombay Gymkhana which paved way for India’s elevation to test status. Thus, it was only fitting that he went on to become India’s first test captain in 1932. Test cricket came very late in his life and his prime days were with the Hindus team in the Bombay Quadrangular tournament in the 1920s & 1930s. Post retirement from Test Cricket, he remarkably led the Holkar team to four Ranji Trophy titles. His first-class cricket career spanned over an astonishing 47 years. He played his last first-class match at the age of 68 years. Later, he also became the Chairman of the national selection committee. His story is an inspiration for anyone aspiring to take sports as a career and a delight for any sports lover.

This collection of English short stories by StoryMirror is a result of hard work, imagination and determination of promising writers. They are sure to provide an opportunity to the readers to access the best stories and also bear ample evidence to the vast corpus of work on StoryMirror website. The agglomeration of these phenomenal stories come from thousands of stories gotten on StoryMirror. Each story teaches us something, is relatable and provides an opportunity to think beyond routine life. These short stories are the most interesting, gripping, imaginative and entertaining creation of the writes. It is rightly said – “We lose ourselves in books. We find ourselves there too.” Read on and enjoy!

Guts Amidst Bloodbath is the story of Aunshuman Gaekwad as told by him with many fascinating insights by his teammates, opponents, administrators, selectors, umpires, friends and family members. His is a name associated with Indian Cricket for more than 50 years in some form or the other. He has been a solid opening batsman, an astute administrator, an able selector, a successful coach, an analytical media person and above all a helping human being. But for a player who began his First-Class career as an off-spinner and lower order batsman, to become a Test opener for India is nothing short of remarkable. To play the fast bowlers of the 1970s and 1980s without helmets and other protective gears was an achievement in itself. Post his retirement, he has served Indian cricket in various capacities, the most notable one being his role as the coach of the team from 1997 to 1999. As a coach, he was known for his discipline, honesty and integrity. It is a testimony to his character, that he was re-called to coach the Indian team at a time of turmoil post the match-fixing saga. Even today, he is taking up the cause of Indian cricketers as the President of the Indian Cricketers Association (ICA). In summary, this tale is a celebration of the man and his contribution to Indian cricket. It charts the journey of a boy from Baroda who went on to become one of the most respected figures in world cricket.

This volume, edited by Tzvi Zbusch and Karel van der Toorn, contains the papers delivered at the first international conference on Mesopotamian magic held under the auspices of the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Studies (NIAS) in June 1995. It is the first collective volume dedicated to the study of this topic. It aims at serving as a bench-mark and provides analytic and innovative but also sythetic and programmatic essays. Magical texts, forms, and traditions from the Mesopotamian cultural worlds of the third millennium BCE through the first millennium CE, in the Sumerian, Akkadian and Aramaic languages as well as in art, are examined.