This is as much the story of Indian advertising as it is about India. Ad veteran Ambi Parameswaran looks at how advertising has evolved, reflecting the country's culture, politics and economy in the last fifty years. From sartorial taste and food habits to marriage and old age, music and language to celebrities and censorship, Ambi examines over a hundred ads to study how the Indian consumer has changed in the past five decades and how advertising and society have shaped each other. Combining anecdote and analyses to give us a slice of modern history, Ambi evaluates the relationship between affluence, aspiration and desire in India. Exploring trends and impacts, he covers the ads that captured the imagination of the entire country. From 'Only Vimal' and 'Jai Jawan Jai Kisan' to 'Jo biwi se kare pyaar' and the controversial Tuffs shoes campaign, the book is a memorable journey through brands, consumers and the world of advertising.

An adman constantly strives to connect market research data to insight on a winning campaign. Ambi Parmeshwaran has developed a fascination for how Indians are getting more religious but also more consumption driven. Combining his thirty- year experience as an adman with a lifelong passion for religious studies, Ambi seeks to answer questions like: • Why has the bindi disappeared from advertisements? • How did Akshaya Trithaya become such a big deal? • What makes Lord Shiva so cool? • How did a Chennai-based department store start the New Year's Sale phenomenon? • Are Muslims more open-minded shoppers? • Why do people who have no interest in using an MBA degree still get an MBA degree? • How did the Manusmriti do a disservice to Hindu women? • What can Harvard Business School learn from the Kumbh Mela? Ambi has filled this book with personal stories, anecdotes, lessons and excerpts from research and other publications. This book is a treat for anyone interested in how religion has evolved and how clever marketers have ridden the wave by tailoring their products and services.

Guild of Food Writer’s Awards, Highly Commended in ‘First Book ’ category (2021) Recipes you’ll want to make over and over again from Britain’s Best Home Cook winner Pippa Middlehurst (aka @pippyeats). Dumplings and Noodles explores the traditional cooking methods behind some of our best-loved Asian dishes. With over 70 recipes and techniques, step-by-step instructions, options for quick and easy substitutes and even the science behind dumplings and noodles, this book is an essential guide for modern home cooks. Whether you fancy barbecue pork bao, chilli oil wontons, miso ramen, aromatic lamb biang biang or dan dan mian, this mouth-watering collection of super-fresh and versatile recipes is sure to satisfy every craving.

In the last hundred-odd years, advertising in India has given us life-altering stuff. It has attempted to make men Fair and Handsome. It has battled to make women 18 Again. And to both men and women it has given Tinder loving care. It has made us realize that we like pizza as much as the next Italian - as long as Domino's puts keema do pyaza on it and tempts us with 'Hungry kya?' It has made us re-evaluate our life choices and ask thought-provoking questions like 'Kitna deti hai?' of our cars and 'Kya aap Close-Up karte hain?' of our countrymen. In short, it has enriched our lives with quirky quips, unforgettable characters, inter-brand scuffles, clever insights, virtual lures and jaw-dropping controversies. In A History of Indian Advertising in Ten-and-a-half Chapters previously published as Stark Raving Ad, you'll find the best of case studies and unbusiness-like stories from Indian advertising through the ages - the hits, the misses, the also-rans and the banned. An engrossing read, this book will inform as much as entertain all readers.

About the Book SPRING: A METAL COIL THAT CAN BE PUSHED, PRESSED OR PULLED BUT WHICH ALWAYS RETURNS TO ITS ORIGINAL SHAPE AFTERWARDS. Rejection is inevitable in every stage of our lives. But what if this inevitability were a tool? What if it could be used as leverage to spring forward at every setback? What if there was a way to systematically process rejection and become a super-spring? Ambi Parameswaran—best-selling author, brand/leadership coach and former CEO of FCB-Ulka Advertising—was rejected at his dream job interviews, denied promotions and had clients turn down his business pitches. He now knows that he eventually succeeded because of these rejections and the way he handled them. Spring is packed with tales of rejection and redemption. Walt Disney, The Beatles, Thomas Alva Edison, Michael Jordan, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, author Amish, the founders of Infosys, and others have used rejections as a pivot to swing their careers and businesses around. Ambi brings his decades of experience to bear on perhaps the vital life and career lesson you could learn from rejection. In Spring, he puts a gentle arm around your shoulders and helps you bounce back stronger than ever from every rejection.