‘. . . being a player from India defines who I am. When I play, it’s for my parents, my coach, and my country.’ Meet Saina Nehwal—India’s star badminton player and World Number 4, Padma Shri and Khel Ratna awardee, the girl who brought laurels to India by winning an Olympic medal at the age of twenty-two. In this fascinating memoir, she talks about her childhood and growing–up years; her relationship with the most important people in her life; the ups and downs of her celebrated career, from district level wins to the Olympics; and the sacrifices needed to succeed in any sport. She also reveals little-known facts and offers a peek into her many avatars—daughter, sister, student, and the regular girl behind the badminton prodigy. Find out what a typical day in Saina’s life is like—rigorous training, a strict diet, and no parties or sleepovers. But it’s not all work and no play; Saina loves to shop, eat ice cream (post wins only), and play games on her iPad! With candid photographs and badminton tips from the pro herself, this book showcases the making of a badminton champ—in her own words.

Saina Nehwal’s phenomenal success as an international badminton player is one of the most inspiring stories of Indian sports.Saina comes from a middle-class family and has been groomed into a world-class player in the face of awesome odds.This is an account of her rise as a champion with the selfless support of her parents – Dr Harvir Singh, an agricultural scientist, and Usha Rani – and the dedication of her coaches. Saina ranks among the top few players in the world andis an icon for the young. But success hasn’t changed her. Strong family values make her the girl next door. She is known for her integrity, courage and persistence.The story also unfolds against the backdrop of Indian badminton fighting to earn its place in the sun in a country which worships only cricket.

‘That day I cried like a baby not because I feared what cancer would do but because I didn’t want the disease. I wanted my life to be normal, which it could not be.’ For the first time Yuvraj Singh tells the real story behind the 2011 World Cup when on-the-field triumph hid his increasingly puzzling health problems and worrying illnesses. In his debut book The test of my life, he reveals how—plagued with insomnia, coughing fits that left him vomiting blood, and an inability to eat—he made a deal with God. On the night before the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup final, Yuvraj prayed for the World Cup in return for anything God wanted. In this book, he lays bare his fears, doubts, and the lows he experienced during chemotherapy—when he lost his energy, his appetite, and his hair—and his battle to find the will to survive. Poignant, personal, and moving—The test of my life—is about cancer and cricket; but more importantly, it is about the human will to fight adversity and triumph despite all odds.

Born to parents who were landless agricultural labourers in the state of Manipur in Northeast India, Mary Kom's story is one of relentless struggle and unflagging passion for boxing. A childhood of hard labour prepared her body for the sport as well as any fitness training might have. Her own will and aggression carried her through the minefield of politics that any sport in India is. Nimble of foot and pulling no punches, the boxing ring was her domain. M.C. Mary Kom is not yet ready to call it a day, but here she tells her story so far, no holds barred -- her tough childhood, her rebellions and how she held her own in the male world of boxing. It's all packed into this inspiring, exhilarating tale of a woman who faced impossible odds in a man's world -- and won.

Volleyball was the topic of conversation at breakfast and dinner table, but badminton player Pullela Gopichand was P.V. Sindhu's hero. At a time when Saina Nehwal was a rising star, eight-year-old Sindhu would travel over 40 kilometres from her home in a railway colony in Secunderabad, every day, to get to Gopichand's academy and train. Shuttling to the Top: The Story of P.V. Sindhu is the fascinating story of the junior player who went on to be the first Indian to win an Olympic silver medal for badminton.

• Nita Ambani launched the Indian Super League, on the lines of FIFA, to boost football in India • Sudha Murty gave her savings to her husband, Narayana Murthy, to help start Infosys • Naina Lal Kidwai was the first Indian woman to graduate from Harvard Business School • Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw started Biocon with a seed capital of Rs10,000 • At the age of sixteen, Sania Mirza became the youngest and the first Indian woman to win a Grand Slam These are some snippets from She Walks, She Leads which profiles twenty-six iconic women in modern India. These leaders tell their stories, up close and personal. Their relentless ambition to shatter the glass ceiling, their pursuit for excellence and the challenges that came their way – all of this is captured vividly in this exclusive anthology. Each chapter is based on extensive research and has never-seen-before photographs of these luminaries. The chapters are followed by interviews with their companions and close confidants who have seen them grow over the years. The women leaders profiled in the book come from different fields like banking, media, cinema, sports, fashion, philanthropy and industry.

'Go, kiss the world' were Subroto Bagchi's blind mother's last words to him. These words became the guiding principle of his life. Subroto Bagchi grew up amidst what he calls the 'material simplicity' of rural and small-town Orissa, imbibing from his family a sense of contentment, constant wonder, connectedness to a larger whole and learning from unusual sources. From humble beginnings, he went on to achieve extraordinary professional success, eventually co-founding MindTree, one of India'™s most admired software services companies. Through personal anecdotes and simple words of wisdom, Subroto Bagchi brings to the young professional lessons in working and living, energizing ordinary people to lead extraordinary lives. Go Kiss the World will be an inspiration to 'young India', and to those who come from small-town India, urging them to recognize and develop their inner strengths, thereby helping them realize their own, unique potential.