Audiobooks narrated by Ranjit Madgavkar

Karma's Child: The Story of Indian Cinema's Ultimate Showman

Subhash Ghai is the man behind some of Hindi cinema's most iconic movies. Of the sixteen films he made between 1976 and 2008, twelve-Kalicharan, Karz, Vidhaata, Hero, Karma, Ram Lakhan, Meri Jung, Saudagar, Khal Nayak, Pardes, Taal and Yaadein-were blockbusters, and the others were critically acclaimed. Known for the strong stories, the memorable music and the grandeur of his films, Ghai not only helmed dream-cast multi-starrers but also signed on rank newcomers who went on to become established names in Bollywood. With his innovative thinking, he brought the crowds flocking back to the theatres when video piracy was at its peak, was the first in India to release the music of a film on audio CD and was a pioneer in taking Hindi cinema to global markets. A self-made man who rose to dizzying heights, Ghai proved the adage that destinies are created-and destroyed-every day in the Mumbai film industry. Today he runs Whistling Woods, the country's foremost film institute: his legacy to future generations of filmmakers. Karma's Child, his memoir, written with Suveen Sinha, tells the story of a man who believed he was destined to direct his own future, no less dramatically than a Subhash Ghai film-and did so.

Subhash Ghai, Suveen Sinha (Author), Ranjit Madgavkar (Narrator)

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Sky High: The IndiGo Story

In 2006, IndiGo was one of the late entrants into the low-cost airline business in India. The market already had many strong players by then-several of them new-including Captain Gopinath's Air Deccan, Ajay Singh's SpiceJet, Vijay Mallya's Kingfisher Airlines and Wadia Group's GoAir. In the next seventeen years, while some struggled and others were grounded, IndiGo became not only the largest airline in the country, but also the most valuable in the history of Indian aviation. No other Indian airline has come close to matching these numbers since Indian aviation took off in 1932 with J.R.D. Tata's Air India. What does IndiGo do differently-and right? What makes it prosper in a troubled and often loss-riddled industry? Why has IndiGo continued to grow despite the rift in the nearly twenty- five-year-long friendship of its promoters Rahul Bhatia and Rakesh Gangwal? What is the road ahead for IndiGo as it defends its supremacy in Indian aviation from Tata and Singapore Airlines-backed Air India? In Sky High, award-winning journalist Tarun Shukla presents a detailed account of how one dream, two media-shy friends and some great execution created an aviation behemoth. Based on years of research, extensive interviews and authoritative data, this is a fascinating story of patience, planning and persistence.

Tarun Shukla (Author), Ranjit Madgavkar (Narrator)

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Just Aspire

'When I left Jabalpur, the small town where I grew up, to pursue a career, I could not have dreamt that I would find myself at the vanguard of pathbreaking revolutions that would transform India.' Entrepreneur, sportsman, salesman, engineer, educationist, jazz aficionado and investor-meet Ajai Chowdhry, the HCL cofounder who dons many hats, all with equal ease. Growing up in the sleepy town of Jabalpur in a family that had migrated from Abbottabad post India's Independence, Ajai's life was set for a linear trajectory-engineering, a well-paying job and a comfortable life-but for the year 1975. This was the year when Ajai quit his job at DCM Data Products and jumped into the uncharted waters of entrepreneurship, founding HCL with Shiv Nadar, Arjun Malhotra, Yogesh Vaidya, Subhash Arora and D.S. Puri. In the 1970s, leaving a stable job with one of India's leading brands was nothing short of crazy. To add to that, not many Indians knew what a computer was. The word 'start-up' was decades away from its use in common parlance. Over the next four decades, HCL would go on to become one of the largest IT companies in India and a household brand. In Just Aspire, Ajai not only shares the story of a successful business behemoth but also of dreams, aspirations, hope and achievements from the eyes of a small-town boy. Along this journey, he shares timeless lessons on entrepreneurship, technology and the future. For all dreamers and doers, this book is a treasure trove of inspiration.

Ajai Chowdhry (Author), Ranjit Madgavkar (Narrator)

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Sultan: A Memoir

The official autobiography of Wasim Akram, the 'Sultan of Swing', one of the greatest fast bowlers in the history of cricket. For twenty years, Wasim Akram let his cricket do the talking - with his electrifying left-arm pace, his explosive striking as a batsman, and his inspirational leadership. For another twenty years, he kept his own counsel about his cricketing days - full of drama, controversy and even mystery - in a country, Pakistan, that to outsiders is a constant enigma.Sultan tells the story of cricket's greatest left-arm bowler, and one of its enduring survivors, who was chosen from the streets of Lahore and groomed by Imran Khan to become champion of the world - he was Man of the Match in the final of the 1992 World Cup which Pakistan won. Along the way were unforgettable rivalries with the legends of his time, from Viv Richards and Ian Botham to Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne. All of this against a backdrop of conspiracy and intrigue over ball tampering and match-fixing, about which Wasim finally sets the story straight. Sultan provides an unprecedented insight into the life - both on and off the field - of a cricketer who revolutionized the sport with his speed and swing, and a patriot buoyed and burdened by the expectations of one of the game's most fanatical publics.

Gideon Haigh, Wasim Akram (Author), Ranjit Madgavkar (Narrator)

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Not Just Cricket: A Reporter's Journey through Modern India

Prominent writer Pradeep Magazine's diary is an account of lived, genuine encounters, of satisfaction, distress, dread, misfortune and trust, and about how an evacuated character shapes one's mentality towards society and the country. From the Kashmir of the 1950s to fearful Punjab, from the Mandir-Masjid partition and the effect of Mandal governmental issues to the grievous outcomes of the Kashmir circumstance Magazine lays out an interesting picture of present day India. At the center of the book are records of the absolute most epochal occasions in India's cricketing history, woven around private experiences with a few notable cricketers. The creator exposes the horrendous maneuvers that are a staple eating regimen of sports administration and uncovers until recently obscure realities about the gratings and self image conflicts that are unavoidable in a game that rules India's donning talk.

Pradeep Magazinne (Author), Ranjit Madgavkar (Narrator)

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The First World War Adventures Of Nariman Karkaria: A Memoir

Amazing! An astonishing find! - AMITAV GHOSH Nariman Karkaria, a young Parsi from Gujarat, had always wanted to see the world. So he left home as a teenager with fifty rupees in his pocket to do just that. After working in Hong Kong and Peking for a few years, in 1914, when war was in the air, he decided to volunteer for the British Army. Passing through China, Manchuria, Siberia, Russia and Scandinavia, he reached London early in 1915 and managed to register as a private with the 24th Middlesex Regiment. He was now a Tommy. Incredibly, Karkaria saw action on three major fronts in the next three years. In 1916, he was in the trenches at the Battle of the Somme. After convalescing from an injury, he was sent off to the Middle Eastern Front where he fought in the Battle of Jerusalem in 1917. He was then transferred to the Balkan Front in 1918, where he served in Salonika. After being discharged, he returned to India and wrote a book in Gujarati about his years of travel and adventure, which was published in 1922. Karkaria's war memoir is truly one of a kind. And in Murali Ranganathan's brilliant translation, this astonishing story comes alive with rare immediacy and vigour.

Murali Ranganathan, Nariman Karkaria (Author), Ranjit Madgavkar (Narrator)

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Mahaparbat: Ek Kahani Hamare Daur Ki

The Hindi translation of The Living Mountain. A new story from internationally renowned author Amitav Ghosh, Mahaparbat is a cautionary tale of how we have systematically exploited nature, leading to an environmental collapse. Recounted as a dream, this is a fable about Mahaparbat, the Living Mountain; the indigenous valley dwellers who live and prosper in its shelter; the assault on the mountain for commercial benefit by the Anthropoi, humans whose sole aim is to reap the bounty of nature; and the disaster that unfolds as a result. Mahaparbat is especially relevant today when we have been battling a pandemic and are facing a climate catastrophe: both of which are products of our insufficient understanding of mankind's relationship with nature, and our sustained appropriation and abuse of natural resources. This is a book of our times, for our times, and it will resonate strongly with readers of all ages.

Amitav Ghosh, Naved Akbar (Author), Pallavi Bharti, Ranjit Madgavkar (Narrator)

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The Death Script: Dreams and Delusions in Naxal Country

Remarkable ... closely reported, sharply insightful, richly readable -- RAMACHANDRA GUHA From 2011 to 2015, Ashutosh Bhardwaj lived in India's 'red corridor', and made several trips thereafter, reporting on the Maoists, on the state's atrocities, and on lives caught in the crossfire. In The Death Script, he writes of his time there, of the various men and women he meets from both sides of the conflict, bringing home with astonishing power the human cost of such a battle. Narrated in multiple voices, the book is a creative biography of Dandakaranya that combines the rigour of journalism, the intimacy of a diary, the musings of a travelogue, and the craft of a novel. Through the prism of the Maoist insurgency, Bhardwaj meditates on larger questions of violence and betrayal, sin and redemption, and what it means to live through and write about such experiences -- making The Death Script one of the most significant works of non-fiction to be published in recent times.

Ashutosh Bhardwaj (Author), Ranjit Madgavkar (Narrator)

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Not Just Cricket: A Reporter's Journey through Modern India

'A wonderful memoir . . . richly insightful, and deeply moving' - Ramachandra Guha Eminent journalist Pradeep Magazine's memoir is a story of lived, real experiences, of joy, sorrow, fear, loss and hope, and about how an uprooted identity shapes one's attitude towards society and the nation. From the Kashmir of the 1950s to terror-stricken Punjab, from the Mandir-Masjid divide and the impact of Mandal politics to the tragic consequences of the Kashmir situation-Magazine paints a fascinating portrait of modern India. At the core of the book are accounts of some of the most epochal events in India's cricketing history, woven around personal encounters with several well-known cricketers. The author lays bare the vicious machinations that are a staple diet of sports governance and reveals hitherto unknown facts about the frictions and ego clashes that are inevitable in a game that dominates India's sporting discourse. Whether it is cricket that you're keen on, or India's troubled history, Not Just Cricket is a must-listen.

Pradeep Magazine (Author), Ranjit Madgavkar (Narrator)

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The Nation's Homeopath: How Dr Batra's Became the World's Largest Chain of Homeopathy Clinics

THE STORY OF A HEALER AND THE WORLD'S LARGEST CHAIN OF HOMEOPATHY CLINICS If you think of homeopathy in India, one name springs to mind-Dr Batra's(R). From humble beginnings with a clinic in Chowpatty, Bombay in 1982, Dr Mukesh Batra put homeopathy on the world map by starting over 200 clinics in seven countries and in 150 cities of India in the next four decades. The Nation's Homeopath is an unusual tale of entrepreneurship, risk appetite, resilience and self-belief. In the early eighties when India was still a decade away from liberalization, and loans were not readily available, Dr Batra borrowed money at a staggering interest rate of 36 per cent per annum. All based on the strong conviction that his business would work out. Not only did the business succeed, Dr Batra's(R) became a household name. Dr Batra's life has been eventful. For decades, he has treated celebrities, including presidents, prime ministers, actors, sportsmen, artists, among others, as well as the common man without discrimination. Along the way, he has defied death on multiple occasions, has known love and heartache and has experienced failure in some business ventures. Part memoir, part guidebook for entrepreneurs, Dr Batra's life has lessons that would benefit readers from any sphere of activity.

Dr Mukesh Batra (Author), Ranjit Madgavkar (Narrator)

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The Braided River: A Journey Along the Brahmaputra

The Brahmaputra is by some margin the largest river in India. After its confluence with the Ganga in Bangladesh, it becomes the largest in Asia. In The Braided River, journalist Samrat Choudhury sets out to follow its braided course from the edge of Tibet where it enters India down to where it meets the Ganga at a spot marked by the biggest red light district in Bangladesh. Along the way, he meets suspicious Indian spies, gets packed off on the back of a cement truck by soldiers, visit a shelter home for baby rhino and elephant orphans in Kaziranga, and hops from river island to riverside town meeting the locals. The tales of these encounters spice up a story that weaves in the history of the emergence of the border between India and China in Arunachal Pradesh, the formation of the Assamese identity -- a matter of great contemporary relevance owing to the National Register of Citizens and the Citizenship (Amendment) Act -- and the ecological challenges posed by proposed dams. This is a genre-bending book that touches upon several hot-button issues -- environmental, military and political -- as it blends travel, memoir and history with the present.

Samrat Choudhury (Author), Ranjit Madgavkar (Narrator)

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Audiobooks Narrated by Ranjit Madgavkar