Latest news with #KavithaRao
India Today
19-05-2025
- Politics
- India Today
What are you reading? Five new books not to miss
(NOTE: This article was originally published in the India Today issue dated May 26, 2025)SECRETS AND SHADOWS (Books pictured above)SPIES, LIES AND ALLIES | By Kavitha Rao | WESTLAND | Priced at Rs 499| 272 pages (left)THE CHIEF MINISTER AND THE SPY | By A.S. Dulat | JUGGERNAUT |Priced at Rs 799 | 312 pages (right)Intrigue and espionage seem to be the flavour of the season. Kavitha Rao's Spies, Lies and Allies is the extraordinary tale of two Indian revolutionaries—Virendranath Chattopadhyaya a.k.a. Chatto (Sarojini Naidu's brother) and M.N. Roy, who founded the Tashkent group of the Communist Party of India—as they dodge the British secret service in their journey through Europe. The author of the much-lauded Lady Doctors has pulled off another coup with this dual biography which has no dearth of interesting encounters. And making waves since its launch is former RAW chief A.S Dulat's book which sheds light on his unlikely alliance with then J&K chief minister Farooq Abdullah through truly challenging THE FALL ON FAILING | Edited by Amit Chaudhuri | WESTLAND |Priced at Rs 399| 124 pages The 'Literary Activism' series—an initiative of the Centre for the Creative and the Critical at Ashoka University and Westland Books—takes on the issue of the creative process's 'failure' and, curiously, its necessity. There are meditative essays by Ranajit Das, Sunetra Gupta, Sumana Roy and Anurag Kashyap, among others, ably curated by series editor Amit Chaudhuri, who also writes an THE PAST THE LOST HEER | By Harleen Singh | PENGUIN VIKING | Priced at Rs 1,299 | 544 pages advertisementMasculinity, this book argues, was a key pillar of Punjabi identity in colonial times. The Lost Heer goes beyond male-centric narratives to reclaim the contributions of women through the stories of Aas Kaur, Mai Fatto and Bibi Sahib Kaur in the early colonial period to latter-day figures like Manmohini Zutshi, Raghbir Kaur and MISSIONARY POSITION WANDERERS, ADVENTURERS, MISSIONARIES | By Anuradha Kumar| SPEAKING TIGER | Priced at Rs 599 | 384 pages Americans arrived on our shores in the 1700s. This fascinating book unearths a bevy of 'early American' characters, including 'Ice King' Frederic Tudor, who made a fortune shipping ice from Boston to Calcutta; Samuel Evans Stokes, who pioneered apple cultivation in Himachal; and the beloved Alters of to India Today Magazine
Entrepreneur
09-05-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Fireside-Backed 10Club Files for Insolvency Amid Roll-Up Model Challenges
According to RoC filings, 10Club is moving for insolvency as its assets are not sufficient to pay off its debts. You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. Thrasio-style ecommerce marketplace 10Club has filed for insolvency proceedings before the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), marking a significant setback in the roll-up ecommerce space. According to filings with the Registrar of Companies (RoC), the Fireside Ventures-backed startup is initiating the Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process at the Bengaluru bench, citing that its assets are insufficient to pay off debts. Founded by Bhavna Suresh, Deepak Nair, and Joel Ayala, 10Club made headlines in 2021 with a USD 40 million seed round—one of the largest in India. A year later, it raised another USD 30 million from US-based Olive Tree Capital and existing backers. 10Club's model involved acquiring small businesses, retaining core teams, and scaling them under a single operational umbrella. In October 2023, the company announced a strategic pivot to build a consolidated home and kitchen brand. It also onboarded retail veteran Kavitha Rao as co-founder and COO in January 2024 to drive growth. However, despite early momentum, the model has faced headwinds. Industry peers like the Good Glamm Group have also seen roll-up bets falter, with recent brand divestitures occurring at steep losses. 10Club's insolvency underscores the volatility in scaling D2C brands through acquisition-led strategies.
