Latest news with #MahmudofGhazni
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
HarperCollins India is delighted to announce the forthcoming publication of The Chola Tigers: Avengers of Somnath
A scintillating new novel by the bestselling author of the Shiva Trilogy and the Ram Chandra series- Amish The cover of The Chola Tigers was revealed by Indian cinema's superstar and living legend Rajinikanth, along with the author Amish, in a private ceremony in Chennai. NEW DELHI, July 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Scheduled for release on 29 August 2025, The Chola Tigers is the second book in Amish's Indic Chronicles, after the bestselling Legend of Suheldev. A thrilling historical saga of defiance, honour and redemption it celebrates the indomitable spirit of India. When the ruthless tyrant Mahmud of Ghazni destroys the sacred temple of Somnath, the greatest ruler of the time, Emperor Rajendra Chola, summons a squad of defiant assassins to embark on a perilous quest and bring the fearsome enemy to his knees. This historical fiction title builds on the world introduced in the 2020 bestseller Legend of Suheldev, which garnered widespread appreciation from readers and went on to become a bestseller. Pacy and action-packed, The Chola Tigers, explores the profound question: How far would you go to defend dharma and your country's honour? On the occasion of the book's announcement, Amish, author, says, "The Chola Tigers is an exhilarating story in which Emperor Rajendra Chola, the mightiest man of his era, orders a daring surgical strike on Ghazni in response to Sultan Mahmud's attack on the Somnath temple. This work of historical fiction is linked to my 2020 release Legend of Suheldev. It is about a mission ordered by one of the greatest Tamilians ever, Emperor Rajendra Chola. And it is a great honour that the cover of this book was released by one of the greatest Tamilians alive and an Indian treasure, Rajinikanth ji." Poulomi Chatterjee, Executive Publisher — HarperCollins India, adds, "Amish has brilliantly reimagined our beloved legends and epics, and episodes from medieval Indian history, for millions of people across the country to enjoy afresh. The new novel is vintage Amish—a sweeping historical saga that is pacy, dramatic, simmering with political intrigue and personal vendetta, and heart-rending in its scenes of sacrifice and retribution. At its heart it masterfully explores the depths of human courage and resilience, and the indomitable spirit of a nation that refuses to be broken. It's going to keep readers spellbound until the final page, and we can't be happier to publish it!" ABOUT THE CHOLA TIGERS The place will be of their choosing. The time will be of their choosing. But the Indians will have their vengeance. 1025 CE, India. Mahmud of Ghazni believes he has crushed the spirit of Bharat—the Shiva Linga at the Somnath temple lies shattered and thousands are dead. But among the ashes of destruction, an oath is taken. Five people—a Tamil warrior, a Gujarati merchant, a devotee of Lord Ayyappa, a scholar-emperor from Malwa, and the most powerful man on Earth, Emperor Rajendra Chola—resolve to undertake a perilous quest and strike at the heart of the invader's kingdom. From the grandeur of the Chola Empire to the shadows of Ghazni's bloodstained court, The Chola Tigers is the scintillating story of a fierce retaliation. A story of unity forged through pain, of courage born from despair, and of vengeance that becomes Dharma. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Amish is a 1974-born, IIM (Kolkata)-educated banker-turned-author. The success of his debut book, The Immortals of Meluha (Book 1 of the Shiva Trilogy), encouraged him to give up his career in financial services to focus on writing. Besides being an author, he is also a broadcaster, the founder of a video gaming company, a film producer and a former diplomat with the Indian government. Amish is passionate about history, spirituality and philosophy, finding beauty and meaning in all world religions. His books have sold more than 8 million copies and have been translated into 21 languages. His Shiva Trilogy is the fastest-selling and his Ram Chandra Series the second-fastest-selling book series in Indian publishing history. His books in The Indic Chronicles, which are based on medieval Indian history, are also blockbuster bestsellers. You can connect with Amish here: ABOUT HARPERCOLLINS INDIA HarperCollins India publishes some of the finest writers from the Indian subcontinent and around the world, publishing approximately 200 new books every year, with a print and digital catalogue of more than 2000 titles across 10 imprints. Its authors have won almost every major literary award including the Man Booker Prize, JCB Prize, DSC Prize, New India Foundation Award, Atta Galatta Prize, Shakti Bhatt Prize, Gourmand Cookbook Award, Publishing Next Award, Tata Literature Live!, Gaja Capital Business Book Prize, BICW Award, Sushila Devi Award, Sahitya Akademi Award and Crossword Book Award. HarperCollins India also represents some of the finest publishers in the world including Harvard University Press, Gallup Press, Oneworld, Bonnier Zaffre, Usborne, Dover and Lonely Planet. HarperCollins India is also the recipient of five Publisher of the Year Awards – in 2021 and 2015 at the Publishing Next Industry Awards, and in 2021, 2018 and 2016 at Tata Literature Live. HarperCollins India is a subsidiary of HarperCollins Publishers. 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Time of India
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Gorakhpur fair in Ghazni aide's name called off
GORAKHPUR: Gorakhpur's iconic Bale Miyan fair will not take place this year amid claims by the organisers that local authorities in BJP-governed UP have not granted clearance. This will be the first break in the 900-year-old tradition of the fair held in the name of Syed Salar Masud Ghazi , believed to be one of Mahmud of Ghazni's commanders. The hiatus in Gorakhpur fair — named after Ghazi who is locally referred to as Bale Miyan — comes weeks after cancellations of similar events held in his name in Bahraich and Sambhal. This was followed by CM Yogi Adityanath 's assertion that 'glorification of invaders amounted to treason, which independent India will not tolerate'.
Indian Express
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Operation Sindoor — Pakistan's price for bigotry
Operation Sindoor, launched by India on May 7 against terror hideouts in Pakistan, has since been paused. This peace is deceptive. The battle stays suspended for now, but the war is far from over. It's neither the first nor the last such clash, but a mere blip in a long conflict. Neophytes to the Subcontinent's history are upset with Prime Minister Narendra Modi because he halted the ongoing conflict without fixing Pakistan for good and retrieving PoK. They forget that the India-Pakistan dispute isn't about geography, borders or Kashmir. It's about protecting the defining characteristics of the nation. Can any give-and-take formula resolve the differences between India and Pakistan? It's time to reflect on why all such efforts have come to nought. Irrespective of the governments in office in Islamabad and Delhi, the two countries have seldom been cordial, frictionless neighbours. Pakistan styles itself as a successor to the Islamic invaders. The heroes of Pakistan include historical figures such as Mahmud of Ghazni, Muhammad Ghori, Aurangzeb and Ahmad Shah Abdali, who, driven by religious zeal, decimated Indian cultural icons. No wonder Pakistani missiles are named after some of these figures. Indian missiles, in contrast, are named after elements of nature — Prithvi, Akash, Agni, etc Pakistan sees itself as a nation that has the God-given responsibility to complete the 'divine' mission of 'Ghazwa-e-Hind' — that is, turn the Subcontinent into an Islamic state, a task left unfinished by its medieval role models. That is the point Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir made on April 16 while reiterating the two-nation theory. On May 11, the director general, Inter-Services Public Relations, Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif, said that Islam was part of the Pakistan army's training, going beyond personal beliefs. 'It is part of our faith… that iman, taqwa, jihad fi sabilillah (faith, piety, struggle in the name of God) drive us,' he added. The Pakistan army's motto changed from Muhammad Ali Jinnah's 'Ittehad, yaqeen, tanzeem' (unity, faith, discipline) during General Zia-ul-Haq's regime. After the demise of Jinnah, Pakistan defined its identity and objectives. The Objective Resolution, adopted by the Constituent Assembly (Liaquat Ali Khan was the Prime Minister) in March 1949, declared that 'sovereignty over the entire universe belongs to God Almighty alone and the authority which He has delegated to the state of Pakistan… is a sacred trust'. The Objective Resolution went on to be incorporated as a preamble to the 1956, 1962 and 1973 constitutions. Pakistan's threats during the 1965 war, that it would fight India for the next 'thousand years' at the United Nations; its strategy after the 1971 defeat of inflicting 'a thousand cuts' on India; its attempt to occupy Siachen in 1984; its betrayal in Kargil in 1999 after a peace initiative, and its overt and covert involvement in terrorist attacks over the past four decades — all form part of a conflict that owes to a fundamental difference in the characters of the two nations. The recent flare-up was triggered after Pakistan-sponsored terrorists gunned down 26 people in Pahalgam. Pakistan's first terrorist attack on India, less than three months after its creation — on October 22, 1947 — was in Kashmir, when its army, in cahoots with Islamic tribal militias, advanced towards Srinagar, engaging in plunder, murder, and rape of the local population along the way. Seventy-eight years have gone by, and nothing has changed for Pakistan. It's still fighting in the same terrain, using old, loathsome techniques. Pakistan continues to walk the beaten path of bigotry and hate. Meanwhile, the terms of engagement between the two countries have changed. When PM Modi declared, 'Terror and talks cannot go together… Terror and trade cannot go together… Water and blood cannot flow together,' he not only underscored the objective of Operation Sindoor but also charted the future trajectory of India-Pakistan relations. Will Pakistan-sponsored terrorism now come to an end? Not anytime soon. In 1971, India, through decisive military intervention, partitioned a civil war-ridden Pakistan and facilitated the creation of Bangladesh. Despite paying such a heavy cost, Pakistan has refused to revise its anti-India paradigm. War has its limitations. Most wins are pyrrhic. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, a member of the House of Lords, was right when he said, 'What wins wars is weapons, but what wins peace is ideas'. It's a war of ideas that India is fighting. On another occasion, the rabbi said, 'There's no quick fix here. You don't suddenly turn radicals into moderates. You have to educate a generation.' This is indeed a challenging task. Pakistan was not born of any natural, historical, or geographic process. It is a construct, engineered by a section of Indian Muslims aided by the British. It's full of contradictions, which add to its insecurity. Its various mutually antagonistic Islamic sects are involved in internecine wars. Some of its regions are desperate, struggling to secede. Against this backdrop, India's new policy of zero tolerance toward terrorism will serve as a continuous reminder to the Pakistani establishment of the heavy price of nurturing terrorism. Sooner or later, a segment of the Pakistani establishment will have to realise that sponsoring terrorism is an expensive and self-destructive exercise. India, meanwhile, will have to be on constant alert to sustain pressure on Pakistan. Fear of an unforgiving retribution is the only effective deterrent against terrorism. In this context, the words of Dwight D Eisenhower, America's 34th President, resonate deeply: 'We are going to have peace even if we have to fight for it.' The writer is former chairman, Indian Institute of Mass Communication
Indian Express
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
This Word Means: Abdali Weapon System
Why today? Pakistan on Saturday (May 3) test-fired a ballistic missile called the Abdali Weapon System. 'Pakistan conducted a successful training launch of the Abdali Weapon System, a surface-to-surface missile with a range of 450 kilometers, as part of Ex INDUS. The launch was aimed at ensuring the operational readiness of troops and validating key technical parameters, including the missile's advanced navigation system and enhanced maneuverability features,' the X handle of the Govt of Pakistan posted. An official in Delhi, speaking to The Indian Express, called the testing a 'reckless act of provocation and a dangerous escalation by Pakistan in its hostile campaign against India.' What is the Abdali missile? The Abdali is a ballistic missile — a missile that uses projectile motion to travel towards its target, and is powered by a rocket for only the initial, short duration of its journey. Ballistic missiles usually have three stages of flight. The American non-profit The Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation explains it thus, 'Boost Phase begins at launch and lasts until the rocket engine(s) stops firing and the missile begins unpowered flight. Depending on the missile, boost phase can last three to five minutes. Midcourse Phase begins after the rocket(s) stops firing. The missile continues to ascend toward the highest point in its trajectory, and then begins to descend toward Earth.' The final, or Terminal Phase, is when the warhead (basically the bomb) has detached and hits the target. The Abdali missile was first tested in 2001-02, according to Dawn. It is named after Ahmed Shah Abdali, the Afghan ruler who invaded India multiple times in the 18th century. Pakistan has a tradition of naming its missiles after Muslim rulers who invaded India. Thus, apart from Abdali, it has Ghaznavi missiles (named after Mahmud of Ghazni), the Ghauri missile (named after Muhammad Ghori), and the Babur missile, named after the first Mughal ruler Zahir ud-Din Babur. The military drill during which this missile was tested was called Exercise Indus. The test, conducted at the Sonmiani Ranges, was likely part of an operational user trial conducted under the Army Strategic Forces Command (ASFC), which handles Pakistan's nuclear-capable missiles, The Indian Express reported. India has recently suspended the Indus Water Treaty with Pakistan, following the Pahalgam attack on tourists. It has also taken a range of other steps — curbing water flow through the Baglihar dam over the Chenab; stopping the import of Pakistani products; banning docking of Pakistan-owned ships and suspending the exchange of all mail and parcels.
