Ranjeet Pratap Singh's 10 Favourite Books

Anamika (II) by Suryakant Tripathi ‘Nirala’, Sahitya Sarowar

Nirala is my all-time favourite poet and Anamika (II) has two of his best poems, showcasing how versatile and brilliant he is. In Ram ki Shakti Pooja, he mixes mythology with modern nuance, which was unheard of in those days. In Saroj Smriti, he convinced even the 13 or 14-year-old child in me to share in his profound grief that one would assume only a parent can ever feel at the demise of their child.

The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt, Routledge

Most likely the first ‘business’ book I remember reading. This book made a mark on a very young and impressionable me by having a complex topic like the ‘theory of constraints’ explained in a captivating and eye-opening way.

The Sicilian, by Mario Puzo, RHUK

I am as much a fan of The Godfather as anyone, but personally I found The Sicilian to be a notch above it. Each character feels like someone you can relate to—there are no perfect heroes or perfect villains. And in showing just how imperfect humans can be, the book does a perfect job.

Godaan by Munshi Premchand Fingerprint! Publishing

One can hardly pick a bad novel (or story) by Premchand, but Godaan is where his brilliance and understanding of India at the time shines brightest. It captures religious, social, moral and human values so brilliantly that you feel like a part of the story yourself.

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer, Puffin, 8-title box set

What Harry Potter is to most people of my age, Artemis Fowl is to me. Perhaps it was because I read it before Harry Potter or because I could relate more with brilliance and intelligence than magic and luck. Perhaps I too wanted a huge bodybuilder to keep me safe and a sassy fairy as my half-nemesis, half side-character.

Rashmirathi by Ramdhari Singh Dinkar, Lokbharti Prakashan

Partly because Rashmirathi is one of the finest modern Hindi epics ever written and partly because Karna is such a relatable anti-hero, I must have read this at least a dozen times before I even turned 20. It is also, at least partly, the reason I put so much emphasis on a sense of responsibility in my own life and work.

The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton Christensen, Harvard Business Review Press

This is the book that first taught me to look at experts critically. They are not omnipotent and do not explain every nuance of life. On one hand, it is one of the most powerful concepts in modern business. On the other hand, both the author and so many of his well-meaning fans (early on) behaved as if anything, except a disruptive innovation, can never be a generation-defining success.

Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin, Harper Collins 7-title box set

This is the perhaps the only series on my list where I watched the show first and then read the books and fell in love with both (till the last two seasons at least). What epic drama, what tension, what political intrigue. A tale by a modern master. I just hope the books end better than the series did.

Meri Avantika by Abhidha Sharma, Neeraj Book Centre

This was almost certainly the first novel published on Pratilipi (where I work) that I fell in love with. The story has so many twists and turns, and instances of happiness and sadness, that the best way to describe why I love this story is a review that a fan wrote to the author: “Abhidhaji, I hate you because of how much I love Avantika”.

Madhushala by Harivansh Rai Bachchan, Penguin Swadesh

Madhushala must be one of the best examples of metaphorical work in any language ever. You could read it and assume everything to be about liquor, God (or spirituality), materialism or society at large, and it would make a 100 per cent sense in each case.

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