THROUGH THE CORRIDORS OF POWER By Dr.P.C.Alexander

Dr.Alexander ,who stands out as one of the most distinguished and respected administrator in the post -independence era,has held several top positions in public life both at the national and international levels oveer a period of over five decades.As Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and later to her son and successor,Rajiv Gandhi,Dr.Alexander played a crucial role in the momentous developments of that period.He takes the reader on stage,through the critical years,as he unravels,for the first time ,the Punjab drama,scene by scene.He also recounts why Indira Gandhi was compelled to call in the Army to carry out Operation Blue Star and  how the top Generals arbittrarily their plans midway through the Operation,leading to tragic consequences.He questions the validity of the rationale behiind the Generals' sudden rethink on strategy and tactics.

Writing in graphic detail,Dr.Alexander breaks his silence on his bitter interaction with Prime Minister Morarji Desai.He also unveils the sordid machinations of some officials of the Ministry of External Affairs(when he was India's High Commissioner in the U.K.)who did everything in their power to stymie his moves when they felt that his actions impinged upon their 'turf'.During this assignment,Dr.Alexander,apart from his regular duties,had also to counter the propaganda unleashed by the U.K.-based Sikh insurgents.

Dr.Alexander rounds off the book withh an account of his tenure as Governor,first of Tamil Nadu and then of Maharashtra,marked by the turbulance of the Sri Lankan ethnic crisis and its impact on India,as also the horrific Mumbai riots and the serial bomb blasts that rocked the metropolis.A chapter on his tenure as Governor of Tamil Nadu(at his own preconditions)reveals the various administrative steps he took to streamline the administration,special drives to ensure cleanliness of Madras cty,many 'firsts' implementse by him and the welfare packages for the common man announced by him,etc.

THE DA VINCI CODE by Don Brown(author of Angels and Demons

While in Paris on business,Harward symbolist Robert Langdon receives an urgent late-night phone call.The elderly curator of the Lourve has been murdered inside the museum with a baffling cipher left near the body.As Langdon and Sophie Neveu,a gifted French cryptologist,sort through the bizarre riddles,they are stunned to discover a trail of clues hidden in the works of Da Vinci - clues visible for all to see and yet ingeniously disguised by the painter.

The stakes are raised when Langdon uncovers a startling link :the late curator was involved in the Priory of Sion - an actual secret society whose members included such eminent persons like Sir Isaac Newton,Botticelli,Victor Hugo and Da Vinci among others.Langdon suspects they are on the hunt for a brathtaking historical secret,one that has proven through the centuries to be as enlightening as it is dangerous.In a frantic race through Paris and beyond,Langdon and Nevea find themselves matching wits with a faceless powerbroker  who appears to anticipate their every move.Unless they  can decipher the labyrinthine puzzle,the Priority's secret - and an explosive ancient truth - will be lost for ever.

Unlike the mold of commonplace suspensenovels,The Da Vinci Code is simultaneously lighming-paced,intelligent and intricately layered with remarkable research and detail.From the opening pages to the unpredictable end,the author proves himself a master storyteller.

Biography of M.R.Masani:

Minoo Rustom Masani played a central organisational role in the creation of political parties and institutions in the formative post-Independence period.He was alawyer who gave up his practice to participate in the freedom struggle,a parliamentarian par excellence,and a crusader for individual freedom and liberation.In 1943 he was elected the youngest Mayor of Bombay,and between 1946 and 48 had a brief stint as Ambassador to Brazil.Throughout his political career he pursued an independence of thought and conduct,making the right to dissent almost a personal crusade.His involvement in the framing of the Indian Constitution was crucial.And his greatest contributions are his books including 'Our India' and 'Bliss was it in that Dawn'.