Tushar Mangl

The Planet Earth is in a lockdown, courtesy of a contagious virus that is spreading faster than a Forest fire. Although it is not pleasant for most of us stuck at homes, but reading fiction is one escape that has held on loyally to fight boredom, dull days, and mood swings. Here is a list of five fiction books, I would recommend to check off your reading list this Lockdown. Of course, if you haven't read any of my Novellas to date, do give them a chance as well. 1. Chennai Killings - Chital Mehta  The only Indian Author on this particular list has written a pacy thriller you need to pass some quality time upon during the Covid19 Lockdown. Chennai Killings is about a string of murders in Chennai with a Cop, Vikram Rathi, on their trail. Be ready for some exciting twists and a grand surprise of a climax. 2. We the Living - Ayn Rand  Ayn Rand's novels The Fountainhead & Atlas Shrugged are super famous, decades after they were first published. But I ...

Across the Globe, cities have been put under lockdown, cutting down on human movements to restrain the contagious COVID-19's spread.  While some might grumble about their routines to be disrupted, this is an excellent time to spend time with books. I have been asked by many to suggest some reads which they can read digitally. Here is my list of Non-Fiction books you should read while spending time at home. 1. Never Lost Again - Bill Kilday This book is about Google Mapping and the story behind an App that you use in routine. Increasingly our populace is being dependent on Google Maps, but do you know how it all began? Bill Kilday chronicles the journey very well, since the time John Hanke started Keyhole. Kilday himself was part of Hanke's team from Keyhole days and Google as well.  It is also an inspiring read for thousands of you who are struggling to rise in their careers, entrepreneurship, or businesses. It was not a smooth path for Hanke and his team and...

 If you are sitting alone at home and looking for a constructive timepass gardening specifically, kitchen gardening can be e an excellent idea for you.  But with Limited supplies and without stepping out of home, how do we manage to set up a kitchen garden? Let me give you a brief idea about how to go about it. You don't need fancy stuff to start, and this is specifically for beginners who don't have much experience in setting up a kitchen garden but would like to go for it. The first point is to clean your house and look for pots.  Now how do we do that? In your home, if you have old buckets, empty cans, unused plastic jars, etc. We can also use 2-litre pet bottles of soft drinks. Cans of for use for ghee or refined all those can also be used. We can also use takeaway containers which we get with home deliveries. Some outlets also send food in earthen handis. I once used for a pot, an old stainless steel jar of a mixer grinder way past its prime and which d...

Vikram Rathi is a policeman still hungover from his sister's death. He is handed over a case of another young girl Sandhya, who has been murdered ruthlessly. As the story tumbles through twists and turns, we find out that Ravi is the murderer, and also both Sandhya and Vikram's sister's death are interconnected. In Chennai Killings, Author Chital Mehta narrates a gripping thriller that moves with speed and never slows down. Chennai, a megapolis, has been construed as a backdrop where the characters from different parts of the country converge. Vikram, Sandhya's Family, are not native to but have found a home in or around Chennai. It's not a very thick read, and the author has done well to reign in any slack in the plot. The reader is kept guessing until the very end as to what is the final outcome of the story.  Publisher - Quignog

It is virtually impossible to determine with 100% accuracy the full success of investments in mutual funds, no matter how many people are in the market or not. The main reason is it is a platform where there is no constant, for every one minute, there is a change in the market, which causes rise and fall in the shares, and their investment will be lost and gained. The funds are present to take care of the money of people who don’t have time or have some or any expertise to invest in stocks. They can give you returns that will beat inflation most of the times, and you can increase your money by anywhere between 12% to 24% over 5 to 10 years depending on your timing of the purchase of it. The above returns surely are not worst. But two problems are most likely to hit and prevent you from getting super-rich, out of the league they are: 1) Timing of purchase: You are not expected to get the right timing every-time. Those who bought stocks in 2001 & exited in 2007 end can understan...

In the last few days, as India comes to terms with Covid-19 and struggles with dealing with this pandemic, one question several people are asking me relates to its impact on their careers. Coronavirus is what you hear everywhere these days. Public distancing and lockdowns are being touted as effective preventive measures to limit its spread. The highly contagious virus has brought the entire global economy to its knees. In this environment, what happens to our careers? Feb-March-April is a period when several corporates roll out their annual appraisal. Salaries are hiked, promotions granted, and career advancements planned. This year, however, things look not so promising for anyone as companies brace for adverse effects on balance sheets and glaring losses due to prolonged disruptions in businesses. Here is what you need to do, confined in your homes to thrive your career -  1) Work from home - Don't just pretend to work. Get some real work done. When this is all ...

  If we look outside, in the deep horizons of clear skylines, we will see a Nation brought to its knees by a tiny virus, so tiny that it's invisible to our eyes. Next time, we look down upon someone who is poor, or demean someone for lack of his/her education, ostracize someone because of their income, let's remember this moment.  We might grow haughty for our shiny designations and stature in society. We might stand tall for our bank accounts and share capitals, but we should never disregard those we think beneath us. Who might be younger than us, inexperienced or just less privileged than us. For this day reminds us that we might be a Goliath in many forms, nature still can spring up a David on us. Lesson for us today, in those empty streets and a standstill economy is of Humility.  To be Humble is important. To never intoxicate ourselves of whatever we achieved is important. And it's important that we realise that nothing small is insignificant or unimportant...