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Millions of people are born in this world. Most of them are soon forgotten while some others leave their footprints in the sands of time for posterity. Such people – leaders, philosophers, scientists, saints and holy men – are a fountain of inspiration. Their teachings, and even certain incidents from their lives serve as a beacon light that illuminates the way for generations that follow. This book contains over a 100 thought-provoking anecdotes gleaned from the lives of various great people. They impart instant lessons of life generally not found in school or college textbooks. They leave a deep impression upon the mind and appeal to one\’s sense of ethics.A well-documented book, it makes excellent reading for everyone. Children of impressionable age will get to learn basic values in a fun way. The author of this book, J.M. Mehta is a post graduate in English literature and a topper in B.Ed examination from the Punjab University. After a brief service in the Punjab Education Department, he was selected for the Indian Foreign Service (IFS). He held various responsible assignments both at the headquarters and abroad including postings in the U.K., Russia, Kenya, Vietnam and the Philippines. The author, after retiring from the Ministry of External Affairs in 1993, has been devoting much of his time to reading and writing.

Twilight in Delhi is the only Indian novel that called for the freedom of India from British Rule. It brings history alive, depicting most movingly the decay of an entire culture and the way of life. First published by the Hogarth Press in 1940, Twilight in Delhi was widely acclaimed by critics and hailed in India, and all over the English speaking world, as a major literary event. It has since become a great classic, and is now available as a Rupa publication. Twilight in Delhi has been translated into French, Spanish, Italian and Urdu.

Novelist, poet, critic, diplomat, scholar Ahmed Ali was born in Delhi in 1910. Educated at Aligarh and Lucknow universities, Ahmed Ali became famous in 1932 with the publication of Angarey in Urdu. He co-founded the All India Progressive Writers’ Movement and Association and was the pioneer of the modern Urdu short story. After the Indian subcontinent was divided he lived in Pakistan and established embassies in China and Morocco. He had a deep interest in Sufism and a passion for Ghalib.

Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad wrote his essay on Sarmad when he was 23. His essay was hailed as a masterpiece. Some scholars have traced in this essay the genesis and growth of Azad’s religious thought and political life. With his wide learning and political insights, V.N. Datta gives altogether a different perspective by arguing that Azad saw in this essay on Sarmad a lucid mirror of his own life and experiences. He seeks to answer why Azad wrote his essay, what gave impulse to his thoughts, and what were the leading ideas of his essay, which were to nourish and sustain his thinking and political life subsequently.

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