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HT Picks; New Reads
This week’s pick of interesting reads includes a book on why the pursuit of excellence is integral to personal growth
How to define, live and work in alignment with your values
Each of us has an innate drive for progress and growth. It’s why we feel alive and fulfilled when we channel that drive into meaningful goals, be it starting a business, writing a book, learning an instrument, studying a craft or training for a marathon. Excellence is not a destination so much as an energising process of growth and becoming -- one that yields our best performances and, every bit as important, our best selves. Except too often the hustle of our demanding, distracting and fad-driven lives works against us, leaving us frustrated, unfulfilled and unable to focus on what really matters.
Performance coach and international bestselling author Brad Stulberg offers a fascinating new theory of excellence and why our pursuit of it is integral to personal growth, satisfaction and lasting well-being. Stulberg will help you reclaim your excellence by teaching you how to define, live and work in alignment with your values, cultivate focus and concentration, prioritise consistency over intensity, build durable confidence, and develop the courage to care deeply.
Eye-opening, informative and empowering, The Way of Excellence will give you a new perspective on prioritising excellence and building a more fulfilling life around it.*
An artist torn between stardom and invisibility
Chapal Bhaduri, celebrated as Chapal Rani, was the last iconic female impersonator of the Bengali jatra stage — a tradition where men donned saris and embodied queens, goddesses, and heroines for travelling theatres. But as societal norms evolved and women entered the theatre, Chapal faced an identity crisis on and off the stage. Hailing from the storied acting family of Sisir Kumar Bhaduri, Prabha Devi and Ketaki Dutta, Chapal emerged as a major presence on the Bengali stage in the 1950s, only to see his career disintegrate by the early 1970s.
In this riveting biography by Sandip Roy — told in Chapal’s own voice — we travel through the bustling streets of Kolkata and the golden era of Bengali theatre, charting Chapal’s tumultuous journey from his childhood into the present day. From his close bond with his mother to the highs of standing ovations and the eventual pain of rejection, the book captures both his theatrical triumphs and personal struggles. It also explores Chapal’s search for love and companionship as a homosexual man in a conservative society and his enduring battle with the loneliness of fame.
Blurring lines between history and imagination, this creative nonfiction work intertwines real events with evocative fictional vignettes, painting an intimate portrait of an artist torn between stardom and invisibility. It also explores the fluidities of gender in South Asia, where identity is often a delicate interplay of tradition, performance and personal truth.
Infused with years of research and rich with anecdotes of passion, resilience and heartbreak, Chapal Rani invites readers to rediscover an era where the stage was a mirror of society, and performers like Chapal Bhaduri embodied its complexities with grace and courage.*
*All copy from book flap.
