The Anarchy: The East India Company, Corporate Violence, and the Pillage of an Empire

The amazing story of how from an inconspicuous office in far away England, with less than a hundred employees, the East India Company controlled the destiny of a land as large and diverse as India. They started in 1600, and by the early 1800s, they had demolished the last credible threat to their domination in India – the Marathas. A corporation that arrived in India for trade, and ended up pillaging the country and finally giving it to the Crown on a platter.

The Wizard and the Prophet

As the world races towards a population in double figure billions, there is a huge pressure on ensuring basic necessities for all – water, food, clean air, and scalable energy sources. Represented principally by Norman Borlaug (the wizard) and William Vogt (the prophet), there are two schools of thought in how humanity could solve this. Scientific and philosophical, it’s not an easy read, but does provide some great perspectives.

A Gentleman in Moscow

Sublime, in terms of writing and characters. When Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov is sentenced to house arrest (“house” here being the Hotel Metropol) on 21st June 1922, it’s difficult to imagine the remaining 400+ pages being anything other than depressing. But the Count is probably a living embodiment of Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations, and the story that follows shows “that by the smallest of one’s actions one can restore some sense of order to the world.” An absolutely wonderful read, and in my list of all-time favourites.

The Algebra of Happiness: Finding the equation for a life well lived

Scott Galloway is famous for his “roasts” of tech companies and unicorns. This is obviously a different topic, but if you like the tone – blunt towards abrasive – you should enjoy this book too. Though his life has not really been a benchmark for happiness (as he admits), the experience has given him perspectives on what happiness could be. It’s not a typical “happiness” book, but profundity and the profanity coexist to make an interesting read.