Wayback Machine: Your Time Machine to the Internet’s Past

The Wayback Machine is a digital archive of the World Wide Web, allowing users to access snapshots of websites from various points in time, effectively letting them "go back in time" to see how sites looked in the past. It’s a flagship project of the Internet Archive, a San Francisco-based nonprofit dedicated to preserving digital content.

Launched publicly in 2001, the Wayback Machine has become a vital tool for researchers, historians, journalists, and the public to explore the internet’s history, troubleshoot website issues, or recover lost content. As of November 2024, it has archived over 916 billion web pages and stores more than 100 petabytes of data, with captures dating back to at least 1995.

The Autograph That Changed Everything

Rishi Das's heart was a vessel filled with a beautiful, unending grief. His loneliness was a constant companion, a silent shadow that followed him through the desolate halls of his apartment. His wife, Ananya, had been the monsoon of his life—a force of nature that brought life, color, and joy to his existence. She had passed away three years ago, leaving behind a silence so profound it felt like a physical weight. The world, once a vibrant canvas, had become a grayscale sketch. His novella, "The Map of Our Memories," was not just a book; it was a memorial to her, a collection of all the love and unspoken words he couldn't bear to let go of.

The book was a poignant tale of a man who, after losing his beloved, returns to the places they had shared, leaving behind letters that spoke of his memories, his sorrow, and his enduring love. Each chapter was a memory—the cafe where they first met, the crowded street market where they bought a forgotten trinket, the old banyan tree where he had proposed. It was a story woven from the threads of his own pain, a raw and honest depiction of love's enduring echo. He had written it not for fame or fortune, but to give his grief a tangible form, to ensure Ananya’s memory lived on.

But the book had failed. Publishers had called it "too personal," "too niche," and "unmarketable." They told him a story about grief was a hard sell. The rejection letters piled up, each one a fresh reminder that the world had no space for his pain, no market for his love. Desperate and out of options, he had decided to self-publish it on Amazon, taking a small, almost hopeless step to put his story out into the world. He was an artist who had given his soul to his work, only to find that his art was deemed worthless. He had no social media presence, no network of literary contacts, and his grief had made him a recluse. His life was a slow, quiet fade.

Unveiling the Mughal Empire: Exploring a Glorious Era

The Mughal Empire (1526–1857) stands as one of the most significant dynasties in Indian history, renowned for its cultural, architectural, and political achievements. Founded by Babur, a descendant of Timur and Genghis Khan, the empire unified much of the Indian subcontinent under a centralized administration. From Akbar’s inclusive policies and grand vision to Shah Jahan’s architectural marvels like the Taj Mahal, and Aurangzeb’s expansive yet controversial reign, the Mughals left an indelible mark on India’s history. Their rule saw a fusion of Persian, Central Asian, and Indian traditions, fostering art, literature, and a syncretic culture. However, internal conflicts and external pressures, including British colonialism, led to the empire’s decline by the mid-19th century. The following books offer deep insights into the Mughal Empire’s rise, reign, and legacy, catering to both general readers and scholars.

Must-Read Books on Indian History: A Comprehensive Guide

Indian history is a vast and intricate tapestry, spanning thousands of years and encompassing diverse cultures, empires, and movements. For anyone seeking to understand this rich legacy, the following books offer authoritative insights, compelling narratives, and critical perspectives. Below is a curated list of important works on Indian history, each accompanied by a brief description, covering ancient, medieval, modern, and contemporary periods.

Ancient India

1. "The Wonder That Was India" by A.L. Basham
   This classic work provides a comprehensive overview of ancient Indian civilization, covering its culture, religion, art, and social structures up to the arrival of Islam. Basham’s engaging narrative makes it accessible yet scholarly, ideal for readers new to Indian history.
   

   

   
   

10 Self-Publishing Book Houses in India

Here are some of the prominent self-publishing book houses operating in India. This list focuses on well-established platforms frequently mentioned in top rankings and reviews.

Note that some are hybrid (offering both free and paid options), and details are drawn from their official sites and analyses.

1. Notion Press
   • Services: Print-on-demand (POD) for paperbacks and eBooks, cover design tools, ISBN allocation, global distribution to 30,000+ stores in 150+ countries (including Amazon.in, Flipkart, and international platforms). Authors retain 100% copyrights and can use an online editor for formatting.
   • Fees: Basic "Xpress Publishing" is used to be free earlier but charging Rs.4000 plus GST with Three Author Copies Free. Paid plans add editing, formatting, marketing, and enhanced distribution (pricing not publicly detailed but customizable; royalties up to 100% net profits via Outpublish program or 80% otherwise). Production costs depend on pages, format, and type (use their royalty calculator for estimates).
   • Promotion: Distribution-focused (Amazon, Flipkart, Notion Press store); paid plans include marketing support (efficiency varies per user reviews). Not the widest, but good for online visibility.
   • Contact: +91 44 46315631 or +91 7358790879 (support); email: publish@notionpress.com.

Abhinetri – The Curse of Eternal Glamour

 Abhinetri (The Actress) | Genre: Supernatural Thriller | Series: Aahat (Season 1) Episodes 78 & 79 available in Sony Liv.

Mumbai, 1995. The film industry buzzes with whispers about Sujata Devi—a legendary actress from the 1960s who, astonishingly, looks no older than 30. Her timeless beauty defies logic. No wrinkles, no signs of aging. Journalists speculate plastic surgery, secret diets, even black magic. But the truth is far more chilling.

🕉️ The Temple Encounter

Flashback to 1963. A young Sujata, desperate for fame, visits a remote temple nestled in the Western Ghats. There, she meets a mysterious ascetic who offers her a necklace with a cryptic warning:

“Wear this, and youth shall be yours. But remove it each night, or death will claim you.”

Sujata accepts the gift, unaware of the price she’ll pay.

🧕 The Dual Life

For decades, Sujata lives a double life. By day, she dazzles the world with her youthful charm. By night, she locks herself away, removing the necklace and transforming into her true aged self. No one is allowed near her after sunset—not staff, not friends, not lovers.

Her mansion becomes a fortress of secrecy. Mirrors are covered. Lights dimmed. The actress becomes a prisoner of her own vanity.

🕵️‍♂️ The Journalist’s Obsession

Enter Vikram, a young investigative journalist. Intrigued by Sujata’s agelessness, he begins digging into her past. He uncovers inconsistencies—missing medical records, vanished staff, and rumors of occult rituals.

One night, Vikram sneaks into her mansion and witnesses the transformation. Horrified yet fascinated, he confronts her the next day.

Sujata pleads with him to keep her secret. But Vikram, torn between ethics and ambition, leaks the story.

⚰️ The Necklace Betrayal

As the media frenzy erupts, Sujata’s world collapses. Paparazzi swarm her home. In the chaos, a former housemaid named Kamla, who had long suspected Sujata’s secret, sneaks into her bedroom during the day—something no one had dared to do before. Hidden behind the curtains, Kamla watches Sujata doze off, still wearing the necklace.

Driven by greed and curiosity, Kamla steals the necklace, believing it holds the key to eternal youth. She escapes unnoticed, but the theft sets off a chain reaction.

That evening, Sujata awakens and reaches for the necklace—only to find it gone. Panic grips her. Her skin begins to sag, her bones ache, and her reflection reveals the truth she’s hidden for decades. She tries to retrieve the necklace, but Kamla has vanished.

Without it, Sujata begins to age rapidly. Her body weakens. Her mind fractures. She returns to the temple in desperation—but the ascetic is gone. Only echoes remain.

🕯️ Epilogue

Sujata Devi is found dead in her mansion, her face aged beyond recognition. The necklace is never recovered. Some say it still holds its power, waiting for the next desperate soul.

The Day of the Red Rose

It was the summer of 1994 in Kagaz Town, a modest locality where the streets smelled of tamarind trees and fresh ink from the paper mills nearby. Life moved slowly there. School bells rang louder than the town clock, and every child’s day was ruled by that tinny clang from a rusting iron bell tied to a wooden pole.

Sishu Parivar Primary School stood like a relic from the past. Before it became a school, it had been a post office during British times—high ceilings, arched doorways, thick brick walls that stayed cool in the heat, and a big iron gate that creaked whenever it opened. Behind it stretched a playground so big it seemed endless to the small children who ran through its dusty patches. One half belonged to the high school students with their cricket pitches and football games; the other was for the primary kids, where skipping ropes slapped the ground and marbles rolled into sandy pits.

In Class IV, among the sixty-four noisy little souls, was Kavish — a quiet, chubby boy weighing 35 kilos, with a round face that made him look both innocent and older than his age. A Brahmin by birth, he carried the discipline and gentleness his parents instilled in him. His shyness was most noticeable around girls — his voice would get quieter, his gaze darting to the floor, and his palms sweating whenever one addressed him.