From the author of the best-selling "Above Average" comes a second novel, The Householder that traces the relationship between a corrupt personal assistant and a powerful bureaucrat

June 20, 2012 /India PRwire/ -- Reliance TimeOut, the books, music, stationery, toys and gifts store of Reliance Retail, in association with HarperCollins Fourth Estate Publishers India, played host to the launch of book 'The Householder' by Amitabha Bagchi. This is his second book after his maiden title 'Above Average', that received raving reviews from critics & readers alike. The book unveiling was followed by the author reading excerpts from his book and a special interactive session between Amitabha Bagchi & renowned writer Anita Nair at Reliance TimeOut, Cunningham Road.

Speaking about the launch of the book Mr. Dipak Marwah, VP & Business Head, Reliance TimeOut, said, "Reliance TimeOut is delighted to be associated with the launch of the book "The Householder" and to host this special interactive discussion between the author and renowned writer, Anita Nair. Through book launches like these we, at Reliance TimeOut, present our customers the opportunity to meet up with well read authors who share their experiences and perspectives and we hope this too has been an interesting evening for our customers."

'The Householder' is available across all Reliance TimeOut stores for Rs 399.

About the Book:

Naresh Kumar, PA to Shri R.K. Asthana, IAS, is his boss' doorkeeper. There is a share for Naresh in the bounties that flow in through that door, and there has been for years. But he is a man besieged. His married daughter is having trouble conceiving, his son's call centre job might be a cover for something murkier, and his wife expects him to solve these problems. Then there is Pinki Kaur, a colleague and his friend's widow, whose presence in the office stirs responses in him that he can neither submit to nor suppress. Distracted by personal crises, he misses the signs of political trouble brewing at work, and so it is that Naresh finds himself suspended from his job. Unseated from the desk that has been the source of his power and well-being, he must still struggle to make things right for his family: Naresh is, after all, a householder.

With uncommon acuity, Amitabha Bagchi writes of a world where favours are currency, where access to power sometimes feels like a prerequisite for survival, where power can be both total and ephemeral. The Householder is a view from within this world, an examination of the moral condition of our times.

About the Author:

AmitabhaBagchi has a PhD in computer science and is an assistant professor at IIT Delhi. His first novel, Above Average, was published in 2007 and became a bestseller. He lives in New Delhi with his wife and son.

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

Notes to Editor

About Reliance TimeOut

Reliance TimeOut, the books, music, stationery, toys and gifts store of Reliance Retail is the one stop destination of books, music and stationery enthusiasts. Reliance TimeOut offers a huge range of choice to customers across cities with 1,35,000 Books of every genre including Indian Languages and Academic books, over 65,000 movie and music titles, 21,000 Stationery Items, 8,000 Toys, 19,000 Gifts articles including Fragrances, Watches and Fashion Jewellery. Shoppers

can choose from a variety of gifts for as low as Rs. 49/- or more to meet their tastes and requirements. Reliance TimeOut also periodically offers book enthusiasts with the option of interacting with their favourite authors through book reading sessions designed specially for them. These products combined together with services such as the Cafe, Kid's Play Area, Sound Domes, Reading Bar offered in a truly world class environment and with friendly, knowledgeable and energetic staff - has helped the store win the hearts of over 1 million customers. Reliance TimeOut has been extremely active in providing the most exciting and engaging book launch and other events throughout the year. Numerous interactive events with well known Indian and International authors, musicians, dramatists and other celebrities are organized at this one stop destination for books and music lovers. Some of the renowned names who have been associated with Reliance TimeOut are Akshay Kumar, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Rahul Bose, Michael Learns to Rock (MLTR), Biddu, Nandan Nilekani, Sudha Murthy, Fatima Bhutto amongst many others.

About Reliance Retail Limited:

Reliance Retail Limited (RRL), a subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited opened its first retail store in November 2006 and today operates more than 1,300 stores spread across 18 states with over 6.5 million square feet of retail space, serving over 2.5 million customers every week. RRL's loyalty membership program Reliance One has over 9 million members. RRL is a multi-format retailer that operates-

" Reliance Market - a concept for local traders and small businesses " Reliance Fresh - a neighborhood store concept
" Reliance Super- a super mart concept
" Reliance Mart - a hyper market concept
" Delight - a non vegetarian offering
" Reliance Digital - a consumer durables and information technology concept
" iStore by Reliance Digital- an Apple specialty store concept
" Reliance Trends - an apparel specialty concept
" Reliance Footprint -a footwear concept
" Reliance Jewels - a jewellery concept
" Reliance TimeOut- a books, music & entertainment concept
" Reliance Living - a Furniture, Furnishing, Homeware and Home kitchen concept
" Reliance AutoZone - an automotive specialty concept

Reliance Retail is the largest grocery retailer in the country. Reliance Digital, Reliance Trends and Reliance Footprints are the leaders in their respective formats with the largest number of stores.

About Reliance Industries Limited:

Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) is India's largest private sector company on all major financial parameters with a turnover of INR 339,792 crore (US$ 66.8 billion), cash profit of INR 31,994 crore (US$ 6.3 billion) and net profit of INR 20,040 crore (US$ 3.9 billion) as of March 31, 2012.

RIL is the first private sector company from India to feature in the Fortune Global 500 list of 'World's Largest Corporations' and ranks 119th amongst the world's Top 200 companies in terms of profits. RIL ranks 68th in the Financial 'Times FT Global 500' list

of the world's largest companies. RIL is ranked amongst the '50 Most Innovative Companies - 2010' in the World in a survey conducted by the US financial publication - Business Week in collaboration with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In 2010, BCG also ranked RIL as the second highest 'Sustainable Value Creators' for creating the most shareholder value over the decade in the world.

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