RAM S. VARMA's BOOK ON THE RAMAYANA   By Pranay Gupte   Some professional writers – particularly journalists -- will tell you that writing is a breeze. All you need to do is get your facts straight through relentless reporting, sit in front of your computer, and the words will flow. There’s a story – and it happens to be true – of the late R. W. “Johnny” Apple Jr. of The New York Times dashing out a 7,000-word cover story for The Times&rsquo...

I am please to report that my new book, "Dubai: The Making of a Megapolis," has just been published by Penguin-Viking (India). It's available on Amazon.Com, and will be hitting the bookstores soon. The book marks the 40th anniversary of the found of the United Arab Emirates, and is a broad sweeping history of the Gulf region, and Dubai's rise from a small fishing village to one of the world's great cities.