Category Archives: News

Tata AIA Launches Shubh Flexi Pension Plan

Mumbai, Mar 12: Imagine retiring with the peace of mind that your income will last as long as you do; a retirement where your savings not only provide stability but also grow to keep up with rising costs and help you maintain your lifestyle. Tata AIA Life Insurance has made that dream a reality with the Shubh Flexi Pension Plan, a solution designed to help you retire with confidence, flexibility, and financial security.

Retirement Today  A New Reality

Retirement planning is no longer just about saving for the future; it’s about adapting to the evolving realities of life. With increasing life expectancy and rising healthcare costs, the financial pressures on retirees today are very real. As more people aim to maintain their lifestyle and financial independence, they are looking for smart solutions that offer both stability and growth.

Many retirees today dream of affording luxury items like cars or foreign vacations. Whether it’s the FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early) generation, aspiring entrepreneurs, or individuals navigating career transitions, traditional retirement plans are no longer enough. What’s more, the fear of outliving their savings is a common worry for many.

But what if retirement didn’t have to be a constant source of stress? What if you could have guaranteed income and still benefit from market-linked growth opportunities?

That’s where the Shubh Flexi Pension Plan comes in. With this plan, you can enjoy both security and growth; ensuring that you can retire comfortably and confidently, without compromising on the lifestyle you deserve.

A Smarter Way to Plan Your Retirement

With increasing lifespans and rising healthcare costs, the financial pressure is real. Traditional ‘debt oriented’ pension plans offer peace of mind, but without any growth in the income amount received. On the other hand, index-linked investments offer growth, but with no certainty. What if you could get the best of both worlds?

Shubh Flexi Pension Plan offers guaranteed income for life, with the added benefit of market-linked growth potential, boosted by equity investment up to 40%. Here’s how Tata AIA Shubh Flexi Pension Plan, a ‘Equity oriented, Regular pay’ solution works:

1. Guaranteed Income for Life You receive annuity payouts for as long as you live. No need to worry about running out of money during retirement.
2. Market-Linked Upside With the Variable Annuity option, you can tie a portion of your income to the performance of the NIFTY 50. Choose from:
• 60% guaranteed (debt) + 40% market-linked (equity)
• 70% guaranteed (debt) + 30% market-linked (Equity)
• 80% guaranteed (debt) + 20% market-linked (Equity)
• 90% guaranteed (debt) + 10% market-linked (Equity)

This ensures that while you have a solid base income, your pension can also grow with the market’s performance; helping you keep up with inflation.

Kshitij Sharma, Appointed Actuary, Tata AIA Life said,

“Retirement planning in India is evolving. With longer life expectancies, rising healthcare costs and fluctuating interest rates, people want solutions that not only provide stability but also grow with them. The Shubh Flexi Pension Plan is our answer — giving customers both guaranteed income and the opportunity to grow their savings.”

Designed Around Your Retirement Journey

No two retirements look the same. Everyone has their own unique goals and timeline. The Shubh Flexi Pension Plan offers flexibility to suit different retirement needs:

• Start Early: You can start building your retirement corpus as early as age 35, giving you the power of compounding over time.
• Choose When Income Starts:
• Immediate Annuity: Start receiving income right after retirement.
• Deferred Annuity: Let your money grow for up to 20 years before payouts begin, to enhance your corpus. The maximum 20 year deferment is addition to PPT. e.g. if a policy has a premium payment term of 12 years, the maximum deferment can be 12 + 20 = 32 years
• Flexible Premium Options:
• Pay a lump sum
• Spread payments over 2–12 years

Protect What You Leave Behind

It’s not just about securing your own future; it’s also about protecting your family’s. With the Return of Purchase Price option, your nominee can receive the original purchase price when you are no longer around.

Who Is It Ideal For?

The Shubh Flexi Pension Plan isn’t just for one type of consumer, it’s for anyone looking to retire comfortably:

• Early planners who want to build their retirement income early (FIRE generation)
• Lifestyle aspirants, who aim to maintain their lifestyle while enjoying financial independence,
• Pre-retirees who want predictable, reliable income
• Retirees who want stability with growth potential
• NPS subscribers seeking annuitisation options
• Individuals who want a structured, long-term retirement strategy

The Bottom Line

Retirement should be about freedom — not financial stress. The Shubh Flexi Pension Plan offers: ✔ Guaranteed income for life ✔ Market-linked growth potential to beat inflation ✔ Flexible premium and payout options ✔ Liquidity when you need it ✔ Family protection for peace of mind

Because when you plan your retirement with Tata AIA, it’s not just about securing your future — it’s about living it fully, confidently, and independently.

Nike’s After Dark Tour Returns to Mumbai: A Global Race Series Built for Women, Powered by Nike

What to know

·The Mumbai leg of the Nike After Dark Tour is back for 2026 with an invitation to an unforgettable experience to the city as part of a seven-city series across the globe.

·Designed for women, the 2026 Nike After Dark Tour combines the joy of running with an electrifying nighttime experience that seamlessly blends sport, culture and community, resulting in a one-of-one event at every stop.

·With races of varying distances –– from 10Ks to half marathons –– the tour offers women around the world, including Mumbai’s growing community of women runners, the opportunity to push new limits and celebrate their collective power and potential.

·To learn more and get notified about race dates and registration, visithttps://afterdarktour.nike.com/mumbai

Seven global cities. One electrifying tour. Built for women, powered by Nike.

The After Dark Tour is returning for 2026, continuing Nike’s commitment to inviting more women into sport through races designed to celebrate community, self-expression and the power of running — all after the sun goes down.

Spanning seven major cities across the world, the Nike After Dark Tour empowers women to step onto the starting line together for an evening that blends sport, culture and community into a oneofone experience at every stop.

With a 10K race in Mumbai, the tour invites women of all backgrounds and abilities to push new limits and celebrate their collective power and potential.

Races in the 2026 Nike After Dark Tour include:

·London: 10K

·Los Angeles: half marathon

·Manila: 10K

·Mexico City: half marathon

·Mumbai: 10K

·Shanghai: 10K

·Sydney: half marathon

Now in its second year, the After Dark Tour builds on Nike’s longstanding history of supporting women runners around the world. Between 2005 and 2015, Nike hosted a series of women’s races in major cities globally. In 2025, the brand carried that legacy forward with the launch of the After Dark Tour, inspiring a new generation of runners and creating a space where women feel seen, supported and motivated.

That approach resonated strongly during the inaugural After Dark Tour, which drew more than 50,000 women to seven races across five continents, including nearly 3,500 women in India. One in three participants were first time racers, and nearly half said they signed up because they were drawn to a women oriented race experience.

Each stop extends far beyond a traditional race format, offering runners a fully immersive experience featuring curated prerace moments, oncourse energy and postrace celebrations of movement, confidence and community.

The After Dark Tour also showcases Nike’s latest running, training and sportswear innovations — all designed to help women look good, feel good and perform their best. The same performance technologies developed for Nike’s elite athletes are available to everyday runners, reinforcing the brand’s belief that innovation should serve all athletes, at every level.

To learn more about the 2026 Nike After Dark Tour, get notified about race dates and register for a race, visit:

Mumbai: https://afterdarktour.nike.com/mumbai

Global Series: https://afterdarktour.nike.com/

NOTE: As a brand that champions and celebrates all athletes, Nike created the After Dark Tour to invite more women into sport, fostering a sense of community and self-expression. Nike welcomed thousands of women to After Dark Tour starting lines in 2025, and the brand looks forward to encouraging even more women to run in 2026. Nike appreciates runners’ partnership in honoring the intent of the race series; participation and eligibility rules vary according to local laws and regulations. As registration opens, runners can check the race participation and eligibility requirements for each city.

SPS Construction built the INR 3000 crore Kumar Bhaskar Varma Bridge over the Brahmaputra

Guwahati, Mar 11: The INR 3000 crore Kumar Bhaskar Varma Setu, a 6-lane extra-dosed bridge over the Brahmaputra River connecting Guwahati and North Guwahati, has been successfully completed and inaugurated by Hon’ble Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi. The project, executed by SPS Construction, significantly reduces travel time from nearly 2 hours to 10–15 minutes, easing congestion and boosting regional connectivity.

SPS Construction, a leading infrastructure firm with nearly 30 years of experience, has delivered landmark projects across India, including bridges over the Ganga, Satluj, and Brahmaputra, as well as elevated metro viaducts. Rohit Singla, Director, SPS Construction, said,

“Projects like the Kumar Bhaskar Varma Setu demonstrate our engineering capability and commitment to building resilient infrastructure that strengthens connectivity and supports economic growth.”

The bridge combines prestressed box girders with cable support, addressing the Brahmaputra’s challenging currents and sediment conditions. This achievement underscores SPS Construction’s expertise in complex river crossings, long-span cable-stayed bridges, and urban transport projects across more than 16 states in India.

Ogden: A Tale for the End of Time by Ben G. Price, now available from Histria Books

Histria Books is pleased to announce the paperback release of Ogden: A Tale for the End of Time by Ben G. Price. This compelling book is published by Histria SciFi & Fantasy, an imprint of Histria Books encompassing outstanding, innovative works in the genres of science fiction and fantasy.

In Ogden, fantasy collides with the age of machines in a world of crumbling stone circles, hissing steam and monsters who might be more human than the people who fear them. This is a found family story, a gentle-giant outcast tale, and a grim look at industrial progress all wrapped into one character-driven epic.

Readers who love “monster as metaphor,” morally gray societies, and slow-burn bonds will find plenty to sink their teeth into. Trolls who literally cannot lie face humans who refuse to hear the truth, while secret orders and ruthless industrialists decide who counts as a person.

Ogden is for fans of myth-touched, low-technology fantasy who crave emotional stakes over chosen-one prophecy and intimate relationships over battlefield heroics. It asks what happens when the creature in the cage refuses to play its part in the story and chooses kindness in a world that profits from cruelty.

Praise for Ogden: A Tale for the End of Time:

“A fantasy of the highest order. Ogden will leave you in wonder, wistful for more and an unwavering insight that Nature is sentient. On this great, green planet, we are but one set of eyes among many that see.” — Tom Mullian, editor at La Mott Times

Ben G. Price is a U.S.-based writer who pioneered Rights of Nature legislation in the United States and assisted scores of communities to enact community and nature’s rights-protecting laws. He serves as the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund’s education director and, in addition to Ogden, he is author of How Wealth Rules the World: Saving Our Communities and Freedoms from the Dictatorship of Property.

Ogden: A Tale for the End of Time by Ben G. Price, 432 pp., ISBN 978-1-59211-579-2, is available at HistriaBooks.com and from all major book retailers. The book is also available as an eBook and a hardcover. Titles published under the imprints of Histria Books are distributed in the United States and Canada by Simon & Schuster and in the rest of the world through Unified Book Distribution.

Sophia and Cassius by Anna Canic now available from Histria Books

Histria Books is pleased to announce the paperback release of Sophia and Cassius by Anna Canic. This novel is published by Histria Romance, an imprint of Histria Books dedicated to outstanding books in the romance genre.

Sophia and Cassius is a bold, genre-bending historical spiritual novel for readers who crave rebellious women, dangerous love, and faith put on trial. This is for fans of subversive biblical retellings, palace-intrigue dramas, and morally conflicted heroes who refuse to bow.

Here, the familiar myths of Eden and imperial Rome are turned inside out. The “fallen woman” becomes the one who says no. The emperor’s sister stops playing pawn and starts playing god. A hardened centurion finds himself caught in a forbidden pull between duty, desire, and a truth that could ruin them all.

Expect court politics, cults, and secret rites. Expect slow-burn tension where loyalty and attraction collide. Expect the “strong female character” to be truly dangerous, not just decorative.

Sophia and Cassius asks what it really means to be faithful when faith itself has been weaponized and survival demands a little heresy.

Praise for Sophia and Cassius: 

“Yearning spans centuries in Anna Canić’s bold feminist novel Sophia and Cassius, about a Lilith-inspired woman who is reborn to love a warrior… Steeped in ideals about love and justice, the provocative alternative history novel Sophia and Cassius explores a storied woman’s influence on the Roman Empire” —Karen Rigby, Foreword Magazine

Anna Canic (b. 1987, Odesa, Ukraine) is a multilingual translator, publicist, and author of Sophia and Cassius (originally published in Croatia). Described by JSTOR as a “multifaceted literary figure,” she has written articles, stage plays, reviews, poems, and song lyrics, and served as vice editor-in-chief of the Polish art and culture magazines Moja Przestrzeń Kultury and Dziennik Teatralny. Her work has appeared widely in European and American magazines and anthologies, and two of her dramas have been staged in Polish theatres. Fluent in six languages, she lives in Split, Croatia, with her family.

Sophia and Cassius by Anna Canic, 400 pp., ISBN 978-1-59211-667-6, is available at HistriaBooks.com and from all major book retailers. The book is also available as an eBook and a hardcover. Titles published under the imprints of Histria Books are distributed in the United States and Canada by Simon & Schuster and in the rest of the world through Unified Book Distribution. 

Ribbon of Dreams by Randy O’Brien, now available from Histria Books

Histria Books is pleased to announce the release of Ribbon of Dreams by Randy O’Brien. This novel is published by Histria Fiction, an imprint of Histria Books dedicated to outstanding original works of fiction.

Set in the charged, sultry South of the 1970s, Ribbon of Dreams is a coming-of-age story for anyone who has ever felt like the outsider in their own life. Caught between a strict

stepfather, a fractured family, and a country on fire with protest, Skid is that sensitive kid who

sees too much and belongs nowhere.

This is a novel of first love and bad decisions, of boys taught to be tough who are secretly

breaking, of found mentors and broken idols. It leans into the tropes we crave: the misfit hero searching for his voice, the small town that keeps its ugliest secrets, the “good son” who refuses

to stay quiet, the road trip that changes everything.

Ribbon of Dreams will speak to readers who love character driven fiction, emotionally raw

family drama, and the messy, beautiful moment when youth collides with the real world.

Randy O’Brien is the author of the critically acclaimed historical novels Gettysburg by Morning and The Farm. He is a retired award-winning radio journalist and long-time book reviewer for AudioFile magazine. An avid audiobook reader, O’Brien enjoys thrillers, biographies, and histories while hiking.

Ribbon of Dreams by Randy O’Brien, 300 pp., ISBN 978-1-59211-677-5, is available at HistriaBooks.com and from all major book retailers. The book is also available as an eBook. Titles published under the imprints of Histria Books are distributed in the United States and Canada by Simon & Schuster and in the rest of the world through Unified Book Distribution.

The Lost Diary of Lucrezia Borgia by Johnny Teague, now available from Histria Books

Histria Books is pleased to announce the release of The Lost Diary of Lucrezia Borgia by Johnny Teague. This compelling novel is published by Histria Fiction, an imprint of Histria Books dedicated to outstanding original works of fiction.

In The Lost Diary of Lucrezia Borgia, a forgotten confessional surfaces from beneath a Roman basilica and refuses to stay buried. This is a story for lovers of secret histories, dark academia and morally complex heroines. 

At its heart are two souls divided by five centuries yet bound by the same questions. What if the woman history branded a poisoner and seductress had written her own defense? What if her words could upend everything we think we know about power, faith and female ambition?  

Moving between glittering Renaissance courts and the shadows of modern Rome, the novel explores the allure and danger of sacred objects, the seduction of corruption and the cost of choosing conscience over survival. For readers of dual timeline epics, ecclesiastical thrillers and feminist retellings, The Lost Diary of Lucrezia Borgia invites you into a world where every relic hides a story and every story threatens the official truth.

Dr. Johnny Teague is a historian, author, and patented inventor. With four published books to his name, his works have gained notable recognition. His book Preaching Your Way Out of a Mess was awarded Preaching Magazine’s 2019 Book of the Year. The Lost Diary of Anne Frank earned a place on the Association for Jewish Studies Honor Roll of 2021 and is available in hardcover, softcover, eBook, and Audible formats. His other notable works include The Lost Diary of George Washington, The Revolutionary War Years (Editors’ Pick in The Manhattan and finalist for the Goethe Book Award) and The Lost Diary of Mary Magdalene, which received a 5-star rating from Readers’ Favorite.

The Lost Diary of Lucrezia Borgia by Johnny Teague, 150 pp., ISBN 978-1-59211-600-3, is available at HistriaBooks.com and from all major book retailers. The book is also available as an eBook. Titles published under the imprints of Histria Books are distributed in the United States and Canada by Simon & Schuster and in the rest of the world through Unified Book Distribution. For information on publishing with Histria Books, please visit HistriaBooks.com or contact us at info@histriabooks.com.

The Midnight Boy: A Percy St. John Novel by E. A. Allen, now available from Histria Books

Histria Books is pleased to announce the release of The Midnight Boy: A Percy St. John Novel by E. A. Allen. This book is published by Histria YA, an imprint of Histria Books dedicated to outstanding works for teens and young adults.

In Edwardian England, where gaslight meets gutter magic, a boy thief with a haunted past is recruited into the empire’s most secret war. The Midnight Boy, the standalone prequel to Percy St. John and the Chronicle of Secrets blends dark academia, supernatural thriller, and Victorian spy caper into a fast-paced series opener for fans of Garth Nix, Philip Pullman and Samantha Shannon.

At its heart are classic tropes with a twist: the brutal orphanage that hides a conspiracy, a snarky

guardian cat that may be more than it seems, found family in a locksmith’s workshop, and a reluctant prodigy drawn into cloak and dagger missions. Expect cursed schools, demonic infestations in the city’s underbelly, and a charismatic villain who refuses to stay dead.

Perfect for readers seeking a high concept, cross over supernatural fantasy, The Midnight Boy offers espionage, occult mystery and coming of age peril in the shadows of a crumbling empire.

E. A. Allen is a cattle farmer, historian, and retired CIA intelligence officer who writes mystery and adventure fiction for both adults and young readers. He is the author of the Montclaire Mysteries for adult readers, and the Percy St.-John Adventures for teens and young adults, inspired by the classic traditions of Arthur Conan Doyle, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Agatha Christie. Allen holds a Ph.D. in Modern European History from Tulane University, has studied in France at the University of Montpellier and the Sorbonne, and previously served as Senior Analyst for European Security Affairs at the CIA and Deputy National Intelligence Officer for Europe on the National Intelligence Council. He lives with his wife on a farm in the mountains of northwest Arkansas.

The Midnight Boy: A Percy St. John Novel by E. A. Allen, 200 pp., ISBN 978-1-59211-590-7, is available at HistriaBooks.com and from all major book retailers. The book is also available as an eBook. Titles published under the imprints of Histria Books are distributed in the United States and Canada by Simon & Schuster and in the rest of the world through Unified Book Distribution. For information on publishing with Histria Books, please visit HistriaBooks.com or contact us at info@histriabooks.com.

¿Cómo te sientes? by Amy Conroy, now available from Histria Books

Histria Books is pleased to announce the release of ¿Cómo te sientes?: A Beginner Reader book in Spanish to teach children social-emotional literacy by Amy Conroy. This story is published by Histria Kids, an imprint of Histria Books dedicated to outstanding works for children that both educate and entertain.

Meet ¿Cómo te sientes?, a joyful gateway to Spanish for the youngest learners and the grownups who guide them. This is not just another vocabulary book; it is a gentle introduction to big feelings in a little-kid format, perfect for storytime snuggles and circle time alike.  

Built around high-frequency, socio-emotional language, ¿Cómo te sientes? supports key early literacy goals while opening the door to bilingualism. Repetition, rhyme and clear first-person expressions invite children to speak up, try out new words and immediately use them in real life.  

For educators and librarians, it fits seamlessly alongside SEL and world language curricula. For families, it feels like a cozy picture book that just happens to be in Spanish. With vibrant, contemporary art and a focus on diverse, modern families, ¿Cómo te sientes? delivers what today’s market seeks: a warm, accessible, classroom-ready resource that builds empathy, confidence and a love of language.

Amy Rush Conroy is an anthropologist, educator, and mother of three bilingual children in Los Angeles, California. She is the founder of Habla Blah Blah, a company dedicated to engaging young children in second-language learning through song and experiences since 2006, inspiring thousands of children to learn Spanish, French, or English. Habla Blah Blah was named “Best Children’s Songwriter” (2016) and awarded “Best Children’s Song” (2017) by the Indie Music Channel. Amy is also a Spanish elementary teacher and a pioneer in the Global Parenting movement.

¿Cómo te sientes?: A Beginner Reader book in Spanish to teach children social-emotional literacy by Amy Conroy, 20 pp., ISBN 978-1-59211-684-3, is available at HistriaBooks.com and from all major book retailers. This title is also available as an eBook. Titles published under the imprints of Histria Books are distributed in the United States and Canada by Simon & Schuster and in the rest of the world through Unified Book Distribution. 

Paphos by Nick Burnette, now available from Histria Books

Mar 11: Histria Books is pleased to announce the release of Paphos by Nick Burnette. This book is published by Histria SciFi & Fantasy, an imprint of Histria Books encompassing outstanding, innovative works in the genres of science fiction and fantasy.

Paphos is a heart-wrenching science fiction novel of first-contact mystery and claustrophobic survival horror set on a world that does not want to give up its secrets.

When a small research team touches down on a pristine alien planet, they expect data, samples and maybe a publication or two. Instead, they awaken something ancient, hungry and far more intelligent than they are. Trapped light years from help, cut off from Earth, they become test subjects in a planetary laboratory that rewrites the rules of life itself.

Paphos is a story of a single father, a brilliant young girl and the terrifying price of curiosity. Fans of Annihilation, The Last of Us and classic “science team in over their heads” tales will find familiar tropes twisted into something unsettling and new, as humanity’s drive to explore collides with an ecosystem that has its own plans for us.

Nick Burnette is an American author specializing in Science Fiction and Fantasy. Raised in a secret society of 80’s movies, he honed a unique blend of adventure, suspense, and imagination—along with a few deadly skills best left in the dojo. When he’s not crafting high-stakes stories of first contact, cyberpunk detectives, and kung fu, he can be found plotting his next twist, exploring the cosmos with a telescope, or debating the finer points of old television series with his wife.

Paphos by Nick Burnette, 250 pp., ISBN 978-1-59211-683-6, is available at HistriaBooks.com and from all major book retailers. The book is also available as an eBook. Titles published under the imprints of Histria Books are distributed in the United States and Canada by Simon & Schuster and in the rest of the world through Unified Book Distribution.